September 2012 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:21077] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 28 Sep '12

28 Sep '12

IN-Newsletter Vol. 35, No. 39 September 26, 2012 -- Covers the period September 16-22. Upcoming Meetings and Events Executive Committee: September 29 @ 8:30am - Denver, CO United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) October 1-5 - ARRL HQ Director/Vice Director Elections November 16 Administration and Finance Committee: November 17 @ 8:30am - Newington CT Chief Executive Officer Reported by David Sumner, K1ZZ Ballots for Full members in the Hudson and Northwestern Divisions will be mailed to those for whom we do not have valid email addresses on Monday, October 1. Also on October 1, emails will be sent to the rest explaining how they can vote electronically. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Despite some airline problems, attending the Radio and Television Digital News Association and Society of Professional Journalist convention was quite successful last week with introductions and pitches made to several major players in media outlets. Of particular joy was addressing journalists about Amateur Radio's roles in a disaster seminar titled "the BIG one." A brief conversation with Jeff Fager, Chairman of CBS news, was followed up by an email pitching a story about Amateur Radio's growth in the age of cell phones and Internet. (We will see what happens... but even if nothing comes of it, he knows we're here.) I also completed Al Tompkins' "Video Storytelling Bootcamp" classes which gave me several ideas for future use. With 7 working days to go before "retirement," I am creating written and audio files on how to do the many tasks and activities that maintain our PIOs and others in promotions. A draft of my final CONTACT! publication has been created and a final "Media Hits" column is being created for QST. Production/Editorial Reported by Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY Khrystyne Keane participated in the Section Managers' Workshop held at ARRL HQ on September 15. She spoke to the 12 Section Managers about The ARRL Letter, the ARRL Audio News and explained the process of how QST is published each month. Khrystyne wrote and distributed the September 20 edition of The ARRL Letter and produced and voiced the ARRL Audio News. The Care and Feeding of Transmission Lines, by Joel Hallas, was released to the printer September 20th. This will be Joel's fifth ARRL book. Pacificon Legal Seminar proceedings went to press on September 20. Microwave Update 2012 proceedings went to press on September 24. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Amy Hurtado reports that she prepared the biannual Life Membership report, including a summary of new Life Members, for the upcoming ARRL Executive Committee meeting. She's also completing the annually-required US Postal Service Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation for our periodicals QST, NCJ and QEX. The marketing team has been immersed in 2013 planning and final details for the 2012 ARRL National Convention <http://www.arrl.org/2012-arrl-national-convention> . The beginning of fall also heralds the busy buying season as we march toward the late-year holidays. A large mailing featuring new ARRL publications will mail ~ October 5. The mailing promotes the new 2013 ARRL Handbook, new 10th edition ARRL Operating Manual, current 22nd edition ARRL Antenna Book and new Amateur Radio Public Service Handbook. A follow-up mailing has been prepared for early November. The fall/winter publications catalog is being wrapped up and will go to the printer before the end of the week. Now Shipping: Antenna Modeling for Beginners, by Ward Silver, NØAX. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity (reported by Steve Capodicasa): Week of Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 9/17 898 594 Steve Ford, Michael Keane and Bob Inderbitzen teleconferenced with the developers of TravelPlus for Repeaters, continuing their planning that will eventually lead to our introduction of an ARRL Repeater Directory application (app) for use on smartphones. Our affinity benefits partner US Bank has mailings planned in October, promoting the ARRL Visa credit card. Our earnings for the program from January through August are $24,490. We had a particularly good August, boosted by new card holders acquired as a result of an emailing we conducted during the summer. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N W1AW Joe installed a new Kenwood TS-590 HF/6 transceiver in the Harris racks. This transceiver is now used for the 40-meter W1AW broadcasts. He also updated the web code practice files. Joe also began reorganization of the operating positions in Studio Three. During the prior weekend (September 15, 16) W1AW played host to the new ARRL Section Managers who were in attendance for the ARRL SM Workshops. Thanks to Steve Ewald and Chuck Skolaut for hosting the activity at W1AW. Field Organization/Public Service Team Incumbent Section Managers Dale Temple, W5RXU (Arkansas) and Garth Crowe, N7XKT (Wyoming) have been nominated to run for new terms of office in their respective sections. New terms for this particular election cycle begin in April 2013, and the announcement for nominations appears in October QST. One radio amateur from Western Washington completed requirements to become an Official Observer this week. We alerted regional Official Observers to monitor and check out a report of intentional interference to the Texas Traders Net on 7.245 MHz and the Continental Traders Net on 3.922 MHz. ARRL Headquarters received documentation about a business using 2 meters and forwarded this information to the FCC for follow up. We also sent to Laura Smith at the FCC some details about a net that acts as a source of information for listeners. We asked for an opinion regarding a potential broadcasting aspect. Several members in our Intruder Watch reported an unidentified RTTY signal on 14.024 MHz. Later, with the help of the Region 1 Monitoring Coordinator, it was identified as a Russian military signal. Education Services Reported by Debra Johnson, K1DMJ Nathan McCray K9CPO met with Section Managers at the recent HQ Orientation to offer information about the programs and services the Education office support. He also took the opportunity to demonstrate some new instruction content being developed by Mark Spencer, WA8SME for the Education & Technology Program. The Section Managers enjoyed trying out the SeaPerch(tm) robot in their hotel pool. On Sept. 22, I represented ARRL at the Washington