February 2011 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:19710] Plan for electronic QST
by G.P. Widin 22 Feb '11

22 Feb '11

ODV, I've received a few comments recently about whether we need a structured plan for electronic delivery of QST. Essentially the suggestion is, "It's really very simple--we just make it available to everyone." I want to challenge that view. And this sort of suggestion is exactly why I made the motion I did in January (Minute 41), requiring a full plan before we roll out an electronic version. I'll begin with a simple statement--Some reduced versions of QST can actually be worth more than receiving the whole cover-to-cover version. Why do I say "less is more"? I was approached by a member of my Division in the last few weeks saying that he would like to get a version of QST that didn't have "all that emComm stuff" in it. A version of QST tailored to his interests would be valuable to him. When I tell you that this fellow is in his 80's, you will understand that some topics just don't seem relevant to him anymore. Then came the final surprise--he said, "I'd even be willing to pay more to get this." Now, this ham is about the tightest guy I know, in a hobby where being cheap is a badge of honor. And he's previously complained about the high cost of ARRL membership. So, if he tells me he is willing to pay more, I am paying attention. I'm sure a number of you have had some similar conversations. The point is--electronic versions of our publications represent a huge opportunity, and I am concerned that we're going to let it slip away. So, everyone reading this on ODV should take it as a personal challenge to define versions of QST that add value. Here are some examples, some of which are nearly in place for existing content-- • Delivering customized versions of QST that have less but more pertinent content, customizable by the individual member. • Live-linked, expanded versions of QST content (like expanded equipment reviews or PC board layouts on construction articles). • As a paper journal, QST is necessarily delivered only 12 times a year. Would more frequent delivery be a benefit? We're getting close to our newsletters in delivery terms, but we have all the flexibility we could want in defining alternate delivery methods. • Cross references to other League publications, as hypertext. • Alternate feed methods--RSS, podcasts, etc. "Push" delivery vs. "pull" delivery. • Support for electronic archiving--on the members' computers. At a hamfest yesterday, one guy proudly told me that he has 50 years of QST in his "archive," and he was talking about paper copies. There are still electronic services we can bring such folks, like search on ARRL.org that links easily with his hard copy library. And people do want to be able to save information, just as they save old copies of QST. • An "ARRL VHF Journal" that incorporates content from QST, QEX, NCJ and arrl.org, brought together into a single, all-in-one-place "issue." It is easy to generalize this to a "DX Journal", "emComm Journal" and perhaps others. I'm sure there are better examples than these, but they illustrate the kind of flexibility we can have if we only choose to exercise it. Beyond thinking creatively about selective content in QST, we are also faced with a fundamental question--can and/or should we attach nominal charges to any value-added services? I used to think that was out of the question. When my cheap member told me he was prepared to pay, I tossed that limitation out the window. At this point, I don't think we should be trying to gain significant income via this method, but we should start the process to establish that value is being added, and that we can't add unlimited service increases without charge. A lot of these questions simply mirror what we've all heard over the years about what QST and other publications should include. The difference today is that electronics and the web now make possible the "mass customization" by which we can deliver added value for essentially the one-time cost of setting up the capability. What other innovative customizations or delivery methods can we define? -- 73, Greg, KØGW Director, Dakota Division

