June 2010 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:19046] Re:RE: Web Update June 04
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 08 Jun '10

08 Jun '10

Hi Bob et al, Sorry for the delayed response. I have been on the road with limited and slow Internet Access. You make some valid points. After reading your email, I asked Katie Glass to start building a Section Manager page that lists section alphabetically by State. That should be done by next week. We will cross-link both Section pages. Thanks for pointing this out. We will also put on the list to implement a Divsion/ Section search by Zip Code. That may take longer since we have to detemine where to place it and have it programmed since it is a data base search. I'll check with Jon Bloom and how much work and how long this would take. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL - The National Association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington , CT 06111 860 594 0220 www.arrl.org ________________________________ From: Bob Vallio [mailto:rbvallio@gmail.com] Sent: Sat 6/5/2010 12:31 AM To: arrl-odv Cc: Kim Mitola; brentr(a)fathom.net Subject: [arrl-odv:19039] Re: Web Update June 04 Thanks for the update, Harold. However, it seems that each time I attempt an operation which was done with ease on the former website, I run into a roadblock on the Fathom product. Today, I wanted to look up some Section information, and met with zero success. I went to the site today without logging on, as many folks do on a daily basis. I then clicked on "About ARRL." On that page I clicked on "General Information, and from there to Organization Structure, At long last there was a place to click on for "Sections," where I received for just an instant what appeared to be a list of Sections. What replaced that screen is one that bears the words "There are 71 ARRL geographic Sections in the US and its territories. On this page the ARRL Sections are listed by the 15 ARRL Divisions." Navigating through the Divisions , not all of them with which our browsers and members can be expected to have any familiarity, and at long last I can find the SM for the section I happened to select. What has become of the alpha listing of all 71 Sections, which provided a reasonably complete listing of the Section and the Section Staff therein, along with a link to the Section's home page? Where is the page which asked for your Zip Code, and gave you your Division and Section? By the way, I then tried it as a logged-on member; and then via ODV. There was no difference that I could determine. There is such a discontinuity between the new and old sites, that many folks are giving up on finding things; and, the newer users are not even aware of what they are missing. Perhaps it is time to restore the original arrl.org <http://arrl.org/> , and properly map its contents to the new arrl.org <http://arrl.org/> , off-line, before carrying this apparent disaster any farther. Was there a check of the old arrl.org <http://arrl.org/> to gain familiarity with all of its many facets, prior to offering the new one to our members? I don't claim to be an IT specialist, but I am receiving mail from many who are. Their comments are not written to express their good experiences with the new arrl.org <http://arrl.org/> ; rather, they describe their lack of understanding of why we made this change, at all. Bob Vallio -- W6RGG On Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Kramer, Harold, WJ1B <wj1b(a)arrl.org> wrote: Hi, Here is my Web update report for this week. I am not sending a formal punch list. Similar to last week's report, I am sending this update as a text email. The reason for this change is that we are no longer using a spreadsheet punch list. We have transitioned to a more formal, web based, bug management system. This is because some of these remaining issues are highly technical and need to be resolved by the IT staff and Fathom. They would make little sense to those of us who are not IT folks. This system also allows easier tracking by providing more comprehensive information about each bug. The first portion of this update is from: Dan Henderson: The Grassroots www.arrl.org/grassroot-members portion of the Web site is now operational on the Web site. ODV should have access to the Grassroots administrative pages, which include the capabilities to obtain member email addresses for approved mailings. We will be contacting the various DLACs, etc, with the direct URL for that part of the site in the next email correspondence with them. The main page for this is at the URL above but it is hidden in the directory tree and only accessible by those with the proper permissions so you must be signed in to use it. The function of determining a member's Congressional representatives is still being worked on and should be completed shortly. Thanks to all who helped get this back up and working and to Kay Craigie for doing the off-site access testing for me. We believe that we have fixed the final bugs on The Field Day locator http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator/ and that is also now fully operational. Harold: We continue to work on the data transfer accuracy between our internal systems and the Web site particularly with regard to SMs and Clubs. Both areas are being worked on by Fathom and our IT Department. There are a number of areas that still need completion. These include Certificate Generation that I discussed last week and updates to our internal databases that connect to the Web. Two significant improvements have been added to the SM section. SMs can now designate people to edit their Section Pages. This continues a past practice. We have also added the ability to display multiple ARRL appointments for one person. See the screenshot below: Also this week we: · Fixed minor bugs with the Profile and Registration systems · Completed updates to the Contest pages including adding improved backend control systems. We removed the interactive Contest Calendar for the time being. We have a time zone issue with the interactive calendars. Some calendars, like Hamfests and exam sessions, need to be shown in local time while others, like Special Events stations and Contests, need to be show in UTC. We are still trying to resolve this one. · Began additional work on the interface for Distance Learning Courses · Enabled permissions for Registered Instructors · Fixed minor bugs in the Special Events backend management system · Lisa Kustosik updated the Articles of Association By-Laws, the IN-News section of the Web site and the key staff personnel list. · The ARRL Audio News is back. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news · Many other content and functionality improvements are occurring daily. This will be an ongoing process. Please let me know if you have any questions. Finally, I will be visiting MFJ in Mississippi the beginning of next week, returning to HQ on Thursday. I'll be checking my email when I have time and Internet Access. 73, Harold Harold Kramer Chief Operating Officer ARRL -the national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 (860 594 -0220

