March 2011 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:19772] Re: Out of Office AutoReply: ARRL NNJ Section ARES Status Update
by dick＠pobox.com 15 Mar '11

15 Mar '11

15 MAR 2011 - 1159 CDT After reading the email on this topic and reviewing Mike Corey's job description, I see no real problem at this time. Assuming that one or more persons at headquarters is monitoring incoming email and voice mail to Mike, I believe an out-of-office AutoReply is the correct method for initial response to incoming email or telephone inquiries. If there is a major emergency underway and Mike Corey is unavailable, I am confident that ARRL staff will provide an appropriate and timely response. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

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[arrl-odv:19767] Mike Corey
by David Woolweaver 15 Mar '11

15 Mar '11

I think that we should have a look at Mike's job description. David, K5RAV

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[arrl-odv:19768] Letter Generating Utility
by Jim Weaver K8JE 15 Mar '11

15 Mar '11

All, A glitch has been uncovered in the letter generating utility. This was discovered in generating letters for Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. His last name is Van Hollen. The utility saw it as Hollen and, therefore, used Hollen, only, in the salutation. The GLD IT man is on vacation this week, but I'll ask him to consider what can be done to avoid situations of this type. Obviously, one could go through the list of Congressmen individually, but if someone knows of a database that clearly identifies last names of this type for US Reps and Sens., please let me know. I'll pass the info to KD4PYR when he returns. 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

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[arrl-odv:19762] Legislative report
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 14 Mar '11

14 Mar '11

Here is the latest state legislative report from Chwat & Co. It has been made available in PDF form to Section Managers. I have advised Chwat & Co. that Arizona HB 2287 failed in committee. That should be updated in the next report. Dave K1ZZ <<ARRL SLR January-February 2011.doc>>

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[arrl-odv:19761] Draft EC agenda
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 14 Mar '11

14 Mar '11

Here is the extensive agenda for next Saturday's Executive Committee meeting. A condensed version will be made public shortly. David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary <<agnda494.doc>>

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[arrl-odv:19760] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 14 Mar '11

