April 2017 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:26345] Stewardship
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF (CEO) 18 Apr '17

18 Apr '17

Ladies & Gentlemen: In Denver, I mentioned that ARRL staff has developed a renewed dedication to careful stewardship of our resources. The annual business planning process has raised consciousness. In January, Bob Inderbitzen urged his colleagues to "leave no stone unturned" when studying costs associated with shipping expenses. Shipping charges have become an increasingly sensitive topic with our members in an era of Amazon Prime. On his own initiative, warehouse staffer Michael Scharr discovered a software option to override the shipping mode assigned to specific types of orders. This change has resulted in a significant expense savings and without adverse impact to our members/customers. Specifically, parcels previously assigned as USPS Priority Mail and weighing under 1 pound are re-assigned as USPS First Class Mail. The change occurs automatically, at the scale. Michael discovered the software switch to enable this automatic change after he noticed we were losing money from shipping small packages by Priority Mail. Michael noticed the cost disparity among the various shipping options. Take for example a 13-oz. book like Grounding and Bonding or Work the World with JT-65: if the book is shipped to Ohio: * FedEx Ground -- $11.16 (ARRL discounted rate; street rate is $12.09) * Post Office Priority Mail -- $8.80 * Post Office First Class Mail -- $4.29 (savings of $4.51 over Priority Mail for same delivery handling) Ordinarily, our shipping and fulfillment system would automatically assign these packages as Fedex Ground or Priority Mail. Since Michael has implemented change, our multi-carrier shipping software automatically overrides Priority Mail shipping when a parcel falls beneath 1 pound. In the United States, First Class and Priority Mail receive the same handling and delivery time by the US Postal Service. Both shipping methods offer the same level of package tracking. On an annualized basis, Michael's modification could save ARRL roughly $65,000. Special thanks to Bob Inderbitzen, to Warehouse Supervisor Steve Capodicasa, and most of all to Michael Scharr. Gallagher 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:26391] CQ Editorial
by Gallagher, Tom, NY2RF (CEO) 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

CQ published the attached in their most recent editorial. I am preparing a response. Tom

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[arrl-odv:26385] Observations of a "Spectator" at the March 2017 EC Meeting
by Richard J. Norton 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

Directors and Vice Directors are welcome to attend any and all Executive Committee meetings as noted in the ARRL Director's Workbook. In my 13th year as an ARRL director, I attended my first Executive Committee meeting at the March 2017 event in Denver. This is to report of some of my observations, particularly of happenings that might not be evident from reading meeting minutes. *Meeting Setup* Four non EC directors were present as attendees. They were not seated at the meeting table, or just behind the committee as practiced in the A&F and P&S Committee meetings in Newington, but at a table some distance away. No sound system was used, so some things spoken by soft-spoken committeemen at the main table could not be clearly heard at the outlying table. The non-EC directors were not permitted to participate in the discussions. They were however, near the conclusion of the meeting, given a few minutes to comment. This contrasted with previous A&F and P&S Committee meetings that I have attended, where non-committee directors were free to comment on ongoing discussion topics. Interestingly, there were other non-EC officers present; they were seated at the main meeting table and participated fully in discussions, even in those discussions outside "areas of concern to them in their own work." *Policy Making* In over twelve years on the board, I have never encountered policy-making discussions more extensive, or important to the future of the League than the discussion on the elimination of the Vice Directors that took place at the EC meeting. These discussions were conducted exclusively by a small subset of the board, although in this case, also observed by four other board members. The remainder of the board now appears to be relegated to possibly receiving a sanitized synopsis of the debate in a webinar. *Decider Directors and Approval Directors* Actual quotes from the chair contained in my contemporaneous notes include the following: "Make a decision today." "This group is going to make a decision, if we have to stay 'til midnight." "The EC is making a decision." "Keep this in the EC until we finalize." The tone of the meeting was clear. The EC directors were to make decisions, and pass them on to a compliant board for what would essentially be ratification. There could be no other conclusion. The inference drawn from this meeting is that there are two classes of director: deciders and approvers, with the majority of directors falling into the latter category. *Impact of Observing Directors* It is of course, not possible to know what would have happened had the meeting not been observed by the four A&F Committee members present. Evidence is circumstantial, but fairly strong. The meeting was conducted by the same set of actors who orchestrated the Code of Conduct surprise. It is not a stretch to imagine that a similar stealth approach might have been taken on the matter of eliminating Vice Directors. The draft meeting minutes reported on the topic with the cryptic, "Discussion turned next to the organizational governance. The Committee was briefed on a report from CT corporate counsel Day, Pitney on the governance structure of the organization with a view to modernization and bringing it into compliance with Connecticut statutes." This obfuscated-content sentence, coupled with the attempt to silence discussion outside of a controlled webinar, certainly adds credence to a possible repeat stealth-attempt assumption. The language used, "Keep this in the EC until we finalize," is also telling. Fortunately, at least the printed material used in the discussions appears to have been released to ODV, albeit accompanied with a gag request. If in any way, the presence of the four non-EC directors prompted this, I feel less guilty about the costs incurred having the A&F meeting conducted away from Newington. *Gag Request* The fiduciary-duty busting suggestion to constrain debate on such an important topic to inside a controlled webinar should alarm all board members. We each have an individual duty to conduct adequate investigations of issues before us and to understand how the members view the matter. On a topic of this importance, we should gather all pertinent facts and opinions as soon as possible so that they can be evaluated competently in an unhurried manner. I find the concept of, "Keep this in the EC until we finalize," to be a far cry from good governance. *Suggestion to Other Board Members* Observing first hand, the operation of the March 2017 EC meeting was eye-opening to me. It allowed me to better understand recent board activity. What transpired should have involved the entire board from early in the process. As noted before, all Directors and Vice Directors are welcome to attend any and all EC meetings. Reimbursement for separate travel expenses, however, is authorized only to Directors, and only once annually with charges to the Division allotment. Should the League continue to operate with its anachronistic Executive Committee concept, I encourage you all to attend its future meetings, since this appears to be critical for some of us to keep adequately informed. 73, Dick Norton, N6AA

