January 2009 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

RE: [arrl-odv:17522] Copps designated acting FCC Chair
by Joel Harrison 23 Jan '09

23 Jan '09

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[arrl-odv:17522] Copps designated acting FCC Chair
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 23 Jan '09

23 Jan '09

News flash: STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER MICHAEL J. COPPS ON HIS DESIGNATION AS ACTING FCC CHAIR JANUARY 22, 2009. STMT CMMR. Contact Rick Chessen at (202) 418-2000 <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288068A1.doc> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288068A1.pdf> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288068A1.txt> COMMISSIONER JONATHAN S. ADELSTEIN CONGRATULATES MICHAEL COPPS ON DESIGNATION AS ACTING FCC CHAIRMAN. STMT CMMR. Contact Katie Yocum at (202) 418-2300 <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288069A1.doc> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288069A1.pdf> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288069A1.txt> STATEMENT OF FCC COMMISSIONER ROBERT MCDOWELL REGARDING THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT MICHAEL J. COPPS WILL SERVE AS ACTING CHAIRMAN. STMT CMMR. Contact Brigid Calamis at (202) 418-2200 <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288067A1.doc> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288067A1.pdf> <http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-288067A1.txt> Dave

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World's Largest Amateur Antenna
by William Sawders 23 Jan '09

23 Jan '09

Picture quality is not great. Enjoy. K7ZM World's Largest Amateur Antenna http://www.radioarcala com/nbspStation/TowersandAntennas/Tower7/tabid/358/Default.aspx

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Woolweaver Appointed to PSC
by Joel Harrison 22 Jan '09

22 Jan '09

I am pleased to announce that Director Woolweaver is appointed to the Programs & Services Committee, replacing Director Day. 73 Joel W5ZN

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[arrl-odv:17519] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 21 Jan '09

