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

[arrl-odv:24263] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 07 May '15

07 May '15

IN-Newsletter Vol. 40, No. 15 April 29, 2015 - Covers the period April 19-25. 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 Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND HR-1301 continues to be a primary focus of the Regulatory Information Office. To date a total of 877 letters going to 267 US House of Representative districts have been opened or printed, sorted, then sent to the Keelen Group for distribution. (Thanks to Lisa Kustosik for helping with the opening and sorting). To date we have also prepared and sent 97 listings of FCC-licensees in individual US House district offices to support the ongoing visits being conducted by ARRL representative to various members of the US House. Several times each week we do a search and review of all newly introduced bills into the various state legislatures that are in session using the StateNet service of LexisNexis. This involves running a search query on their databases that is keyed to a series of key terms / words that might appear related to Amateur Radio (such as towers, FCC, antenna, etc). Each item generated by that report is then manually reviewed to determine its relevance or potential impact. The vast majority of these bills can be "suppressed" after being reviewed since they have no bearing. When a bill is found to have the potential to affect Amateur Radio, it is tagged to track and the appropriate Division Director and Section Manager/s are contacted. HQ staff then provides support service as requested as the section leadership works the issue. StateNet also generates a daily report that gives an update on tagged legislation any time there is some action involving it in the legislature. This can range from being assigned to committee or being amended to being approved to not being moved by the state legislative process. Updates are provided as appropriate to section leadership. We worked with Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, and several members of the Amateur Auxiliary on questions arising from claimed interference to ongoing disaster relief communications from Nepal. US stations were reminded that emergency communications always have priority on any frequency. With the release of the R&O and NPRM FCC 15-50 we reviewed changes that will be required for various documents on the ARRL Web once the changes in the R&O go into effect, as well as to be able to answer questions. Finally, the regular "routine" questions on reciprocal licensing, and rules questions have been handled. Production/Editorial Reported by Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY Propagation and Radio Science by Eric Nichols, KL7AJ, is back from the printer. Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Product Review Bob Allison tested a new synthesizer board for an established HF/6 Meter transceiver. Before and after tests showed significant improvements of transmitted phase noise and (receiver) reciprocal mixing. The test results we compile in the form of a data table and passed along to the Product Review editor and the manufacturer. Radio Frequency Interference Mike Gruber worked with ARRL EMC Committee member Gordon Beattie to forge a new MOU with ATT. This MOU will primarily pertain to U-Verse RFI complaints and how they will be handled in the future. Thanks to help from ARRL Lab volunteer Pete Turbide, we've been testing a surveillance camera for ADT. This camera has resulted in a case of harmful interference to a neighbor of the ADT subscriber in Arizona. It appears that the camera (and power supply) could exceed the FCC limits under certain conditions. Mike Gruber has sent details of our findings and recommendations to ADT. Research and Development Zack Lau worked on some ideas for a simple antenna for folks just starting out in ham radio-something that covers 10 and 20 without a tuner, and offers good performance with the typical in-radio autotuner. Zack is investigating simple weatherproofing techniques. Volunteer Work Laboratory volunteer Pete Turbide, W1PT made repairs of a vintage HF transceiver, which is slated for display in the lobby. Jonathan Allen has completed inventorying all items in our hardware collection that were moved from our warehouse to our new storage area. A total of 1,059 items are on the list. Jonathan Allen, Mike Marinaro, WN1M and Bob Allison will look over items that do not fit the criteria of our collection. A list of all such items will be compiled, with photographs included for review by the ARRL Historical Committee. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Diane Petrilli reports that April ended with 167,098 members, putting us 447 members ahead of the year-to-date goal. This represents a gain from March of 321 members; a loss of 62 was forecasted. The on-time renewal rate for April is 72.47% vs. 73.17% last April. Responses to the April membership direct mail campaign have started to come in. The next membership mailing (and last until September) will mail on May 18. Information accompanying our mailings to new hams has been improved to include an updated summary of ARRL membership benefits. These changes were made following our review of the recent national market study of key radio amateurs-which suggests giving additional attention to our universal benefits supported by members for the benefit of all radio amateurs. Jackie Ferriera reports that April product sales were $269,100, exceeding the sales forecast of $268,593. Direct sales were $138,743; dealer sales were $130,357. Our newest title, Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs, contributed $17K. The 2015 ARRL Field Day product line (t-shirts, hats, pins, patches, mugs) contributed $32,404 in sales this month. And, the springtime mailer contributed sales of $20,517. Flyers promoting the new book Radio Propagation and Radio Science and the 2015-2016 edition of TravelPlus for Repeaters(tm) CD-ROM were prepared for mailing. Now shipping: ARRL's General Class Q&A fifth edition and The ARRL General Class License Manual eighth edition, for exams given on, or after, July 1, 2015. The new General Class License Manual is available, optionally, in a new spiral-bound lay-flat edition. A Kindle e-book edition of the license manual will be introduced soon. Our big shipment to Hamvention left for Dayton on May 6. Apple and Google have approved and published our new versions of the ARRL Repeater Directory App, produced for ARRL by DHF Systems. The apps can be found in Apple's "App Store" and the "Google Play" store. The latest iOS version includes a couple of enhancements and an optional registration module, similar to the Android version-which will help us when we're supporting users. Yvette Vinci reports that our Member Services team is quickly getting acclimated to our new telephone system. Yvette and Kim McNeill have been training themselves on the new telephone reporting software-and have setup our graphic display board to show real-time data about our call handling. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity, reported by Steve Capodicasa: Week ending Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 5/1/2015 1,086 471 4/24/2015 1,146 974 4/17/2015 1,104 1,061 4/10/2015 1,921 105 Field Services & Radiosport Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N DXCC Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 3 Weeks LogBook Processing Time 2-4 Business Days Number of Centennial applications processed: Centennial Challenge QSO 1763 W1AW/WAS 1369 W1AW Thanks to members of the Candlewood Amateur Radio Association (CARA) for their participation in the 2015 New England QSO Party (NEQP). They made 370 QSOs, using CW and SSB on 20 and 15 meters, for an initial claimed score of 33000. On Monday (4/27) workers from Accurate Insulation, LLC were on hand to complete the installation of sheetrock in the areas of the cellar where they had previously removed old sheetrock contaminated with mold. Joe designed and constructed an interface box to be used the SSB Electronics Sequencer boxes. These boxes are used to control the 2m and 70 cm preamps that will be installed on the Satellite antennas used at W1HQ. The interface box allows for PTT and voltage control for each sequencer. Joe also created the texts for the May W1AW Qualifying Runs. He updated the web code practice files and their archives, as well as the CW practice QST web source and Qualifying Run schedule web pages. Joe processed one Qualifying certificate and one endorsement. Scott hosted the CARA members during the NEQP. He also worked on fast and slow code practice files for the week. Education Services Reported by Debra Johnson, K1DMJ * Met with IT team to outline specifications for Instructor Activity Database project * During March and April we received 81 license instructor registrations and posted 67 class listings for 2015. * Completed plans for coordination of astronaut luncheon with selected youth at Dayton Hamvention, signage and display for Education booth and coordination of guest booth within ARRL Expo area. License Instruction We completed editing and layout for the new Technican-General Instructors Manual by authors Rick Crockett, W0PC and Ron Ochu, KO0Z. Education & Technology Program During March and April we have been promoting the Teachers Institute through email bulletins, ARRL news stories, Facebook postings and ads in QST. We received 39 applications for the sessions we've planned for this summer. Most of the applications have come in during the last week prior to the May 1 deadline. ARISS On April 24 students from the Tuskeegee Airmen Youth in Aviation Program and from Oxon Hill High School in Oxon Hill, MD interviewed astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, IZ0UDF during a telebridge contact. A story<http://www.dcmilitary.com/article/20150501/NEWS09/150509961/oxon-hill-afjro…> published in local media recounts student reactions. During the March/April period Cristoforetti also made successful contacts with students in four schools in France, two in Italy and one each in Belgium and Turkey. Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Komiyenko, RN3BF spoke to students in Chelyabinsk, Russia. During the proposal window that closed April 15, we received 16 proposals from US schools desiring to host a contact during Jan-June 2016. The ARISS proposal review team met to begin discussing the proposals and will announce decisions in late May. 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 5/22 PTO Bob Allison 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Joe Carcia 5/22 PTO Lauren Clarke 5/15-5/19 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/PTO `` 5/26-5/27 PTO Mike Corey 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ewald 5/14-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Trish Feeney 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Jacqueline Ferreira 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ford 5/14-5/19 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/PTO Norm Fusaro 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Scott Gee 5/14-5/15 PTO Amanda Grimaldi 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Mike Gruber 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 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 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 5/26-5/29 PTO `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Ian Humphreys 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Bob Inderbitzen 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 8/7-8/9 South Texas Section convention, Austin, TX Karen Isakson 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Debra Johnson 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Harold Kramer 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR `` 6/19-6/26 PTO `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Lisa Kustosik 5/8 PTO Sean Kutzko 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Kim McNeill 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Cassandra Parkman 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dave Patton 7/24-7/26 Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, OK Diane Petrilli 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR Brennan Price 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Michael Scharr 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Barry Shelley 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Dave Sumner 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 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 Yvette Vinci 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Matt Wilhelm 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH

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[arrl-odv:24260] April 14 PSC meeting minutes
by James F. Boehner MD 07 May '15

07 May '15

Brian, I agree. Make it so! ’73 de JIM N2ZZ Director – Roanoke Division Serving ARRL members in the Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina sections ARRL – The National Association for Amateur Radio™ -----Original Message----- From: arrl-odv [mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org] On Behalf Of Brian Mileshosky Sent: Wednesday, May 06, 2015 12:27 PM To: arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org Subject: [arrl-odv:24258] April 14 PSC meeting minutes Colleagues – For your situational awareness, please find attached UNAPPROVED minutes from PSC's April 14 meeting, prepared by Dan Henderson. They will be approved at our next (TBD) meeting. Something to bring to your attention. At our meeting in January, the full Board approved a rule to impose a transmitter and receiver co-location limitation intended to disallow (by honest people, anyway) the use of remote receivers if they were further than 500 meters away from the transmitter. The approved rule read as such: "9. All stations must be contacted from the same DXCC entity. The location of any station shall be defined as the location of the transmitter. For the purpose of DXCC credit, all transmitters and receivers must be located within a 500-meter diameter circle, excluding antennas. QSOs made with legally licensed, remotely controlled stations are allowed to be used for DXCC credit." Staff and PSC has received questions and feedback from DXers concerned that the third sentence of Rule 9 (that beginning with "For the purpose..."), if read literally, disallows DXCC credit for any QSOs made from anywhere outside of a 500 meter circle, whether using remote control, or from previous or additional QTHs. Obviously that was not the intention of the rule at all. During its April meeting, PSC decided to tweak/clarify Rule 9 to remove any further unintended abiguity/confusion/angst. The revised language is found in the meeting minutes, which leads me to this question: PSC does not believe the intended fit, form, or function of Rule 9 was altered by its tweak. Would anyone object to giving staff a green light to apply this clarification to the official rules as-is, as opposed to waiting until July to approve it as a full Board? Thanks and 73, Brian N5ZGT

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[arrl-odv:24256] FCC Field Reorganization
by Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ 06 May '15