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[arrl-odv:19045] As-filed ARRL Reply comments on Section 97.113 of FCC Rules; WP Docket 10-72
by Chris Imlay 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

Greetings. I hate sports babble, but I must say that the Executive Committee "came together as a team and got the job done." Attached are as-filed reply comments that address the more than 200 comments filed in this proceeding. Most of them-- approximately 90 percent according to research Dan Henderson and I did -- support the FCC proposal to permit employees to provide communications on behalf of their employers during government-sponsored emergency communications drills and exercises, during the pendency of those drills and exercises. Our comments urge a rule only a tad broader than that, of course. This docket is very delicate, and the wording that is ultimately adopted is critical, which is why the Board's language is repeatedly touted precisely. We did get some mileage out of working with the American Hospital Association, which supported the Board's language. We hit Boeing and Arlington County, Virginia pretty hard here, because their comments opened the door far too wide to abuses. Other comments were off the wall, but less credible than these, so we focused on Boeing and Arlington as examples of "selling the farm" (a term not suggested by VP Frahm). These comments were subject to helpful edits from almost the entire Executive Committee, which is exactly the way this process is supposed to work. Thanks to all of them, and especially Dave Sumner and Kay Craigie. And thanks to Dan Henderson who did a good deal of research with me to get these prepared on short fuse, during a time when Dan was recovering from some surgery. Next up: Spread Spectrum power comments due June 14, now under EC review; comments on the 5 MHz channel docket, the comment date for which is not yet determined; and a possible reconsideration petition for broadband allocations at and above 2305 MHz which will have an adverse effect on our 2304 MHz band, the 30-day filing window for which has not yet started to run. 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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RE: [arrl-odv:19042] Personnel Changes
by David A. Norris 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

Barry, I am really happy to hear this news WRT LOTW and VUCC! 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Vice Director, Delta Div. -----Original Message----- From: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY [mailto:bshelley@arrl.org] Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 8:34 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:19042] Personnel Changes Ladies and Gentlemen: I wanted to bring you up-to-date on recent staffing events. First, Kim Dotolo, ARRL Controller, has resigned. Kim has agreed to work with us for an orderly transition. We will begin the search for her replacement immediately. Secondly, we have made offers that have been accepted for the two open positions in the IT Department. Dennis Budd, programmer, started today. In addition, Maureen Farmer has accepted the position of Lead Programmer and will start on June 21, 2010. While Maureen and Dennis are well qualified and will bring the IT Dept up to full staffing, there will be a period of adjustment while they get up to speed in our specific systems and computing environment. Additionally, we have reviewed our IT resources and, once he's completed his current assignment relative to the e-store on the new web site, Michael Keane will be tasked with the LOTW projects that have been designated as "high priority" for 2010 including the incorporation of VUCC into LOTW. 73, Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY Chief Financial Officer ARRL, Inc-The National Association for Amateur RadioT 225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111

