November 2012 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:21292] 2013-2014 Proposed Plan and Financial Projections
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

Ladies and Gentlemen: At their meeting on November 17, 2012 the Administration and Finance Committee voted to recommend the 2013 Plan to the full ARRL Board of Directors for their approval at the upcoming meeting in January, 2013. Attached to this note is a copy of the 2013 Plan. In accordance with Board policy it is being distributed in electronic form to all Directors, Officers and Vice Directors. Please note that the document and the information contained in it should be treated as "Board Confidential" and should not be disseminated outside of this group. As always, if you have any questions about the Plan, please don't hesitate to contact any of us. We will be happy to answer your questions. Also in keeping with past practices, A&F Chairman Frenaye will be setting up a conference call on a evening prior to the Board meeting to allow for questions and a discussion of the Plan. We will let you know as soon as this has been scheduled. 73, Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY Chief Financial Officer ARRL, Inc. The National Association for Amateur Radio (860) 594-0212 www.arrl.org

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[arrl-odv:21291] Response to K2ORS
by Kay Craigie 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

I sent the following message to K2ORS to acknowledge his comments to the Board on the LF NPRM, after a heads-up last night from Tom Frenaye that Warren may have somehow been led to believe we are farther along in considering this proceeding than we actually are: =================== Dear Warren, Thank you for your comments on this FCC proceeding. Neither the ARRL Board of Directors as a whole nor the Executive Committee, a sub-set of the Board, has started work on this docket yet. When that work commences, your experience-based input will certainly be taken into account. I regret that you may have been caused to think the ARRL has already begun to consider this proceeding. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts and opinions. 73 - Kay N3KN ===================

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[arrl-odv:21249] Exam NPRM
by Kay Craigie 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. The Executive Committee will be hammering out the ARRL's position on the license exam NPRM on Thursday of the coming week. I have received input from just a few Directors on the subject. If you have any comments to contribute to the discussion, please send them to Dave and/or me for relay to the EC by the end of the business day on Thursday. Thanks, and if you'll be in the contest this weekend, good luck on the bands. 73 - Kay N3KN

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[arrl-odv:21287] Petition for Rule Making, 630 Meter Band Allocation (472-479 kHz) -- AS FILED
by Chris Imlay 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

Greetings. Today we filed the attached Petition for Rule Making at FCC, proposing the allocation domestically of, and service rules for, the 472-479 kHz band (630 meters). This is now a public document so you can distribute it to those of your members who are interested in this low-MF band. Initially, the Executive Committee reviewed a petition which consolidated proposals for domestic allocation of both the LF allocation we obtained at WRC-07 (135.7-137.8 kHz) and this MF allocation that we obtained at WRC-12. However, because of our inability to obtain affirmative concurrence from UTC, which in the past has been concerned about interference to Power Line Carrier (PLC) systems in that segment, and because of the almost complete absence of PLCs operating at or near the 630-meter segment, the EC ordered that this 630-meter band proposal be filed by itself, and that we deal with the LF allocation later. It was a good strategy and the focus of many hams is now on 630 meters rather than on the very small LF segment. However, as it turns out, we won't be dealing with the LF segment later after all. We will instead be addressing that in a WRC-07 implementation docket, ET Docket 12-338, released November 19, 2012, which includes a sort of lukewarm proposal to allocate the 135.7.137.8 kHz band to the Amateur Service, contingent on protecting incumbent PLC systems. We will now have to turn our attention to that docket. But the 630-meter band is a much easier "sell." Thanks to President Craigie, Dave Sumner and Brennan Price for substantial help with this, and to the Executive Committee members for their edits as well. Let me know any questions that you may have about this Petition. 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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[arrl-odv:21284] Fwd: Thanks!
by James E. Weaver 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

This is the overwhelming response I am hearing in response to the advisory in re the Logbook issues. Transparency pays. Jim Weaver K8JE Sent from my I-Phone Begin forwarded message: > From: "Bill Fries" <bill_fries(a)ncats.net> > Date: November 29, 2012 7:22:29 AM EST > To: <K8JE(a)arrl.org> > Subject: Thanks! > > Jim: > > > > I thank the ARRL for “owning” the latest bug in LoTW. They got on the problem and solved it while keeping the DX community informed. This is really great news. > > > > The ARRL should be praised when they do stuff right. It’s only fair. > > > > Still a happy camper! > > > > Bill, NA8M

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[arrl-odv:21283] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