06 May '15

Yesterday, May 5, Chris Imlay, Riley Hollingsworth and I met with Jennifer Thompson in FCC Commissioner Rosenworcel's office to express our concerns about the planned reorganization of the Enforcement Bureau's field offices. See arrl-odv:24044 dated March 11, arrl-odv:24150 dated April 6, and the May QST editorial for background. We had sought a meeting with the Commissioner herself but were told that was not possible because of her travel schedule. We have reason to believe that she might be a swing vote (although the Chairman generally gets his way). Chris had prepared the attached briefing memo that he sent to Ms. Thompson before our meeting. She clearly had done her homework on the issue; she was, for example, familiar with the editorial. She gave us her full attention for 30 minutes, took extensive notes and asked several questions. Riley supplemented the topics covered by the memo by sharing his experience, in particular making the point that visible enforcement in the Amateur Radio Service spills over to the other radio services because so many hams are in, for example, the broadcasting and land mobile services. Chris and I emphasized that while the consultants claimed to have talked to a wide range of stakeholders before preparing their report, they didn't talk to us --- nor has there been any opportunity for public input. We expressed doubt that the consultants understand RF and skepticism that the Commission's goal of being able to be on the scene of a serious interference incident within 24 hours is achievable with just three offices west of the Mississippi. While influencing a Commissioner on the majority side to resist the Chairman is always an uphill battle and we had low expectations going in, all three of us felt that the meeting went somewhat better than expected. Whether it will affect the outcome (the reorganization reportedly is on circulation) remains to be seen, although to be realistic there is not much basis for optimism. Dave Sumner, K1ZZ

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[arrl-odv:24253] LoTW
by Bob Vallio 06 May '15

06 May '15

Although I am able to log into my LoTW account, I find that the latest entry for the Queue Status continues to be "2015-05-05 16:59:01". Is something broken? Bob, W6RGG

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[arrl-odv:24250] A&F Meeting Minutes
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY 04 May '15

04 May '15

Chairman Widin has asked that I distribute the attached minutes from the April 11, 2015 meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee. Please note that they are marked as "ARRL Board Confidential". 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:24245] A Modest Suggestion For Generating HR 1301....CORRECTION
by dick＠pobox.com 04 May '15

04 May '15

1 MAY 2015 - 2215 CDT The earlier version of this message has a small, but important, error in item #5. The correction is printed in red. - Dick Isely, W9GIG ========================================================================= To All Members Of Our Board Family: A former U.S. House staff member, a moderately active amateur radio operator, suggests we use the following process to potentially generate curiosity and then support for HR 1301. This suggestion is based on his Washington, DC staff experience. 1. Urge Amateur Radio Licensees to send a QSL card to their U.S. House Representative. 2. Use red ink to block print and sign the following brief message on the report side of the QSL card. Add an address label to the front side and mail it as a post card. A single non-enveloped "post card" should not get delayed for security reasons. "Please support HR-1301, The Amateur Radio Parity Act" Signed - Sender's full name and call sign 3. Make sure the people you contact will individually mail their cards directly to their Representative's Washington, DC office. 4. Ask your constituents to send you an email confirmation including the ham's name and call after this is done. Then send email thank-you notes to them. Please email this information to Dan Henderson, N1ND at ARRL headquarters. 5. Individual QSL cards arriving sporadically over a few weeks will first generate curiosity, then a bit of staff research and inquiry, hopefully ending up with another HR-1301 co-sponsor and a vote for this bill when it comes to the House floor. 6. When the U.S. Senate companion bill is created, the same process should again be used. 7. The individual time and postage cost is minimal. I will be posting this request to the entire ARRL Central Division and I will be talking to hams about this at the Dayton Hamvention. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

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[arrl-odv:24247] Comment on ODV 24234
by James F. Boehner MD 02 May '15