21 Jan '09

<<012109.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 32, No. 3 January 21, 2009 -- Covers the period January 11-17. CEO Reported by Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ CEO staff is working on wrapping-up another successful and smooth-functioning Board meeting. A special thank you to Greg Kwasowski for driving the van; to Maryann Macdonald and Maggie Bourgoin for helping with the Board books; to Penny Harts for helping with the goodie table in the lobby; to Jon Bloom for taking pictures at the hotel and to those who made hotel runs during the day on Friday. Special acknowledgement and thanks to Andy Shefrin for working with the Marriott technicians in making all presentation and computer equipment run like a charm. Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND During the week we received information on changes in several state license plates procedures. These were verified and forwarded to Web Services for updating on the ARRL Web. We also received information on state cell phone bills being proposed in Iowa, Georgia, Maine, Texas and Illinois. We received word that in response to information provided by the ARRL to George Dillon in the FCC (who retired at year's end) a warning letter was sent by the FCC San Francisco field office to Steve Wingate, K6TXH, for on-the-air malicious interference. Based on information received regarding an eBay sale of extended range cordless telephones which operate in the 146-147.98 MHz range, we contacted the office of eBay General Counsel. Mid-week we received a follow-up phone call from Rob McBryde, an attorney at eBay, whose group looks into reports of the sale of illegal items on the site. I explained that FCC regulations (Part 2) require equipment sold in the US to have an FCC certificate of compliance. (The units in question are being manufactured and sold from Hong Kong but marketed in the US). I provided Mr. McBryde with the legal citations and expressed our concern about the potential for these units to be operated by non-licensed persons at a power-level sufficient to cause harmful interference (5 watts) to licensed users. He assured me that they would look into the legality of the sale of these items and would pull the items if they found our concerns supported by FCC regulations. He related that they could write software which would screen for this type item in the future and also could block them from appearing on the US eBay site, but this would take several weeks to research and implement any change. Finally during the week we met with various Directors and Vice-Directors on items of concern, as well as with ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay to share information. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Work continues on the PR-101 course with volunteer authors' sections due in by the end of the month. A meeting with Fathom reviewed plans for updating the graphics and format of the www.Hello-Radio.org website. The Technology video PSA is at FNC studios and an optional second video just for Field Day is being discussed. Some FCC Field Staff are contacting Section Managers about the DTV actions, but this varies with different areas of the country. Emails, copies of complaints and encouragement are being sent to Sue McNeil of the FCC for action. The initial 09 PRC conference call is set for Wednesday evening. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH Letters have been mailed to all donors who made pledge payments on commitments in 2008. Development received a communication from the trust officer of the Robert Stoner estate regarding the ARRL portion bonds currently held in the estate portfolio. Information has been shared with CFP Shelley and mailed to Treasurer McCobb. Revenues for January 2009 now total $41,745 as follows - Diamond Club $10,000 (gross), Defense $10,000, Education $21,445 (includes a $20,000 grant for Teachers Institute), and W1AW $300. Work continues on analysis of the fall 2008 Defense campaign and on the Historic Preservation project. Revisions are being made to the 2009 Development budget per approval by the ARRL Board of Directors. Preparations are being made for the ARRL Foundation Annual Meeting via conference call on Thursday, January, 22. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, did a real time "Doctor is IN" session at the ARRL South Florida Section Convention in Fort Myers on January 17. Attendance and interest levels were both high, and things kept going long after the scheduled ending time. The March 2009 issue of QST was released to the printer January 20. A reprint of Basic Antennas: Understanding Practical Antennas and Designs by W1ZR has also been released to the printer. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R A second telemarketing trial is underway, this time phoning "never-member" new licensees. A plan is being finalized to train our new group of ARRL Tour volunteers. They begin reporting for duty in February. We began sending a second, follow-up membership solicitation to recently upgraded licensees. A membership solicitation was sent by email to recently lapsed, December expirees. The emailing generated a flurry sign-ups, "it's in the mail" responses, and feedback. A new vertical banner stand, featuring the ARRL five pillars, is available for ordering. The display includes the banner graphic, robust stand, and carrying case. Division and Section volunteers can contact Diane Petrilli for ordering, or visit www.arrl.org/brochures. Late last year, the customer service team participated in a 3-day training seminar. A follow-up review was completed last week involving two facilitators who helped review live phone calls for all customer service personnel. There was a lot of excellent feedback and constructive criticism of good and