3 4

[arrl-odv:19707] H.R. 607 update
by Kay Craigie 17 Feb '11

17 Feb '11

On Monday in ODV:19699, Chris brought to our attention H.R. 607, the Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011, act introduced by Rep. Peter King from New Yorks third district. This bill proposes to place 420-440 MHz, among other spectrum, up for auction in several years time. This, of course, is totally unacceptable to us. Although Chriss source assured him that this part of the bill is going nowhere, it would be foolish and naïve to rely on that. Public Safety may not want us to raise a ruckus about this bill, as Chris said, but they are not going to get what they want. We have to oppose it in its present form. This is what has happened since Monday, and what we plan to do from here on out. On Tuesday, Chris and John Chwat met with Ed Parkinson, the "Republican Professional Staff Member" in the House Committee on Homeland Security. The bill has been referred over to the House committee on Energy and Commerce. Parkinson told Chris and John that this bill will not pass, that it wont even make it to mark-up. Chris and John informed Parkinson that a dont worry about it message to our members would not be credible. There is other D-Block legislation in the House and in the Senate, with more expected to be introduced. None of it includes any reference to 420-440 MHz, and Chwat will be working with the relevant Capitol Hill offices to keep it that way. Yesterday, Director Birmingham was brought up to date on contacts with Kings office, since he represents part of the Hudson Division. Rep. Kings office was interested in having a list of Amateurs in the district. We declined to provide that information, because we did not see how it could benefit our strategic interests. We were willing to inform Rep. Kings office how many licensees are in the district, because that shows how many of his constituents may be displeased by the legislations effect on Amateur Radio. The text of this legislation is now available to the public on THOMAS, the Library of Congresss site, and so it is imperative for us to start getting the word out to our members. To find the legislation, go to http://thomas.loc.gov. In the box labeled Legislation in Current Congress, click on Bill Number, then enter H.R. 607 in the box and click SEARCH. A press release has been prepared, explaining to members the background and content of the bill, and alerting them to expect further information and a call to action. That press release is attached to this message. It will be published on the web site after I send it to you. A sample letter for members to send to their Representatives, via Chwats office, is in preparation. When the letter is ready, Dan Henderson will activate our grass-roots legislative volunteers and publish an issue of the Legislative Update newsletter. When the sample letter is ready to go, all ARRL members will be asked to write to their members of Congress. Because the bill is in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I have attached for your information a list of members of that committee. They should be especially targeted for letter-writing. Page 2 is a list of those Energy and Commerce Committee members who are on the Subcommittee on Technology, Communications, and the Internet. We are fortunate to have Rep. Walden on this committee and chairing the subcommittee. A letter is being prepared for me to send to Representative King, explaining how his legislation in its present form is unacceptable to Amateurs. Chwat has meetings with committee counsels scheduled for tomorrow. It is entirely possible that this bill -- or at least the part we object to -- is DOA, as some sources have told us, and I am mindful of the pitfalls of crying wolf. However, to keep the canine metaphor, if the wolf really is at the door, we cannot risk finding ourselves on his menu. Thats why we are taking this bill seriously and will be calling for grass-roots action very soon. When the sample letter is ready, I will post a copy to the ODV. 73 - Kay N3KN

2 1

[arrl-odv:19708] ARRL National Broadband Plan Committee
by Kay Craigie 17 Feb '11

17 Feb '11

Thanks for your suggestions about non-Board appointees for the National Broadband Plan Committee created at Minute 40 of last month's meeting. It was possible to identify two outside volunteers who have industry experience to contribute, and both have accepted appointment. The committee will consist of the following people: Jay Bellows K0QB, chair Brian Mileshosky N5ZGT Rod Blocksome K0DAS Kermit Carlson W9XA Chris Imlay W3KD Brennan Price N4QX Kent Britain WA5VJB John Battin K9DX Kent and John are the outside volunteers and both have the kind of industry experience needed for the task. As chair, Jay brings not only his leadership abilities but also his connections with Amateur Radio societies elsewhere in the world. You just never know where valuable information will come from. 73 - Kay N3KN

