August 2019 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:28599] Re: United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI)
by Lee Cooper 20 Aug '19

20 Aug '19

I can present if you all wish. Lee On August 20, 2019, at 08:19, Dale Williams <dale.wms1(a)frontier.com> wrote: I would love to take advantage of this opportunity. However, I am having a knee replacement on Sept. 11 and will be under travel restrictions. I can make the Power Point available to anyone who wishes to make the presentation. 73, Dale WA8EFK On 8/20/2019 12:20 AM, k6jat wrote: I'm out-of-town on 24 October, but Dale Williams had a Power Point on the new ARES Plan he gave at Dayton last year. Jim K6JAT Sent from my Sprint Samsung Galaxy S8. -------- Original message -------- From: "Michel, Howard, WB2ITX (CEO)" <wb2itx(a)arrl.org> Date: 8/19/19 7:30 PM (GMT-08:00) To: hopengarten(a)post.harvard.edu, "Vallio, Bob, W6RGG (VP)" <rbvallio(a)gmail.com>, arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)arrl.org> Subject: [arrl-odv:28595] Re: United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) Fred, Bob, Just today received an email from from Dave Sumner today. NTIA runs a two-day course in Disaster Communications Planning in DC and has a one-hour slot for an amateur radio pitch. He received a request from Eric W3DQ to ask ARRL to provide an instructor. Normally Jon Silverling would cover this. Unfortunately Jon Siverling will be at the WRC in Egypt when the NTIA course is running. It's scheduled after lunch on October 24. Any volunteers? 73, Howard On 8/19/2019 10:09 PM, Fred Hopengarten wrote:  I would ask W3DQ, ericrosenberg.dc(a)gmail.com -Fred K1VR From: arrl-odv [mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org] On Behalf Of Bob Vallio Sent: Monday, August 19, 2019 9:50 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:28593] United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) " Each year the United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI) holds a two week spectrum management course in Washington for foreign regulators. Participants this year are from Argentina, Benin, Bhutan, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Mongolia, Nepal, Thailand, Philippines, and Timor." I just found out about this, and do not have the dates. Is the ARRL nvolved? 73, Bob W6RGG Virus-free. www.avast.com -- Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX Chief Executive Officer ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio® 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: +1 860-594-0404 email: hmichel(a)arrl.org _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

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[arrl-odv:28592] Nominees for 2019 Board Elections
by Henderson, Dan N1ND 19 Aug '19

19 Aug '19

The following nomination petitions were received for the 2019 Board of Director election cycle and have been certified eligible by the Ethics & Elections Committee: Pacific Division: Director: Jim Tiemstra K6JAT Vice Director: Kristen McIntyre K6WX Rocky Mountain Division: Director: Jeff Ryan KØRM Vice Director: Robert Wareham NØESQ Southeastern Division: Director: Greg Sarratt W4OZK Mickey Baker N4MB Vice Director: James Schilling KG4JSZ Jeff Stahl K4BH Joseph Tiritilli N4ZUW Southwestern Division: Director: Richard Norton N6AA Vice Director: Mark Weiss K6FG West Gulf Division: Director: John Stratton N5AUS Madison Jones W5MJ Vice Director: Lee Cooper W5LHC There will be contested elections for Director in the Southeastern and West Gulf Divisions and for Vice-Director in the Southeastern Division. The E&E ruled one candidate, Alan Brown K5AB West Gulf Division, as ineligible having not met the requirement of four consecutive years of membership at the time of his nomination. He has been notified in writing and reminded of his right to appeal. In addition, petitions were requested by two persons but were not returned. The nominees in contested races will be notified this afternoon of their opponents along with other pertinent information. Thanks and 73 Dan Henderson, N1ND Assistant Secretary - American Radio Relay League, Inc. Regulatory Information Manager ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio ® 860-594-0236 dhenderson(a)arrl.org<mailto:dhenderson@arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:28590] Flagpole laws
by rjairam＠gmail.com 18 Aug '19

