April 2010 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

Trip Report Region 1 Conference Doha 2010
by John Bellows 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

I have attached my trip report from the Region 1 Conference in Doha, Qatar. Should you have any questions regarding the conference or this report please drop me an email note. Jay, KØQB

1 0

K6WR's wife passed away
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

Those of you who know Past Director Brad Wyatt, K6WR (Pacific Division, 1994-2000) will be saddened to learn that Brad's wife Barbara passed away suddenly on March 25. Brad's address is: Bradley W. Wyatt, K6WR 18400 Overlook Rd Unit 5 Los Gatos, CA 95030-5850 Dave K1ZZ

1 0

[arrl-odv:18889] Re:RE: Web Site-- Special Service Clubs???
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

GM, It was not in the original specs, but we are aware of this and it is on the future upgrade list. I am also going to cc Norm Fusaro on this message. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™ 860 594 0220 hkramer(a)arrl.org From: G.P. Widin [mailto:gpwidin@comcast.net] Sent: Thursday, April 15, 2010 7:53 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:18888] Re: Web Site-- Special Service Clubs??? Jim, I believe the issue you noted was an issue on the old site as well. In looking at the club listings, I noticed that no matter what search "method" I used, there was no special prominence given to Special Service Clubs. If we believe that there is value to the SSC category, then we should "reward" those clubs by promoting them--that is, listing them preferentially in any search or display. Also, if someone is seeking a club, the SSC stands the best chance of meeting their needs, so it makes sense to list them first--kind of like Google sponsored search items. Also, there should be some sort of link that leads to a definition of a SSC so the searcher can decide if this is important. I well realize that this is a new capability, so I wouldn't expect it to be possible in the near future, but I think it only makes sense, and if there are fixes that need to be made to the club display anyway for the new web site, it might be a good time to put this feature in. I just took a look at the club listings, and as far as I can see, no mention is made of Special Service Clubs at all. Has it been decided that we won't show that as part of the club listing, or is this just part of the growing pains of porting old site info to the new site? -- 73, Greg, KØGW Director, Dakota Division

1 0

RE: [arrl-odv:18886] Re: Comment from Member
by Jim Weaver K8JE 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

FWIW I do not believe the member expected no minor glitches. I know that I didn't and still don't. Everything you say, of course, is correct. No argument. I did not intend to convey that anyone expected zero defects. Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 ARRL, The national organization for AMATEUR RADIO -----Original Message----- From: Brian Mileshosky [mailto:n5zgt@swcp.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 7:30 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:18886] Re: Comment from Member Jim -- The announcements that raised a lot of excitement and anxiety then lack of delivery due to problems was unfortunate, but that's water under the bridge. It's time to let it go. As for bugs being found now, that's reality. Those who have designed and deployed a major website with ZERO issues are truly awesome -- because those people don't exist or, if they do, their total population can probably be counted on a hand. The other 99.9% of those who undertake such projects expect and find bugs when they do their initial testing, be it software, hardware, or both. That's reality, and it's time to accept it. Then, once deployed to thousands upon thousands of eager users, more bugs are discovered because a handful of employees cannot possibly find what thousands and thousands of people will...unless months are spent by the employees testing and trying to break the site (on top of the other full-time day job those employees are expected to do). Sometimes the best information on a product that's deployed comes from field returns. Prototyping, pre-production and production testing only yields so much information. Once you get it into the field for users to use, abuse, and subject to various environments, more vulnerabilities and problems are discovered that the engineer didn't find or think to test for originally. I'm sure you are familiar with this sort of reality, even from a huge place like P&G. This is the phase our website is now in. I'm not trying to excuse what's happened thus far, but I am trying to inject some reality that people tend to forget or have a hard time accepting. Let's move on, enjoy the great site we now have, and encourage our members to enjoy it as well. 73, Brian N5ZGT ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On Wed, 14 Apr 2010, Jim Weaver K8JE wrote: > FYI, the following gratuitous comment was made by a member and > long-time very faithful ARRL Field volunteer. FWIW: > > "Most of us who are IT professionals would never put a new site on > line untill it was throughly tested and debugged on a serpeate server > and after blessing by the head geek, cut it over to the network. ( > That includes those of us who are retired too). I wonder what happened." > > That which works on the new site is great. Now if we could only keep > others as well as the Board from finding out that which is not > working. I do not refer to minor glitches. > > Jim > > Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director > ARRL Great Lakes Division > 5065 Bethany Rd. > Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 > ARRL, The national organization for AMATEUR RADIO > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.801 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2811 - Release Date: 04/14/10 11:31:00

