February 2017 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:26276] Fwd: VE Mail Times
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF 26 Feb '17

26 Feb '17

Ladies and gentlemen: If you noticed the down tick in January's VE revenues or hear complaints about slow VE response the reason is mail and the Newington Post Office. Maria's crew is on them every day but the Post Office is...well, the Post Office! We have return alternatives but the are extremely expensive. Please see below. Gallagher 2/25/17 Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Kent Olson <qtipf16(a)q.com<mailto:qtipf16@q.com>> Date: February 24, 2017 at 6:33:28 PM EST To: "Tom Gallagher, NY2RF" <tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>> Subject: Re: VE Mail Times Hi Tom; Wow, this is not good and will probably continue. I can't believe it's a one-time event, and with the Govt. hiring freeze, the Newington PO could be affected. I agree that this would be good to share with ODV as there may be some who are or may be getting some questions regarding the processing times. Enjoy your weekend! I'll be up at 4:30 to drive ~200 miles to a hamfest tomorrow morning. 73 Kent KAØLDG ________________________________ From: "Tom Gallagher, NY2RF" <tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>> To: "Kent Olson, KA0LDG, (Dir, DD)" <qtipf16(a)q.com<mailto:qtipf16@q.com>> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 3:49:04 PM Subject: VE Mail Times Kent: I followed up with Maria Somma concerning the delays we are experiencing with the return of VE packages from the field. I confirmed that over the past 30 days, the return time between senders and ARRL VE reached four weeks or more (as measured by the sender’s post mark and the received ARRL mark). This delay is entirely due to inadequate staffing at the Newington Post Officer, according to Post Master. However, the log jam broke on Wednesday and on Thursday we received and processed more than 1,000 licenses, accounting for 90% of the new licenses issued that day. In fact, the log jam accounts for the budget variance we have noted in VE’s financials, so it explains why VE revenues were off in January. I want to advise you, however, that there is no assurance from the Post Office that we will not experience a similar situation again. However, as we are now aware of the problem, we can take whatever steps are necessary to call it to the PO’s attention when we suspect that mail is being delayed. You may wish to share this with the PSC. I imagine Maria has shared it with the VEC system wide. Unless you object, I thought I would advise ODV since there may be complaints arriving from members. Thanks, Tom Tom Gallagher – NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™ 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:26279] Former Director K4VX, SK
by Tom Frenaye 26 Feb '17

26 Feb '17

From Former Midwest Director Cliff Ahrens: Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 5:48 PM Subject: Lew Gordon - SK I just received a call from Stuart Gordon, Lew's son, with the sad news that Lew passed away this afternoon at 3:57 p.m. after a long battle with cancer. As you know, Lew has recently been under hospice care. Stuart asked me to notify some of Lew's amateur radio friends. Cliff K0CA ===== 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:26278] VE Mail Times
by James F. Boehner MD 25 Feb '17

