August 2013 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:21939] The Power of QST
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 15 Aug '13

15 Aug '13

There's a brief item on the ARRL website news crawl that refers to the lead item in the September QST Product Review column: http://www.arrl.org/news/em-funkamateur-em-fifi-sdr-ordering-function-of fline <http://www.arrl.org/news/em-funkamateur-em-fifi-sdr-ordering-function-o ffline> Here's the rest of the story. It seems that when September QST reached our members, Funkamateur in Germany experienced such a large and sudden spike in FiFi orders from the United States that their local Internet provider, along with AT&T, assumed that a Denial of Service attack was taking place and closed the invoice transfer link. Now they have to convince the provider that the activity is legitimate.... 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21924] 2013 ARRL New Orleans Board Meeting Cost Comparison with Hartford - Discussion
by Richard J Norton 14 Aug '13

14 Aug '13

*Objectives * The objectives of these two memos are: 1) to document the estimated cost of holding a board meeting away from Hartford. Hopefully this will be considered when future meeting locations are discussed. 2) to encourage the board to prudently deploy the League's financial assets when considering future board meeting locations. 3) to encourage senior League management to motivate staff to take simple steps to minimize procurement costs. * * 4) to repeat the offer of a vice-director construct a meeting-room audio-system that would pay for itself with a single use, and to encourage such a procurement. *Introduction* I was disappointed at my failure to convince the board to not meet in New Orleans when the topic was discussed at the July 2012 board meeting. I was somewhat taken aback when a normally reliable officer estimated the meeting costs at about the same as would be incurred by meeting in Hartford, when even a superficial analysis would show that to be far from reasonable. I was also disappointed at not hearing anything about the actual meeting cost from management after the fact before I requested meeting cost data. The data provided showed a $43,000 increase in costs over the previous meeting held in Hartford. To put the cost increase in perspective, the League could have held the meeting in Hartford, given $1000 cash to each of the participants, and still been ahead financially. Put another way, an amount of more than the entire dues from over 1000 members was used to cover the cost increase. There will likely be at least a $43,000 increase in the governance expenditure line in the League's Annual Report. It is certainly not clear to me that the membership received value for this action, and I would be hard pressed to defend it. *Responsibility Issues and Questions* I hope board members who favored the New Orleans choice have adequate knowledge of the cost components of a meeting so as not to claim that they were blindly following the "same cost" advice given to them from the previously mentioned League officer. In any event, the choice of the New Orleans area alone appears to be responsible for around $10,000 of the cost, roughly consisting of the $7000 minimum plus $2500 airport transportation. Since over $30,000 of the increase was a result of using the Marriott Renaissance Hotel, at the recent July 2013 meeting, I questioned the hotel choice. The League president reported being constrained by the wording of the board's motion to hold the meeting at a hotel actually in New Orleans, not near New Orleans. It was reported that she checked with the Executive Committee, who confirmed that interpretation of the motion's intent. Someone then made the choice to select a fairly expensive Marriott property. Based on the hotel's prices, I would think a decent idea of the final cost would be known before a contract was signed. Was the EC presented with a $40K-$50K increase estimate before it confirmed the must-be-inside-New-Orleans-proper interpretation? Given that the "same cost" information that might have influenced some director's votes, I would think a $40K-$50K cost increase estimate would be adequate to warrant polling the entire board about whether to proceed, not just the EC. An E-mail could have just as easily have been sent to the entire board. Alternatively, the EC could have quickly asked the board to either approve the $40K-$50K increase choice, or order something else, before a contract was signed. Did the EC deliberate polling the entire board? * * I, for one, would like to hear more about the process by which a hotel is selected and how the terms are negotiated. Is staff instructed to consider only Marriott hotels? Are list prices offered by the hotel simply accepted? *Guest - Spouse Meal Costs* The League spent $375 per person at the hotel for food alone, for essentially two days, lasting from dinner on Thursday through lunch on Saturday. Breakfast was not included. Given that conventions hold banquets at Marriott hotels that cost less than $50 per person, these meal costs seem fairly steep. I am comfortable with the concept of providing meals to a spouse or other guest, particularly if it engenders acceptance of time away from home spent on ARRL matters. I would however, feel skeptical about publicizing the fact that we might spend over $500 on food alone, per spouse, per meeting, in some instances. However, I would also feel uncomfortable publicizing the fact that the we spent more than $375 on food per meeting attendee, for only two days. There are no other days during the year when I spend anywhere close to $187 of my own money for my food, and do not feel particularly comfortable spending that much of member's money. * Sound System Offer* A vice-director has volunteered to put together a sound system with microphones that the ARRL could use for meetings at any hotel, eliminating the need to rent that type equipment at every meeting. The cost to the League would be his cost for the components used to build the system. He has constructed such system*s* for three Los Angeles city government "Neighborhood Councils,"* *and all remain in service nearly ten years later. Cost is estimated to be in the $4000 - $6,000 range for a packaged, high-quality, system - about what we pay for one meeting's rentals. A perfectly usable system could cost half that amount. The system would have to be transported to and from the meeting room and then set up, a task for which we are now paying Marriott thousands of dollars each time we meet. Note that groups organizing Southwestern Division conventions at Marriott hotels have provided their own audio and video systems, and have not encountered difficulty using them. The system would pay its way with a single use. As a bonus, it would be available for Centennial events at at Headquarters, if needed. *Conclusion* In summary, I would not be proud to report that the League spent over $5000 to rent ten microphones for three days when they could have been purchased for $1000. I would hope we could do better. I hope providing the cost comparison information in written form will contribute to extending the time before cost-history amnesia sets in, and I hope that all involved will work to organize and conduct board meetings that deliver decent value to our membership. 73, Dick Norton, N6AA

