May 2011 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:19951] DX Report Revised
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 16 May '11

16 May '11

A few eagle eyed reads caught a typo or two in the original, so here is a revised version with the corrections. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B 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:19949] Awards Department Report
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 16 May '11

16 May '11

To: ARRL ODV, Dept. Heads At the request of some of the Board members, I have prepared this report to address some recent questions about processing times and volume for DXCC, VUCC and our other award programs. This document attached also contains the new VUCC rates that will be posted on the Web Site today. I am sending a copy to ARRL Department Heads so that we all have consistent information. I would also like to mention that Katie Glass, Bill Moore and I have been working to upgrade the DXCC and other operating award pages on the Web site. Let us know what you think about these and if you have any suggestions. http://www.arrl.org/dxcc 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B 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:19948] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 16 May '11

16 May '11

<<051111.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 34, No. 19 May 11, 2011 -- Covers the period May 1-7. Upcoming Meetings and Events Programs & Services Committee: June 18 @ 8:30am - ARRL HQ Technical Relations Reported by Brennan Price, N4QX While Jon Siverling is on medical leave I will stand in for him at a series of meetings from mid-May to early June, beginning with CITEL PCC.II in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, next week. Attending on the United States delegation, I will seek to solidify and strengthen CITEL's affirmative proposal for an amateur allocation at MF at WRC-12. I will also be attending a WRC-12 briefing for member states of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union to be held just prior to the PCC.II meeting. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP As reported last week, following the tornadoes in the South, two new Public Service radio announcements were made. This week we have received a number of reports of the PSAs being heard on several broadcast stations and Sirius Radio. In addition, Alabama hams in Madison County heard them and then requested a specific audio PSA just for their own local use there. This was done and the file of the PSA plus the audio files used to make it were sent to them for their localized use. Ed Tyler, PIC for Alabama, has agreed to be a key speaker at the PR Forum in Dayton (Friday 2:30). We are still answering some questions for clarification from media about HR-607 issues, but these have substantially diminished. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH Response to the Spectrum Defense Matters solicitation picked up and revenues to date total $117,137 with a healthy $78 average contribution. This total brings the Defense Fund to 33% of its 2011 goal. The Diamond Club net revenue has reached $120,278 or 43% of the 2011 goal. Through April Diamond Club net revenue is up 18% over the same period in 2010. The number of pledges year-to-date has reached 330-up 139% over the first 4 months of 2010. Renewals are up 9.5% over 2010 and the average contribution is up 11.8%. Plans are complete for the annual Donor Reception in Dayton. ARRL will host 130 guests and staff at Meadowbrook Country Club. This event will feature remarks by David Brandenburg, K5RQ Chairman of the Second Century Campaign and will be first public presentation about the campaign to our donors. Members of the campaign committee will be in attendance. 100 bricks were added to the Diamond Terrace last week. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed the ARRL Letter and produced and voiced ARRL Audio News for May 5, 2011. Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Dayton Bob Allison and Joe Carcia demonstrated Oscar 1 in the Lab. It ran for over 24 hours without significant drift or reduction in power output. It was then carefully packed up, along with a modern satellite receiver, for its trip to Dayton, Ohio. Feedback from our Dayton kit building volunteer instructors has been positive regarding the two kits we will offer. The volunteers have spotted all possible snags (there are only a few) that a novice kit builder may experience during construction. All four volunteers have returned for their third kit building exhibit! Web Zack Lau uploaded the recent RF Safety Board reports to the web site. They are at http://www.arrl.org/arrl-rf-safety-committee-board-reports RFI Mike Gruber is in Pittsburgh PA, teaching FCC staff how to locate power line interference using both a 400MHz Yagi/AM receiver and an ultrasonic dish. Ed Hare spent the week in Austin, TX at the ANSI asc C63 EMC Committee meeting. He reports that all of his proposals to measure distance extrapolation below 30 MHz were unanimously accepted by the Working Group developing a standard to measure the emissions from unlicensed intentional emitters. The proposals centered around having conservative estimates of extrapolation inside and outside the wavelength/2pi boundary, or making separate measurements of actual extrapolation both inside and outside that boundary. The standard will still be subject to C63 approval and ballot, but the unanimous acceptance is a very good sign that the methodology proposed is scientifically valid. It is also consistent with ARRL's filing with the FCC in the BPL rulemaking matter. He indicates that this process should be kept behind the scenes for now, so as not to have the BPL industry choose to become heavily involved in this particular standards process. Product Review Bob Allison completed testing of a late model HF/6m transceiver for Product Review. A Data Table and charts were created for publication. The transceiver will shortly be passed along to the reviewer. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Now Shipping: ARRL's Small Antennas for Small Spaces and ARRL's Hamspeak: A Dictionary for Radio Amateurs. Recent publication solicitations are reaching mailboxes, including a new publications catalog and a self mailer featuring new titles. A large membership campaign will mail on Thursday, May 12. The mailing includes large segment of lapsed and "never" members. A West Gulf Division ARRL membership recruitment drive, involving ARRL-affiliated clubs in Oklahoma and Texas, yielded membership applications from 29 new members and 20 renewals. Membership Manager Diane Petrilli supported the effort with recognition certificates for the 14 participating radio clubs. Director Woolweaver and Diane lead a webinar preceding the drive, sharing information and resources to help field volunteers with ARRL membership recruitment. To help support the new provider of the ARRL Ham Radio Equipment Insurance Program, information about the benefit was updated on the ARRL Web site. A broadcast e-mail was sent to members about the change of provider and including a link to the new enrollment site at ARRLinsurance.com. We continue to navigate planning details for ARRL's exhibits and activities at Dayton Hamvention and the ARRL National Convention at Ham-Com. All materials for Dayton have been shipped. Complete details for both events can be found by visiting www.arrl.org/expo. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N W1AW On Sunday, May 8, members of the Candlewood ARA were on hand to operate W1AW in the 2011 New England QSO party. Active on 20 meters, they made 263 contacts, with 40 sections, for an initial claimed score of 10,520. Joe updated the web code practice files. He processed one Qualifying Run certificate. Joe finished the assembly of the OSCAR 1 satellite and conducted tests on its transmitter. He also wrote a short article about the W1AW 80-meter cage for inclusion in the ARRL Antenna Book. Scott worked on fast and slow code practice files for the first part of the month of May. He also hosted CARA members during their activity. Field Organization/Public Service Team Chuck Skolaut received a report of alleged interference to the International Handicapped net on 14287 kHz, and this was forwarded to regional Official Observers. Documentation of continued disregard to OO advisories sent by a South Texas OO was forwarded to the FCC. The STX OOC is following up on a report of a cancelled call being used on a local repeater. The business use of a Missouri repeater resurfaced, and information was also forwarded to the FCC. Intruder reports this past week included unidentified digital signals and an Over The Horizon Radar on 17 meters. Questions handled this week included the following; technician privileges, operating overseas, antenna zoning, proper identification, and frequency coordination. OOs, OOCs, and Section Managers were informed that the revised Amateur Auxiliary training guide for Official Observers is now available online, and a number of printed copies were also requested. Steve Ewald completed initial editorial work on the Public Service column and the 2010 Simulated Emergency Test Results article that are scheduled for publication in July QST. Headquarters staff members continued to be in touch with Alabama Section Leaders and many other radio amateurs who have been helping with the relief efforts following the outbreak of the April 27th tornadoes. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List All Staff 5/30 Holiday All Staff 7/4 Holiday Jon Bloom 4/26-5/18 Vacation Joe Carcia 5/27 Vacation Steve Ford 8/8-8/12 Vacation Scott Gee 5/19-5/20 Vacation Mike Gruber 5/31-6/3 Vacation `` 7/11-7/15 Vacation Joel Hallas 5/17-5/27 Vacation Sabrina Jackson 5/26-6/6 Vacation Joel Kleinman 5/12 Vacation Zack Lau 5/13 Vacation `` 6/16-6/17 Vacation Allen Pitts 5/13 Vacation `` 5/26-5/27 Vacation `` 6/15-6/17 Vacation `` 7/1 Vacation `` 7/20-7/22 Vacation `` 7/28-7/29 Vacation John Proctor 6/22-7/8 Vacation Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings Bob Allison 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Margie Bourgoin 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/Vacation Jackie Ferreira 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ford 5/19-5/24 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/Vacation Mike Gruber 5/19-5/20 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Ed Hare 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dan Henderson 5/19-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Mary Hobart 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Sabrina Hughes 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Amy Hurtado 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Harold Kramer 5/19-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Diane Petrilli 5/19-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Allen Pitts 5/19-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dave Sumner 5/18-5/22 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ford 6/1-6/3 Assoc. Media Publishing Conference Dan Henderson 6/2-6/8 Wyoming State Convention, Cheyenne, WY Bob Allison 6/8-6/11 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Jackie Ferreira 6/8-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Mike Gruber 6/9-6/10 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Dan Henderson 6/9-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Mary Hobart 6/9-6/11 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Amy Hurtado 6/8-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Bob Inderbitzen 6/8-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Harold Kramer 6/9-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Diane Petrilli 6/8-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Allen Pitts 6/9-6/12 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Dave Sumner 6/9-6/13 ARRL National Convention, Plano, TX Brennan Price 6/13-6/22 ITU-R Working Party 5A, Geneva Dave Patton 6/23-6/26 Friedrichshafen, Germany Brennan Price 6/23-6/26 Friedrichshafen, Germany Brennan Price 7/13-7/16 BOD Meeting/Committee Meeting, Windsor, CT Brennan Price 8/5-8/6 Texas State Convention, Austin, TX Chuck Skolaut 5/23-5/26 NVOAD Conference, Kansas City, MO