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[arrl-odv:26389] Re: Currrent status of Vice Directors
by Mike Raisbeck 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

Ooops ... Missed a piece. Attached is a copy of the Steeneck case 73, Mike Mike Raisbeck k1twf(a)arrl.net

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[arrl-odv:26387] Currrent status of Vice Directors
by Mike Raisbeck 17 Apr '17

17 Apr '17

Hi All, I've spent some time and energy looking carefully at the current status of Vice Directors in our scheme of governance. The attached 2 page report is the (final?) result. It will be, I hope, interesting not only for light it sheds on the legitimacy of current practice, but also to inform any decisions about the future role of Vice Directors. In brief, my conclusions are that: 1 - Vice Directors are, from the perspective of Connecticut law, members of the Board 2 - There is no particular reason to believe that our current practices vis-a-vis Vice Directors are in violation of Connecticut law This isn't to say that our Articles (in current Connecticut parlance, "Certificate of Incorporation") are perfect. Their arrangement seems a bit chaotic to me, and there are no doubt several opportunities in there for salutary cleanup. There might even be a few details that don't perfectly comport with Connecticut law, though I haven't found them. But the basic scheme is reasonably sound, in my judgment, and fears that we risk some huge liability or embarrassment because of our rather interesting form of governance strike me as overblown. I will note that my views has changed here. In the past, based on statements and comments made to and relayed to me, I was afraid we had a large problem. That concern, as expressed by me to Rick and others, was one, though certainly not the only, impetus for revisiting Vice Director status. Now, having spent some considerable time looking at the matter (time which I would rather have spent fixing my SteppIR, preparing the vegetable garden, and walking my dog Archey), I feel confident that we have no immediate or serious issues. But there is still work to do. I think we would be well served by taking another look at the status of Vice Directors, possibly to clarify and strengthen their position. There are plenty of people better equipped than I to do this. And I'm perfectly willing to be proved wrong in my conclusions, if that is how it plays out, though I would expect detailed reasons, rather than bald assertions, to back up such a rebuttal. Thanks for combing through my comments, K1TWF Mike Raisbeck k1twf(a)arrl.net

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[arrl-odv:26377] Carter Craigie in hospital
by Bob Famiglio, K3RF 15 Apr '17

15 Apr '17

Some of you may have heard already, but if not, Carter Craigie was rushed to a hospital in Roanoke with cardiac blockage according to Kay. This was just relayed to me by mutual friends. Carter taught me much about traffic handling over the years when Kay & Carter were my neighbors here in the Philly suburbs. I do not know anything further. Let's keep them in our thoughts this weekend. Bob Famiglio, K3RF Vice Director, ARRL Atlantic Division 610-359-7300 www.QRZ.com/db/K3RF

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[arrl-odv:26375] Re: Details of ARRL Board Adoption of Code of Conduct Inbox x
by Tom Frenaye 14 Apr '17

