April 2020 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:30059] Dick - N6AA
by k5ur＠aol.com 03 Apr '20

03 Apr '20

Hi all: I just got off the phone with Dick, N6AA. He 's been in the hospital since last Friday due to heart by-pass surgery. He's doing great and is scheduled to be released tomorrow and will be recuperating away from home. Should you need to contact him, he suggested email or his cell phone. Get well, Dick! 73Rick - K5UR

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[arrl-odv:30055] Jim McCobb - K1LU (SK)
by k5ur＠aol.com 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Hi all: I was just notified that Jim McCobb, K1LU (ex-K1LLU), has passed away. Jim was ARRL Treasurer for over 30 years (1980-2012). I worked with Jim for a number of years. Very sad news. 73Rick - K5UR

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[arrl-odv:30048] Update on FCC Matters
by david davidsiddall-law.com 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

ODV, I want to provide an update on the latest at the FCC. The FCC staff is working from home and work appears to be proceeding pretty well, all considered. At the January Board meeting we discussed abrupt changes in the FCC staff that oversees amateur radio matters. At the end of that Friday’s session I was able to announce that the FCC had just designated Tom Derenge as the new lead person for amateur radio matters within the FCC’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, and that I would be seeking to brief him on pending matters and the League’s views. Last week I conducted the briefing by webinar. I asked Rick to join and explain what ARRL is and how it operates. We asked Dan Henderson also to join because he is the League’s Regulatory Affairs manager and was in direct touch with Tom’s predecessor when needed. I wanted to introduce Dan to Tom so that Tom would know who he is and what he does in relation to FCC matters. Most of the session was generic – what ham radio is, what we do, why it is in the public interest type of thing. At the staff’s request, we addressed what is being done about ham examinations during this shut-down time. (Tom and other FCC officials have been fielding questions from the public, including people asking the Chairman on Twitter.) We ended by discussing the pending proceedings for which the record is complete and we think should be acted upon. The last part – pending proceedings ready for the next step – requires the filing of a letter for the public file describing the conversation and including any materials used. I made such a filing after our teleconference. There is nothing new in them – they list the pending proceedings and include a synopsis of the ARRL positions based on our earlier filings. Today one group of parties that were part of last spring’s negotiations on the symbol rate proceeding – Janis Carson, Ron Kolarik, Lee McVey and Dan White (McVey et al) – filed a response. I also am aware that in an email Lee McVey has accused Rick of going outside Board decisions. I want to note, however, that this directly contradicts what McVey and his colleagues themselves told the FCC. On p.1, they state: “The ARRL ex parte adds nothing to the ongoing discussions in the above FCC rule makings …” That part is correct, we were briefing new staff on our long-existing positions. It appears that the part about “going around the Board” relates to the Band Planning Committee’s work. This is of concern because McVey et al submitted to the FCC a copy of the recent ARRL Band Plan Committee’s recommendations to the Board and misrepresented them. The group states that “The ARRL’s own Board of Directors and its ARRL HF Band Planning Committee even recommends such an approach in a chart [fn omitted] which should be taken up for consideration by the FCC in a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FNPRM) immediately. Since the ARRL Board of Directors seems powerless to compel their agents to present this chart to the FCC I (as an ARRL member for over 40 years) am doing so on their behalf in the attached appendix.” * It is not clear who the “I” is above. The letter signed by four people: Janis Carson, AB2RA, Ron Kolarik K0IDT, Lee McVey W6EM and Dan White, W5DNT. In fact, the chart that they submitted has not been considered or adopted by the full ARRL Board, as you all know. The band plan requires full Board approval and further guidance. Of course the Board may adopt it as is, decline to adopt it, or amend it. Context is important. You will remember that when this work was initiated last summer, the FCC had indicated that the staff’s tentative decision was to adopt a Report and Order resolving the symbol rate issue and to address band segmentation and possibly other issues in a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The Band Planning effort was in response to that advice. However, significant changes occurred at the FCC in the fall that resulted in amateur matters being delayed. The Report and Order on the symbol rate proceeding was never sent forward in the Commission, nor was a Further Notice. Then a new team taking over amateur matters. There is no word whether or not they intend to take up other issues. They are just beginning to review these issues and consider how to proceed. I will be discussing with the EC whether to make a brief filing at the FCC clarifying that the Band Planning Committee’s recommendations filed at the FCC by these parties have not been considered or adopted by the full Board of Directors and therefore do not represent the ARRL’s position. The report is in the public domain only for the purpose of the League consulting directly with its members on various options. I note that repeatedly these parties have criticized the ARRL at the FCC for not consulting with its members. It is ironic that these same parties now file an ARRL working document and misrepresent it as constituting adopted ARRL policy. I would be glad to discuss with any of you if you have concerns, individually or on ODV. Regards and stay safe, Dave David R. Siddall Managing Partner DS Law, PLLC 1629 K St. NW, Ste 300 Washington, DC 20006 direct: +1 202 559 4690 Unauthorized Disclosure Prohibited. This e-mail is intended solely for the intended recipient(s) and may contain information that is proprietary, confidential or privileged. If you are not the intended recipient, it is prohibited to disclose, copy, distribute, or use the contents of this email and its attachments. If you received this e-mail in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all electronic and physical copies of the e-mail message and its attachments. Unintended transmission shall not constitute waiver of attorney-client or any other privilege. Thank you.