IN-Newsletter Vol. 35, No. 48 November 28, 2012 -- Covers the period November 18-24. Upcoming Meetings and Events Administration & Finance Committee January 17 @ 8:30am in New Orleans, LA Programs & Services Committee January 17 @ 9:00am in New Orleans, LA Annual Board Meeting January 18-19, 2013 @ 9:00am in New Orleans, LA Production/Editorial Reported by Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, wrote and distributed the November 21 edition of The ARRL Letter. She also wrote, edited and posted articles on the ARRL website, as well as edited and posted columns from ARRL Contributing Editors. Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Product Review Bob Allison completed testing of a medium priced HF/6 meter transceiver. Test data and Bob's comments were passed along to the Product Review Editor. The HF transceiver and HF power amplifier tested the previous week were then handed off to the reviewer. Radio Frequency Interference Mike Gruber completed testing some CFL bulbs for conducted emissions. Mike also started putting this data into a document for the Web. A subset of this data is also expected to be included in a QST article. Mike Gruber participated in a Webinar EMC Committee Meeting. Technical Information Service Bob Allison and Zack Lau have been monitoring the forums section of the ARRL Web site. http://www.arrl.org/forum Historical Committee Photos of some of the vintage equipment items recently unpacked from storage were taken and sent to the leader of the Historical Committee for evaluation. This committee, of which Bob Allison serves as Staff liaison to, is determining how our collection of vintage hardware can best serve the ARRL celebrate its centennial. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N DXCC Branch Credits Applications 2011 Carryover 214,257 1,666 2012 Received 1,157,633 11,220 Cumulative Total 1,371,890 12,886 2012 Processed 1,338,130 12,553 Remaining 33,760 333 Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 4 Weeks LoTW Processing Time 5 Business Days Logbook of the World Category November YTD 2012 % Change Jan - Nov YTD 2012 QSO Records Entered Into System 458,410,279 14% QSL Record Matches 62,488,268 21% Logs Processed 3,718,897 28% Active Certificates 80,954 13% Registered Users in System 53,896 12% Logbook Inquiries November YTD 2012 Emails 1,170 Phone Calls 172 Total 1,342 Field Organization/Public Service Team Monte Simpson, K2MLS, of Bremerton, has been appointed ARRL Western Washington Section Manager, effective December 31, 2012. Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager Dave Patton, NN1N, made the appointment after current Western Washington Section Manager Jim Pace, K7CEX was elected as ARRL Northwestern Division Vice Director on November 16. Pace has served as Western Washington Section Manager since October 2007. The following incumbent ARRL Section Managers did not face opposition and were declared elected for their next two-year terms of office, beginning January 1, 2013: Phil Temples, K9HI, Eastern Massachusetts; Dale Bagley, K0KY, Missouri; Tom Dick, KF2GC, Northern New York; Marc Tarplee, N4UFP, South Carolina; George Strayline, W2GSS, Southern New Jersey; Dee Turner, N4GD, West Central Florida, and John Rodgers, N3MSE, Western Pennsylvania. One amateur from Ohio and one amateur from Utah each successfully completed certification to become Official Observers this week. We received a report of a fish net beacon on 1810 from a South Carolina station and several more complaints regarding 14313. A report of interference to a local 2 meter repeater in South Florida was forwarded to the OOC there. Questions this week included power limits on the bands, operating overseas, and several on antenna restrictions. Chuck conducted one morning code practice session and hosted several visiting amateurs at W1AW. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Holiday 12/24-12/25 Holiday Joe Carcia 12/20 PTO Lauren Clarke 12/26-12/31 PTO Steve Capodicasa 12/4 PTO Steve Ewald 11/26-11/30 PTO Jackie Ferreira 12/31 PTO Steve Ford 12/20-1/2 PTO Scott Gee 12/21-12/26 PTO Dan Henderson 12/17-1/7 PTO Mary Hobart 12/26 PTO Amy Hurtado 12/17-12/21 PTO Gail Iannone 12/21-12/31 PTO Bob Inderbitzen 12/26-12/31 PTO Khrystyne Keane 12/7 PTO `` 12/14 PTO `` 12/21-31 PTO Lisa Kustosik 11/30-12/3 PTO Maryann Macdonald 12/26-28 PTO Diane Petrilli 12/31 PTO Barry Shelley 12/17-12/19 PTO Dave Sumner 11/29 Business Meeting `` 12/31-1/2 PTO

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[arrl-odv:21274] LOTW bug fix
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