14 Apr '17

At 06:40 PM 4/12/2017, Richard J. Norton wrote: >This documents the time line and some deliberation details associated with the January 2017.adoption of theÂ ARRL Policy on Board Governance and Conduct of Members of the Board of Directors and Vice Directors. It should simply be considered to be part of my notes on what transpired. As I personally strive for honesty, accuracy, and above-board communication with this board, I would appreciate any corrections to the reported happenings. > >"The secrecy is evident from the fact that the Southwestern Division Vice Director candidates, running in the current election, have not been made aware of the contents of the Code nor even the existence of the Code itself." Secrecy? There aren't monsters under every bed. I'm told the three candidates were sent information on the newly adopted policy a few weeks after the January Board meeting by the assistant secretary. -- 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:26357] Membership Stats
by k5ur＠aol.com 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

Hi all: If you haven't checked the membership numbers lately, I'dsuggest you take a look: http://www.arrl.org/membership-stats Every Division is still negative. I suppose we are stillfeeling the effects of the dues increase but we should be working out of thatnow. Hamfest season is here. Let's get out there and recruit and get thosenumbers up and in the positive! 73 Rick - K5UR ...

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[arrl-odv:26371] IN Newsletter April 13 2017
by Pereira, Carla 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

[ARRL logo-and-logotype black gold vertical] IN-Newsletter Vol. 42, No. 14 April 14, 2017 Covers the period April 1 - April 7, 2017 Upcoming In-Person Meetings and Events: Roanoke Division Convention April 15 @ Raleigh, NC Delaware State Convention April 22 @ Georgetown, DE National VOAD Conference May 15 - 18 @ Houston, TX Hamvention 2017 May 19 - 21 @ Xenia, OH Rocky Mountain Division Convention May 26 - 27 @ Cody, WY SEA-PAC 2017 June 2 - 4 @ Seaside, OR HAM RADIO 2017 July 14 - 16 @ Friedrichshafen, Germany Business Services Reported by Debra Jahnke, K1DAJ The June "Field Day" issue of QST, is taking shape. Yaesu has taken an additional page, immediately following their product review. ACK Radio Supply Company of Georgia will also be returning to QST for a small advertisement after an absence of 16 years. In addition to contacting many companies who have never advertised, we have also gone back again to our files and reached out by phone to advertisers (those still in business) who ceased advertising since 2000. Mayberry Sales & Service will be placing a larger ad for this issue, and Vibroplex will be displaying a full page ad, doubling their ad presence. Diane Szlachetka will be handling the design in-house. This issue also features a special section within the regular advertising pages and Siglent Technolgies has decided to return for this special opportunity after a year's absence. They will also join us for the special Holiday section in December. On our wholesale publication sales front, we sent a follow-up email promo to those dealers who have not yet ordered the new Repeater Directory. Reaching out via telephone is the next step. Although Amazon continues to dominate sales our other dealers are holding their own and wholesale sales on a month-by-month basis are exceeding last year's sales by a small margin. We have also seen an upswing in orders from DX Engineering. All these components, for the time being have offset the dealers we've lost, including Amateur Electronic Supply. Chief Executive Office Reported by Tom Gallagher, NY2RF Last week, Tom Gallagher traveled to Danvers, MA to present at the North Shore Radio Assocation Meeting. Also in attendance were members of the Cape Ann ARC, the Billerica ARC, the Boxboro Convention and the New England Amateur Radio Festival Board, in short, the amateur radio community of Eastern Massachusetts. They were very excited of Tom's attendance and feedback has been great. They were very appreciative to learn what's going on with ARRL, our goals, and to discuss the future of Ham radio. Development Reported by Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD Development is pleased to welcome the following new Maxim Society Members: David M. Jaksa, WØVX, and Judith A. Jaksa, WØJJ, from the West Gulf Division; Thomas L. Nelson, W6EO, from the Pacific Division; and Dr. John C. York, KE5V, from the West Gulf Division. The Legislative Issues Advocacy Fund solicitation mailing to 50,000 members hit mailboxes last week, and we are seeing strong results to date. Education Reported by Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Teacher Registration Instructor Registration Graduation Kit Requests License Class Listings 4 12 1 13 We have received 20 applications for the Teachers Institute thus far. Debra organized the volunteers serving on the review team for ARISS proposals that we will receive during the spring proposal window. Debra also prepared a summary of ETP survey results for management. ARISS Contacts: * April 3, a telebridge contact between students from the Brahma