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RE: [arrl-odv:19042] Personnel Changes
by Jim Weaver K8JE 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

Barry, good news on the IT front. 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 _____ From: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY [mailto:bshelley@arrl.org] Sent: Monday, June 07, 2010 9:34 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:19042] Personnel Changes Ladies and Gentlemen: I wanted to bring you up-to-date on recent staffing events. First, Kim Dotolo, ARRL Controller, has resigned. Kim has agreed to work with us for an orderly transition. We will begin the search for her replacement immediately. Secondly, we have made offers that have been accepted for the two open positions in the IT Department. Dennis Budd, programmer, started today. In addition, Maureen Farmer has accepted the position of Lead Programmer and will start on June 21, 2010. While Maureen and Dennis are well qualified and will bring the IT Dept up to full staffing, there will be a period of adjustment while they get up to speed in our specific systems and computing environment. Additionally, we have reviewed our IT resources and, once he's completed his current assignment relative to the e-store on the new web site, Michael Keane will be tasked with the LOTW projects that have been designated as "high priority" for 2010 including the incorporation of VUCC into LOTW. 73, Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY Chief Financial Officer ARRL, Inc-The National Association for Amateur RadioT 225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111 No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.829 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2922 - Release Date: 06/06/10 14:35:00

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[arrl-odv:19042] Personnel Changes
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY 07 Jun '10

07 Jun '10

Ladies and Gentlemen: I wanted to bring you up-to-date on recent staffing events. First, Kim Dotolo, ARRL Controller, has resigned. Kim has agreed to work with us for an orderly transition. We will begin the search for her replacement immediately. Secondly, we have made offers that have been accepted for the two open positions in the IT Department. Dennis Budd, programmer, started today. In addition, Maureen Farmer has accepted the position of Lead Programmer and will start on June 21, 2010. While Maureen and Dennis are well qualified and will bring the IT Dept up to full staffing, there will be a period of adjustment while they get up to speed in our specific systems and computing environment. Additionally, we have reviewed our IT resources and, once he's completed his current assignment relative to the e-store on the new web site, Michael Keane will be tasked with the LOTW projects that have been designated as "high priority" for 2010 including the incorporation of VUCC into LOTW. 73, Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY Chief Financial Officer ARRL, Inc-The National Association for Amateur Radio(tm) 225 Main St. Newington, CT 06111

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[arrl-odv:19041] Re: Web Update June 04
by gpwidin 06 Jun '10