This is being posted and distributed this afternoon. In this circumstance I believe an apology from the CEO is appropriate. Dave ARRL's Logbook of The World: Bug Fix is on the Way The past few weeks have been a frustrating time for many users of the ARRL's Logbook of The World (LoTW) QSO confirmation system. The problems began with a 3-1/2 day outage during the first week of November - a particularly busy time of the year for log uploads. When the system was brought back on line a large queue of logs awaiting processing developed, and processing times lengthened well past normal expectations. Another, much more subtle problem cropped up at about the same: some logs began disappearing from the queue, apparently at random. Users had been advised at the time the log was uploaded that it was "queued for processing" and so they were understandably upset when the log was not processed, even after the several-day delay that most logs were experiencing. Because of its random nature it took the ARRL IT staff a while to figure out what was happening. When LoTW was designed more than a decade ago - long before the present IT staff was here - an assumption was made as to how many logs could possibly be in the queue at a given time. The assumption was based on users uploading their most recent QSOs perhaps once a week or once a month. The environment in which LoTW now operates is quite different from that assumption in that many users now upload logs with small numbers of QSOs in them, almost in real time. This creates a much larger number of separate logs. When a log is uploaded it is identified by a file name that is assigned by the user. Because there is no way to avoid duplication of file names that are assigned in this fashion, the LoTW system renames each file. Because of the unusual processing delay combined with the dramatic increase in the number of submitted logs, the system began to run out of unique identifiers for the log files. This resulted in a file sometimes being renamed with an identifier that had already been assigned to a log that was still in the queue, causing the earlier log to be overwritten. Once the problem was identified, designing a fix was relatively easy. It should be in place by 2359 UTC November 28. Because the number of overwritten logs is relatively small, we have decided to keep the system available for use even though this may result in a few more logs being lost until the fix is in place. We apologize for the inconvenience that users have experienced, and especially for being unable to explain what was happening until now. We want to emphasize that no data from processed logs has been lost. That data is secure and backed up. If you have had a log disappear after it was "queued for processing" the solution is to upload the log file again, preferably after the bug fix is in place. We will announce when that occurs. 73, David Sumner, K1ZZ Chief Executive Officer, ARRL November 28, 2012

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[arrl-odv:21256] Company Store Site
by Jim Weaver K8JE 29 Nov '12

29 Nov '12

All, I received a note from a rather irate friend who complained he was gave up trying to place an order through the ARRL online store because the system was running so very slowly. Being a good DXer, he tied this experience in with recent (as well as earlier) difficulty with LOTW. My Question: Was the store running slowly within the past 48 hours or so? If so, why? If there was a problem is it fixed permanently? This experience to me reminds me of an admonition my mother gave me many years ago -- i.e. "It takes a long time to develop a good reputation after a bad impression has been made. Between the bad impression made through the then-new web site and the repeated bad impressions made with LOTW, it seems imperative to me that we pull out all the stops to avoid putting the League in a bad light with the amateur radio public for at least many years to come. How many times must we shoot ourselves in the foot before we learn the lesson? Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE Director, Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 Tel. 513-459-1661; e-mail K8JE(a)arrl.org ARRL: The reason Amateur Radio Is Members: The reason ARRL is

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[arrl-odv:21280] Re: LOTW bug fix UPDATE
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

Here is the slightly longer version of the update that is being distributed. Dave Update as of 2200 UTC Wednesday, November 28, 2012: The fix for the Logbook of The World (LoTW) bug was implemented at 2103 UTC today, November 28. Full credit goes to Michael Keane, K1MK for figuring out what was happening and how to correct it. There are two ways of uploading logs: via the LoTW website and by email. LoTW users should note that emailed logs were not affected by the bug so no emailed logs will need to be resubmitted. At the time the fix was implemented, LoTW processing was running almost exactly three days behind. If a user's most recent upload was made before 2100 UTC on November 25 and it has not yet been processed the file should be resubmitted. There should be no need to resubmit logs uploaded since 2100 UTC on November 25, which would include all CQWW CW DX Contest logs submitted after the end of the contest. Thanks to everyone who has been patient while we grappled with this bug. The issue of slow processing speed is also being addressed, but it requires a hardware upgrade that will take several weeks to implement. Your continued patience and understanding will be appreciated. David Sumner, K1ZZ Chief Executive Officer, ARRL

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[arrl-odv:21279] LOTW bug fix UPDATE
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 28 Nov '12

28 Nov '12

Thanks for the several nice comments about my earlier "bug fix" message. I received more from the general membership. My favorite included this observation: "nothing kills speculation like just boring facts." The fix was implemented at 2103 UTC today. Full credit goes to Michael Keane, K1MK for figuring out what was happening and how to fix it. By the way, there are two ways of uploading logs: via the LOTW website and by email. Emailed logs were not affected by the bug so no emailed logs will need to be resubmitted. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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