Kumaris Educational Society, Rajasthan, India was unsuccessful. ARISS is rescheduling the contact. Here is data captured from data provided through our instructor feedback system on classes listed with ARRL that ended during the month of March: · 68 classes were listed that ended during the month · 24 feedback reports were submitted, for a reporting percentage of 35% · The reports received reflected 451 class hours of instruction provided by 42 instructors · 579 volunteer instructor hours were provided · 199 students completed the classes, with 120 identified as passing their exam Field Services Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Field Organization Leona Adams reports that the following Section Managers have been nominated to run for new terms of office in their respective sections: Monte Simpson, AF7PQ (Western Washington); Carol Milazzo, KP4MD (Sacramento Valley); and Dan Ringer, K8WV (West Virginia). Steve Ewald represented ARRL Headquarters and spoke at the ARRL forum at the Oklahoma Section Convention and Green Country Hamfest in Claremore on April 7 and 8. Vice Director John Stratton, N5AUS, and Oklahoma SM Kevin O'Dell, N0IRW, hosted the League forum, where there was a good turn out and interesting discussions. Assistant Director Wilma O'Dell, W5WRO, helped to host the ARRL table, and Section Youth Coordinator Evan Anderson, K6EMA, operated the Youth table. W1AW On Tuesday, W1AW hosted 28 members of the Warminster ARC during their visit to ARRL/W1AW. A number of them were active while here at the station. Roger Fleming, WA9CAT, a semi-regular to the station, tried MSK144 on 6 meters during one of his visits here. He worked two stations on 6 meters. These are the first MSK144 QSOs made from W1AW! Joe assisted Lab Volunteer Lori Kosior, N1SMK, with setting up her Kam TNC, laptop, and Yaesu FT-2800 to use for Winlink2000 (WL2K). This included him constructing the radio cable for the TNC. Scott worked on fast and slow code practice texts for the upcoming week. He also processed 9 electronic VUCC and 2 paper VUCC applications, and processed 812 VUCC credits between the two. Radiosport Reported by Norm Fusaro, W3IZ Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 2 - 3 Weeks Logbook Processing Time 1 - 2 Business Days 2017 DXCC Applications 3,425 2017 WAS Applications 426 2017 VUCC Applications 124 2017 WPX Applications 169 Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Summary of Sales and Marketing Department telephone group, reported by Yvette Vinci: Week Ending Calls Answered Calls Per Hour Total Talking Duration Average Speed of Answer 4/7/17 806 17.9 28:56:03 9 seconds 3/31/17 (3 days) 527 19.5 19:28:18 8 seconds 3/24/17 (3 days) 603 22.3 22:37:55 12 seconds 3/17/17 (4 days) 740 20.5 28:35:42 9 seconds Summary of warehouse fulfillment activity, reported by Steve Capodicasa: Week Ending Packages fulfilled Member Premiums 4/5/2017 1,377 610 3/31/2017 1,045 470 3/24/2017 872 1,110 3/17/2017 (4 days) 887 0 3/10/2017 982 594 Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Bob Allison 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Margie Bourgoin 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Joe Carcia 05/04 PTO " 05/26 PTO " 06/09 PTO " 06/16 PTO " 07/05 - 07/07 PTO " 07/14 PTO " 07/21 PTO " 07/28 PTO " 08/04 PTO " 08/07 - 08/11 PTO " 08/25 PTO " 10/09 PTO Lauren Clarke 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Michael Corey 05/15 - 05/18 National VOAD Conference, Houston, TX " 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Jon Faasen 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Steve Ford 05/19 PTO Norm Fusaro 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Tom Gallagher 04/18 Penn Fund Executive Board Meeting, NYC " 04/21 - 04/23 Delaware State Convention, Georgetown, DE " 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH " 06/01 - 06-04 SEA-PAC, Seaside, OR Regina Galuppi 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Scott Gee 04/17 - 04/18 PTO " 05/18 - 05/19 PTO " 05/30 - 06/02 PTO " 06/29 - 06/30 PTO " 09/15 - 09/18 PTO Perry Green TBD Medical Leave Mike Gruber 04/19 IEEE EMC Society, Batavia, IL " 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Dan Henderson 04/13 - 04/22 Presentation at Mt Airy VHF Society's annual ARRL Night and PTO Bob Inderbitzen 04/14 - 04/15 Roanoke Division Convention, Raleigh, NC " 05/17 - 05/22 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH " 06/01 - 06/04 SEA-PAC, Seaside, OR " 06/30 - 07/05 PTO " 07/11 - 07/17 HAM RADIO, Friedrichshafen, Germany " 07/18 PTO " 08/21 - 08/25 PTO Sabrina Jackson 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Lisa Kustosik 04/17 PTO Sean Kutzko 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH " 05/25 - 05/30 Rocky Mountain Division Convention, Cody, WY " 06/29 - 06/30 PTO Kimberly McNeill 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Dave Patton 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Michael Scharr 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Becky Schoenfeld 05/18 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Yvette Vinci 05/17 - 05/21 Dayton Hamvention, Xenia, OH Compiled and Edited by: Carla Pereira, Assistant to CEO