1 0

[arrl-odv:19706] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 16 Feb '11

16 Feb '11

<<021611.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 34, No. 7 February 16, 2011 -- Covers the period February 6-12. Upcoming Meetings and Events Executive Committee: March 19 @ 8:30am - Chicago, IL Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Managers have been asked to submit their text/narrative parts the 2010 Annual Report no later than March 15. The PR Committee meets Feb 16 using GoToMeeting and will be editing the PIO/PIC job descriptions following the recommendations of the PSC then working on the PIO Handbook. Work continues on moving the 3 main campaign websites to ARRL servers and the DIY focused video work proceeds on time. The MoU with the BSA was announced and the companion video is expected to be released this week. Materials have been ordered for the Amateur Radio reception at the NAB. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH Things are quiet in Development as we complete work on several projects - the Diamond Club monthly giving mailings, the Member Loyalty recognition letters and certificates and the first issue of the 2011 Spectrum Defense Matters newsletter. Maxim Society major donors have been contacted regarding their benefit of the 2010 periodicals collection. The CD-collections are ready to mail and the personalized bound volumes are in production. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE The April 2011 issue of QST has been released to the printer. Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed the ARRL Letter and produced and voiced ARRL Audio News for February 10, 2011. Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Lab Renovation We have started packing stuff in storage crates and boxes for the lab renovation-the big move will be on February 28. RFI Gordon Beattie, W2TTT at AT&T continues to report success in resolving U-Verse RFI cases. In addition, he has been active developing an internal process that involves both AT&T and ARRL. This process would ultimately help stream line resolution of U-Verse complaints as a routine matter. Laura Smith reports that she is again working on RFI cases at the FCC. She had been out of her office much of the time since the passing of her father on December 26th. Much of her time was spent traveling between Pennsylvania and Arizona, where he had lived. Mike Gruber made some updates to the new EMC Committee Web page. Brian Cramer, accompanied by Vice Director Kermit Carlson, conducted an RFI investigation at the station of Mike Swiatkowski, AA9VI in Northbook, IL. This case has been ongoing with the utility since December of 2007. A recent FCC field investigation was also unable to locate the source. The involved utility, ComEd, has so far refused to hire a consultant. Brian and Kermit, however, were able to quickly locate the source to be within a utility owned substation. The Sounds of RFI Page volunteer Craig Miller, KA1GYB will be here on March 8, 2011 for training. Craig, who has agreed to take over the Page, should have it live shortly thereafter. Product Review Initial testing of a modern, high performance HF transceiver was completed. A Data table was created, along with data charts, which were passed along to the editor. The transceiver was turned over to the reviewer. Our test information was also passed along to the manufacturer, along with my observations and comments about spectral purity and other functional issues. The manufacturer is working to correct these issues and a modified sample radio will be sent to the Lab shortly. Testing of a second sample of a modern day, high performance transceiver (different make & model) was completed. These tests were needed to confirm modifications made in order for the transceiver to properly drive an RF amplifier. Test results were good thanks to the cooperation between the ARRL Lab and the manufacturer. The manufacturer was grateful and our members have a better product to choose from. Testing in the screen room will be suspended March 1st. The exact date of test resumption is unknown, but it is hoped to be by the third week of the month. Due to extra, after hours of testing, there will be no interruption of the product review process while the Lab is closed. Test equipment used for product review will be sent to Essco Labs for Calibration on March 2nd. This yearly calibration of key test equipment coincides with the renovation of the Laboratory. Dayton HamVention Kits used at the kit building exhibition at the Dayton Hamfest and at our National Convention this year are being investigated. It looks like our code practice oscillator (we already sell) and a super-regenerative receiver are the picks for this year. Each person who signs up at our exhibition will have the an opportunity to learn how to use soldering tools, follow instructions and the basic safety rules needed for the successful completion of each kit. Last year, we had many beginners of all ages attend our kit building sessions, as well as many who had built kits the previous year. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R January ended with 156,390 members, just 50 members short of the month goal of 156,440. 75% of January expirees paid on time, compared to 70% in January 2010. January product sales were $224,623. While sales were over $10,000 higher than January 2010, the amount fell short of the sales forecast of $273,975. Direct sales were $124,884; dealer sales were $99,739. Returns from a large membership campaign sent in mid-January have returned over 260 membership applications to date. The trial telemarketing campaign we conducted at the beginning of the month brought in 80 memberships, 57 of which were 2-year memberships. The warehouse crew fulfilled 867 packages for publication and product orders, 451 membership premiums, and QST mailing supplements. The annually-produced ARRL Periodicals CD-ROM (2010 edition) was fulfilled to all international members with that benefit option. The new 2011 ARRL Field Day logo was completed (see www.arrl.org/FieldDay) The design planning team included Jackie Ferreira, Dan Henderson, Bob Inderbitzen, Sean Kutzko, graphic designer Sue Fagan and illustrator David Pingree. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N W1AW Joe processed one Qualifying Run certificate and one endorsement. He processed regular QSL card requests. He made updates to some of the W1AW web pages. Joe also installed some new rack shelves in the broadcast racks. (These shelves replaced the sliding drawers that were used for the old Harris transceivers.) He also repaired the tuned input circuitry on the Command Technologies 40-meter broadcast amplifier. This circuit somehow shorted and baked a few of its components. Scott worked on fast and slow code practice files for the middle part of the month of February. Field Organization/Public Service Team ARRL HQ received the monthly Region 1 Monitoring report which was forwarded to our volunteer monitors. Several good follow-up reports were received from Official Observers this week. One involved language being used on an Eastern Massachusetts repeater which has been resolved. Another dealt with hearing audio along with a PSK-31 signal. When the station in question was contacted, the operator discovered an oversight in equipment set-up and corrected it. An Oregon Official Observer discovered a local FM broadcast station was using a 2 meter frequency as a link to simulcast programming to another station. After being contacted, the broadcast station shut down this link. East Bay OOs are investigating fishermen using 2 meters, and Nebraska OOs are checking on incidents reported on 10 meters. Questions handled this week involved helping a member find information on our webpage, mailing out PRB-1 information, finding volunteer counsel, and finding information on AMTS stations. The Field Organization Team is assisting the Emergency Preparedness Team in updating the on-line ARES Registration form, and discussions are underway to improve this form. In addition, Section Leaders from around the country have been reporting their January activity reports for compilation by HQ staff for the Field Organization Reports segment of April QST. At the end of the work week, Roland Spoon, AH6RR, the Section Traffic Manager of the Pacific Section, visited Headquarters, took the tour and operated W1AW. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List Joel Kleinman 2/28-3/1 Vacation Barry Shelley 2/18 Vacation Lisa Kustosik 2/19 Vacation Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative Dave Sumner 2/12-2/22 Conference Preparatory Meeting, Geneva Brennan Price 2/14-2/25 Conference Preparatory Meeting, Geneva Bob Allison 2/18-2/19 Arizona State Convention, Yuma, AZ Joel Hallas 2/25-2/26 Vermont State Convention, Colchester, VT Harold Kramer 3/4-3/5 South Texas Section Convention, Rosenberg, TX Mary Hobart 3/11-3/13 North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, NC Allen Pitts 4/15-4/18 Communications Academy, Seattle, WA