1 0

[arrl-odv:18885] Comment from Member
by Jim Weaver K8JE 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

FYI, the following gratuitous comment was made by a member and long-time very faithful ARRL Field volunteer. FWIW: "Most of us who are IT professionals would never put a new site on line untill it was throughly tested and debugged on a serpeate server and after blessing by the head geek, cut it over to the network. ( That includes those of us who are retired too). I wonder what happened." That which works on the new site is great. Now if we could only keep others as well as the Board from finding out that which is not working. I do not refer to minor glitches. Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 ARRL, The national organization for AMATEUR RADIO

1 0

[arrl-odv:18883] Web Site
by Jim Weaver K8JE 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

Help! I have just finished a rather frustrating 30 minutes on the new web site. I was trying to learn which Special Service Clubs are within selected distances from a postal ZIP code. What I was able to learn was which Affiliated clubs are within proximities to the ZIPs, who the primary officers are and the chief interests of the clubs. What I could not determine from the club listing was if they are SSC or where they are located. Is this latter information found in a separate page on the site? For that matter, why wouldn't we want anyone who looks up information on a club to know if it is a SSC and where it meets, etc.? I must admit at this moment that I'd be happy to have the old club page and listing available to use. The reason for my search relates to appointments I was ready to make, and to suggest how the pending appointee should proceed relative to other appointments. I admit that I could be missing something about the new site and will welcome being straightened out. Similar to Dick, this most immediate project of mine is at a standstill. And, no, Dave. I do not want you to take the time to look information up for me. Your time is too valuable for you to use it to play clerk. I believe we all appreciate your desire to assist in any way possible, though. I realize the new site represents a huge project and that minor issues with it will be detected as time goes on; however . . . with the continuing less than minor issues GLD SMs are reporting to me me (and me forwarding to HQ), issues members are reporting and those we directors have encountered, I'm becoming less comfortable with having the site introduced now instead of holding off on the introduction for another week or two until we at least believed it was right fully functional. Of course, this is no longer an option so we meed to goi forward from here. Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 ARRL, The national organization for AMATEUR RADIO

1 0

[arrl-odv:18886] Re: Comment from Member
by Brian Mileshosky 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

Jim -- The announcements that raised a lot of excitement and anxiety then lack of delivery due to problems was unfortunate, but that's water under the bridge. It's time to let it go. As for bugs being found now, that's reality. Those who have designed and deployed a major website with ZERO issues are truly awesome -- because those people don't exist or, if they do, their total population can probably be counted on a hand. The other 99.9% of those who undertake such projects expect and find bugs when they do their initial testing, be it software, hardware, or both. That's reality, and it's time to accept it. Then, once deployed to thousands upon thousands of eager users, more bugs are discovered because a handful of employees cannot possibly find what thousands and thousands of people will...unless months are spent by the employees testing and trying to break the site (on top of the other full-time day job those employees are expected to do). Sometimes the best information on a product that's deployed comes from field returns. Prototyping, pre-production and production testing only yields so much information. Once you get it into the field for users to use, abuse, and subject to various environments, more vulnerabilities and problems are discovered that the engineer didn't find or think to test for originally. I'm sure you are familiar with this sort of reality, even from a huge place like P&G. This is the phase our website is now in. I'm not trying to excuse what's happened thus far, but I am trying to inject some reality that people tend to forget or have a hard time accepting. Let's move on, enjoy the great site we now have, and encourage our members to enjoy it as well. 73, Brian N5ZGT ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On Wed, 14 Apr 2010, Jim Weaver K8JE wrote: > FYI, the following gratuitous comment was made by a member and long-time > very faithful ARRL Field volunteer. FWIW: > > "Most of us who are IT professionals would never put a new site on line > untill it was throughly tested and debugged on a serpeate server and after > blessing by the head geek, cut it over to the network. ( That includes those > of us who are retired too). I wonder what happened." > > That which works on the new site is great. Now if we could only keep others > as well as the Board from finding out that which is not working. I do not > refer to minor glitches. > > Jim > > Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director > ARRL Great Lakes Division > 5065 Bethany Rd. > Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 > ARRL, The national organization for AMATEUR RADIO > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org