06 Jun '10

Brian, I think the concern stems from the fact that the rotating graphics on the site are typically implemented with Flash, which is usually pretty bandwidth-intensive. I was concerned about that, too, so I asked Brent and Katie about it at Dayton, and Brent assured me that the load is more like what you suggest--the size of the images plus a tiny bit of ActiveX or Java code to make them scroll across the screen. The people who were advising Dick about this were also probably assuming the older, more bandwidth-intensive implementation. That does not appear to be relevant to the new ARRL.org site as implemented by Fathom. -- 73, Greg, KØGW Director, Dakota Division ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brian Mileshosky" <n5zgt(a)swcp.com> To: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org> Cc: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org>, "Katie Glass" <kglass(a)arrl.org> Sent: Saturday, June 5, 2010 6:52:45 PM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central Subject: [arrl-odv:19040] Re: Web Update June 04 Dick and Harold -- Dick -- I agree with your thoughts on providing the full dataset on member information that was available under the old site. On your point about animation...how much bandwidth is the rotating graphics you cite consuming? I did a check, using the rotating graphics on the homepage...each of the 4 graphics are about 65-kB large. That's a total of 240-kB for all the images, and then some code that causes the browser to rotate through them. Seems like very little overhead on bandwidth and memory for that particular function. Or is there something else in particular that you've found on a particular page that's being a bandwidth/memory hog? Harold -- here's something interesting I'd like to know. It was mentioned that the site has been set up with Google Analytics for tracking site usage. We on the Board certainly DON'T need access to that data, but I would be interested in you or Katie providing stats on how many people use dialup these days. Google Analytics provides that information under their "Connection speeds" section, and you can vary the timeline in which data is provided (i.e. from website launch until the present). My personal ham site (not my Division website) which serves as a resource for hams across New Mexico had 10,528 visits over the past year (Jun 09-Jun 10) according to Google Analytics. Of that total, 2.6% used dialup. Based only on my data for only my site, I can't be overly concerned to the point of making functionality *just* for 2.6% (or removing a feature that the other 97.4% enjoy just because the mere 2.6% can't) when technology continues its furious march forward and bandwidth continues to get cheaper and easier to obtain by the day. It would be interesting to see ARRL's stats to measure the true significance (or lack thereof) of those who use dialup in 2010. 73, Brian N5ZGT On Fri, 4 Jun 2010, dick(a)pobox.com wrote: > 4 JUN 2010 - 1702 CDT > > Hello Harold... > > I'm glad to see some progress being made on the problems with volunteer > (unpaid) leadership access to database information and other support > services via our new web site. > > I don't know if anybody else has complained about the reduction of the > content of the ARRL membership database that is accessible via the > new web site. However, I specifically want all of the membership > information that > was available via the old web site restored. It is much easier to help > a member fix a problem with his membership data, if one can see the data > and how its access is configured. > > NEW ITEM: > > This is a different, but very important, item that affects anybody trying > to access the new web site via a slow-speed Internet connection. I want > a button installed on at least the ARRL web site home page that allows the > user to shut down (and restore) all animation for that > connection. Animation is a bandwidth expense for both our web site > and the user at the other end of the circuit. With a slow connect > speed, the bandwidth "overhead" can make the connection worthless. > > If it is not practical to provide individual control of connection animation, > it should be eliminated. Appearance and video animation are nice. But it > should not be allowed to get in the way of content delivery. Our new web > site appears to ignore the KISS principle and this is a growing > source of disappointment, disgust, and even anger for a significant > percentage of ARRL members. > > - Dick Isely, W9GIG > > > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org

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[arrl-odv:19040] Re: Web Update June 04
by Brian Mileshosky 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

Dick and Harold -- Dick -- I agree with your thoughts on providing the full dataset on member information that was available under the old site. On your point about animation...how much bandwidth is the rotating graphics you cite consuming? I did a check, using the rotating graphics on the homepage...each of the 4 graphics are about 65-kB large. That's a total of 240-kB for all the images, and then some code that causes the browser to rotate through them. Seems like very little overhead on bandwidth and memory for that particular function. Or is there something else in particular that you've found on a particular page that's being a bandwidth/memory hog? Harold -- here's something interesting I'd like to know. It was mentioned that the site has been set up with Google Analytics for tracking site usage. We on the Board certainly DON'T need access to that data, but I would be interested in you or Katie providing stats on how many people use dialup these days. Google Analytics provides that information under their "Connection speeds" section, and you can vary the timeline in which data is provided (i.e. from website launch until the present). My personal ham site (not my Division website) which serves as a resource for hams across New Mexico had 10,528 visits over the past year (Jun 09-Jun 10) according to Google Analytics. Of that total, 2.6% used dialup. Based only on my data for only my site, I can't be overly concerned to the point of making functionality *just* for 2.6% (or removing a feature that the other 97.4% enjoy just because the mere 2.6% can't) when technology continues its furious march forward and bandwidth continues to get cheaper and easier to obtain by the day. It would be interesting to see ARRL's stats to measure the true significance (or lack thereof) of those who use dialup in 2010. 73, Brian N5ZGT On Fri, 4 Jun 2010, dick(a)pobox.com wrote: > 4 JUN 2010 - 1702 CDT > > Hello Harold... > > I'm glad to see some progress being made on the problems with volunteer > (unpaid) leadership access to database information and other support > services via our new web site. > > I don't know if anybody else has complained about the reduction of the > content of the ARRL membership database that is accessible via the > new web site. However, I specifically want all of the membership > information that > was available via the old web site restored. It is much easier to help > a member fix a problem with his membership data, if one can see the data > and how its access is configured. > > NEW ITEM: > > This is a different, but very important, item that affects anybody trying > to access the new web site via a slow-speed Internet connection. I want > a button installed on at least the ARRL web site home page that allows the > user to shut down (and restore) all animation for that > connection. Animation is a bandwidth expense for both our web site > and the user at the other end of the circuit. With a slow connect > speed, the bandwidth "overhead" can make the connection worthless. > > If it is not practical to provide individual control of connection animation, > it should be eliminated. Appearance and video animation are nice. But it > should not be allowed to get in the way of content delivery. Our new web > site appears to ignore the KISS principle and this is a growing > source of disappointment, disgust, and even anger for a significant > percentage of ARRL members. > > - Dick Isely, W9GIG > > > > ARRL Director, Rocky Mountain Division On the web at www.RockyMountainDivision.org