02 May '15

Dick, I’ve had your e-mail in my inbox queue for some time. I’ve noted that the usual responses to your e-mails either are explanations of your observations or minor clarifications. Recently, a very pointed one was sent. So, I wanted to add a few thoughts. Dick, you intellectualize very well. You do the math, but it is apparent that in politics, the only math that truly matters is the vote at the end. You say that quantitative information is not given, but I believe the entire reason for our solicitation of co-sponsorship is that the representative is truly making a commitment to the bill. That is not to say that during the last vote we will have more support from those that do not actually commit to co-sponsorship. This fight is a good fight. Most hams can identify with the fact that HOA restrictions will limit our ability to communicate. This fight is unifying members, it is getting our name out to congressmen, and for the first time, we actually have a chance to influence legislation on a national level. The grassroots effort is showing that the congressmen know who we are, what we do, and that we vote. As far as to committing member resources, it would be entirely justifiable to use general funds for this effort, if there wasn’t a special fund for this purpose. This is a fight that involves all members in some way. How many technicians do not upgrade to General or Extra, since HF is not even a possibility for them? How many hams would become more active if they could put up an even modest antenna where they live? How many hams will only know amateur radio as handhelds and repeater operation? There would be a lot of political capital for our congressmen to be gained by supporting our bill if there was another disaster on our shores, like Katrina. There are numerous news stories about hams helping post-earthquake in Nepal, but it is doubtful that would provide much political capital for our congressmen at this time. So, we have a bit more convincing to do. Dick, I do not mean to be disrespectful, but my observation and opinion is that when the board tries to show some “out of the box” thinking, you do try to pull us back into the box. Your usual justification is that of member resources, and inappropriate spending of same. Oddly, I remember when you characterized our Development efforts as “begging for money” during an informal session of one of our board meetings, which had nothing to do with member resources. Any large non-profit organization has to “think out of the box” and have a development effort to survive. I expect any non-profit organization to which I belong to do the same. The ARRL offers many more advantages to members for what equates to the cost of a tank of gas. I do think that what they get in return for their membership matters much more to them than the cost of membership. What I get from the ARRL as a member is heads and shoulders above what I get from other non-profits, and even professional organizations to which I belong. This is why I believe that the ARRL is a world leader, an organization to which amateur radio organizations across the globe look to us for guidance. A less global view would delegate us to the unenviable role of a being a large non-profit organization that happens to publish a magazine. My view as being a Board Member is not just to represent the members of my Division. It is to do my best to support the League, both with my actions and financially through the development campaign. It is to show that I support the actions of the board, of which I have had an opportunity to add input. I do not think any board member should think they are responsible for anything less. ’73 de JIM N2ZZ Director – Roanoke Division Serving ARRL members in the Virginia, West Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina sections ARRL – The National Association for Amateur Radio™ From: arrl-odv [mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org] On Behalf Of Richard J Norton Sent: Tuesday, April 28, 2015 10:05 PM To: Kay Craigie Cc: ODV Reflector Subject: [arrl-odv:24234] Re: 5 more I am also pleased to see that there are now 44 co-sponsors of HR-1301. This number comports with the information on the bill shown on the govtrack web-site. See https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/114/hr1301 . Govtrack has now raised the estimate-of-enactment up to one percent. It is uncertain if proponents want to include ARRL's hitting the 1% milestone in communication with our members. Lobbyist Effectiveness? President Craigie has pointed out that 21 co-sponsors of last year's HR-4969 have not signed up to support HR-1301. Why has our new lobbyist not been able to single-handedly get supporters of what is the same bill they co-sponsored last year on board? Around 2002, former lobbyist John Chwat was reported to have garnered co-sponsorship of an ARRL-related bill from over 30 House members, without House visits by board members. Meetings With Staff Effectiveness? General Counsel Imlay reported that over 100 meetings were held with Congresspersons or staff in conjunction with the recent EC meeting. It appears that 5 or so additional co-sponsors have now signed on. Even if the co-sponsor capture-rate