February 2013 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:21514] Re: Newington weather
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 08 Feb '13

08 Feb '13

HQ will close at noon. Dave From: arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org [mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org] On Behalf Of Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ Sent: Friday, February 08, 2013 8:46 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:21513] Newington weather As you may have heard, the Northeast is bracing for a blizzard. Light snow has just begun to fall in Newington but the major effects of the storm will not be felt until later this afternoon. Snowfall is a part of life in New England, but a blizzard is something else again. Staff is at work and on duty, but there is a high probability that Hq will close early today. We are monitoring what major Hartford-area employers are doing and will follow their lead. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21512] How to return the conflict of interest form
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

Bob Vallio has reminded me that another way to return the conflict of interest form to Lisa is by FAX to 860-594-0259. We only need the page with the signed affirmation. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21511] Conflict of interest forms
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

The ARRL Bylaws require that the ARRL President, all Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, all Directors and all Vice-Directors shall annually sign a statement which affirms that he or she: 1) Has received a copy of the current conflict of interest policy; 2) Has read and understands the policy; 3) Has agreed to comply with the policy; and 4) Understands that the Association is a non-profit organization and that in order to maintain its federal tax exemption it must engage primarily in activities which accomplish one or more of its tax-exempt purposes. The conflict of interest policy and affirmation form are contained in the attachment. Please fill out and sign the affirmation form on page 3 and return it to Lisa Kustosik, either by USPS or as a scanned attachment to an email to lkustosik(a)arrl.org. 73, David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary, ARRL

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[arrl-odv:21510] IARU Region 2 Band Plan revision process
by Kay Craigie 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

IARU Region 2 has begun their triennial review of their band plan. In case you receive any questions from members about what is going on, I wanted to give you a heads-up. As the announcement notes, the Region 2 band plan has little or no effect on USA Amateurs, certainly no regulatory effect. We follow the FCC's Rules and band plans developed by the ARRL for the USA. Nevertheless, to be cooperative with our sister societies in Region 2, the ARRL participates in the band plan revision process by soliciting input from our members. If our members heard somehow that a revision was under way but we were not telling them about it and asking for their input, they might suppose we were trying to pull a fast one. Also by our publicizing the process, hams from other Region 2 countries may become aware of it if they didn't already get the word from their own national societies. I have no idea how, or even whether, other Region 2 national societies formally invite input from their members. Our announcement indicates that hams from other countries should submit their input to their national societies. The announcement attached to this e-mail will go out in ARRL's media this week. The existing Region 2 band plan is also attached for your information. Input will be reviewed by the HF Band Plan Committee chaired by VP Frahm. In 2010 there was nothing received that moved the committee to recommend any changes. We'll see what happens this time around. If you have any questions, Dave, Jay, and/or I will be happy to respond. 73 - Kay N3KN

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[arrl-odv:21506] FW: Android Update
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

Greg, One of the reasons I had heard for why there wasn't an Android app was that Android was not a single operating system, but a family of them. It would appear that this has been resolved (or has it?) Magdalena checked with Nxtbook and the Android app is compatible with Android based devices using operating systems: 2.3-Gingerbread, 4.0-Ice Cream Sandwich, and 4.1- Jelly Bean. According to Nxtbook, this is "all inclusive" of current (but not older) devices. The Android app is not compatible with Kindle. A separate Kindle app is available through Nxtbook. Does the use of an Android mobile product subject our DRM or the user's privacy to a lower level of assurance than the browser version? I am not an Android user so I am not entirely certain but it appears that the dedicated mobile app has a lower level of privacy than the browser version. This is because in every browser that I have seen, History, Tracking, Cookies, etc. can be disabled by the user. At present, the Tracking function cannot be disabled on the Android mobile app. FYI, I am heading to Orlando Hamcation early tomorrow morning, so I may be off-line most of tomorrow during the day. Regards/73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B ARRL Chief Operating Officer 860 594 0220

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[arrl-odv:21507] Re: Android Update
by Jim Weaver K8JE 05 Feb '13