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[arrl-odv:30050] Inderbitzen and Bickell - Life Long Learning
by Mickey Baker 02 Apr '20

02 Apr '20

Bob and Kris knocked it out of the park at last night's presentation to the Section Managers about Life Long Learning. I've heard more excitement from the SE Section Managers this morning about this than any other topic (even remote testing) and the video is an excellent promotion. Great work, guys. All we need to do now is open the virtual doors... Video: https://vimeo.com/403193995 Mickey Baker, N4MB Palm Beach Gardens, FL *“The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead." Robert K. Greenleaf*

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[arrl-odv:30036] Feald Day rule tweak
by Mike Raisbeck 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Hi All, I've thought of a very small rule change for Field Day that could increase activity this year. Traditionally, Class D stations may not count contacts with other class D stations. This year there may be a lot of folk limited by the pandemic to operating from home. If we relax this rule for 2020, home non-emergency stations could be a bit more active. Waddya think? MikeK1TWF Mike Raisbeck k1twf(a)arrl.net

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[arrl-odv:30044] Potential Advancement in VE Testing
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

PLEASE TREAT THIS MESSAGE AS BOARD CONFIDENTIAL. At the beginning of this journey, I told everyone that the words Patience and Flexibility would be important in getting through this difficult period. In that vein, I have some encouraging news regarding VE testing. In the same way as one VE team with the W5YI VEC approached them, the ARRL has a VE Team in Massachusetts that approached Maria just yesterday with a proposal that is showing some initial promise in the creation of a process which can be used for video supervised on-line exams. This VE team is a highly technical group that has been able to get access to test generation software which has been modified to accommodate amateur radio exams. The software is not commercially available but was developed by an amateur who is "in the business" and who is willing to share his creation with the community. Using this software and some already existing ARRL electronic processes for filing test session results, it would appear that they have developed the methodology for providing on-line video supervised exams up to and including electronic filing of the results. Like the others you've probably read about, the on-line test session would involve a Zoom or Skype session and requires the examinee to have some basic computer knowledge while the VE team needs to have more than just basic knowledge to set-up and operate the software which, for the purposes of this beta test, would be housed on the developer's servers. The team from MA is hoping to provide a proof of concept sometime in the next several days. It remains to be seen, like all the other examples we've heard about, whether or not the solution is scalable and not simply a method of testing one examinee at a time. That will be important not only now, but in the future. We will provide more information as it becomes available. I'm encouraged but we cannot declare victory at the moment which is why I am strongly asking for this information to be kept confidential by the ARRL Board for the time being. This is no time to go running through the streets declaring victory. We're not there yet. 73, Barry, N1VXY

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[arrl-odv:30045] Public Statement on VE Testing
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

The following statement will be posted tomorrow to several media including Facebook, our web site, the SM reflector and in a VE newsletter update. I wanted this group to have it in advance as you would likely get questions about it. As you will see, it only vaguely refers to possible improvements in the VE testing process as this is no place to either speculate or promise something we're not sure can be delivered. 73, Barry, N1VXY To All ARRL Members and ARRL VEC accredited Volunteer Examiners: We know many examiners have canceled Amateur Radio License exam sessions to meet the requirements and recommendations of national and local government and health officials. The health and safety of examinees and our Volunteer Examiners is first and foremost in any decision-making process. ARRL VEC does not offer video supervised online Amateur Radio licensing exams at the present time. However, we know some VE Teams are exploring alternative formats on a local basis. Please continue to use ARRL's License Exam Search to find scheduled exam sessions in your area and verify with the local exam team that the session is still being held. Please visit www.arrl.org/exam. ARRL VEC is continuing to process license examination materials received from Volunteer Examiners who have completed exam sessions although under the circumstances there are some delays. For qualified examinees, ARRL VEC forwards electronically all required data to the FCC. We understand there are examination candidates who continue their studies toward new Amateur Radio Licenses and license upgrades. We also know some will be frustrated that, at this time, ARRL VEC does not offer online licensing exams. Amateur radio is not alone in this challenge, though. While each of us continues to respond to the immediate evolving crisis, we also know that we must keep an eye to our future. Throughout its decades of service, the VEC system has served the FCC as a shining example of the successes of a privatized system. The ARRL VEC and our Volunteer Examiners are recognized throughout the Amateur Radio Service for our integrity and efficiency. Adapting our all-volunteer license examination administration will be a challenge, but one we are committed to undertake in order to advance the program and improve service. While we face unprecedented challenges, opportunities also await. We are grateful to support radio amateurs in our common pursuit of skill, service, and discovery. ARRL and ARRL VEC remain steadfast in serving you. We will provide updates as they become available.

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[arrl-odv:30043] Two Upcoming Messages
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

Good evening ODV: In the next few minutes I will be posting two messages to the reflector. One involving a potential advancement in VE testing and the other a public statement we are going to make on Facebook and other media in response to the myriad questions we've been receiving on the overall subject of VE testing through the current health crisis. While the two are related, they need to be seen separately and I don't want them to be confused or misunderstood. The first is considered BOARD CONFIDENTIAL until we get the results while the second will obviously be our public statement. The second will likely to be posted tomorrow since I don't want to risk any unwarranted speculation about April Fool's jokes today. As always, I hope everyone is safe and healthy. 73, Barry, N1VXY

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[arrl-odv:30031] Zoom bombing and online safety
by rjairam＠gmail.com 01 Apr '20

01 Apr '20

As many are using Zoom to conduct meetings and other business, miscreants are taking advantage. A new trend is "zoom bombing" where trolls log in and then flood the meeting with nonsense on video and audio, including pornography and racism. It is the internet's version of 7.200MHz or the 435 machine in Dick's division :) You can mitigate this with these tips: https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-prevent-zoom-bombing Additionally, one to many presentations requiring no audience interaction are probably better conducted on YouTube or another streaming platform, and not video conferencing. 73 Ria, N2RJ

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