25 Feb '17

I really hesitate to bring this up, as our VEC is a high-performing unit within ARRL, and from the numbers I remember, they give the highest number of exams of all the VEC groups. In my division, many Hamfests/conventions do not use the ARRL VE teams. I have not kept track of the numbers, though. WCARS and W4VEC VE teams are giving exams at many of the Roanoke Division Hamfests. The reason I have been given is that turnaround time from passed license to license grant is much less than the ARRL, sometimes with individuals obtaining a license grant within a few days. I’m told that the reason is that the VE teams upload their data to their VEC who in turn enters it with the FCC without delay. The confirmatory paperwork comes later, and is submitted to the FCC in due course. The difference is that those VEC’s are not dependent on the Postal Service in timely granting of licenses to their successful examinees. So, I do not know all the Rules and Regulations between the VEC and the FCC, and what the trust factor with VE’s should be, but I think there are best practices to be found in the way other VEC’s do business, and is worth investigating. ’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 David Norris Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2017 3:25 PM To: Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF Cc: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:26277] Re: Fwd: VE Mail Times Tom, When are we going to have electronic filing for our VE teams in the field? What is the status of the supposed beta testing? This has been an ongoing project that commenced when I was P&SC chair. I haven't seen an update in quite a while. 73 David A. Norris, K5UZ Director, Delta Division Sent from my iPhone On Feb 25, 2017, at 12:07 PM, Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF <tgallagher(a)arrl.org> wrote: Ladies and gentlemen: If you noticed the down tick in January's VE revenues or hear complaints about slow VE response the reason is mail and the Newington Post Office. Maria's crew is on them every day but the Post Office is...well, the Post Office! We have return alternatives but the are extremely expensive. Please see below. Gallagher 2/25/17 Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Kent Olson <qtipf16(a)q.com> Date: February 24, 2017 at 6:33:28 PM EST To: "Tom Gallagher, NY2RF" <tgallagher(a)arrl.org> Subject: Re: VE Mail Times Hi Tom; Wow, this is not good and will probably continue. I can't believe it's a one-time event, and with the Govt. hiring freeze, the Newington PO could be affected. I agree that this would be good to share with ODV as there may be some who are or may be getting some questions regarding the processing times. Enjoy your weekend! I'll be up at 4:30 to drive ~200 miles to a hamfest tomorrow morning. 73 Kent KAØLDG _____ From: "Tom Gallagher, NY2RF" <tgallagher(a)arrl.org> To: "Kent Olson, KA0LDG, (Dir, DD)" <qtipf16(a)q.com> Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 3:49:04 PM Subject: VE Mail Times Kent: I followed up with Maria Somma concerning the delays we are experiencing with the return of VE packages from the field. I confirmed that over the past 30 days, the return time between senders and ARRL VE reached four weeks or more (as measured by the sender’s post mark and the received ARRL mark). This delay is entirely due to inadequate staffing at the Newington Post Officer, according to Post Master. However, the log jam broke on Wednesday and on Thursday we received and processed more than 1,000 licenses, accounting for 90% of the new licenses issued that day. In fact, the log jam accounts for the budget variance we have noted in VE’s financials, so it explains why VE revenues were off in January. I want to advise you, however, that there is no assurance from the Post Office that we will not experience a similar situation again. However, as we are now aware of the problem, we can take whatever steps are necessary to call it to the PO’s attention when we suspect that mail is being delayed. You may wish to share this with the PSC. I imagine Maria has shared it with the VEC system wide. Unless you object, I thought I would advise ODV since there may be complaints arriving from members. Thanks, Tom Tom Gallagher – NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio™ 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher(a)arrl.org _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrlorg <mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

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[arrl-odv:26273] FW: Message to Section Managers from Tom Gallagher
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF 25 Feb '17

25 Feb '17

Ladies & Gentlemen: The message below and the attachment were sent to Section Managers late yesterday in response to concerns over perceived OO and ARES program changes. The message and the supplemental editorial piece for April QST were drafted over the previous weekend. Questions, please call. Gallagher 2/24/17 From: Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF Sent: Thursday, February 23, 2017 4:29 PM To: Ewald, Steve, WV1X <wv1x(a)arrl.org<mailto:wv1x@arrl.org>> Subject: Message to Section Managers from Tom Gallagher [Diamond-Logo-Yellow-WHITE] To: ARRL Section Managers From: Tom Gallagher Subject: Supplemental QST Editorial April 2017 Ladies & Gentlemen: Let me begin by thanking all of you for everything you do to make Amateur Radio and the League's important mission work. I am sharing a couple of thoughts with you today because I am concerned that over the few weeks since the board meeting a great deal of misinformation has been circulating. Specifically, I have learned that some members and field leadership are under the impression that major changes in three programs, OO, ARES, and NTS are underway. In fact, this is not true. We are evaluating each of these programs as we have been doing for several months. A premature comment from the FCC enforcement executive in October at Pacificom provoked widespread speculation about the OO program. (I was not advised in advance of her comment, and I heard it in the presentation for the first time, as did a number of you.) And, similar speculation has riled a number of ARES groups. For these reasons, I wrote a special Editorial supplement, which will appear in April 2017 QST. It is attached to this email. I am unable and don't intend to conduct a point-by-point rebuttal of every rumor flying about. I will simply quote what I said in the attached supplemental editorial scheduled for April QST: I do not believe our board would ever sanction wholesale changes in either [OO or ARES] program without the input and advice of our field leadership: Section Managers, SEC's and OOC's. Over the past weekend, while writing the attached editorial, I prevailed upon the editors to include it as a supplemental piece. I didn't wish to substitute it for a time-perishable editorial on Makers movement. That makes it more visible, I suppose, but it also emphasizes the importance and timeliness of the message. This is an advance copy. Please feel free to share its contents, but please do not forward the PDF since it is copyrighted QST editorial material. Many thanks for your continued support. 73 Tom Tom Gallagher - NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio(tm) 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:26274] FW: PR Problem
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