State Convention in Spokane. The convention was well attended and well organized. Estimated attendance was 475. The convention was sponsored by 8 regional clubs. Eight commercial vendors had booths, and there were about 55 swap tables. My forum was well attended-I'd estimate there were about 20 people in the audience. Division Director Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF. Eastern WA Section Manager, Mark Tharp, KB7HDX, Western WA Section Manager, Jim Pace, K7CEX, as well as Idaho Section Manager, Ed Stuckey AI7H, were all present to staff the ARRL booth. We had a constant flow of traffic most of the day. The membership promotion Bob Inderbitzen put together for the WA convention was very well received. We took 25 3-year membership renewals, 7 2-year renewals and 15 1-year renewals. Licensing Instruction Nathan McCray is writing an orientation course for instructors. The content is focused on getting organized to instruct, assessing personal skills, developing learning objectives and lesson plans, and classroom management. He is also putting these skills into practice offering a General Class license course for ARRL employees. Education & Technology Program Mark Spencer continues to develop the sensor packages that will be available for deployment on a sea buoy or on the SeaPerch(tm) robot, in addition to the sensors he has already developed that would deployed in a balloon near space expedition. The latest additions are an ozone sensor and a water pressure sensor. Mark is also working on a communications package that will permit data to be sent from the SeaPerch robot to a tethered receiver buoy and from there to a receiving station. He has successfully demonstrated a proof of concept for a new robotics program that will connect with ham radio using packet command and control from off-site locations, potentially between school stations with packet capability, and also via the amateur radio station on the ISS. This new program, now called MAREA (Mars-Lander/Marine ARISS Robotic Exploration Activity) is an outcome of our partnership discussions with AMSAT and NASA. Instruction on use of remote sensors and data management in hands-on science experiments is part of the new advanced Teachers Institute Remote Sensing and Data Gathering curriculum we hope to offer in 2013. Mark Spencer and I held a webinar with members of DARA's planning council to provide an overview of the new curriculum, and the new MAREA program, which we followed with a proposal requesting their investment in the new Teachers Institute program, along with their continuing support for the TI-2 on Space Communications. Mark's article in October QST describing the Satellite CAT (computer aided tuning) Interface for Working the Analog Birds (p. 40) that he developed for the ETP has been attracting quite a lot of interest. We will be inventorying a quantity of these boards+ PIC and interface kits in the ETP for sale at price that will cover costs plus contribution to our ETP development expense, along with providing a contribution to AMSAT. With the help of Lauren Clarke KB1YDD in the Development Office, Nathan McCray and I completed a grant application to a Connecticut affiliate of NBC for a local educational outreach opportunity. ARISS Recent budget cuts and education program re-alignments at NASA are shaking out as the new fiscal year begins October 1. We are in conversation with our contacts within NASA about changes that may affect the ARISS program, including a significant loss of NASA operational support that is threatened. In order to reestablish ARRL's and AMSAT's working relationship with NASA for this program, as well as the commitments and obligations of the international partners, the US ARISS management team is turning our attention to drafting a new charter agreement that will address these issues and identify roles and responsibilities of each partner. We have been operating the program without a formal agreement for many years. The last agreement was formalized at the beginning of the SAREX program in 1996. September has been a very active month for ARISS. In addition to international contacts that included 1 in Japan, 2 in Germany and 2 in Australia and 1 in Poland, the US team supported 6 contacts: Sept. 12: Marcelino Canino Middle School, Dorado, Puerto Rico with Joe Acaba KE5DAR. Sept 13: NASA Goddard Child Development Center, Greenbelt, MD, direct with Akihiko Hoshide KE5DN. Sept 13: Burns Sci-Tech Charter School, Oak Hill, FL, direct with Sunita Williams KD5PLB. Sept 20: Sunset Hills Elementary, San Diego, CA, direct contact with Aki Hoshide. Link to a local television story <http://www.cbs8.com/story/19605202/local-students-aim-high-and-connect-with…> and a local newspaper story <http://www.nctimes.com/news/local/poway/rancho-penasquitos-international-sp…> . Sept 21: Lafayette Middle School, Lafayette, GA, direct with Sunita Williams KD5PLB. Link to local television news stories WDEF <http://www.wdef.com/news/story/LaFayette-Middle-School-talks-to-Internation…> , WRCBTV <http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/19610751/iss-and-lafayette-middle-students-make…> , and to a local newspaper story <http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/sep/22/reaching-for-the-stars-stude…> . Sept. 24: Waxter Young Women's Academy, Laurel, MD, telebridge with Akihiko Hoshide KE5DNI. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Holiday 11/22-11/23 Holiday Holiday 12/24-12/25 Holiday Leona Adams 9/27-9/28 Vacation Margie Bourgoin 10/4-10/5 Vacation Joe Carcia 10/8 Vacation Jackie Ferreira 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Steve Ford 10/10-10/13 Jury Duty Scott Gee 11/9-11/15 Vacation `` 12/21-12/26 Vacation Mike Gruber 10/1-10/5 Vacation `` 10/12 NearFEST, Deerfield, NH Joel Hallas 10/3 Vacation `` 10/10 Vacation `` 10/17 Vacation `` 10/24 Vacation `` 10/31 Vacation Ed Hare 10/1-10/5 ANSI EMC Committee Meeting, Santa Clara, CA `` 10/14 IEEE EMC Society Chapter meeting, Detroit, MI `` 10/15-10/16 IEEE EMC Society Standards Dev. Comm. meeting, Denver CO Dan Henderson 9/21-10/1 SEDCO, Sevierville, TN / Vacation `` 11/16-11/21 Indiana Section Convention, Ft. Wayne, IN / Vacation Amy Hurtado 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Bob Inderbitzen 10/5-10/8 Vacation `` 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Khrystyne Keane 9/28 Vacation `` 10/26 Vacation Harold Kramer 10/5-10/7 MFJ 40th Anniversary, Starkville, MS Zack Lau 9/25-9/28 Vacation Maryann Macdonald 9/24-10/1 Vacation Diane Petrilli 10/11-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Barry Shelley 9/28 Vacation

