May 2015 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:24293] New Insurance Program Administrator
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY 24 May '15

24 May '15

This is for information purposes but later on today, the following story will be posted in the "Latest News" portion of the ARRL web site. This move was necessary because the current program administrator, Hays Affinity Group, has had serious customer service issues in the past year or so and we forced the change. This transaction is in the form of a transfer of the business so the current participants will retain their coverage with the same insurance company. ARRL To Change Administrator for Insurance Plans Effective May 26, 2015, the ARRL will be changing the program administrator for its sponsored Equipment and Club Liability insurance plans. Beginning on that date, all program administration including policy application, issuance and claims administration will be handled by Risk Strategies, a privately held, national insurance brokerage firm. The ARRL programs will be administered from their offices in Chicago, Illinois. This move is being made based on the results of numerous comments from the ARRL membership relative to the former administrator, Hays Affinity Group which is based out of Minneapolis, MN. The transaction, unlike previous changes, will involve a transfer of the total program business from Hays Affinity to Risk Strategies. Participants in the programs will retain their current insurance policies and the details of the coverage and the cost of coverage will remain unchanged, as will the insurance company, Hanover Insurance Company. An e-mail will be sent to all the current participants in the programs describing the changes and what, if anything, they need to do to access their on-line information. The web address for the programs will be the same, www.arrlinsurance.com, but will take on a new look with improved functionality. The 800 numbers will also remain unchanged for contacting the new administrator. There will be a short delay in bringing up the new site once the programs have been transferred and we appreciate your patience while Risk Strategies makes the programs operational. As a leading U.S. insurance broker, Risk Strategies offers sophisticated risk management advice and insurance placement for property & casualty and employee benefits risks. Risk Strategies serves middle market commercial companies, non-profits, public entities, and individuals, and has access to all major insurance markets. Ranked in the top 30 insurance brokers in the country, the company is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. 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:24296] FCC Eliminates Vanity Call Sign Regulatory Fee No sooner had this news cross...
by John Robert Stratton 23 May '15

23 May '15

FCC Eliminates Vanity Call Sign Regulatory Fee No sooner had this news cross... Download the Twitter app Sent from my iPad

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[arrl-odv:24295] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 22 May '15