Ladies & Gentlemen: I received the following advisory from W2GD that Wireless Estimator, a trade publication for the cellular and wireless industry, has upbraided ARRL for its March cover photo. The story reads a little like The New York Post with the lead headline: "Cover girl climber shot could send high schoolers to their death." My comparison is not intended to minimize the potential dangers which the article has described but rather to characterize its tone. Please note that no one from Wireless Estimator contacted us prior to release today. You may be aware that we have received comments on the allegedly unsafe practices illustrated in the March cover from a number members and other interested parties. Steve Ford and Becky Schoenfeld are already working on a plan to remediate the situation including an erratum for QST and some other educational editorial. I will advise you as soon as the material is finalized. Gallagher 2/24/17 From: John Crovelli [mailto:w2gd@hotmail.com] Sent: Friday, February 24, 2017 4:40 PM To: Patton, David NN1N <dpatton(a)arrl.org<mailto:dpatton@arrl.org>> Subject: PR Problem http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2017/cover-girl-climber-shot-could-se… [http://wirelessestimator.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Tower-Climber-Safet…]<http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2017/cover-girl-climber-shot-could-se…> Cover girl climber shot could send high schoolers to their death<http://wirelessestimator.com/articles/2017/cover-girl-climber-shot-could-se…> wirelessestimator.com Commentary - The March issue of a well-respected magazine published by The National Association for Amateur Radio will most likely latch onto the literal lunacy award for depicting in a photograph the most egregious tie-off...

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[arrl-odv:26272] IN-Newsletter Feb 24 2017
by Pereira, Carla 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

[ARRL logo-and-logotype black gold vertical] IN-Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 7 February 24, 2017 Covers the period February 11 - February 17, 2017 Upcoming In-Person Meetings and Events Vermont Section Convention February 25, 2017 @ South Burlington, VT ARRL Executive Committee Meeting March 25, 2017 @ Denver, CO Administrative & Finance Committee Meeting March 26, 2017 @ Denver, CO Hamvention 2017 May 19 - 21, 2017 @ Xenia, OH Chief Executive Office Reported by Tom Gallagher, NY2RF Tom Gallagher once again substituted for Mike Corey with the students of the Grace Academy in Hartford, teaching the extra-curricular after-school program the ARRL established there last semester. He was accompanied by high school students and ARRL volunteers, Austin Mongillo and Matt Shea. The students reviewed their work to date on the basics of Amateur Radio and studying for licensing. Education Services Reported by Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Teacher Registration Instructor Registration Graduation Kit Requests License Class Listings 5 25 1 15 ARISS Contacts: * February 13, a telebridge contact between students at the Collège André Malraux, Chatelaillon-Plage, France and Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG was successful. Education & Technology Program Debra worked with contributing editor Edith Lennon on the winter issue of Radio Waves She also published the announcement of the ARISS spring proposal window and updated websites with relevant information and organized the ARISS Information Sessions for the spring proposal window. Field Services Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Field Organization Leona Adams reports that Dale Durham, W5WI, of Tuscola, Texas, has been nominated to be the West Texas Section Manager for a term that begins July 1. Also, incumbent Northern New Jersey Section Manager Steve Ostrove, K2SO, has been nominated to run for office. There will be an election in Northern New Jersey this spring as there are two nominations now. Nominating petitions are due at Headquarters by March 10 for this particular election cycle. Ron Morgan, AD9I, of East Peoria, Illinois, has been appointed the ARRL Illinois Section Manager as of February 16, after Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN, announced his resignation from the position for personal reasons. ARRL thanks Tom, KA9QPN, of Sandwich, who has served at the helm of the Illinois Field Organization for over ten years. Dave Patton made the appointment after consulting with Director Kermit Carlson. ITU Reported by Jon Siverling, WB3ERA Lab Reported by Bob Allison, WB1GCM Production/Editorial Reported by Becky Schoenfeld, W1BXY The April 2017 issue of QST is at the printer. The Mar/April 2017 issue of QEX is at the printer. The Mar April 2017 issue of NCJ is at the printer. The 2017/2018 Repeater Directory is at the printer. Alli worked with PageSuite to improve quality on February and March 2017 digital editions on iOS apps. She will be collaborating with Jodi Morin to push this quality across the digital archive on apps. PageSuite developers also implemented a new reader for the Android app this week in order to improve the edition download function. She will continue testing this upgrade to ensure it meets member standards. Radiosport Reported by Norm Fusaro, W3IZ Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 3 Weeks Logbook Processing Time 1 - 2 Business Days 2017 DXCC Applications 1,587 2017 WAS Applications 213 2017 VUCC Applications 50 Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Bob Allison 04/07 - 04/10 PTO Joe Carcia 02/20 - 02/24 PTO " 03/17 PTO " 03/21 PTO " 03/24 PTO " 03/31 PTO " 05/26 PTO " 04/05 - 05/07 PTO " 04/07- 04/13 PTO " 05/26 PTO " 07/05 - 07/07 PTO " 07/14 PTO " 07/21 PTO " 07/28 PTO " 08/04 PTO " 08/07 - 08/11 PTO " 08/18 PTO " 08/25 PTO " 10/09 PTO Lauren Clarke 03/06 - 03/10 PTO Norm Fusaro 03/14 Frankford Radio Club Meeting 03/15 - 03/17 PTO Tom Gallagher 02/24 PTO " 03/24 - 03/27 Executive Committee and Administrative and Finance Committee Meetings, Denver, CO " 03/31 PTO " 04/18 Penn Fund Executive Board Meeting, NYC " 04/21 - 04/23 Delaware State Convention " 05/18 - 05/21 Hamvention, Xenia, OH " 06/01 - 06-04 SEA-PAC, Seaside, OR Scott Gee 02/20 - 02/24 PTO Perry Green TBD Medical Leave Mike Gruber 04/19 IEEE EMC Society, Batavia, IL Dan Henderson 03/14 PTO " 03/24 - 03/27 Executive Committee and Administrative and Finance Committee Meetings, Denver, CO Bob Inderbitzen 05/18 - 05/22 Hamvention, Xenia, OH Sean Kutzko 02/24 - 02/25 Vermont State Convention " 03/06 Fairfield (CT) Radio Club presentation " 03/09 - 03/12 PTO Carla Pereira 03/08 PTO Becky Schoenfeld 02/24 PTO " 04/10 - 04/13 PTO Barry Shelley 03/03 PTO " 03/24 - 03/27 Executive Committee and Administrative and Finance Committee Meetings, Denver, CO " 03/28 Risk Strategies, Chicago, IL Sincerely Compiled by, Carla Pereira, Assistant to CEO