05 Feb '13

All, I thought the following information may be of interest to a number of folks so am forwarding it. I inadvertently had sent my inquiry to Harold, directly, rather than via ODV. This was an oversight on my part. Harold honored my seeming request and replied only to me as he should. Sorry, Harold, for the confusion. 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 _____ From: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B [mailto:wj1b@arrl.org] Sent: 05 February, 2013 3:25 PM To: Weaver, James K8JE (Dir, GL) Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:21503] Android Update Jim, One time startup costs of $3,000 to $5,000 Ongoing production costs and labor for producing yet another QST variant. Not sure how much probably $250 - $500 per month. Regards/73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B ARRL Chief Operating Officer 860 594 0220 From: Jim Weaver K8JE [mailto:K8JE@ARRL.org] Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2013 3:13 PM To: Kramer, Harold, WJ1B; arrl-odv Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:21503] Android Update Harold, Please provide a little education to this old illiterate. Are the added costs of production for digital QST ongoing or initial, only. Approximately what are these costs? I am asking this in regard to IOS and/or Android versions:? Tnx, 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 _____ From: arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org [mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org] On Behalf Of Kramer, Harold, WJ1B Sent: 05 February, 2013 2:38 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:21503] Android Update Hi, I would like to take this opportunity to update everyone regarding the status of the Digital QST Android app. Nxtbook, our publishing partner just came out with an Android app this month. While Nxtbook claims that it is a finished product, based on our previous experience, it is most likely not fully de-bugged or full featured yet and, therefore, in our opinion, not ready for overall release. Like other software developers, NxtBook apparently uses their early adopters as Beta testers for their product. It also poses some problems for us including justifying the one time startup costs ($3-$5K) and the ongoing production costs and labor for producing yet another QST variant. There is also a problem that the Tracking settings cannot be disabled on the Android app. Member privacy issues were a major concern when we launched the iOS app, so we would have to find some way to alert members that their information is being tracked on the Android app. The tracking feature does not provide personally identifiable information, but it does aggregate overall statistics. In addition, our IT department would need to integrate another platform into our Digital Rights Management system. If you are asked about an Android app by a member, you should know that Nxtbook has recently enhanced the Android browser version of Digital QST. The only major difference between the browser version and the dedicated app is that the browser version cannot be downloaded. We'll monitor the Android app situation with NxtBook and our members to determine what future actions we might take. 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL -the national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594 -0220 No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2013.0.2897 / Virus Database: 2639/6082 - Release Date: 02/04/13

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[arrl-odv:21503] Android Update
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 05 Feb '13

05 Feb '13

Hi, I would like to take this opportunity to update everyone regarding the status of the Digital QST Android app. Nxtbook, our publishing partner just came out with an Android app this month. While Nxtbook claims that it is a finished product, based on our previous experience, it is most likely not fully de-bugged or full featured yet and, therefore, in our opinion, not ready for overall release. Like other software developers, NxtBook apparently uses their early adopters as Beta testers for their product. It also poses some problems for us including justifying the one time startup costs ($3-$5K) and the ongoing production costs and labor for producing yet another QST variant. There is also a problem that the Tracking settings cannot be disabled on the Android app. Member privacy issues were a major concern when we launched the iOS app, so we would have to find some way to alert members that their information is being tracked on the Android app. The tracking feature does not provide personally identifiable information, but it does aggregate overall statistics. In addition, our IT department would need to integrate another platform into our Digital Rights Management system. If you are asked about an Android app by a member, you should know that Nxtbook has recently enhanced the Android browser version of Digital QST. The only major difference between the browser version and the dedicated app is that the browser version cannot be downloaded. We'll monitor the Android app situation with NxtBook and our members to determine what future actions we might take. 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:21501] FW: Status of 9cm HSMM-MESH project
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

At his request I am relaying the following message from Rick Kirchhof, NG5V of the HSMM-MESH development team in Austin. Dave K1ZZ From: Rick Kirchhof, NG5V [mailto:ng5v@arrl.net] Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2013 12:38 AM To: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ Cc: Woolweaver, David ( Dir, WG); Stratton, John (WG Vice Dir) Subject: Status of 9cm HSMM-MESH project Dave, The recent board meeting must have stirred more interest in the 9cm HSMM-MESH project. This week, I have received email from two Directors or Vice Directors asking about the ability to use Ubiquiti equipment. It is very encouraging to hear of this level of support within ARRL leadership. We have a concern. It is the same one previously expressed where general ham membership will start to think and focus on equipment that is not for sale, and firmware that does not yet exist. To restate our current status: The 9cm equipment from Ubiquiti has been hand-loaded and manually configured with settings that allow them to interoperate with other HSMM-MESH networks. The process to set up the software currently involves a number of command line edits to the firmware load. The equipment works well (very well) but can't be set up or used by the average ham. In short, it currently isn't functional for anyone outside the core development team. Since specific unique identifiers are required for each device, a copy of our modified firmware from one Ubiquiti device won't configure the next one without the same manual steps. Current set-up and information web pages don't work with the firmware needed for the Ubiquiti equipment. More work is needed to finish the firmware and to create the user friendly web page used on the Linksys 2.4ghz equipment. Anyone who has ever purchased and set up a Wi-Fi network at their home can easily do first time setup of an HSMM-MESH router. In fact, setting up a mesh node for initial use involves about 1/3 of the steps needed to do a home Wi-Fi network. The complexity of setting up a Wi-Fi router or the even simpler process for an HSMM-MESH node is hidden by the web page that controls the process. This is by design as we fully intend for the process to be easy and consistent for all users. I have received a request to arrange a group buy of the new hardware. This is an end-game task and is very premature at this point. Discussion of export-only equipment in a new band by the general ham population would be extremely counterproductive at this time. We have much work to do before Ubiquiti equipment can easily be converted from factory status to HSMM-MESH nodes. I am pleased to report that a short article about using HSMM-MESH networks during the recent Big Bend Ultra-Marathon was already submitted to Steve Ford. We expect this item to be a nice spotlight on the project. It deals only with existing gear and current firmware, discussing ease of setup and use. Our next article for QST will be more in-depth and cover the process to start from zero, choose equipment, load the firmware, and begin using mesh networks. I would like to ask for your help in getting this information to the ARRL board. We very much appreciate the continued support but the time for discussing the 9cm project outside of board meetings has not yet arrived. If general ham discussion and requests for support become widespread, our time will be diverted to email, forum discussions, web site maintenance and requests for equipment suppliers instead of developing and releasing the new firmware. Please let the leadership know that they can best support his project by allowing us to develop to completion before sharing the information broadly. I will be pleased to answer any questions you have. 73, Rick Kirchhof NG5V on behalf of the HSMM-MESH development team