22 May '15

IN-Newsletter Vol. 40, No. 18 May 20, 2015 - Covers the period May 10-16. Upcoming In-Person Meetings and Events LoTW Study Committee July 15 @ 9:00am in Newington, CT Administration & Finance Committee July 16 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Programs & Services Committee July 16 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Second Board Meeting July 17-18 @ 9:00am in Windsor, CT CEO Office The office will be closed Monday, May 25 in observance of Memorial Day. Have a safe Holiday weekend! Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Bob Inderbitzen reported on a successful effort representing ARRL at Dayton Hamvention, May 15-17. The ARRL EXPO team included over 130 people: Section Managers, Board members, staff, spouses, and friends. Among the successful activities we supported was a national meeting for Section Managers, an ARRL-hosted youth luncheon with Astronaut Mike Fincke, KE5AIT, sixteen exhibits showcasing ARRL programs & services, and five ARRL-sponsored forums. Membership applications totaled 1,084 (1,150 in 2014) including applications from 88 previous members and 53 new members. Dues totaled $51K. A product sales total is pending reconciliation. Visit our photo album<https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10153014309012408.1073741873.2006…> on ARRL's Facebook page for a visual recap. 2015 ARRL Field Day shirts and hats have been reordered and are expected in stock before the end of the month. A Memorial Day-themed email offer promoting ARRL publications and products is being prepared. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity, reported by Steve Capodicasa: Week ending Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 5/15/2015 1,131 377 5/8/2015 923 326 5/1/2015 1,086 471 4/24/2015 1,146 974 Field Services & Radiosport Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 4 Weeks Logbook Processing Time 2-4 Business Days Number of Centennial applications processed: Centennial Challenge QSO 1843 W1AW/WAS 1402 W1AW Joe processed three Qualifying Run certificates and two endorsements. He updated the regular CW practice QST source page, as well as the web code practice files and their archives. Joe worked the early afternoon and night shifts on Thursday and Friday for the vacationing Scott Gee. Scott worked on fast and slow code practice files for the week. Field Organization/Public Service Team Chuck Skolaut compiled and forwarded the Monthly Official Observer Summary to all OOs, OOCs, and Sections Managers. One radio amateur from Arizona completed requirements to become an Official Observer this past week. The IARU Region 1 monitoring coordinator was able to identify an unknown "beeping" type of signal heard on 14.300 MHz as PSK 2 originating in China. Another station reported hearing an Over the Horizon Radar on 17 meters. What was thought to be RF interference on 10 meters to a North Carolina amateur was discovered to be coming from a battery charger he had which had operated fine for several years. Information was received from an Ohio station that the local Best Buy store was selling some of the low priced Chinese talkies and it was suspected unlicensed individuals were using them to talk on the local repeater. Questions dealt with this week included operating in Canada, antenna zoning, and HR1301. Chuck also ran one morning code practice run at W1AW. Steve Ewald attended the Dayton Hamvention, and met up with nineteen Section Managers and several former Section Managers among the many Field Organization, NTS, and Section Leaders along with many others. On Friday afternoon, May 15, Steve joined Norm Fusaro and Jim Fenstermaker in addressing the Section Manager conference at the Courtyard by Marriott. Several other SMs called into the conference by way of "Go to Webinar." Thanks to Keith Miller, N9DGK (Tennessee), David Greenhut, N6HD (Los Angeles), Karl Bowman, W4CHX (North Carolina) and Scott Yonally, N8SY (Ohio) for organizing this conference in connection with the Hamvention. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations All Staff 5/25 Holiday All Staff 7/3 Holiday Leona Adams 5/21-5/22 PTO Joe Carcia 5/22 PTO Lauren Clarke 5/26-5/27 PTO Mike Gruber 6/1-6/5 PTO `` 7/20-7/24 PTO `` 8/24-8/28 PTO `` 9/28-10/2 PTO Ed Hare 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR Dan Henderson 5/26-5/29 PTO `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Harold Kramer 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR `` 6/19-6/26 PTO `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Sean Kutzko 5/22 PTO Dave Patton 7/24-7/26 Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, OK Diane Petrilli 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR Becky Schoenfeld 5/22 PTO Barry Shelley 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Dave Sumner 5/26-6/5 PTO `` 6/11-6/14 West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, TX `` 6/23-6/29 Friedrichshafen Convention, Germany `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting

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[arrl-odv:24294] FCC Moves to Eliminate Vanity Call Sign Fee
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 22 May '15