1 0

[arrl-odv:19702] Broken Link to DXAC Report
by Jim Weaver K8JE 16 Feb '11

16 Feb '11

Dave or whoever is minding the shop in his absence: A member reported that the link to the <http://www.arrl.org/DXAC_Special_Report.pdf> DXAC Special Report on Remote Operating given at the July 2008 Board meeting seems to be broken. When I went to the site ( <http://www.arrl.org/DXAC_Special_Report.pdf> http://www.arrl.org/DXAC_Special_Report.pdf) I received the error message: The webpage cannot be found. Can this be corrected, please? Tnx, Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040; Tel. 513-459-1661 ARRL, The national association for Amateur Radio

2 3

[arrl-odv:19695] FW: (no subject)
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 15 Feb '11

15 Feb '11

To: ODV Here is the response to Marty's questions from Bob Inderbitzen and Diane Petrilli. 73, Harold Kramer, WJ1B ARRL Chief Operating Officer 860 594 0220 From: Inderbitzen, Bob, NQ1R Sent: Monday, February 14, 2011 2:29 PM To: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B Cc: Petrilli, Diane, KB1RNF Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:19684] (no subject) Harold, It took Diane and I about 8 hours to prepare the analysis and final telemarketing report. Our responses to Vice Director Marty Woll's questions are included below (in red). Bob From: Marty Woll [mailto:n6vi@socal.rr.com] Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 11:08 AM To: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B; arrl-odv Subject: Re: [arrl-odv:19684] (no subject) Hi, Harold. Thank you for providing this write up. After reading it, I have a few questions and observations. Please understand that these come not from a marketing expert but just a retired CPA. 1) I recall from earlier discussions that the target list consisted of members who had lapsed more than six months ago but less than two years ago. Is that a correct description of the population? If not, can you please describe the population selection criteria? The list included lapsed members no greater than 18-months expired, and at least 2 months expired to help minimize the influence of 4th and 5th renewal notices. 2) Were the direct-mail campaigns used for the cost comparison on page 2 directed to a target audience with the same characteristic as the telemarketing trial's target audience? If not, how did the direct-mail audience differ? The comparison used large direct-mail campaigns with mailings lists of expired members--though, because of the different economies of scale, the mailing campaigns include an even deeper penetration into our lapsed member data. We also conduct many smaller, highly targeted mailings...but even these have lower response rates by comparison. 3) Did the telemarketing firm identify for us which calls got which "not interested" responses? I would hope they did, in which case it would be helpful for Division or Section leaders to know who was "upset with ARRL". Since the lapses are relatively recent, it's possible that the source of dissatisfaction is also recent and can be addressed. Also, did staff check to see that those who claimed to have already renewed actually did? I could see that response as being a call-ending tactic that may not be truthful. The firm tracked and reported trends, and did (today) return individual responses to us. Such a level of service is not typical in telemarketing (vs. a telephone survey). It is always possible that a renewal can occur after a direct marketing list is pulled and before the campaign (mail, email, phone) is completed. 