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[arrl-odv:21937] A&F minutes - 7/18/13
by Tom Frenaye 14 Aug '13

14 Aug '13

The minutes from the July 18th A&F meeting are attached. -- Tom ===== 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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[arrl-odv:21936] Congratulations Yvette, KC1AIM
by Kramer, Harold, WJ1B 14 Aug '13

14 Aug '13

Hi, Our newest ham here at HQ is Circulation and Member Services Manager Yvette Vinci. She obtained her Technician License yesterday. Her call is : KC1AIM Congratulations, Yvette 73, Harold Harold Kramer, WJ1B Chief Operating Officer ARRL -the national association for Amateur Radio 225 Main Street Newington, CT 06111 (860) 594 -0220 www.arrl.org

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[arrl-odv:21933] Re: A day in the life
by dick＠pobox.com 13 Aug '13

13 Aug '13

13 AUG 2013 - 1731 CDT What follows is not advertising for my insurance company. It is based on my own credit card experience. I want to add an important detail to Dave Sumner's message about compromised credit cards. Many compromised credit cards are not the result of careless credit card use or identity theft using stolen credit cards and credit card numbers. I was informed by my USAA (United Services Automobile Association) security department that the industry-wide algorithm that creates the card account number and the companion security code was compromised about six years ago. The machines used to manufacture credit cards are readily available. With this algorithm and very little computer programming knowledge, anybody can create a credit card that works. Anybody's name can be put on these bogus cards. USAA's computer system continuously monitors all of its credit card transactions and will instantly lock down an account that shows card-testing and other unusual activity. The banking and credit card industries do not want to talk about this ever-growing problem because of the potential world-wide financial upheaval that could result. So far, the industry is simply absorbing these losses as part of the cost of doing business. However, it is the legitimate card users who ultimately pay this cost. This has happened to me three times the past six years through no fault of mine or USAA. I can contact U.S. - based security personnel tool-free 24-7, if I see a problem or the computer has locked my credit card. I have never lost a penny and I do not have to file a lot of claims and statements. BTW, I refer to the USAA as my USAA because all USAA members are the owners of USAA. - Dick, W9GIG

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[arrl-odv:21932] ARDF Report
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 13 Aug '13