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[arrl-odv:21075] Power outage in Fairfax office
by Price, Brennan, N4QX 26 Sep '12

26 Sep '12

The entire 3545 Chain Bridge Road building has a power outage. Building management is working on a fix. I have elected to work at home, and I have encouraged Jon and Virginia to do the same. I'll advise when the outage is fixed. In the meantime, I can be reached at 703-243-0455 if necessary. 73 de Brennan N4QX

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[arrl-odv:21074] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 24 Sep '12

24 Sep '12

IN-Newsletter Vol. 35, No. 38 September 19, 2012 -- Covers the period September 9-15. Upcoming Meetings and Events Executive Committee: September 29 @ 8:30am - Denver, CO United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) October 1-5 - ARRL HQ Director/Vice Director Elections November 16 Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND The Regulatory presentation for the 2012 Section Manager's Workshop was prepared and updated. At the request of ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, we added three topics: volunteer liability and protection, termination of a volunteer, and reviewing section/local MOUs. The presentation Saturday went well, with numerous questions answered. Work is continuing on the presentation for the W4DXCC / SEDCO event, held the last weekend in September. In the capacity of Field Day Manager, a significant amount of time has been spent making small changes to the database, selecting pictures and generating the various tables for the QST and Web presentations, and beginning to write the draft of the article. A total of 2,657 entries and checklogs were received for Field Day 2012. A total of just over 1.4 million QSOs and almost 38,000 participants reported. The number of entries is almost identical with 2011 but the number of participants is down about 1,000 (although still the second largest number of participants reported). We have been working with ARRL member Jim Pratt, K7QI, providing him with information as he worked with the telecommunication authorities in South Sudan. He was assisting them with developing licensing criteria and callsign databases for this fledgling country. We suggested that the US model of licensing was maybe not the best model for them to consider. We provided them with information on the HAREC concept used by CEPT in Europe for licensing content. Happily, the first South Sudanese licenses were issued under the new guidelines. We have been in contact with Laura Smith about the responses to the questions we provided for use in an article on the status of amateur enforcement. She reports that her answers are written and sent to her superiors for approval. We hope to have the article ready for the December issue of QST. She also relayed that there is a continued delay on the FCC's IT department updating information from the old to the new FCC website - which includes the posting of numerous items from her office. There is no timetable for when that will be resolved. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Allen is at the Radio & Television Digital News Association conference in Florida. Also there is Mark Kraham, W8CMK, of the ARRL Public Relations Committee. Development Reported by Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD The Development Office welcomes its 110th Maxim Society member: David Walker KØCOP. To date: The Spectrum Defense Fund has received $148,859 from a total of 1,407 donors. The Diamond Club has received $154,687 in contributions from 817 donors. The W1AW Endowment Campaign has received $53,243 in contributions from 864 donors. The Education & Technology Program has received $57,528 in contributions from 602 donors. An additional $109,194 from six donors has been received in support of the Teachers Institute Program. Production/Editorial Reported by Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA The October issue of QST and the new book - Care and Feeding of Transmission Lines -- were released to the printer. Khrystyne Keane gave a presentation at a meeting of the North Shore Radio Association in Danvers, Massachusetts. Khrystyne also wrote and distributed the September 13 edition of The ARRL Letter and produced and voiced the ARRL Audio News. Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Lab Van Work continues on the Lab's new rolling laboratory. Ed Hare registered the vehicle and is working on restoring the auxiliary battery bracket. Bob Allison tested the pneumatic mast and air compressor as operational. All decals of NBC-Connecticut and the NBC Peacock were removed by Greg Kwasowski. Joe Carcia also has assisted with this project. New rear tires and a full service will place the van, with only 96K on the clock, in good running condition. We are currently looking for a reasonable body shop to repair the wear from the van's long broadcasting career. Product Review Bob Allison completed testing of a small, portable, QRP transceiver. A data table and charts were created and passed along to the Product Review Editor. Testing started on a HF amplifier, but two issues that halted testing were found. Bob is currently working with the manufacturer to resolve the issues. QST Bob started testing a solid state HF amplifier for a QST Technical Article. Radio Frequency Interference A potentially significant change in the FCC's handling of power line noise cases has been reported by Laura Smith. Mike Gruber completed a report and executive summary for Ed Hare on this new policy. Mike Gruber discussed the K3GT power line noise case near Pittsburgh, PA with Ed Hare. Ed managed to take a look at the problem during his business trip to Pittsburgh. Web Mike Gruber made some updates to the ARRL Web RFI Web page. Bob started testing a solid state HF amplifier for a QST Technical Article. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R A membership appeal to lapsed members was mailed September 4, and applications are already coming in. Another mailing, targeting lapsed and "never" members, is planned for October 5. The warehouse shipping system experienced a computer hardware failure toward the end of the week. The IT Department rebuilt the system with a new PC, and had the warehouse back online for Monday morning. Packaged orders were transported to Main Street during the outage, so we were able to meet our promised delivery standard to members/customers. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity (reported by Steve Capodicasa): Week of Package fulfilled Member Premiums/QST Suppliments 9/10 947 458 9/4 426 436 Materials were shipped to ARRL team members supporting October's 2012 National Convention. We also began assembling the big shipment of display materials and supplies supporting our exhibits at the event. Khrystyne Keane helped digest the 2012 ARRL National Convention program into a website news posting. This week we welcomed Cassandra Parkman, KB1WQY to the ARRL staff. Cassandra fills a position opening on our Member Service team. She lives in Manchester and earned her Amateur Radio license in February. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Field Organization/Public Service Team Thanks to the many HQ staff leaders and staff members for supporting the 2012 Section Managers' Workshop that was held at ARRL HQ from September 14 -16. The Field Organization Team along with the Membership and Volunteer Programs department served as coordinators and hosts for the annual training and orientation event for twelve Section Managers (including two brand new Section Managers who begin their terms of office on October 1.) The Workshop was very successful and was enjoyed by all who participated. One Section Manager made the following comment after returning home: "I left Newington with a whole bunch of new friends as well as a very good feeling about the ARRL, how things work there and a great deal of respect for those that work there. What a great experience!" Leona Adams has been in touch with all of the incumbent Section Managers who submitted petitions to run for a new term of office. They were informed that they will begin their new terms of office on January 1, 2013. The ARRL Monthly Monitoring System/Intruder Watch report was compiled and sent to the IARU Region 2 Coordinator. Radio amateurs from Southern Florida, San Joaquin Valley, and Indiana successfully completed requirements to become Official Observers. The monthly Official Observer Summary was sent to all OOs, OOCs, and Section Managers. The SJV OOC forwarded recordings regarding a local 2 meter morning net. A shortwave broadcaster was reported on 7111 kHz. Chuck Skolaut conducted one morning code run at W1AW and assisted with Section Manager Workshop along with Steve Ewald who served as the main coordinator of the event. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Margie Bourgoin 10/4-10/5 Vacation Joe Carcia 10/8 Vacation Jackie Ferreira 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Steve Ford 10/10-10/13 Jury Duty Scott Gee 11/9-11/15 Vacation Mike Gruber 10/1-10/5 Vacation `` 10/12 NearFEST, Deerfield, NH Joel Hallas 9/19 Vacation `` 9/26 Vacation `` 10/3 Vacation `` 10/10 Vacation `` 10/17 Vacation `` 10/24 Vacation `` 10/31 Vacation Ed Hare 10/1-10/5 ANSI EMC Committee Meeting, Santa Clara, CA `` 10/14 IEEE EMC Society Chapter meeting, Detroit, MI `` 10/15-10/16 IEEE EMC Society Standards Dev. Comm. meeting, Denver CO Dan Henderson 9/21-10/1 SEDCO, Sevierville, TN / Vacation `` 11/16-11/21 Indiana Section Convention, Ft. Wayne, IN / Vacation Amy Hurtado 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Bob Inderbitzen 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Khrystyne Keane 9/28 Vacation `` 10/26 Vacation Harold Kramer 9/20 Boston Amateur Radio Club Zack Lau 9/25-9/28 Vacation Maryann Macdonald 9/24-10/1 Vacation Diane Petrilli 10/11-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Allen Pitts 9/19-9/24 Radio & TV Digital News Assoc. Convention, Orlando, FL Barry Shelley 9/21 Vacation `` 9/28 Vacation