18 Aug '19

Someone approached me at a hamfest and informed me that NYS has a “right to display the flag” law that could be used as a means to erect an antenna (the “patriotic ham” defense as I like to call it). Do we have a reference for laws like this in all 50 states? Do volunteer counsel advise hams who approach them that they can display the flag and that the pole could possibly be the length of a suitable vertical antenna? This isn’t something I would shout from the rooftops but could be something useful for hams to use so they can get on the air. Ria N2RJ

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[arrl-odv:28576] POSSIBLE SCAM regarding The E.T. Krenkel Medal: W4HG
by Michel, Howard, WB2ITX (CEO) 17 Aug '19

17 Aug '19

Dear Officers, Directors and Vice Directors, A member has raised a concern about the Krenkel Medal to me through W2RU and N2COP. The EC was later brought into the discussion. Here is the bottom line that I sent to the EC yesterday. Thanks to Dave Sumner, and confidential personal contacts in Russia, we have some more information. There is no organization behind the Krenkel Medal, and no formal nomination or impartial evaluation processes exist. Several "better known" hams or organizations, including QST, received the medal -- without any fee -- early on. It appears their names and calls are now being used as bait now for others who are being asked to pay for their medal. "So and so received the medal, and so should you..." Supporting this point, a while back, Becky had asked them to not use her picture with the medal, and the picture is still being used. It is not known if the current owner of the site received permission to use the Krenkel name from the family of Mr Krenkel, or if the Krenkel family is in on it. Regardless, the medal appears to be a money making scheme and we need to disengage from the award quickly, and diplomatically. I'll arrange for a story to be written. Here is a copy of the story we will run later today or tomorrow. We are informing our members and distancing ourselves from the Medal without creating an "international incident." We also don't want to upset people who have already paid for the Medal who might value having received it. Questions Raised About Current Process for Awarding the E.T. Krenkel Medal Questions about how the E.T. Krenkel Medal is being awarded, including whether recipients have to pay a fee to get the medal, have been brought to ARRL’s attention. In the past, several prominent radio amateurs and organizations — including QST — have been awarded and received the medal without any advance notice and without having to provide any information or payment. In recent months, however, “nominees” have been invited essentially to complete their own nomination forms and asked to forward a fee for the cost of obtaining the medal, which some have yet to receive. Regulations for the E.T. Krenkel Medal issued by “LLC Russian Traveler and National Academy of Researches and Discoveries,” states that the cost of a medal is to be paid by the sponsor (individual or organization) nominating a medal recipient, and it appears that the sponsor and recipient now can be one and the same. A former small tourism enterprise, LLC Russian Traveler was reportedly liquidated in January but is still believed to be operated by a Russian radio amateur who arranged tours. A form attached to the Regulations that’s designed for an organization or individual to nominate an honoree is the one now being sent to individuals who have been told they were nominated. ARRL takes no official position in this matter but wants to ensure that members approached about a nomination for the E.T. Krenkel Medal are aware of the concerns raised. If any of your members contact you regarding this Medal, I would suggest that you discourage them from sending money to Russia. 73, Howard, WB2ITX -- Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX Chief Executive Officer ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio® 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: +1 860-594-0404 email: hmichel(a)arrl.org<mailto:hmichel@arrl.org>

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[arrl-odv:28456] Vendor Listening Tour v3
by Hopengarten, Fred, K1VR, (Dir, NE) 17 Aug '19

17 Aug '19

Thanks to K5UR for his suggestions. Version 3 attached. Fred Hopengarten, Esq. K1VR Six Willarch Road Lincoln, MA 01773 781.259.0088, k1vr(a)arrl.org New England Director cid:a4a12f0b-0468-4a39-b953-31b2a3da8564 Serving ME, NH, VT, MA, RI and CT --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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[arrl-odv:28585] IN-Newsletter August 16 2019
by Pereira, Carla, KC1HSX 16 Aug '19

16 Aug '19

Please see this week's IN-Newsletter, attached, for the latest updates from HQ. Have a great weekend!