4) I gather from the cost per 1,000 calls and the number of calls dialed that the telemarketing fee was $3,500. Multiplying the average cost per sale by 80 sales gives a total cost of $3,711. Subtracting the fee leaves $211 as the cost of premiums, an average of $2.64 per sale. The report states that the premium was a three-month extension of membership. That's less than $1 per added month, yet I recall you telling me several years ago that the cost to print and mail a copy of QST was just over a dollar, and paper and ink prices have risen considerably since then. How was the premium cost determined? Yes, the fee paid to the telemarketing firm was $3,500. The present average direct monthly expense for fulfilling QST to domestic members is .88/month (postage and printing). This is based on a typical 164 page issue with no special insert or tear-out. The incremental cost for special issues is offset by additional advertising in the same issue. 5) Here's how this exercise appears to pencil out: 57 two-year memberships plus 23 one-year memberships plus 80 1/4-year extensions works out to 1,884 months of membership benefits. Even assuming the cost to print and deliver one copy of QST is only $1.00, that's a direct cost of $3,500 plus $1,884, or $5,384, assuming that there were no other premiums involved. Gross revenue = $5,229 less direct cost of $5,384 yields a loss of $155 before considering the staff time spent negotiating the trial and providing the target telephone numbers to the telemarketing firm. To the extent the fulfillment cost of one issue of QST is higher than $1.00, the loss would be higher. If the reacquired members purchase publications or services that they otherwise would not have, the loss would decrease by the margin on those incremental sales. With the exception of our smaller cost for domestic QST fulfillment, we concur with your calculation of direct costs. 5) The "Recommendations" section of the report mentions following the reacquired members for the next six months. Unfortunately, it will be two years or more before we know whether they renew on their own or with normal mail prompting, and only that information, it seems to me, will reflect "long-term value and loyalty" of the group. In our experience, ARRL membership retention rates are generally very good, and even higher among multi-year members. "Where" telemarketing ultimately belongs in the retention process will require much more substantial testing-though this recent trial gives us a first benchmark from which we can further hone lists, scheduling, appeal, and incentive. It can also be noted that organizations that use telemarketing as part of an integrated direct marketing strategy will often use the same marketing channel for future renewal requests. For instance, those members that joined ARRL following a telemarketing campaign would be phoned for their subsequent renewals. 73, Marty Marty Woll N6VI Vice-Director, ARRL Southwestern Division Ass't DEC, ARESLAX BCUL 15 & Training Officer, LAFD ACS CERT III ----- Original Message ----- From: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B <mailto:wj1b@arrl.org> To: arrl-odv(a)arrl.org Cc: Ford, Steve, WB8IMY <mailto:sford@arrl.org> ; Petrilli, Diane,KB1RNF <mailto:dpetrilli@arrl.org> ; Pitts,Allen W1AGP <mailto:w1agp@arrl.org> ; Somma, Maria,AB1FM <mailto:msomma@arrl.org> ; Glass, Katie,KB1ULQ <mailto:kglass@arrl.org> ; Patton, David NN1N <mailto:nn1n@arrl.org> ; Hare, Ed W1RFI <mailto:w1rfi@arrl.org> ; Jahnke, Deb,K1DAJ <mailto:djahnke@arrl.org> ; Inderbitzen, Bob,NQ1R <mailto:rinderbitzen@arrl.org> ; Johnson, Debra, K1DMJ <mailto:djohnson@arrl.org> Sent: Thursday, February 10, 2011 6:42 AM Subject: [arrl-odv:19684] (no subject) Hi, As requested by the A & F Committee, I am attaching a report of the Telemarketing Trail to lapsed members that we conducted in January of this year. This report was written by Bob Inderbitzen and Diane Petrilli. I have provided it in pdf format to avoid file compatibility issues with Word. I am also sending a copy to the Department Heads for their information. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL -the national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594 -0220 ________________________________ _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org http://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