13 Aug '13

Every six months our volunteer ARDF Coordinator, Joe Moell, K0OV provides a report to the Board. Here is his report for the July meeting. The delay is my fault; I did not remind Joe to provide it as I normally do. It will be added to the committee reports that are available online. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21931] A day in the life
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 13 Aug '13

13 Aug '13

You never know what life has in store for you. Yesterday morning the staff came into the office to discover that the ARRL donation form was being used by a rather sophisticated operation to test stolen credit card numbers by making, or attempting to make, thousands of small donations. Of course this swamped our system and set off alarm bells at our credit card processing vendor, which responded by shutting off our service briefly and threatening to shut us off for even longer periods. Locking out the IP address from which the operation was being mounted didn't help; they just switched to a new IP address and carried on. Nor would implementing a minimum amount help; while most of the attack involved transactions of a dollar or so, some went as high as $100. For now we have solved the problem by moving the donation form into the members-only section of the website. This isn't a perfect solution - most, but not all, donations come from members and not all members are logged in when they attempt to make a donation - so we hope to be able to move it back eventually. In the meantime our processing vendor is happy with us again. Unfortunately, for the next few weeks we will have people calling to find out why "we" have charged their credit card and we'll have to give them the delightful news that their card has been compromised. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21930] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

<<080713.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 36, No. 33 August 7, 2013 -- Covers the period July 28-August 3. Upcoming Meetings and Events Executive Committee: October 5 @ 8:30am - Denver, CO Director/Vice Director Elections November 15 LoTW Study Committee November 15 @ 9:00am in Newington, CT Administration & Finance Committee November 16 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Production/Editorial Reported by Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY The production department is pleased to welcome a new copy editor, Kelsey Moore. Kelsey is a recent graduate of the University of Maine at Farmington, where she edited several literary publications. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Diane Petrilli reports that July ended with 161,146 members. This is a loss of 206 members over June-a smaller loss than was forecasted (acquisition is slower in the deep summer months when we do not have as much mail on the street). 75% of July 2013 expirees paid on time (vs. 73% last June). We continue to sustain a higher membership total than predicted year-to-date; 1,531 members over July's membership goal. Multiple targeted email campaigns were a significant source of new member acquisition. Jackie Ferreira reports that July product sales were $208,778, falling just short of the month's sales forecast of $214,082. Direct sales were $105,713; dealer sales were $103,065. Post cards mailed to Technician and General Class members featuring the General and Extra Class license materials generated over $11.2k in sales. The "Beginner Training Aids" and "Upgrade Training Aids" categories exceeded forecast this month. Email campaigns contributed over $11k. The "Happy Birthday" postcards generated $13,733 in sales throughout the month. We began taking pre-orders for the ARRL Centennial Edition 2014 Handbook on August 1. The hardcover edition is being offered in a commemorative design, personalized with the owner's name and call sign. Each book cover will be imprinted with a serial number-making it a very special keepsake. This edition of The Handbook has also been significantly updated-a major new edition including many new projects. Members and customers can order the books online at http://www.arrl.org/shop/2014-Handbook-Hardcover-Centennial-Edition/. Orders will ship in early October. ARRL membership certificates commemorating the organization's 100th anniversary in 2014 now are available at http://www.arrl.org/membership-certificate. Members logged onto the League's website can generate their own certificates or cards online for printing. The certificate maker also produces a replacement membership card. The suggestion for producing a Centennial-themed membership certificate came from past McGan Award winner Angel Luis Santana, WP3GW. The new certificate was designed by Diane Szlachetka. Lauri Schaffer completed "reminder letters" to 324 members making quarterly payments toward Life Membership. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity (reported by Steve Capodicasa): Week of Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 7/29/13 852 454 Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N DXCC DXCC Branch Credits Applications 2012 Carryover 105,771 1,131 2013 Received 743,723 7,720 Cumulative Total 849,494 8,851 2013 Processed 832,579 8,712 Remaining 16,915 139 Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 1 Week Logbook Processing Time 3-5 Business Days Logbook of the World Category July 2013 QSO Records Entered Into System 512,552,749 QSL Record Matches 73,802,699 Logs Processed 4,547,512 Active Certificates 88,791 Registered Users in System 59,026 Field Organization/Public Service Team Leona updated new appointments and updated the database with cancellations and changes during the week as she received them. She also contacted Section Managers with new appointment listings. Two amateurs from Indiana and one from Oklahoma successfully completed the requirements to become Official Observers this week. The "ditter" signal on 14029 ceased before the source could be located. An interference report regarding a weather net on 75 meters was received and the regional OOC was alerted. An unidentified digital signal on 14290 was reported by several stations and is being checked on. Chuck conducted one code practice session at W1AW and hosted a visiting operator. Education Services Reported by Debra Johnson, K1DMJ Staff changes Allison Barbieri joined our staff as Education Services Assistant and Communications Coordinator. Alli will be responsible for administrative duties supporting the Continuing Education Program as well as all other Education department programs. She will also be writing and editing stories for communications about our outreach programs and updating Web pages with new content. Nathan McCray K9CPO left his staff position here at the end of July to return to a full-time position teaching middle school math in an inner city school in Madison, WI. He will continue as a contract instructor for our Teachers Institute. Education & Technology Program We completed 3 sessions of the Teachers Institute in July. A news story <http://www.arrl.org/news/hands-on-technology-training-robots-ham-radio- what-more-could-teachers-want> about the two sessions of the introductory Teachers Institute (TI-1) was published in ARRL News. A story about the ETP grants <http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-education-technology-program-continues-to -grow-with-latest-grants> awarded for the May application period was also published. Teachers Institute instructors Tommy Gober, N5DUX and Matt Severin, N8MS travelled to headquarters in late July for an instructor planning and training seminar led by ETP Director, Mark Spencer, WA8SME. ARISS The ARISS Program supported 15 contacts during June and July. Recent US contacts included the following: * Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree July 20 with Luca Parmitano KF5KDP, direct * Oshkosh Air Venture August 1 with Luca Parmitano KF5KDP, via telebridge * Space Jam 7 August 3 with Chris Cassidy KF5KDR, via telebridge International ARISS contacts spanned the globe including contacts with students in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belarus, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Russia, Vatican City and Uruguay. An ARRL news story <http://www.arrl.org/news/ariss-logs-several-successful-ham-radio-contac ts-with-iss-crew> reviewed the most recent activities. Luca Parmitano has also been active on the air recently talking to hams across Eastern Europe. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations All Staff 9/2 Holiday Bob Allison 8/1-8/9 PTO Allison Barbieri 8/19-8/23 PTO Joe Carcia 8/2-8/9 PTO `` 8/16 PTO `` 8/23 PTO `` 8/30 PTO Steve Ford 8/26-8/30 PTO `` 9/5 PTO Dan Henderson 8/5-8/9 PTO Gail Iannone 8/22-8/30 PTO Bob Inderbitzen 8/12-8/14 PTO `` 8/16-8/19 Alabama State Convention, Huntsville AL `` 8/30-9/2 North Carolina Section Convention, Shelby, NC Debra Johnson 8/12-8/16 PTO `` 8/30 PTO Harold Kramer 8/5-8/15 PTO `` 8/16-8/18 Alabama State Convention, Huntsville AL Monique Levesque 8/12-8/16 PTO Diane Petrilli 8/2-8/9 PTO `` 9/20-9/30 PTO Barry Shelley 8/12-8/26 PTO Dave Sumner 8/16 PTO `` 8/21-9/8 PTO `` 9/20-9/28 IARU Region 2 Conference, Cancun, Mexico

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[arrl-odv:21929] Committee reports posted
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 09 Aug '13

09 Aug '13

The committee reports to the July Board Meeting are now posted at http://www.arrl.org/committee-reports. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:21735] May State Legislative Report
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 08 Aug '13

08 Aug '13

Here is the monthly state legislative report from John Chwat. Since this report was prepared the Connecticut legislature has completed action on the comprehensive transportation bill, S.B.975, that included the unfortunate provision described in the report. This is an example of good intentions gone bad; I will try to write up the chain of events because it is a cautionary tale that may be useful to amateurs in other states. 73, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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