14 Mar '11

<<030911.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 34, No. 10 March 9, 2011 -- Covers the period February 27-March 5. Upcoming Meetings and Events Executive Committee: March 19 @ 8:30am - Chicago, IL Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND Coordinating our efforts in opposition to HR 607 in its present form continues to be our principal focus. On Monday February 28, John Chwat reported that approximately 1000 letters had been received in his office. On Wednesday March 2, the second issue of the ARRL Legislative Update was sent to over 1200 ARRL members who have subscribed to receive it. Thanks to Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, and President Kay Craigie, N3KN, for their efforts in editing and tweaking the message in the update letter. We worked with IL SEC Brad Pioveson W9FX, IL Section Manager Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN, and Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, regarding IL HB 1390 - a PRB-1 bill introduced into the Illinois state legislature. ARRL HQ and General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, will work with the SM developing bullet points to use in his testimony on the bill at a public hearing the week of March 7. During the week, we have been working on forum presentations for the Alabama Section Convention and the NC Section Convention. A special NC antenna forum has been added to the schedule for the NC Section Convention on March 12. As part of that trip, the ARRL Regulatory Information Manager will also meet with Ryan Cairnes, K3XC about his pending decision to appeal his loss in a recent zoning hearing, and with representatives from the amateur community in Charlotte about the new proposed antenna ordinance in that municipality, Among the usual queries on reciprocal operating during the week was one from Vice-President Jay Bellows, K0QB, about operating in China. We have also recently had several queries about obtaining a US license under the provisions of the HAREC agreement in Europe. Many CEPT administrations will issue a license (and call sign) based on an examination passed in another country if the exam complies with the syllabus for the Harmonized Amateur Radio Examination Certificate (HAREC). Recently we have received several inquiries as to whether the FCC will do the same, but the answer is no. At the present time the only non-CEPT countries that participate in HAREC (CEPT Recommendation T/R 61-02) are New Zealand, Australia, Israel, and Hong Kong. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP The HR-607 issue is starting to appear in several places with links and references back to the ARRL web article. A short video about 607 was shot at HQ on Mar 10 with Mary Hobart on screen and volunteer cameraman Al Petrunti and his professional media crew. We hope to have it posted for download very soon. Kevin O'Dell created the opening logo shot. Media Hits for QST was written as well as more work done towards the major projects of the 2010 Annual Report (All department texts are due in to Allen by Mar 15) and the DIY video. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH The mailing to all Diamond Club members is on its way. While this mailing is a full month later than in 2010, the mailing is expected to provide incentive to lapsed and active members to participate via monthly giving and thus increase the average contribution. The campaign was a success in 2010 and with improving economic conditions, should prove successful again this year. The Spectrum Defense Matters newsletter is in the final stages of preparation. The mailing components are ready as is the data for the snail mail segment of the campaign. More than 32,000 copies of the first 2011 issue will be mailed. A small segment of donors will receive the newsletter electronically as they have requested and another 112,000 members will receive a link to the electronic copy that will be posted on the ARRL web site. Major donors who contributed $1000 or more last year have been contacted to specify if ARRL may list them in the Annual Report, on the web and in QST. The gift of Bound volumes or CDs of the 2010 ARRL publications have been sent to Maxim Society donors and Diamond Club members at the Director level ($5000 or more per year). The annual mailing to members of 40+ years duration are in production. These members will receive a congratulatory letter, a personalized certificate and a pin marking the decade milestone of their membership. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE The General Class License Manual (new 7th edition) and The General Class Q&A (new 4th edition) have been released to the printer. Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed the ARRL Letter and produced and voiced ARRL Audio News for March 3, 2011. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Bob Inderbitzen has been navigating planning for Dayton Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention at Ham-Com. Registration information has been collected from staff, Board officials and Section Managers-so that we can begin committing hotel rooms, exhibit staffing, credentials, and other details. A slate of ARRL presentations has been turned over to Hamvention for their forum planning. Members can find more information about both events by visiting www.arrl.org/expo. The 2011 Field Day items featured in April QST are available for ordering online. All items begin shipping after April 1. Clubs are encouraged to order early, to ensure availability and fulfillment in time for Field Day. This year's product line includes a Polo shirt, hat, pin, and pack of posters. The warehouse crew fulfilled 963 packages for publication and product orders, 320 membership premiums, and QST mailing supplements. Warehouse Supervisor Steve Capodicasa is sourcing a used cargo van for the warehouse. The van will replace the League's 1997 Dodge Dakota pickup truck. Test mailings are conducted a couple of times each year to help improve response rates to membership campaigns. The campaigns are typically split in half-one half utilizing a new appeal, design element(s), or data criteria. A test campaign is being prepared for mailing in the next couple of weeks. Amy Hurtado continues to contribute to planning involving the digital QST proposal-work which will ultimately contribute to a Board report. Survey data from department managers has been compiled, along with research covering industry trends and a cost analysis. New ARRL merchandise, including some new designs for shirts, lapel pins, stickers and decals, are in-the-works for introduction at our big exhibit in Dayton. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N W1AW In celebration of OSCAR's 50th anniversary, Joe is working with Bob Allison to resurrect the old OSCAR 1 satellite (model) that has been in the ARRL's possession for years. The plan is to repair the internal modules to get the bird functional again, purely for demonstrational purposes. In an effort to obtain technical information about the electronics, Joe has been in contact with at least three of the original hams involved with the initial OSCAR 1 project. Also, Joe processed regular QSL cards. He also processed one Qualifying Run certificate and one endorsement. Joe updated the W1AW Operating Schedule web page to include all UTC times for each time segment. He also readied the equipment in Studio One for use in the ARRL International SSB DX contest by ARRL club station W1HQ. Field Organization/Public Service Team Leona Adams reports that Utah Section Manager Mel Parkes, NM7P, and Northern New Jersey Section Manager Rich Krohn, N2SMV, submitted nominating petitions to run for the next term of office as Section Manager of their respective sections. They submitted their petitions in advance of the Friday, March 4, receipt deadline. Now that the deadline for this particular election cycle (with new terms starting July 1) has passed, there will be one balloted election this spring. In Nevada, incumbent Section Manager Joe Giraudo, N7JEH, and JD Weiss, NK7W (of Reno) will be running for the new term office. The following Section Managers have previously submitted petitions, and they are not facing opposition: Rich Krohn, N2SMV (Northern New Jersey); Jim Cross, WI3N (Maryland/DC); Al Shuman, K1AKS (New Hampshire); Dan Pruitt, AE6SX (San Joaquin Valley); Mel Parkes, NM7P (Utah); Bob Beaudet, W1YRC (Rhode Island). In West Texas, no nominating petitions arrived. Therefore, the position will be re-solicited starting in July QST. Incumbent West Section Manager John Dyer, AE5B, has announced that he is not running for another new term of office. One radio amateur from Nevada and one from Sacramento Valley completed certification to become an Official Observers this past week. After receiving a report of jamming and interference on 75 meters, Chuck Skolaut alerted regional Official Observers to monitor and check it out. More follow up information regarding business use of a repeater was sent to the FCC. A report of unidentified carriers on 40 meters was later thought to be WSPR. Intruder reports this week included Voice of Korea on 3560 kHz and an over the horizon radar on 10126 kHz believed to be originating in Cyprus. Questions dealt with this week included repeater coordination, station carrying ISS transmissions, operating overseas, Hamsphere (an internet based ham radio software program), and interference on 60 meters. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List All Staff 4/22 Holiday Margie Bourgoin 3/28-4/1 Vacation Scott Gee 3/30-4/1 Vacation Mike Gruber 4/29 Vacation `` 5/31-6/3 Vacation Dan Henderson 4/25-4/29 Vacation Mary Hobart 3/28-3/30 Vacation Joel Kleinman 3/10-3/11 Vacation `` 3/31 Vacation Zack Lau 6/16-6/17 Vacation John Proctor 6/22-7/8 Vacation Sharon Taratula 3/18 Vacation Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings Dan Henderson 3/9-3/14 North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, NC Dave Sumner 3/11 House Telecom Subcommittee staff, Washington, DC Mary Hobart 3/11-3/13 North Carolina Section Convention, Concord, NC Diane Petrilli 3/14-3/16 ASAE Training, Colorado Springs, CO Steve Ewald 3/18-3/20 Nebraska State Convention, Lincoln, NE Bob Inderbitzen 3/31-4/2 AES Superfest, Milwaukee, WI Mary Hobart 4/14-4/17 International DX Convention, Visalia, CA Allen Pitts 4/15-4/18 Communications Academy, Seattle, WA Dan Henderson 4/22-4/24 Louisiana State Convention, Monroe, LA Margie Bourgoin 5/18-5/23 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/Vacation Mike Gruber 5/19-5/20 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Mary Hobart 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Mike Gruber 6/9-6/10 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Mary Hobart 6/9-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX