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[arrl-odv:26271] Re: Board minutes question
by Tom Frenaye 24 Feb '17

24 Feb '17

At 03:09 PM 2/23/2017, Richard J. Norton wrote: >A similar situation exists with respect to the "Code of Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors and Vice-Directors." > >Remember that "this identifies a framework under which members of the Board will operate to insure good governance and enhance its ability to perform its >fiduciary responsibilities while representing the ARRL."Â > >I hope that the existence and language of this board action is not being deliberately concealed from the membership. > >Bizarrely, as of last week, candidates who have submitted petitions to run for the Southwestern Division Vice Director position have not even been made aware of either the existence of this "Code," not to mention its specific language.Â > >I would expect something insuring good governance would be the lead story on both the news crawl and the ARRL Letter, and that those who have invested their resources into possibly serving on the board would receive copies before they submit nomination forms. Dick - Good point about the new Code of Conduct. I think a couple of the SW Division Vice Director candidates took out nomination forms before the Board approved the CoC. I agree that they should be given the information, and that it should be included in the package of material sent to prospective candidates in the future. Think of Board actions the way you do Congressional action. Policy gets set but it takes some time for the actual implementation... -- Tom (E&E chairman) PS: Your comment worrying about "deliberate concealment" is way out of line. Wash your mouth out with soap. ===== 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:26265] Board minutes question
by James F. Boehner, MD 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

One of my constituents asked me whether a link to the January board minutes was ever on the news crawl or the ARRL letter. I may have missed it, but I didn't see it on either. Anyone know for sure? I did get the board minutes via e-mail since I have that checked in my member profile. Thanks, '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 RadioT

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[arrl-odv:26264] Witowski Article on Makers Faire
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

Here is the referenced Makers Faire article from January 2017 QST as earlier promised. Gallagher 2/23/17 Tom Gallagher - NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio(tm) 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:26263] April Second Century
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF 23 Feb '17

23 Feb '17

Ladies & Gentlemen: I have attached the April QST editorial Second Century dedicated to Makers Faire activities. There is a reference to a January 2017 QST article by David Witowski, W6DTW on the same subject of that editorial. The PDF file of the Witowski article, which I had intended to accompany the editorial for your reference, is too large to include. I will attempt to send it again or in a compressed format later today. Gallagher 2/23/17 Tom Gallagher - NY2RF Chief Executive Officer ARRL Headquarters ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio(tm) 860 594 0404 cell 704 907 7158 tgallagher(a)arrl.org<mailto:tgallagher@arrl.org>

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