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[arrl-odv:28551] FW: [yccc] Tower Collapse Details
by Fred Hopengarten 15 Aug '19

15 Aug '19

-----Original Message----- From: yccc(a)groups.io [mailto:yccc@groups.io] On Behalf Of Brian Szewczyk Sent: Thursday, August 08, 2019 10:29 PM To: N1IXF Cc: yccc(a)groups.io Subject: Re: [yccc] Tower Collapse Details Rich, Mark, All Here is a link to the National Associaton of Tower Erectors (NATE) website which contains a great deal of information on tower safety, best practices, etc. https://natehome.com/ Much of the content is available to non members. Perhaps the ARRL should reach out NATE to explore some kind of a educational partnership. 73 & KB Brian NJ1F Sent from my iPad Pro > On Aug 8, 2019, at 9:12 PM, N1IXF <n1ixf(a)arrl.net> wrote: > > Thanks Mark, > > I hope that our community will do more to ensure safe tower practices. With W0AIH, Paul Bittner's accident in the recent past I'd written to ARRL to suggest that they publish QST articles by qualified authorities to help all hams avoid tower accidents. They didn't responded to me and I wonder if they may fear legal liability for publishing information that hams might rely on to take safety precautions. If that is the case, it's a sad state of affairs when legal liability prevents the dissemination of information that could save lives. > > 73, > > Rich N1IXF > >> On 8/8/2019 7:37 PM, Mpridesti via Groups.Io wrote: >> Earlier details presented of the accident at K1EEE's QTH were not entirely accurate. Below is a more detailed description of the tragedy, lesson's learned and a suggested method to safe guard all of us while taking down a tower. >> Presented here as well as the attachment. >> >> To all Tower owners in the AmateurRadio Community – a must read! By Mark Pride, K1RX >> >> >> >> >> Many old timers in the hobby that own atower, perhaps in the air for 20, 30, 40 or 50 years, need to takethis article seriously as it could provide life saving information toyou and your ground crew. This is a cautionary article for all thathave a tower no matter how long its been the air. What occurred at aNH amateur station recently provides a lesson for all of us towerowners. Although the article speaks to a Rohn 25 guyed tower product,it could be prove helpful to others too. >> >> >> >> >> K1JGAand K1EEE tower tragedy >> >> >> >> >> >> Acrew of amateurs gathered at the home of K1EEE to take down two 40ft. Rohn 25 towers. The details of the tower which collapsed and itsfailure is provided below. It was a very unfortunate accident whichtook the life of Joe G. Areyzaga, K1JGA. The owner of the tower,K1EEE suffered multiple injuries but did survive. We all in theamateur radio community extend our prayers and condolences to thefamilies affected by this tragic event. >> >> >> >> >> TowerDescription >> >> >> >> >> Oneof two forty foot (40 ft.) Rohn 25 towers, with one set of guys atthe 35 ft level was to be taken down. The base was the BPH 25 hingeplate on a concrete pad of unknown depth. This used tower had onlybeen up 3 years. >> >> >> >> >> NOTE: Following the accident, the owner learned one leg of the hinge platehad been previously repaired but the material used was notgalvanized. >> >> >> >> >> Withthe reasonable expectation the tower would support itself to 40 ft,the guy wires were disconnected from the anchors and the top sectionwas to be removed. The top section to be removed had a rotor shelfand one torque assembly mounted at the 35 ft. level along with thethree guy wires. The gin pole had not been raised at that point. The antenna, mast and rotor were previously removed. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> LessonLearned >> >> >> >> >> Atthe time of the initial install, the tower was self supported to 40ft until the first set of guys were attached per Rohn specifications.That may have been the case then, but after many years ofexposure to the elements, one can no longer expect the same! >> >> >> >> >> Priorto the start of the tower take down, the tower was thoroughlyinspected and found to be in acceptable condition. The base was dryand free of any water. No obvious problems were found. >> >> >> >> >> Thegeneral reason for this tower collapse was corrosion at the junctionof the hinged base short legs (one leg previously repaired and weldedas note above) and the bottom of the lowest Rohn 25 section occurredprimarily from the outside and some inside as well and thus weakenedthe structure. The first point of failure was the repaired andnon-galvanized short leg of the hinge plate. When the guys wereremoved from their anchor points (necessary to remove the topsection), the tower was free standing with the two climbers at 35 ft. It's clear that the tower deflection from thevertical was extreme enough to make the overturning force at the base(the bending moment) great enough to cause base failure. >> >> >> >> >> Theproper installation of the hinge bracket (BPH 25) requires mountingit on a