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[arrl-odv:19947] Computer Software Philosphy
by dick＠pobox.com 15 May '11

15 May '11

15 MAY 2011 Depending on your personal experience with computer software programming, you may, or may not, find all of the following axioms amusing. In particular, the first two apply to our still ongoing "new" ARRL website project - though there are a few more further down. - Dick, W9GIG ======================================================================== We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil - C. A. R. Hoare Walking on water and developing software from a specification are easy if both are frozen - Edward V Berard It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law. - Hofstadter's Law Some people, when confronted with a problem, think "I know, I'll use regular expressions." Now they have two problems - Jamie Zawinski Debugging is twice as hard as writing the code in the first place. Therefore, if you write the code as cleverly as possible, you are, by definition, not smart enough to debug it. - Brian Kernighan Measuring programming progress by lines of code is like measuring aircraft building progress by weight. - Bill Gates PHP is a minor evil perpetrated and created by incompetent amateurs, whereas Perl is a great and insidious evil, perpetrated by skilled but perverted professionals. - Jon Ribbens On two occasions I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." - Charles Babbage Always code as if the guy who ends up maintaining your code will be a violent psychopath who knows where you live. - Rick Osborne Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning. - Rich Cook I don't care if it works on your machine! We are not shipping your machine! - Ovidiu Platon I have always wished for my computer to be as easy to use as my telephone; my wish has come true because I can no longer figure out how to use my telephone. - Bjarne Stroustrup A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. - Mitch Ratcliffe If debugging is the process of removing software bugs, then programming must be the process of putting them in. - E. W. Dijkstra It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC. As potential programmers, they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration. - E. W. Dijkstra In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they're not. - Yoggi Berra Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe. - Albert Einstein Perl - The only language that looks the same before and after RSA encryption. - Keith Bostic I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. - Douglas Adams XML is like violence - if it doesn't solve your problems, you are not using enough of it. - Unknown Einstein argued that there must be simplified explanations of nature, because God is not capricious or arbitrary. No such faith comforts the software engineer. - Fred Brooks ========================================================================

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[arrl-odv:19905] Contacting Staff
by Jim Weaver K8JE 15 May '11