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[arrl-odv:21073] Michael Owen, VK3KI, SK
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 23 Sep '12

23 Sep '12

Those of you who attended the ARRL donor reception in Dayton this year may remember that I spoke of Michael Owen, VK3KI, a colleague and friend for more than 35 years. I deeply regret having to report that Michael died yesterday. Earlier today President Craigie sent condolences to WIA and to Michael's wife Nan and their family. Additional details have been posted on the WIA website: www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2012/20120924-1/index.php Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21072] EC meeting agenda
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 21 Sep '12

21 Sep '12

Here is the agenda for the September 29 meeting of the Executive Committee. A slightly abridged version will be distributed to interested members shortly, in accordance with Board policy. David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary

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[arrl-odv:21067] arrl-odv:21066] Re: Kosovo
by jfenster＠pacifier.com 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

Dave, What group or governmental agency in Kosovo is (or might be) responsible to ask the ITU for a callsign block? Given the status of the folks operating from there, I would expect that this process would be underway but egos occasionally prevail among DXers - Duh! Of course, we will be the bad guys if the last few days of operation do not count for anything but that is life. ITU assignment of a prefix will allow those there or another group to activate the first DXpedition that complies to the DXCC rules and it is not the current group, we will hear about it! BTW, I have yet to worked the current operation and probably will not until the rules are met. But, I remember the 7O1YGF expedition which put me on the #1 Honor Roll status after nearly 10 years of waiting. 73 Jim K9JF James E. Fenstermaker K9JF Director, Northwestern Division American Radio Relay League (206) 930-9372 James E. Fenstermaker K9JF Director, Northwestern Division American Radio Relay League (206) 930-9372

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[arrl-odv:21064] Kosovo
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 19 Sep '12