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[arrl-odv:19755] FW: Letter log through 3/11/2011
by Jim Weaver K8JE 14 Mar '11

14 Mar '11

Ladies, Gentlemen, The attached PDF file contains a listing of the 5,785 letters opposing HR 607 that have been issued through the letter-generating utility through 3/11. I thought a few of you may be interested in a review of the list. I'm sorry it does not identify the Division in which the writer lives. This may be a useful tweak in the online program for he future. FWIW. 73, 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

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[arrl-odv:19753] Board Confidential: Meeting report on HR 607
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 12 Mar '11

12 Mar '11

Confidential to the ARRL Board: Not for Distribution Meeting Report House Committee on Energy and Commerce Staff March 11, 2011 By David Sumner, K1ZZ John Chwat and I had a 10 AM meeting with David Redl, Counsel, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, to express our concerns about H.R.607 which is assigned to this committee. David is new to his position, having just spent five years working on FCC regulatory and spectrum issues for CTIA. It was refreshing to encounter someone on the Hill who actually understands the radio spectrum. Highlights: 1. When John mentioned that Greg Walden (chairman of the Telecom subcommittee) is a ham David said, "Oh believe me, we know, we know." 2. Before we even got to our issue David said he was surprised that King's bill "threw you guys under the bus." House Energy and Commerce Committee staff has given no consideration to amateur spectrum because they're looking for deficit reduction revenue and they know they can't get any from our spectrum. From his CTIA experience he regards the spectrum of commercial interest to start at around TV channel 31 and go up from there. It was unnecessary for us to explain either why we were there or why having 420-440 MHz in the bill made no sense - he already knew both. 3. There's essentially no possibility of King's bill being given serious consideration because he's not on the committee of jurisdiction. 4. They're working on their own bill but aren't yet sure how much to try to pack into one piece of legislation. He was a little concerned about our support for allocating D-block spectrum to public safety because they're thinking more along the lines of a voluntary giveback of spectrum by broadcasters. I assured him that while we definitely supported the concept of a national interoperable broadband public safety capability (to which he nodded vigorously) we had no preference for one way of doing it over others as long as our spectrum wasn't affected. It was worth the trip just to give him this assurance since what we have put in writing to this point has implied support for D-block reallocation as the method of choice. We'll need to be a bit more careful about what we say about this; the distinction between "support" and "not oppose" is an important one. 5. David is in contact with his counterpart on the Senate committee on this issue. John asked him if he had heard what the Senate committee's timetable was for introducing its own bill; he replied that they were very open about what they were doing, except for the timetable. 6. I had happened to include the IARU emergency communications brochure in the information packet, which has a photo taken in the aftermath of the Kobe earthquake showing Japanese amateurs with a sign on the wall showing that they were using 436-MHz frequencies. This helped me make the point, just a few hours after another devastating earthquake hit Japan, that one reason we're able to respond to emergencies and to be interoperable anywhere in the world is because our allocations are international. 7. We delivered the NPSTC letter, of course, but since it was clear that David needed no persuasion I introduced it as possibly being useful to him in explaining to others why 420-440 MHz shouldn't be included in legislation. In short, the meeting was very encouraging. David was clearly receptive and approachable, and this will be helpful in addressing other issues (such as S.191 and H.R.81) at the appropriate time. In the meantime, it seems unlikely in the extreme that any "Broadband for First Responders" bill that emerges from the House committee of jurisdiction will contain a threat to 420-440 MHz or other spectrum used by amateurs. Of course we must continue to be perceived as leading the opposition to Section 207(d) until it's dead and buried, and we can't call off the troops until then. That's unlikely to be any time soon; the committee is only in the early stages of putting together its own bill.

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[arrl-odv:19752] Jim Weaver's loss
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

Dear Colleagues, As some of you already know, Jim Weaver's wife Janice died Monday. In Jim's words, she died peacefully at age 76 after rather lengthy medical problems. Jim asked that an announcement be postponed until after the funeral, which was held today. I know Janice and Jim will be in all of our thoughts this weekend and beyond. Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:19751] FW: Earthquake
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 11 Mar '11

11 Mar '11

This is just to let you all know the situation in Japan. Ken is the (part-time) head of the JARL International Section and as of this week is the Secretary of IARU Region 3. He was in Geneva for the CPM as a member of the delegation of Japan. 73, Dave K1ZZ ________________________________ From: Katsumi Yamamoto [mailto:ja3mvi@ba2.so-net.ne.jp] Sent: Fri 3/11/2011 12:56 PM To: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ Subject: Re: Earthquake Dear Dave, Thank you for your kind e-mail message. We have experienced quite a shake in Tokyo, but without serious damages at JARL HQ. However, as the time progresses, we are also shocked by the casualties and damages caused by the earthquake and following Tsunami. It seems that the priority communications for disaster response is in a good shape to support the activity. We are not aware of any amateur involved in disaster communications so far. Thank you again for your attention. 73 de JARL International Ken Yamamoto/JA1CJP ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ" <dsumner(a)arrl.org> To: <ja3mvi(a)jarl.com> Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 8:52 PM Subject: Earthquake Dear Ken, Here in the US we awoke to the news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that have struck Japan. Our friends in JARL will be very much in our thoughts today. I don't know if there is anything we can do to help, but if there is, please do not hesitate to ask. Personal 73, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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