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[arrl-odv:19039] Re: Web Update June 04
by Bob Vallio 05 Jun '10

05 Jun '10

Thanks for the update, Harold. However, it seems that each time I attempt an operation which was done with ease on the former website, I run into a roadblock on the Fathom product. Today, I wanted to look up some Section information, and met with zero success. I went to the site today without logging on, as many folks do on a daily basis. I then clicked on "About ARRL." On that page I clicked on "General Information, and from there to Organization Structure, At long last there was a place to click on for "Sections," where I received for just an instant what appeared to be a list of Sections. What replaced that screen is one that bears the words "There are 71 ARRL geographic Sections in the US and its territories. On this page the ARRL Sections are listed by the 15 ARRL Divisions." Navigating through the Divisions , not all of them with which our browsers and members can be expected to have any familiarity, and at long last I can find the SM for the section I happened to select. What has become of the alpha listing of all 71 Sections, which provided a reasonably complete listing of the Section and the Section Staff therein, along with a link to the Section's home page? Where is the page which asked for your Zip Code, and gave you your Division and Section? By the way, I then tried it as a logged-on member; and then via ODV. There was no difference that I could determine. There is such a discontinuity between the new and old sites, that many folks are giving up on finding things; and, the newer users are not even aware of what they are missing. Perhaps it is time to restore the original arrl.org, and properly map its contents to the new arrl.org, off-line, before carrying this apparent disaster any farther. Was there a check of the old arrl.org to gain familiarity with all of its many facets, prior to offering the new one to our members? I don't claim to be an IT specialist, but I am receiving mail from many who are. Their comments are not written to express their good experiences with the new arrl.org; rather, they describe their lack of understanding of why we made this change, at all. Bob Vallio -- W6RGG On Fri, Jun 4, 2010 at 10:28 AM, Kramer, Harold, WJ1B <wj1b(a)arrl.org> wrote: > Hi, > > > > Here is my Web update report for this week. I am not sending a formal > punch list. Similar to last week’s report, I am sending this update as a > text email. The reason for this change is that we are no longer using a > spreadsheet punch list. We have transitioned to a more formal, web based, > bug management system. This is because some of these remaining issues are > highly technical and need to be resolved by the IT staff and Fathom. They > would make little sense to those of us who are not IT folks. This system > also allows easier tracking by providing more comprehensive information > about each bug. > > > > The first portion of this update is from: Dan Henderson: > > The Grassroots www.arrl.org/grassroot-members portion of the Web site is > now operational on the Web site. ODV should have access to the Grassroots > administrative pages, which include the capabilities to obtain member email > addresses for approved mailings. We will be contacting the various DLACs, > etc, with the direct URL for that part of the site in the next email > correspondence with them. The main page for this is at the URL above but it > is hidden in the directory tree and only accessible by those with the proper > permissions so you must be signed in to use it. The function of determining > a member’s Congressional representatives is still being worked on and should > be completed shortly. Thanks to all who helped get this back up and working > and to Kay Craigie for doing the off-site access testing for me. > > > > We believe that we have fixed the final bugs on The Field Day locator > http://www.arrl.org/field-day-locator/ and that is also now fully > operational. > > > > Harold: > > We continue to work on the data transfer accuracy between our > internal systems and the Web site particularly with regard to SMs and > Clubs. Both areas are being worked on by Fathom and our IT Department. > There are a number of areas that still need completion. These include > Certificate Generation that I discussed last week and updates to our > internal databases that connect to the Web. > > > > Two significant improvements have been added to the SM section. SMs can > now designate people to edit their Section Pages. This continues a past > practice. We have also added the ability to display multiple ARRL > appointments for one person. See the screenshot below: > > > > > > > > Also this week we: > > · Fixed minor bugs with the Profile and Registration systems > > · Completed updates to the Contest pages including adding improved > backend control systems. We removed the interactive Contest Calendar for > the time being. We have a time zone issue with the interactive calendars. > Some calendars, like Hamfests and exam sessions, need to be shown in local > time while others, like Special Events stations and Contests, need to be > show in UTC. We are still trying to resolve this one. > > · Began additional work on the interface for Distance Learning > Courses > > · Enabled permissions for Registered Instructors > > · Fixed minor bugs in the Special Events backend management system > > · Lisa Kustosik updated the Articles of Association By-Laws, the > IN-News section of the Web site and the key staff personnel list. > > · The ARRL Audio News is back. http://www.arrl.org/arrl-audio-news > > · Many other content and functionality improvements are occurring > daily. This will be an ongoing process. > > > > Please let me know if you have any questions. Finally, I will be visiting > MFJ in Mississippi the beginning of next week, returning to HQ on Thursday. > I’ll be checking my email when I have time and Internet Access. > > > > > > 73, > > > > Harold > > > > > > Harold Kramer > > Chief Operating Officer > > ARRL -the national association for Amateur Radio > > 225 Main Street > > Newington, CT 06111 > > (860 594 -0220 > > >