15 May '11

Dave, Not long ago, there was a string of e-mail messages concerning how an SEC or other appropriate person can contact our EmComm Director in the event a major emergency arises about which he should advised. I can understand the somewhat sticky nature of developing a resolution to this situation; however, I have personally run into a somewhat similar situation that I feel should be addressed. This situation relates specifically to Maria Somma. Over this past weekend I talked to quite a number of members at two hamfests. One of the members is a VE from Ohio who is very tuned in to the need for VEs to demonstrate a high level of integrity in fulfilling their duties. As a result, he very vigorously reported what he considers to be apparent, continuing misconduct by a VE team leader (and, therefore, team) in West Virginia. Other than to say that I contacted Director Bodson to keep him aware of my follow-up with the Ohio member on his complaint, I will not address the specific problem reported to me. What I wish to address in this memo is my concern at being unable to reach Maria or at not being advised she was away from the office for an extended period. I telephoned HQ and after exchanging a few pleasantries with Penny, I asked to be put through to Maria's phone. I reached Maria's machine and left a message asking her to telephone me. I indicated I would like to get background on the situation with the VE team in the involved area. This was in early afternoon on Monday. Late Tuesday, I had received no return call from Maria so I put in another call to her. The results were the same. After receiving no reply to either of the two messages, I began to suspect she was on an extended absence. This assumption was confirmed when I received an automatic reply to an e-mail I had sent her. The reply indicated she would not return until next week. I received the e-mail after close of business on Tuesday. I am disappointed that as the head of our VEC, she failed to indicate in her outgoing message she will be out of the office for an extended period and similarly that she did not recommend someone to call for assistance. I can understand why someone in a lesser position than Maria would not think it appropriate to leave such a message, but as a member, I would expect someone at her level in the organization would have shown the courtesy as well as an obligation to the organization to provide this information. Is there a policy at HQ that governs notification of absences by key people? If not, should there be? 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:19938] ARRL - Field Day locator
by Joyce Birmingham 13 May '11

13 May '11

Clear DayWhen bringing up the ARRL Field Day locator - www.arrl.org/field-day-locator didn't the Web locator used to 'work' with on the "Users Login"? Meaning...if I logged in (KA2ANF)...the Map would zero in on NNJ area for sites. Another issue..not sure if new or it always did it...the Zoom feature only shows Sites when its Zoomed in to the size shown in the attachment....Zoom out any more...and the Map shows No Sites...which 'could' give someone the impression of no sites in the area. Does anyone else see this? Comments? Joyce KA2ANF ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio Joyce A. Birmingham, KA2ANF ARRL Director - Hudson Division 235 Van Emburgh Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450-2918 201-445-5924 ka2anf(a)arrl.net

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[arrl-odv:19921] Disgruntled ham?
by Bill Edgar 13 May '11

13 May '11

I don't know if anyone else received a letter similar to this one from a James Blaske who currently resides in the Federal Medical Center in Butner, NC, and I thought we only had people like this in the Atlantic Division. I did a search on him and found he killed a postal delivery person back in 1990 and has been written up in a Postal Service report about violence against postal workers. I include two articles found about him. I don't intend to reply to him. Just curious to see if anyone else has received correspondence from him? - Bill N3LLR

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[arrl-odv:19930] Re: Disgruntled ham?
by kg4ium＠bellsouth.net 13 May '11

13 May '11

My apologies, Bill. I viewed your e-mail on my phone and did not realize that you attached the actual letter. My letter was the same handwriting and from the same person, but the content was quite different. In my letter, he offered a large sum of money if I knew of a ham who would be willing to house him, provide meals, and the occasional trip to town. So I guess he doesn't send the same form letter to all of us... Andrea, KG4IUM ----- Reply message ----- From: "Greg Sarratt" <w4ozk(a)arrl.org> Date: Thu, May 12, 2011 20:18 Subject: [arrl-odv:19929] Re: Disgruntled ham? To: "'ODV'" <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:19937] FW: 2011 Field Day Advertisement in Country Roads Magazine
by David A. Norris 13 May '11

13 May '11

One of our PIO's in LA sent this email out. A very nice ad in a regional magazine! 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Vice Director, Delta Div. -----Original Message----- From: Ava Gerald [mailto:avaberthelot@cox.net] Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2011 9:06 PM To: avaberthelot(a)cox.net Subject: 2011 Field Day Advertisement in Country Roads Magazine Well, this is the first ad I've seen for Field Day. If anybody runs across any other ads, please cut them and send to me. If you can, please get the name and date of publication. Great Job Chris and HRPO Staff!!!!! a

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[arrl-odv:19931] Is the ARRL Website Down??
by David A. Norris 13 May '11

13 May '11

Well wouldn't you know it! I go to upload logs to LOTW and the website isn't responding!! Anyone else having this problem?? 73 ES DX David A. Norris, K5UZ Vice Director, Delta Div.

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