flat concrete surface, secured with bolts placed in theconcrete, surrounded by a beveled edge for water run off. Normally,all of the hardware associated with the hinge plate are galvanizedand able to withstand the wear and tear of Mother nature. Howeverthis base was slightly recessed where the plate sat and there weresome gaps under the plate. This created the opportunity for water orground contaminants to collect. It is presumed the previouslyrepaired short stubby leg of the bracket began to corrode whilesitting in water. Years of this kind of exposure slowly weakened themetal. Subsequent movement by climbers at the top of the unguyedtower led to breakage at the base. >> >> >> >> >> NOTE: Rohn towers are very high quality and generally last many, manyyears with proper installation and maintenance. It is a very populartower in the amateur radio community. And where tower sections join,they typically show little wear as water drainage occurs easily andthere is no chance for collecting contaminants and held for longperiods of time. Or where tower materials come in contact with theearth, the normal galvanizing process is more than adequate for along lifetime. But what is noted here is areas that are in contactwith the ground or areas such as the repaired leg of the bracket canaccumulate harmful materials can become a danger over time. Clearlythere are areas on a tower that are difficult to inspect however, theRohn design usually lends itself to high levels of confidence thatthese blind areas are within acceptable standards if installed perthe manufacturers specifications. >> >> >> JGASafety Guy Technique for Tower Take Downs in honor SK Joseph G.Areyzaga, K1JGA >> Whendealing with unknown tower installations that require removal, itabsolutely critical to err on the side of extreme caution. Thetechnique described below is one approach and a simple one to helpsafe guard all involved. >> >> >> Asuggested safety procedure that should be applied during any towertake down of this type is attaching a set of additional guy wires ateither the 10 or 20 ft. level prior to any work on the tower. Byapplying a set of guys near the base, further stabilization of thetower base can be achieved. Using this added set of guy wires reducestress on the legs (twisting, flexing, bending) and prevent breakageat the very bottom of the section just above the concrete surface orsurrounding areas. Then what would remain after the tower is takendown to the Safety Guy set becomes very manageable (10 or 20 ft. tobe lowered to the ground). >> >> >> Andin honor of our friend and now silent key, Joe, K1JGA, I am namingthis important safety procedure the “JGA Safety Guy Technique”with the hopes all of us will not forget Joe but more importantly,keep us all safe while our old towers are taken down. In particular,towers that have been up for our entire ham career and itsmaintenance history may be questionable require special attention. Of course if the base shows significant deterioration, corrosion andbreakage, the tower should NOT be climbed and removed by other means(cut down if the landing area is open and clear or by crane orsimilar). >> >> >> Thesuggested collection of material that comprises the JGA Safety GuyTechnique include: >> >> >> Three (3) lengths of unbroken or spliced guy wire (3/16 inch EHSor larger) longer than the lowest guy to be sure it is long enough(DO NOT USE ROPE!); >> >> >> GuyGrips for each end of the guy wire; >> >> >> acome along at each guy anchor point for proper tensioning and >> >> >> areliable heavy duty attachment device to connect to the existinganchor. >> >> >> Theattachment to the guy anchors should be done in a way that does notinterfere with the existing guy anchor assembly (turnbuckles, etc.). If the JGA Safety Guy kit is to be used in multiple tower take downsof varying heights, use of the Guy Grips will allow full flexibilityof locating the attach points where they are needed, without cuttingcable. Just make the cable length longer than you might need to giveyou enough head room. >> >> >> Aspart of your annual maintenance plan, include keeping the base freeof debris, dirt, trees, plants etc. to protect this area from anylong term damage. Consider making one of these JGA Safety Guy kitsfor your club to be used as necessary. >> >> >> Bestto use the JGA Safety Guy Technique and find the tower base was justfine, than not use it and suffer a similar situation or worse! Staysafe! >> >> >> Regards, >> >> >> >> Mark, K1RX >> >> >> >> >> > > > > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#55721): https://groups.io/g/yccc/message/55721 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/32804919/418012 -=-=- YCCC Discussion Group (members-only) -=-=- Group Owner: yccc+owner(a)groups.io Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/yccc/unsub [hopengarten(a)post.harvard.edu] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- --- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