not-so-good telephone techniques and mannerisms. Mailing data for March QST was sent to the printer on schedule, to begin mailing February 3. In 2008, fuel surcharges and increasing delivery costs outpaced the shipping and handling fees collected from our customers. The pricing structure we currently use for assessing these fees is being evaluated by a cross-functional team: IT, accounting, warehouse and fulfillment. We are already working with our freight vendors to acquire tools and reports so we can improve our tracking of actual freight costs, and ultimately compare those costs with the fees we collect. This work will also benefit our customers who seek more and more delivery options and accurate shipping estimates (delivery time and fees). A logo for the 2009 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention(r) has been completed. A large December publication mailing has just topped $57,000 in gross product sales, exceeding our sales goal for the mailing. Along with contributing some additional net revenue, we are excited about the predictive value of this sales data as we prepare mailings throughout this new year. A handful of antenna-themed house advertising was assembled for March QST-the Annual Antenna Issue. The Warehouse crew fulfilled 897 packages for publication and product orders, shipped 455 membership premiums, and mailed January QST supplements. Over the weekend, a handful of staff from throughout the building helped the warehouse crew with a backlog of 700 additional membership premiums that had collected since the end of year inventory. The work is all caught-up. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Contest Branch The January VHF Sweepstakes was this past weekend; so far, we've received just over 100 logs the day after the contest. 1,398 logs have been received for the 2009 RTTY Roundup, 1,792 for the 10 Meter contest and 1,240 logs for the 160 Meter contest. The submission deadline has passed for both these events. We've received several new sponsors for the 2009 RTTY Roundup plaques. The RTTY crowd is really stepping forward and reviving the plaque program for their event. W1AW Special thanks to Yaesu - Vertex Standard for their donation of a new Yaesu FTDX9000 H/VHF transceiver. Dennis Motschenbacher, K7BV was on hand Tuesday, January 13 to make the official donation. Thanks also to Dan Henderson, N1ND, Rocky Mountain Division Director Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT and Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director Dwayne Allen, WY7FD for their operating W1AW in the North American SSB QSO Party. They made 1,000 contacts, with 152 sections worked (out of a total 378 sections) on 160, 80, 40 and 20 meters for an initial claimed score of 154,000. Joe updated the web code practice files and their archives. He processed two Qualifying Run certificates. He processed all the W1AW/4, W1AW/7 and W1AW/9 (US requests) QSL cards, in addition to regular card requests. He installed the new FTDX9000 in Studio One, along with a new Acom 2000A amplifier. Joe ran additional antenna cables for both the '9000 and the Flex-5000A SDR. He placed back in Studio Three the Yaesu FT-2000 HF transceiver and performed a complete firmware update on it. Joe also reconfigured the Harris Antenna patch panel to reflect the new equipment and changes. Joe also worked the late afternoon/night shift on Friday for Scott Gee. He also installed a brand new UPS on the PC used for code practice and bulletin transmissions. Scott worked on slow and fast code practice files for the middle part of the month of January. Field Organization/Public Service Team Garth Crowe, Sr., N7XKT of Gillette, has been appointed as Wyoming Section Manager by Dave Patton, NN1N, Manager of ARRL Membership and Volunteer Programs after consulting with ARRL Rocky Mountain Division Director, Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT. Outgoing Wyoming SM LeeAnne Sachau, WY7DTW, decided to step down, and she recommended Garth to take the reins of the Section. Steve Ewald and Leona Adams have been in touch with Garth, N7XKT, during this transition. Leona has also been updating the Field Organization data base with new appointees, updates and cancellations when requested by the Section Managers. Daniel Pruitt, AE6SX, has been nominated to run for Section Manager for San Joaquin Valley for the term beginning July 1, 2009. North Texas and Arizona Section Manager Election ballots have been arriving at HQ this past week. Members of those sections have until February 20 to send in their ballots. Team members had the opportunity to meet and discuss various issues with several Directors and Vice Directors as they visited headquarters just prior to the Board Meeting. Chuck Skolaut handled questions about RACES frequencies, power limits on 30 meters and operating overseas. The interference to a 2 meter repeater in Maine has been located, and Official Observers are following up on this case. A report was received of high-power cordless phones being advertised on eBay that operate on 2 meters. Specific information was forwarded to the FCC. Official Observers are also investigating possible intentional interference to an on-going DXpedition. There are indications that the FCC has taken action on a long series of complaints regarding a northern Californian Amateur Radio station. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List Leona Adams 2/20 Vacation Steve Capodicasa 1/23 Vacation Scott Gee 3/4-3/6 Vacation `` 4/15-4/16 Vacation Mike Gruber 2/27-2/28 Vermont State Convention, Colchester VT Brennan Price 1/22 US WP5B Meeting, Washington, DC `` 1/26pm-1/29 Fairfax Office `` 2/2-2/7 ITU Radiocomm. Advisory Group, Geneva Dave Sumner 1/29-2/2 Vacation `` 2/6 Vacation `` 2/27-3/3 IARU Reg.1 EC Meeting, London England