19 Sep '12

In conjunction with an international effort to assist its telecommunication administration with developing domestic regulations for the Amateur Radio service, the Republic of Kosovo has just been activated using call signs with a Z6 prefix. For those of you who are interested in DX or have members who are interested in DX, a little background may be helpful. Under Section II of the DXCC Rules, to be recognized as a DXCC political entity Kosovo must either be a UN Member State or must have been assigned a call sign prefix block by the ITU. Z6 is a call sign block that is currently unassigned by the ITU and therefore should be available for assignment. However, as of now there is no indication that the ITU has made such an allocation or that it has been requested to do so. The fact that the Republic of Kosovo is putting regulations and an administrative framework for Amateur Radio into place is a positive development and should be viewed as such. Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21063] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 13 Sep '12

13 Sep '12

IN-Newsletter Vol. 35, No. 37 September 12, 2012 -- Covers the period September 2-8. Upcoming Meetings and Events Section Managers' Workshop September 14-16 - ARRL HQ Executive Committee: September 29 @ 8:30am - Denver, CO United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) October 1-5 - ARRL HQ Director/Vice Director Elections November 16 Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Preparing for a webinar/lecture on PR this week with Gallaudet University and the Radio and Television Digital News Association (RTDNA) convention next week in Florida. Creating "how to" files of different activities, revising draft script of possible centennial video, avoiding getting pulled into problematic tower dispute and providing pictures, brochures and resources for local Scouting and EmComm presentations. NOTE: I will be traveling to the RTDNA Sept 19-23 Development Reported by Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD To date: The Spectrum Defense Fund has received $148,609 from a total of 1,403 donors. The Diamond Club has received $153,687 in contributions from 812 donors. The W1AW Endowment Campaign has received $52,813 in contributions from 860 donors. The Education & Technology Program has received $57,348 in contributions from 599 donors. An additional $109,194 from six donors has been received in support of the Teachers Institute Program. Production/Editorial Reported by Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA We welcome ARRL Book Editor Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY, as the new QST Managing Editor. The Book Editor job vacancy has been posted internally. Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed the September 6 edition of The ARRL Letter and produced and voiced the ARRL Audio News. Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N W1AW Joe constructed three (3) FSK/CW interfaces which will be used by Mike Corey in the upcoming EMCOMM conference to take place in the Azores. As part of this project, Joe also began to build simple dipole antennas for 40, 20 and 17 meters. In addition, he processed regular QSL card requests and updated the web code practice files. Field Organization/Public Service Team Southern New Jersey Section Manager George Strayline, W2GSS, and West Central Florida Section Manager Dee Turner, N4GD, submitted nominations to run for new terms of office that begin on January 1, 2013. As of Friday's (September 7) deadline, there were no other nominees received for Southern New Jersey and West Central Florida, so these nominees shall be declared elected. In addition, there were no nominating petitions received that challenge the incumbent Section Managers who had previously submitted nominating petitions over the last several weeks. Therefore, the following Section Managers are also declared elected to begin terms of office in January: Tom Dick, KF2GC (Northern New York); John Rodgers, N3MSE (Western Pennsylvania); Marc Tarplee, N4UFP (South Carolina); Phil Temples, K9HI (Eastern Massachusetts); Dale Bagley, K0KY (Missouri). There were no nominating SM petitions received from Nebraska and New York City-Long Island. A re-solicitation for these two sections will be in January QST. Twelve Section Managers are scheduled to travel to Newington from September 13 -16 for the annual Workshop for new Section Managers. A radio amateur from Virginia applied and was approved by the Roanoke Division Director to become a part of the ARRL Monitoring System/Intruder Watch. In other Intruder Watch news, an unidentified "buzzing signal" on 40 meters was reported. Somaliland shortwave broadcasts were heard on 7120 kHz, another broadcaster on 7110 kHz, and Radio Havana on 17 meters (which later was thought to possibly be a harmonic which ended after brief reception reports). Northern Florida OOs and the OOC, using direction finding techniques, found the source of jamming that has been occurring on a local repeater. The information was forwarded to Laura Smith at the FCC for follow up. Chuck also conducted one morning code practice run at W1AW. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Margie Bourgoin 10/4-10/5 Vacation Joe Carcia 10/8 Vacation Steve Ewald 9/17pm Vacation Jackie Ferreira 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Steve Ford 9/18 Jury Duty Scott Gee 11/9-11/15 Vacation Mike Gruber 10/1-10/5 Vacation `` 10/12 NearFEST, Deerfield, NH Joel Hallas 9/12 Vacation `` 9/19 Vacation `` 9/26 Vacation `` 10/3 Vacation `` 10/10 Vacation `` 10/17 Vacation `` 10/24 Vacation `` 10/31 Vacation Ed Hare 10/1-10/5 ANSI EMC Committee Meeting, Santa Clara, CA Dan Henderson 9/21-10/1 SECDO, Sevierville, TN / Vacation Amy Hurtado 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Bob Inderbitzen 10/10-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Khrystyne Keane 9/17pm-9/18am North Shore ARA Presentation `` 9/28 Vacation `` 10/26 Vacation Harold Kramer 9/20 Boston Amateur Radio Club Maryann Macdonald 9/24-10/1 Vacation Diane Petrilli 10/11-10/15 National Convention, Santa Clara, CA Allen Pitts 9/19-9/24 Radio & TV Digital News Assoc. Convention, Orlando, FL Barry Shelley 9/21 Vacation `` 9/28 Vacation Sincerely, Lisa Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO / Meeting Planner ARRL--The National Association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 Tel: 860-594-0245 --- Fax: 860-594-0259 email: lkustosik(a)arrl.org