22 May '15

In the Report and Order section of the attached document, paragraphs 19 to 22, the FCC announces the end of regulatory fees for vanity call signs. Here is their reasoning (footnotes omitted): 19. In the FY 2014 NPRM, we sought comment on eliminating several of the smaller regulatory fee categories such as amateur radio Vanity Call Signs and GMRS. In the FY 2014 Report and Order, we concluded that we did not yet have adequate support to determine whether the cost of recovery and burden on small entities outweighed the collected revenue or whether eliminating the fee would adversely affect the licensing process. We stated, however, that we would reevaluate this issue in the future. Since adoption of the FY 2014 Report and Order, Commission staff have had an opportunity to obtain and analyze support concerning the collection of fees from these regulatees. 20. The GMRS and amateur radio Vanity Call Sign regulatory fee categories comprise on average over 20,000 licenses that are newly obtained or renewed every five and 10 years, respectively. After five years, the GMRS licensee is responsible for renewing the license (or cancelling) and the Commission is responsible for maintaining accurate records of licenses coming up for renewal-an administrative burden on both GMRS users and on the Commission for renewing and maintaining records of these licenses. After analyzing the costs of processing fee payments for GMRS, we conclude that the Commission's cost of collecting and processing this fee exceeds the payment amount of $25. Our costs have increased over time and now that the costs exceed the amount of the regulatory fee, the increased relative administrative cost supports eliminating this regulatory fee category. 21. The Vanity Call Sign fee category has a small regulatory fee ($21.40 in FY 2014) for a 10-year license. The Commission often receives multiple applications for the same vanity call sign, but only one applicant can be issued that call sign. In such cases, the Commission issues refunds for all the remaining applicants. In addition to staff and computer time to process payments and issue refunds, there is an additional expense to issue checks for the applicants who cannot be refunded electronically. The Commission spends more resources on processing the regulatory fees and issuing refunds than the amount of the regulatory fee payment. As our costs now exceed the regulatory fee, we are eliminating this regulatory fee category. 22. The Commission will therefore eliminate the GMRS and Vanity Call Sign regulatory fee categories after the required congressional notification is provided. Once eliminated, these licensees will no longer be financially burdened with such payments and the Commission will no longer incur these administrative costs that exceed the fee payments. The revenue that the Commission would otherwise collect from these regulatory fee categories will be proportionally assessed on other wireless fee categories. This is a "permitted amendment" as defined in section 9(b)(3) of the Act, which, pursuant to section 9(b)(4)(B, must be submitted to Congress at least 90 days before it becomes effective. While some amateurs no doubt will be pleased that vanity call signs will be available at no cost, in the longer run this may threaten the existence of the vanity call sign program: there are likely to be more applications and therefore more expense, and a program that is optional for the Commission and that is all cost and no revenue is a likely target for budget cutting. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:24290] My whereabouts
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 22 May '15

22 May '15

I sent out the preliminary call for the July Board meeting a few minutes ago. It went out earlier than usual because I will be out of the office with intermittent email access for the next two weeks. Next Tuesday I will not be in the office but will be reachable before Linda and I fly from Boston to the Azores that evening. We will be there until Friday, June 5. Travelers have reported that Internet access is not the best, and while it's probably OK I'm not counting on it. Look for me as CU4DX in the CQWW WPX CW Contest on the May 30-31 weekend. The following week I will be in the office June 8, in DC on June 9 for a meeting in the FCC Chairman's office to express our concerns about the field reorganization, in the office June 10, and at the West Gulf Division Convention June 11-13. Dave K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:24285] No longer an outsider looking in
by Mike Lisenco N2YBB 22 May '15

22 May '15

Good Evening, Yesterday, Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney’s office reached out to me asking for help. Representatives Chris Collins and Paul Tonko were circulating a letter to the Chairman of the FCC in which they ask the FCC to crack down on Pirate Radio Stations in the metropolitan New York region. The Congressmen recognize that this ongoing problem has been ignored by the FCC and that the situation has become critical by the impending radical reduction of the FCC Enforcement Bureau. Before Mr. Maloney signed on, his office asked us for information and our comments. After speaking to me and receiving background information from Chris Imlay, Mr. Maloney’s office decided to support his colleagues and sign their letter. This is the first time, to my knowledge, that a Congressional office has asked for our advice in making a decision. In my visits to D.C., I have been asked if we would be willing perform this service by other Congressional staffers as well, but this is the first time it has actually happened. I bring this to the ODV’s attention to demonstrate why our lobbying efforts for HR-1301 are so important to the ARRL and the future of Amateur Radio. It’s simply this: by establishing our brand and our credibility with members of Congress and their respective staffs, we are no longer outsiders looking in. We have made ourselves a very real part of the process. And this is why every cent that we spend on our continuing legislative effort is worth it. Congratulations to all who have been an active part of this campaign. 73 de Mike N2YBB

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[arrl-odv:24289] Preliminary call for Board meeting
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 22 May '15