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[arrl-odv:17518] Teachers Institute Details for 2009
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 21 Jan '09

21 Jan '09

FYI, This email went out to the SMs yesterday. I thought that I would share this information with the full Board. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 860 594 0220 hkramer(a)arrl.org <http://www.arrl.org/> ________________________________ From: Ewald, Steve, WV1X [mailto:wv1x@arrl.org] Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2009 4:07 PM To: smlist Subject: [smlist:5402] Teachers Institute Details for 2009 Hello, Section Managers. Debra Johnson, K1DMJ, ARRL Education Services Manager, asked me to pass along the following announcement. The dates for the ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology have been finalized for 2009. Six sessions will be offered again this year, the earliest in Roswell, New Mexico, May 26-29. The details of all of the workshop dates and locations and application deadlines are included in the brochure which is downloadable on our Web page at www.arrl.org/ti <http://www.arrl.org/ti> . An application is also posted on that page. What is the ARRL Teachers Institute? The Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology (TI) is a week long, in-residence learning opportunity designed for motivated teachers and other school staff who want to learn more about wireless technology and bring that knowledge to their students. A variety of topics are covered during the 4 days of the TI including basic wireless technology literacy, electronics, and the science of radio; bringing space into the classroom; ham radio operation; introduction to micro controllers; and basic robotics. 2009 Dates and Locations: Date: Location: Application Deadline: May 26 -29, 2009 New Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, NM April 15, 2009 June 15- 18, 2009 Parallax, Inc., Rocklin, CA April 15, 2009 June 15 -18, 2009 Pueblo Magnet High School, Tucson, AZ April 15, 2009 June 23- 26, 2009 Brevard Public Schools, Viera, FL May 15, 2009 June 29-July 2, 2009 Berrien Regional Education Service, Berrien Springs, MD May 15, 2009 July 27 -30, 2009 ARRL Headquarters, Newington, CT May 15, 2009 Please direct any questions about the program to Mark Spencer, WA8SME ARRL Teachers Institute on Wireless Technology 774 Eastside Rd., Coleville, CA 96107 mspencer(a)arrl.org or by phone at 530-495-9150 (PST) ============================ 73, Steve Ewald, WV1X Supervisor, Field Organization Team ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio 860-594-0265 sewald(a)arrl.org

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[arrl-odv:17517] Special Counsel -- Amateur Enforcement -- Confidential
by w3kd＠aol.com 21 Jan '09

21 Jan '09

MEMORANDUM To: Officers and Directors; Dan Henderson (CONFIDENTIAL) From: Chris Imlay Re: Update on Laura Smith and FCC Special Counsel Position Date: January 21, 2009 Greetings. Yesterday, we heard that Laura Smith had informally started work at FCC Gettysburg. Today, she apparently has formally started work. We are preparing an announcement for release at the appropriate time, which will hopefully itself re-create some of the deterrence value of finally having a Riley replacement in the chair. Attempts to reach her failed yesterday, but we were able to call her at FCC Gettysburg this morning. We had a pleasant, though relatively short conversation, and renewed our prior acquaintance through participation in the Land Mobile Communications Council meetings in Washington. The reason the conversation was short was that she can’t really say (or do) much, apparently, until her meeting with Kris Monteith, Chief of the Enforcement Bureau, which is scheduled for next week. She said that Kris was busy with cleanup items due to Martin’s departure from FCC (which must be like shoveling out a horse barn), and=2 0that is the reason for the delay in the meeting. There will not be a news release from FCC until that meeting occurs, apparently. I asked Laura for a quote for ARRL to work into the story (for release at the proper time) but she apologetically said that she couldn’t really do that until her meeting with Monteith next week. She was in the meantime familiarizing herself with the backlog of Amateur enforcement items that were pending when, and after, Riley left. She is also meeting with Riley in Gettysburg on Friday, in order to get some teaching time from the master about the program. I told her that we were very much looking forward to: (a) having her visit ARRL headquarters at an early date in order to introduce the people at headquarters who had worked closely with Riley in the past, and (b) assisting her, as the organization that speaks for Amateur Radio, by use our information dissemination methods to re-create the deterrence value of her presence, which was developed by and worked so well for Riley. She understands that we want to splash the press with her appointment as soon as possible, hopefully in advance of other media, and at least contemporaneously with the FCC news release about the appointment. Finally, I told her that if her visit to ARRL Headquarters was to be delayed for any reason, it would be good to have a chance to visit with her in Gettysburg at her early convenience, and she agreed. 0 What she said last was unsettling, however, and the principal reason for this memo. In the course of our discussion about deterrence, she said that Amateur enforcement had been “moved to the field” and would be headed up by Mike Moffitt, the FCC Regional Director for the Northeast Region. She said that she would be “reporting to Mike Moffitt” and he would be “overseeing the entire thing”. I asked what she meant, and indicated my surprise at hearing this. She said that what Riley really did was to work with the field offices. Riley would do jawbone letters and gather information, but if his informal contacts with rule violators were not sufficient to resolve an enforcement matter, then the field offices would get the case and work it from there. She billed this as a good thing, because she said that the field offices are not as regulated in what they could do as are the “headquarters” staff (by which she apparently meant both Washington and Gettysburg). She said that she would be “reporting” to Mike Moffitt. Though Moffitt is the Northeast Regional Director, he is nonetheless apparently heading the Amateur enforcement effort nationwide. I don’t know him at all. This is neither good nor bad necessarily, but it is surely at variance with what Kris Monteith told me during our meeting in early December; she indicated that Riley9s replacement would be a “one-for-one” replacement. Now, it seems, there is some variation on that theme; perhaps not operationally from our perspective, but this potentially creates a barrier between the FCC decisionmaker on our issues, and ARRL staff. Or, perhaps, we will have a facilitator in Laura Smith. We will have to see how this plays out. Perhaps after Riley meets with Laura on Friday, we will be able to have a clearer picture of the organizational plans. She is a very pleasant person to talk to, and we will continue to hope for the best. More when we know it. 73, Chris W3KD Christopher D. Imlay BOOTH, FRERET, IMLAY & TEPPER, P.C. 14356 Cape May Road Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6011 (301) 384-5525 telephone (301) 384-6384 facsimile W3KD(a)ARRL.ORG