eventually gets to many times that amount, this doesn't look promising. Over half the House needs to vote in favor of a bill for it to pass. Sadly, Mr. Imlay's report gave no quantitative data concerning meeting outcomes. One League participant did mention being treated cordially by the staff that he encountered, something certainly not unexpected from the representatives of successful politicians. Investing in Lottery Tickets? My business background dissuades my committing substantial assets to fund opportunities with a 1% chance of success. Southwestern Division members elected me to represent their interest and investment in the ARRL. I've honestly communicated my views on ARRL activity to the membership, and expect to continue to do so. I have publicly expressed my support for the objectives of HR-1301, but have also suggested that, with the evidence I've seen, members might not count on the bill ever passing. The essence of my remarks to the ARRL Forum at the recent Visalia DX Convention on the topic are essentially as follows. The ARRL's Efforts Have Not Been Wasted Recent activity by the ARRL has strengthened the ability of Amateurs in Home Owner Association residences to negotiate reasonable accommodation of radio antennas. 1) The League has produced a brochure describing Amateur Radio's service to communities. This can be part of information given to HOA boards to showcase Amateur Radio's positive impact. 2) ARRL's legislative activities have prompted CAI, the national HOA association, to publicly state that HOA's have a good track record of accommodating ham radio. See http://www.caionline.org/govt/news/Pages/default.aspx , which says: "The truth is CAI members have a good track record of accommodating HAM radio hobbyists. Many communities work with HAM radio hobbyists on the design and installation of antennas. Some communities even set aside space in community centers for HAM radio clubs." I make no claim of how true CAI's statement may be. What I said to the Visalia group was essentially that I recommend that those working with HOA groups exploit that statement in any negotiation. A New Ballgame? Last year, the ARRL had a fanciful, stealthy plan to get the FCC to obtain our objectives with merely a phone call from a key legislator to the FCC. This was to be achieved on ARRL's part by simply garnering co-sponsors to 2014's HR-4969. The plan did not work. We now have apparently undertaken the much more burdensome task of having to get our concept passed by both chambers of Congress and then signed by the President. Yet, we appear to be following the same path of attempting to gather co-sponsors. Is this an effective plan for success? HR-1301 As I have said before, and said in public at every group I've addressed, I personally wish we could get HR-1301 enacted. Unfortunately no evidence shows any sign that this will happen. Our opposition has what many will perceive to be a somewhat reasonable argument. Even the FCC essentially bought it recently. Also unfortunately for us, only one in every 400 US citizens has an Amateur Radio license, and likely less than half of them are active. We don't have the political muscle to pull this off. I hope we can simply declare victory and exploit CAI's statement to our advantage. Having CAI, our major opposition, state that they already do what we desire should hold weight in negotiations. I've saved copies of their web-pages concerning the matter. 73, Dick Norton., N6AA On Wed, Apr 22, 2015 at 6:58 AM, Kay Craigie <n3kn(a)verizon.net> wrote: Chris, thanks for summarizing what has happened since your last report. Five more co-sponsors have signed on. They are Rep. Zinke, Ryan K. [R-MT-At Large] Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-32] Rep. Johnson, Bill [R-OH-6] Rep. Maloney, Sean Patrick [D-NY-18] Rep. Meng, Grace [D-NY-6] I'm especially happy to see Mr. Johnson on the list again, since his office was one of those I visited last month. There's no keeping up with Mike Lisenco, but a person has to try! Mike, thanks for posting on the ODV the materials you have used to such good effect. I'd like to join Mike in encouraging everyone to be an active advocate for the legislation, in whatever ways fit your life and the opportunities existing in your Division. Those of you who're already been active, thanks! The issue needs to be refreshed in members' minds periodically, so please repeat the message in future communications with your Division's members. This is definitely not a one & done topic. If I counted correctly, 12 co-sponsors from last session are no longer in the House because they were defeated, chose not to run again, or were obliged to resign for some reason. That leaves 21 co-sponsors who have not yet signed up again this session. They are listed alphabetically in the attachment. If some of them are in your Division, please light fires under members to write to them c/o Dan Henderson at HQ. As I'm sure you know, you can send bulletins to ARRL members in specific Congressional districts, making it unnecessary to bother other members with messages not relevant to them. Thanks for being part of this full-team effort. 73 - Kay N3KN _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