4 4

[arrl-odv:19700] National Broadband committee
by Kay Craigie 15 Feb '11

15 Feb '11

Progress has been made on identifying appointees for the National Broadband Plan committee authorized by the Board at Minute 40. I still need a few more people who have current insight from their professional lives into what the wireless broadband industry has in mind about spectrum. They would be hams who could provide meaningful insight to us without putting themselves in a conflict of interest situation with respect to their employers. Inquiries sent to several knowledgeable people have not been very productive of prospective appointees, so far. If you know hams who fit the bill, whether they live in your Division or not, please let me know at your very earliest opportunity. As Chris indicated, the clock is ticking. Thanks and 73 - Kay N3KN

1 0

[arrl-odv:19699] Legislation Affecting Amateur Radio Spectrum -- H.R. 607
by Chris Imlay 14 Feb '11

14 Feb '11

MEMORANDUM To: Officers, Directors and Vice-Directors (Confidential) Cc: Dan Henderson, N1ND From: Chris Imlay, W3KD Re: H.R. 607, Introduced by Rep. Peter King, (R-3rd Dist. NY) Date: February 14, 2011 Greetings. You will be hearing, I suspect, about a bill introduced in the House last Thursday. It is not apparently yet available on "Thomas," where most of our legislative monitoring is done (other than information we get from John Chwat’s office). I wanted to tell you what we know now, and that it is not a panic situation (yet). Most of this information came to us from Andy Seybold, a NPSTC regular and a ham (W6AMS), who is, I think, reliable, but the information is not verified yet. Andy is a land mobile consultant and commentator, and is closely involved with NPSTC's affairs (as is ARRL). The basics: On or about last Thursday, February 10, Representative Peter King, a Republican from New York’s Third District (which I think is Long Island) introduced H.R. 607, the “Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011.” This Bill, like many other similar bills now pending in the House, would provide for the construction of a public safety, interoperable broadband network in the 700 MHz public safety bands (at 758-768 MHz and 788-798 MHz. However, unlike other similar bills now pending in the House, to offset the cost of construction of this network, other public safety spectrum would have to be given back for FCC auction over time, the auction proceeds to be used to offset the Two Billion Dollars that is to be set aside for the construction. The bands proposed to be given back to the Feds by public safety entities and the time in which the giveback bands are to be returned to FCC for auctioned for commercial use are as follows: 1 year after the Act: 1755-1780 MHz 1.5 years after the Act: 2155-2180 MHz 8 years after the Act: 420-512 MHz There is also a provision that the GAO will do a study within 3 years after the Act identifying spectrum above 174 MHz and below 512 MHz used by public safety entities that should be returned to the FCC for Auction. Section 207(e) states that within 10 years after the Act, the paired spectrum between 420-440 MHz and 450-470 MHz will be auctioned by FCC for commercial use. The Bill has six cosponsors already, including at least two democrats. The background. This Bill, like others of its ilk, seeks to make available for public safety not only the broadband network, but also envisions the reallocation to public safety of the so-called “D-Block” which is 10 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum that FCC has all along wanted to auction for commercial broadband, but which the Public Safety folks very much want, and it looks like they are going to get. The National Broadband Plan proposed the auction of the D-Block, but Public Safety seems to have won the day. So, this Bill is something of an “offset” against the reallocation of the D-Block to Public Safety as well as a mechanism to get a nationwide interoperable broadband network built. How Serious Is This? If you listen to Andy Seybold, who is firmly in the Public Safety corner, this is a temporary issue that will go away on its own. In some respects, the proposal seems exceptionally poorly thought out. Of course, the Pave Paws radars are in the 420-440 MHz segment. Public Safety still makes heavy use of the 450-470 MHz band (and as well the 470-512 MHz “T-Band”) as do the remainder of existing commercial land mobile radio service providers. Radio broadcasters heavily use the RPU bands at 450-451 MHz and 455-456 MHz. And, of course, we Amateurs have our uses of 70 cm as well. Andy says that this part of the legislation is for “scoring” purposes only, and it will not be in the final version of the bill, should it advance. It was introduced this way, he says, just to make the point that there is no free lunch for Public Safety as against either the D-Block revenues not had, and the cost of the construction of the network. The “relax, all is well” assurances are not entirely trustworthy; public safety has every incentive for this Bill to pass, though of course they don’t want to give back the 450 MHz band. Neither, however, do they want ARRL to go screaming up to the Hill trying to kill the Bill off. What to do? So, we would propose to do some investigative work this week, with Rep. King’s staffer Ed Parkinson, who we are told will give us the same “don’t worry” type assurances that Seybold is giving us. We will report back to you any information we have on this subject. This matter, however, points up the importance of soon commencing the work of the National Broadband Plan committee, as this issue is most certainly related to the NBP. A copy of the Bill text is attached. Please see Section 207, especially subsections (a) and (e). 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

1 0

[arrl-odv:19692] Grammy
by Tom Frenaye 14 Feb '11

14 Feb '11

The rock group Arcade Fire mentioned in Nov 2010 QST, page 72, won a Grammy for best album last night. They're the ones who include a grandson(?) of Alvino Rey W6UK and feature a modified ARRL diamond in their graphics. Nice to see yutes do well! -- Tom ===== e-mail: k1ki(a)arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444

2 1

[arrl-odv:19693] Website running on new system; CPM begins
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 14 Feb '11

14 Feb '11

Jon Bloom reports that the ARRL website is now running on the new system at Rackspace. Performance should be substantially improved. Here in Geneva the two-week Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-12 has begun. Discussion of the technical analyses of the amateur MF allocation issue will begin later this afternoon. Ken Pulfer, VE3PU has been designated chairman of Sub-Working Group 2d, which will be handling the issue. At the first meeting of this SWG this afternoon, it is expected that Brennan Price, N4QX will be designated Secretary. The issue, Agenda Item 1.23 (one of some 30 items on the WRC-12 agenda), is "to consider an allocation of about 15 kHz in parts of the band 415-526.5 kHz to the amateur service on a secondary basis, taking into account the need to protect existing services." The task of the SWG is to review nine pages of text of the draft CPM Report that describes four Methods for addressing the agenda item (including Method D, which is to make no allocation) and the advantages and disadvantages of each. I am participating as the IARU representative this week, to be replaced by Tim Ellam, VE6SH for the second week of the conference. 73, Dave HB9/K1ZZ

1 0