22 May '15

May 22, 2015 ARRL OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, AND VICE DIRECTORS: In accordance with Standing Order 19, you are hereby notified that the formal call for the 2015 Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors, July 17-18, 2015, will be sent on or about June 16. Please note the provisions of Article 10 of the ARRL Articles of Association: These articles may be amended by a three-fourths vote of all Directors, or, provided due notice of the proposed amendment shall have been placed in the mail to each Director at least thirty days in advance, by a two-thirds vote of all Directors. The Board of Directors may from time to time adopt By-Laws not inconsistent with the Articles and applicable statutes. By-Laws may be amended by a three-fourths vote of all Directors, or, provided due notice of the proposed amendment shall be mailed to each Director at least thirty days in advance, by a two-thirds vote of all Directors. Notices shall be sent by First-Class mail or electronic mail to the last known address to each Director. The Secretary is aware of one planned proposal for an amendment of the By-Laws, as reported in the minutes of the April 11 meeting of the Administration & Finance Committee that were circulated to the Board in arrl-odv:24250 on May 4: Moved, that Bylaw 4 is amended by replacing "$39.00" with "$49.00" in the first sentence, effective January 1, 2016. Any additional proposals received by the Secretary will be distributed with the formal call. Our meeting will be held at the Hartford/Windsor Airport Marriott, 88 Day Hill Rd., Windsor, CT. A group dinner is scheduled for Thursday evening, July 16. The Board meeting will begin at 9:00 AM Friday and is expected to be completed by dinnertime Saturday. Expenses related to Board Meeting attendance and travel will only be reimbursed for Thursday through Sunday. Should your membership on a committee require you to arrive earlier to attend a meeting of that committee, the additional expenses will be charged to the appropriate committee account. Standing Order 04-1.39 (amended January 2005) reads: "The Board of Directors authorizes the attendance of Vice Directors at Board meetings. Expenses for attendance will be chargeable to the Board Meeting account." I look forward to welcoming you to the Hartford area once again. Sincere 73, David Sumner, K1ZZ Secretary

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[arrl-odv:24284] Texas Governor
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 20 May '15

20 May '15

My apologies to Texas Governor Greg Abbott. For some reason, our state legislation monitoring firm still lists the governor as Rick Perry. Dave

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[arrl-odv:24283] Meteorological evaluation towers
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 20 May '15

20 May '15

Yesterday, Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law TX S 505, a bill concerning "Painting and Marking Requirements for Certain Towers." Amateur Radio is not mentioned in any way, which is good news for us. This outcome didn't happen by accident; congratulations to everyone in Texas who contributed to such a fine outcome. For background, here is an excerpt from the Executive Committee minutes of October 4, 2014: 7.3. Mr. Imlay reported on state legislative efforts to regulate the visibility of meteorological evaluation towers that are installed temporarily to heights of up to 199 feet in order to evaluate potential sites for wind energy conversion facilities. Several fatal accidents involving low-flying aircraft have occurred. He outlined the basis for the argument that measures to insure aircraft safety are federally preempted, irrespective of the height of the obstruction. Nevertheless, a few states have adopted legislation to address the issue. While amateur and other telecommunications towers are not the intended targets of such legislation, not all statutes adopted to date include specific exemptions. The issue is expected to arise in more state legislatures in the coming year. The safety concerns arise because the meteorological evaluation towers, or METs, are spindly things with guy wires and not much on top and therefore are difficult for the pilots of low-flying craft such as cropdusters and helicopters to see. As originally introduced, the Texas bill included a rather awkwardly worded exception for telecommunication towers that has shown up in other states' legislation. The bill was cleaned up in committee, and as signed into law applies very specifically to METs and not to any other structures. Texas thus provides a good example for other states: legislation that squarely addresses the problem at hand without apparent unintended consequences. 73, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:24282] W100AW
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 19 May '15

19 May '15

Officers, Directors, and Vice Directors: If you operated W100AW last year, either from Newington or a regional convention, please let Dave Patton know by 1200 UTC Friday, May 22. If it was from a regional convention please indicate which one. Thanks. 73, Dave K1ZZ

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