1 0

[arrl-odv:18884] RE: [arrl-odv:18879] Unable to Reach ARRL Member Database on New Website
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 15 Apr '10

15 Apr '10

David, you mention the "usual suspects" -- I've had very nice comments from some folks who tend to be critical. The overall design is getting very good marks -- we just need to bring it to full functionality. Dave ________________________________ From: David A. Norris [mailto:k5uz@suddenlink.net] Sent: Thu 4/15/2010 12:07 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B; Glass, Katie; Bloom, Jon, KE3Z Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:18879] Unable to Reach ARRL Member Database on New Website Dick, I just had the same problem. This needs to get fixed before our next hamfest- hi! Otherwise it's looking pretty good save a few complaints from the usual suspects... There are always a few bugs to be worked out in any new system. I'm happy to see it getting a good shake-down on the first day! It does transition very nicely on content and subject! Keep up the good work gang! 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Vice Director, Delta Div. -----Original Message----- From: dick(a)pobox.com [mailto:dick@pobox.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:40 PM To: arrl-odv Cc: Harold Kramer; Katie Glass; Jon Bloom KE3Z Subject: [arrl-odv:18879] Unable to Reach ARRL Member Database on New Website Importance: High 14 APR 2010 - Hello Harold... When I click on the "ARRL Member Search" in the ODV section of our new website, I am connected to the FCC Amateur Radio Service license database. While it's nice to be able to go directly to that database, I was expecting to be sent to the ARRL Member database. As of now, I can't find the path to our membership database; that I access every day I am working on member email correspondence. I hope this error is quickly corrected. I need this access before I can respond to several messages. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

1 0

RE: [arrl-odv:18879] Unable to Reach ARRL Member Database on New Website
by David A. Norris 14 Apr '10

14 Apr '10

Dick, I just had the same problem. This needs to get fixed before our next hamfest- hi! Otherwise it's looking pretty good save a few complaints from the usual suspects. There are always a few bugs to be worked out in any new system. I'm happy to see it getting a good shake-down on the first day! It does transition very nicely on content and subject! Keep up the good work gang! 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Vice Director, Delta Div. -----Original Message----- From: dick(a)pobox.com [mailto:dick@pobox.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 14, 2010 5:40 PM To: arrl-odv Cc: Harold Kramer; Katie Glass; Jon Bloom KE3Z Subject: [arrl-odv:18879] Unable to Reach ARRL Member Database on New Website Importance: High 14 APR 2010 - Hello Harold... When I click on the "ARRL Member Search" in the ODV section of our new website, I am connected to the FCC Amateur Radio Service license database. While it's nice to be able to go directly to that database, I was expecting to be sent to the ARRL Member database. As of now, I can't find the path to our membership database; that I access every day I am working on member email correspondence. I hope this error is quickly corrected. I need this access before I can respond to several messages. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

1 0

[arrl-odv:18881] SS Mugs
by jfenster＠pacifier.com 14 Apr '10

14 Apr '10

Folks, I received another SS Mug today for (I presume) the W1AW operation. I heard shaking in the box which turned out to be the pins and the mug was intact. But, while walking from the concierege desk to the elevator in the condo, the box slipped out of my hands and was batted around with the rest of the mail flying around the lobby before crashing on to the tile floor. But, the mug survived! So, this year it was two mugs received and two survived. Hope I can get them home in as prime condition as they were received. 73 Jim K9JF

1 0