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[arrl-odv:26370] FCC Hiring
by Christopher Imlay 13 Apr '17

13 Apr '17

The following was just sent to me by friends at NAB. There is a strong rumor that FCC's budget will be cut by 20% for 2018. This bodes ill for the restoration of FCC Field Offices, if true. 73,Chris W3KD *Trump Lifts Federal Hiring Freeze in Move That Could Mean More Top-Level Hires at FCC* President Donald Trump lifted the federal hiring freeze Wednesday, even while the administration is pushing most agencies to cut staffing levels. Industry and FCC officials said the change means Chairman Ajit Pai has some additional wiggle room to staff up in areas with unfilled positions and to bring in his own people in some key positions. Some observers had expressed concerns that Trump’s Jan. 23 freeze could slow work on Pai’s agenda. Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney told reporters the new Trump policy will affect different agencies in different ways. Mulvaney singled out the State Department and EPA as places that will see cuts. He didn’t mention the effect on independent agencies like the FCC and FTC. The FCC declined to comment. The communications regulator hasn’t been on the firing line in the same way as the EPA and some other agencies, industry and agency officials said. Pai is casting himself as a team player, so he's unlikely to make a huge number of hires. So far, his leadership team is made up mostly of holdovers from the past administration, often holding positions on an acting basis. Pai has freedom to hire a handful of noncareer Senior Executive Service (SES) and Schedule C political employees even with the freeze. The FCC has a lot of unfilled slots, with a number of staffers having left the agency before the start of the Trump presidency, said Gigi Sohn, a top aide to ex-Chairman Tom Wheeler. “It’ll allow the chairman to get his own people in there,” she said. “He’ll be able to bring in senior people, kind of the way Wheeler did. He’ll be able to bring in people he knows well or people he trusts. It’ll just allow him to have kind of a kitchen cabinet of senior people.” Sohn is a fellow at the Open Society Foundations. Sohn said Pai likely has freedom to make hires without raising concerns at the White House. “He has been a pretty damn good soldier,” she said. “If President Trump is all about deregulation, you can’t really complain that Ajit Pai hasn’t walked that line. I can’t imagine the White House is going to begrudge him getting senior people to run his bureaus.” The hires Pai makes are critical and details matter, said Mark Jamison, University of Florida professor and member of the Trump transition landing team for the FCC. “The challenge the FCC has faced for years is that it is easier to hire attorneys than almost any other discipline,” Jamison said. “The agency really needs economic analysis and an understanding of markets. If these actions have a way of increasing flexibility for the FCC, then the chairman and his fellow commissioners could make great progress in revitalizing the agency.” “By focusing on long-run fundamental change, the White House is picking up where the transition left off,” said Jeff Eisenach, also a member of Trump’s FCC transition team. “The chairman’s early moves, especially his initiative to create new bureau of economics, seem fully aligned with the White House’s reform agenda.” “There are going to be some places where [agencies] have the ability to reduce size immediately and they may be called upon to do that in order to line up with the president’s priorities,” Mulvaney said during the Tuesday briefing. “There may be other places where they don’t have that flexibility and they’ll have to figure out a way over the course of time to, through ordinary attrition, to get to where they need to be.” Mulvaney said all federal agencies should “look to the budget blueprint and fashion your hiring and the paring down of your workforce consistent with the budget.” Mulvaney released a plan Wednesday instructing government agencies to look for areas for additional cuts. “Too often the focus has been on creating new programs instead of eliminating or reforming programs which are no longer operating effectively,” the plan said. “The result has been too many overlapping and outdated programs, rules, and processes, and too many Federal employees stuck in a system that is not working for the American people.” National Treasury Employees Union National President Tony Reardon slammed the Trump plan. NTEU represents some FCC employees. “The guidance seems to be little more than opening the door to increased contracting out of agency functions and services,” Reardon said in a news release. “The functions of government need to be performed and when there are not enough federal employees to do the work, agencies simply shift it to unaccountable private-sector contractors.” -- Christopher D. Imlay Booth, Freret & Imlay, LLC 14356 Cape May Road Silver Spring, Maryland 20904-6011 (301) 384-5525 telephone (301) 384-6384 facsimile W3KD(a)ARRL.ORG

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