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[arrl-odv:21059] Van Donation
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 11 Sep '12

11 Sep '12

Hi, Our local NBC affiliate, WVIT Television, has donated one of their news gathering vans to us. The vehicle is a 1998 Ford Econoline E-350 with less than 100,000 miles. It is equipped with a pneumatic 56 ft telescopic mast. Our Lab Engineer, Bob Allison, was familiar with this particular vehicle since he helped maintain it when he worked for WVIT. Bob is also familiar with the safety requirements and training required for operators of this type of vehicle. I've attached a picture. The donation came about through the efforts of Bob's former boss and my longtime friend, Joe DiMaggio, WA1HFQ, WVIT's Assistant Chief Engineer. WVIT has requested that we not publicize the donation. The van is in good mechanical condition, but it does need some minor body work. It is currently assigned to the Lab where it will be used for finding and measuring RFI in the field. We also intend to use it for demonstrations of this capability, and other Amateur Radio services, at nearby conventions. We don't intend to put a lot of time or money into this project but, with some minor, mostly cosmetic work, it could become a useful vehicle for us. 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:21058] House hearing
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 10 Sep '12

10 Sep '12

There has been some buzz about a House subcommittee hearing scheduled for Wednesday of this week on the subject of "resilient communications." While the term might broadly include Amateur Radio the focus of the hearing is more specific. Here is the list of invited witnesses and a brief description from Chairman Gus Bilirakis. If the name Bilirakis sounds familiar it is probably because his father, Mike Bilirakis, was a good friend of Amateur Radio and the ARRL prior to his retirement from Congress. There has been some speculation as to whether this hearing might be an opportunity to further our CC&R objectives. The short answer is no, because the FCC study was reported to a different committee. However, the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications is of some potential importance to us anyway, in the broader contest of emergency communications. John Chwat reports that: * The DHS witness has been asked by Chairman Bilirakis(R-FL) to testify specifically on Executive Order 13618 of the President issued two months ago on National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions. * The FCC and other witnesses will be asked to address the recent storm impacts in the District of Columbia, as well as issues relating to 911. Ed said the Chairman was most concerned by the inability of the public in these types of natural (storm) disasters to connect to 911. 73, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ Wednesday, September 12 Subcommittee Hearing: Resilient Communications: Current Challenges and Future Advancements 2 p.m. on Wednesday, September 12 in 311 Cannon House Office Building Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Chairman Invited Witnesses Include: Panel I Ms. Bobbie Stempfley Deputy Assistant Secretary Office of Cybersecurity and Communications U.S. Department of Homeland Security Mr. David Turetsky Chief Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Federal Communications Commission Panel II Mr. Brian Fontes Chief Executive Officer National Emergency Number Association Mr. Kyle Malady Senior Vice President Verizon Mr. Terry Hall President APCO International Chairman Bilirakis on the hearing: "We learned many important lessons about the need for resilient communications from the September 11th terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina. While great progress has been made since those disasters, the 9-1-1 outages in the National Capital Region after the recent derecho highlight significant challenges that remain. This hearing will provide Subcommittee Members an opportunity to examine efforts to enhance the resiliency of our communications capabilities, including the implementation of Executive Order 13618, the allocation of the D Block to public safety, and efforts to implement next generation 9-1-1."

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