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[arrl-odv:28569] Bob Heil's Concerns About AM On The Bands
by John Robert Stratton 14 Aug '19

14 Aug '19

Bob Heil sent the enclosed email to some of us, but not all. Bob asked if I would forward it to the entire Board. I promised him that I would. The letter expresses Bob's concern regarding the gentleman's agreement regarding AM and a request for assistance from the League to address what he sees as the apparent withering away of that agreement and understanding. Bob's letter and concerns warrant some study and a response. And it may offer another opportunity for the League to be seen as responsive to the needs/concerns of our Members. _______________________________________ John Robert Stratton N5AUS Director West Gulf Division Office:512-445-6262 Cell:512-426-2028 P.O. Box 2232 Austin, Texas 78768-2232 *_______________________________________***

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[arrl-odv:28577] Changes to ARRL Groups
by Michel, Howard, WB2ITX (CEO) 14 Aug '19

14 Aug '19

Dear Officers, Directors and Vice Directors, As you are aware, ARRL’s "Committee on Communication with ARRL Members" has been created. It is moving forward with plans to create online forums where ARRL members and non-members can discuss issues and topics in a two-way conversation with ARRL leadership. We have been working on a press release (draft attached). The plan was to inform ODV today and then release the statement tomorrow. Unfortunately, this information was prematurely disclosed to the LoTW community and beyond. While the draft press release covers the pertinent facts, please do not distribute it further. This email is just in case you receive questions from members. My apologies that ODV was not notified first. 73, Howard, WB2ITX -- Howard E. Michel, WB2ITX Chief Executive Officer ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio® 225 Main Street, Newington, CT 06111-1494 USA Telephone: +1 860-594-0404 email: hmichel(a)arrl.org

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[arrl-odv:28566] Report of EmComm Manager Requirements Committee
by W2RU - ARRL 13 Aug '19

13 Aug '19

Howard — In accordance with Minute 43 of the July 2019 Board meeting, the EmComm Manager Requirements Committee identified in Minute 15 of the January 2019 ARRL Board meeting hereby delivers to you, with copy to the full Board, Rev. N of our requirements document for the position of ARRL Director of Emergency Management. Five of the seven voting members on the Committee — Directors Williams, Ritz, Jairam, Hippisley, and Stratton — last week voted in favor of issuing Rev. N at this time as the authorized deliverable from the Committee. As you know, the two remaining voting members, Directors Norris and Sarratt, last evening proposed a few strengthened or revised qualifications, but there is not unanimity about those suggestions among the five who had already approved Rev. N as representing the Committee’s joint output. In view of the fact that “time is of the essence” and given that paragraph (2) of the “Resolved” portion of Minute 43 asks you to locate and hire “an individual who substantially meets the Committee’s job qualifications” [emphasis mine], I believe you have — in Rev. N, plus the additional comments of Directors Norris and Sarratt — all that you need to proceed. For the Committee — Bud Hippisley, W2RU Director, Roanoke Division

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