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[arrl-odv:24244] A Modest Suggestion For Generating HR 1301 Support
by dick＠pobox.com 02 May '15

02 May '15

1 MAY 2015 - 2200 CDT To All Members Of Our Board Family: A former U.S. House staff member, a moderately active amateur radio operator, suggests we use the following process to potentially generate curiosity and then support for HR 1301. This suggestion is based on his Washington, DC staff experience. 1. Urge Amateur Radio Licensees to send a QSL card to their U.S. House Representative. 2. Use red ink to block print and sign the following brief message on the report side of the QSL card. Add an address label to the front side and mail it as a post card. A single non-enveloped "post card" should not get delayed for security reasons. "Please support HR-1301, The Amateur Radio Parity Act" Signed - Sender's full name and call sign 3. Make sure the people you contact will individually mail their cards directly to their Representative's Washington, DC office. 4. Ask your constituents to send you an email confirmation including the ham's name and call after this is done. Then send email thank-you notes to them. Please email this information to Dan Henderson, N1ND at ARRL headquarters. 5. Individual QSL cards arriving sporadically over a few weeks will first generate curiosity, then a bit of staff research and inquiry, hopefully ending up with another HR-1301 co-sponsor and a vote on this bill when it comes to the House floor. 6. When the U.S. Senate companion bill is created, the same process should again be used. 7. The individual time and postage cost is minimal. I will be posting this request to the entire ARRL Central Division and I will be talking to hams about this at the Dayton Hamvention. - Dick Isely, W9GIG

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[arrl-odv:24243] IN-News
by Kustosik, Lisa, KA1UFZ 01 May '15