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[arrl-odv:21500] tnx for card
by Bruce Frahm 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

Your card was in my mailbox as we got home from ZF today. It made me feel almost like I'd enjoyed eyeball QSOs, muffalettas and grilled oysters with y'all. ......yeah,right. But it's appreciated. About the dog 'n toilet bowl theme -- are you intimating something about my Maine Fish Market eating habits ?? 73 Bruce freshly ex-ZF2BJ

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[arrl-odv:21479] CEO Job Description
by Tom Frenaye 04 Feb '13

04 Feb '13

Date: 28 January 2013 To: ARRL Directors (& Vice Directors) (& Officers) From: Tom Frenaye, K1KI (for the A&F Committee) Subject: CEO Job Description We want your input! As discussed at the recent Board Meeting, the Administration and Finance Committee is working to update the job description for our Chief Executive Officer position. This is something we haven't done in many years but as Dave Sumner nears retirement age, we need to have an up-to-date version in hand. When the day comes that Dave announces his retirement plans we will need to be able to tell candidates for the job what we are looking for, and have a way to evaluate those who are interested. The goal is to develop a job description for the Board to approve, possibly at the July meeting. Rather than looking at qualifications first, it has been suggested that we first need to ask ourselves what the questions are we need to answer before we can develop the qualifications and job description. A few examples are: * Is an Amateur Radio license required? Extra Class? * If a license is required, are certain Amateur Radio experiences or activities required/desired? * What size budget should the candidate have managed previously? * In general, how much managerial experience is required/desired? * Is non-profit or for-profit experience required/desired? If so, how much? * Is experience in a service industry required/desired? * Is experience in a membership organization required/desired? * Is experience with a high-volunteer organization required/desired? * How important is international experience? * What amount of management experience is required/desired? Should it be based on size of prior employers, length of time as senior manager, some combination, or other factors?? * Must have the ability to write thought-provoking editorials in QST? The plan is to get your input on the questions, prepare a summary and analysis, then come back to you for guidance on the relative importance of each of the questions. From that we can prepare a job description for the Board to approve. After that, we'll need to prepare a version to be used in any search process where the search description may need to use different terms and phrases than we're used to using internally. So, what are the questions from your point of view? Are those listed above appropriate? What others should be added to the list? I know that this isn't just an exercise in building a job description we can agree upon. As a separate process, we should also think about some more global questions we may want to answer before settling on a job description (or after). Director Fenstermaker distributed a white paper with some ideas at the recent Board Meeting. Here are some other possible questions for us to answer: * Do we need a separate CEO and COO? Can the CEO also handle supervision of the ARRL operations, and supervision of the managers in charge of the various departments? * To what extent should the CEO be involved in international relations work, other than representing ARRL as a figure head at major events. Can those duties be handled by the CTO, International Affairs Vice President, and our IARU Secretary? * Should the CEO be more heavily involved in ARRL promotion and development work within the U.S., along with the CDO? * Do we need to answer questions like these before we develop a job description, or will we need to consider these questions when we evaluate candidates, and then adjust the organization? * Should the new CEO be the one to lead the discussion on any reorganization of top management? Personally, I think the job description comes first - we need to know what we think our ideal candidate should have in experience and skills. Once we have one or more candidates, then there are likely to be questions about the management structure based on the skills each one brings to the table, and what our vision for the organization is. We'd like your input in the next two weeks - by February 10th please. Post the input on ODV if you want, or send to me for distribution to A&F Committee members. We'll compile all of the input received and then get back to you with the compilation and the second round of requests as we work through this process. Many thanks! -- Tom PS: A&F members, please provide your input along with everyone else... ===== e-mail: k1ki(a)arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444

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