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[arrl-odv:19038] Re:Web Update June 04
by dick＠pobox.com 04 Jun '10

04 Jun '10

4 JUN 2010 - 1702 CDT Hello Harold... I'm glad to see some progress being made on the problems with volunteer (unpaid) leadership access to database information and other support services via our new web site. I don't know if anybody else has complained about the reduction of the content of the ARRL membership database that is accessible via the new web site. However, I specifically want all of the membership information that was available via the old web site restored. It is much easier to help a member fix a problem with his membership data, if one can see the data and how its access is configured. NEW ITEM: This is a different, but very important, item that affects anybody trying to access the new web site via a slow-speed Internet connection. I want a button installed on at least the ARRL web site home page that allows the user to shut down (and restore) all animation for that connection. Animation is a bandwidth expense for both our web site and the user at the other end of the circuit. With a slow connect speed, the bandwidth "overhead" can make the connection worthless. If it is not practical to provide individual control of connection animation, it should be eliminated. Appearance and video animation are nice. But it should not be allowed to get in the way of content delivery. Our new web site appears to ignore the KISS principle and this is a growing source of disappointment, disgust, and even anger for a significant percentage of ARRL members. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

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[arrl-odv:19037] Re: Web Update June 04
by gpwidin 04 Jun '10

04 Jun '10

Harold, Your note says toward the end: Finally, I will be visiting MFJ in Mississippi the beginning of next week, returning to HQ on Thursday I sincerely hope that you don't intend to adopt any of their development processes to finish out deployment of the new web site. ;-) -- 73, Greg, KØGW Director, Dakota Division

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