01 May '15

IN-Newsletter Vol. 40, No. 15 April 29, 2015 - Covers the period April 19-25. 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 Lab Reported by Ed Hare, W1RFI Product Review Bob Allison continued testing an HF SDR transceiver. Extra measurements of transmit IMD were made since this particular transceiver has a special software feature that can greatly diminish transmit IMD when engaged. The feature requires some adjustments, but the results are amazing. Advertising Acceptance Bob Allison reviewed all advertisements submitted to him by the advertising department. This task is performed routinely, each month. All ads are scanned for technical errors and false claims. Radio Frequency Interference The new EMC Pocket Guide has been completed and has gone to the printer. In order to better understand the issues surrounding a long standing power line noise case, Mike Gruber went to California during the first week in April. Ed Hare has met with FCC officials at the Philadelphia FCC office. The topic of this discussion was power line and other RFI locating methods. Ed also arranged for Mike Gruber to meet with FCC officials at the same field office to demo Radar Engineers equipment. Mike followed-up with David Dombrowski of that office. Mike Gruber followed-up on the Woodinville apparent grow light RFI case. This case resulted in an FCC Citation & Order on April 24, 2015. As of this week, however, the noise continues. At this point, it appears that the complainant's case may have been dropped by the FCC. Even if it hasn't, there hasn't been an acceptable or timely FCC follow-up in this matter. Essentially, the recipient has ignored the FCC's Citation & Order for over one year. This would appear to be another slam-dunk case for enforcement and yet the Commission has done nothing about it. For reference purposes, here is a news article that we did on it at the time: www.arrl.org/news/fcc-cites-washington-resident-for-causing-interference-on…<http://www.arrl.org/news/fcc-cites-washington-resident-for-causing-interfer…> A grow light case in Marquette, MI resulted in a recent FCC field investigation. The case was submitted to the field in July of 2014, and the investigation appears to have finally taken place in April of 2015. The FCC found grow lights to be the cause of harmful interference and gave the device operator a deadline in order to fix it. I will be following this case closely. Hopefully, this will not turn into another Woodinville. Thanks to help from ARRL Lab volunteer Pete Turbide, we've been testing a surveillance camera for ADT. This camera has resulted in a case of harmful interference to a neighbor of the ADT subscriber in Arizona. So far, it appears that the camera (and power supply) could exceed the FCC limits under certain conditions. Research and Development Zack Lau worked on some ideas for a simple antenna for folks just starting out in ham radio-something that covers 10 and 20 without a tuner, and offers good performance with the typical in-radio autotuner. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Peter Budnik, KB1HY, our Front Desk Receptionist since returning to the ARRL staff last September, has decided to pursue a personal retirement. His last day will be May 29. Please join us in extending best wishes to Peter. We have introduced the ARRL Begali Key, designed and manufactured by Begali Keys of Italy; http://www.arrl.org/shop/ARRL-Begali-Key/ The warehouse crew is readying our big shipment to support ARRL's exhibits at Dayton Hamention (May 15-17). This year's "ARRL Dayton Team" will top 130 people-all contributing in some way to showcasing the very best of ARRL programs and services. The 2015 Spring/Summer ARRL Publications & Products Catalog was prepared and sent to the printer. An update to the ARRL Repeater Directory App for iOS devices, introduced earlier this month, has been submitted by our developer to Apple for approval. The new version includes a handful of enhancements and an optional registration feature. Upon approval, notification of the update will "push" to all existing users, automatically. Bob Inderbitzen is making regular contributions to the Strategic Planning Working Group. Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity, reported by Steve Capodicasa: Week ending Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 4/24/2015 1,146 974 4/17/2015 1,104 1,061 4/10/2015 1,921 105 4/2/2015 (short week) 515 945 Field Services & Radiosport Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N DXCC Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 3 Weeks Logbook Processing Time 3 - 5 Business Days Number of Centennial applications processed Centennial Challenge QSO 1655 W1AW/WAS 1027 W1AW Joe updated the web code practice files and their archives. He worked the late afternoon/night shifts on Wednesday through Friday for the vacationing Scott Gee. Joe also installed a repaired Icom IC-PW1 amplifier in Studio One. He had also been in contact with the author of fldigi - the software used to transmit the W1AW digital bulletins - to resolve an issue with the program locking up during transmissions. Joe continues with the research of missing W1AW/portable LoTW QSOs for amateurs inquiring about them. Field Organization/Public Service Team Two radio amateurs from Arkansas successfully completed their requirements to become Official Observers this past week. Several reports of Over the Horizon Radars were received on 10 and 15 meters. Complaints were received regarding language and jamming heard on 7.185 MHz and 14.313 MHz. Questions received and responded to covered operating overseas, antenna zoning, information on 5.8 GHz band, and proper ID procedure at a club station. Supplies were also sent to several Official Observers. Leona Adams reports that Western Washington Section Manager Monte Simpson, AF7PQ (new Extra Class call sign), has been nominated to run for a new term of office as Section Manager. Petitions for this particular election cycle are due at ARRL Headquarters by Friday, June 6, and new terms will begin October 1. National Traffic System Leaders have begun to review the work assignments related to updating the NTS Manual and incorporating the ICS-213 message format into the system. 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 5/22 PTO Bob Allison 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Capodicasa 5/1 PTO Joe Carcia 5/22 PTO Lauren Clarke 5/15-5/19 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/PTO `` 5/26-5/27 PTO Mike Corey 5/1-5/3 Nevada State Convention, Verdi, NV `` 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ewald 5/14-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Trish Feeney 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Jacqueline Ferreira 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Steve Ford 5/14-5/19 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH/PTO Norm Fusaro 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Scott Gee 5/14-5/15 PTO Amanda Grimaldi 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Mike Gruber 5/1 NearFest, Deerfield, NH `` 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 6/1-6/4 PTO `` 8/24-8/28 PTO `` 9/28-10/2 PTO Ed Hare 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR Dan Henderson 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting/Committee Meeting Ian Humphreys 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Bob Inderbitzen 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 8/7-8/9 South Texas Section convention, Austin, TX Karen Isakson 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Debra Johnson 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Harold Kramer 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR `` 6/19-6/26 PTO Sean Kutzko 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Kim McNeill 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Cassandra Parkman 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dave Patton 7/24-7/26 Oklahoma Section Convention, Oklahoma City, OK Diane Petrilli 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 6/5-6/7 Northwestern Division Convention, Seaside, OR Brennan Price 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Michael Scharr 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Dave Sumner 4/30-5/1 NAB luncheon/PTO `` 5/5 Washington Meeting `` 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH `` 5/26-6/5 PTO `` 6/11-6/14 West Gulf Division Convention, Irving, TX `` 6/23-6/29 Friedrichshafen Convention, Germany Yvette Vinci 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH Matt Wilhelm 5/15-5/17 Dayton Hamvention, Dayton, OH

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