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[arrl-odv:17516] RE: Thank You for the Great Welcome!
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

David, thanks so much for your gracious note. It will be a pleasure to share it with staff. By the way, while your brief time as the junior Vice Director may not set a record it will be close! You will have seniority over the new West Gulf Vice Director (not that that will get you a cup of coffee at Starbucks!). 73, Dave K1ZZ ________________________________ From: David A. Norris [mailto:k5uz@suddenlink.net] Sent: Tue 1/20/2009 10:31 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: Thank You for the Great Welcome! Hello everyone! I am a little late getting this posted as I took the day off yesterday to spend time with Susan and the family. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire ARRL Board for making both new members of the Delta Division leadership feel comfortable and at home last week at both HQ and at Windsor. Over the past 16 plus years that I have been directly involved with ARRL, this has been the best experience I have had to date. The ARRL Board family is just that, family, of which you have certainly made us feel like we are now a part. I really enjoyed meeting each of you and discussing amateur radio and the many aspects of which we enjoy. It's interesting, enlightening and encouraging sharing so many stories and ideas with such a tremendous group of likeminded and dedicated amateurs from diverse backgrounds and from all regions of the country. I am most impressed with the caliber of individual that sits on the board, and it is a humbling experience and indeed an honor that my fellow hams in the Delta Division have elected me to serve with such a distinguished group. Mickey and I are indeed looking forward to serving with you for many years to come. Thank you each and every one. I would also like to express my thanks to all the staff at HQ for the warm and informative tour and Directors training we received. You are all a very dedicated and hard working group deserving of all our thanks. I look forward to seeing some of you at Dayton or at the July meeting. 73 ES DX David K5UZ - Delta Vice Director

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Thank You for the Great Welcome!
by David A. Norris 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

Hello everyone! I am a little late getting this posted as I took the day off yesterday to spend time with Susan and the family. I would like to express my gratitude to the entire ARRL Board for making both new members of the Delta Division leadership feel comfortable and at home last week at both HQ and at Windsor. Over the past 16 plus years that I have been directly involved with ARRL, this has been the best experience I have had to date. The ARRL Board family is just that, family, of which you have certainly made us feel like we are now a part. I really enjoyed meeting each of you and discussing amateur radio and the many aspects of which we enjoy. It's interesting, enlightening and encouraging sharing so many stories and ideas with such a tremendous group of likeminded and dedicated amateurs from diverse backgrounds and from all regions of the country. I am most impressed with the caliber of individual that sits on the board, and it is a humbling experience and indeed an honor that my fellow hams in the Delta Division have elected me to serve with such a distinguished group. Mickey and I are indeed looking forward to serving with you for many years to come. Thank you each and every one. I would also like to express my thanks to all the staff at HQ for the warm and informative tour and Directors training we received. You are all a very dedicated and hard working group deserving of all our thanks. I look forward to seeing some of you at Dayton or at the July meeting. 73 ES DX David K5UZ - Delta Vice Director

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Executive Committee Meeting
by Joel Harrison 20 Jan '09

20 Jan '09

The Executive Committee will meet on March 14. The location will be determined in the near future. 73 Joel W5ZN

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