June 2020 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:30482] Fwd: All-Electronic (Totally Paperless) Ham Radio Exams
by Michael Ritz 30 Jun '20

30 Jun '20

See below. The Anchorage ARC VEC is going 100% paperless with exams starting next month, apparently the first VEC to do so. While maybe not completely scalable to the size of the ARRL VEC, it's something for the ARRL to consider when it upgrades its VEC system. 73; Mike W7VO > ---------- Original Message ---------- > > Date: 06/30/2020 12:26 AM > Subject: All-Electronic (Totally Paperless) Ham Radio Exams > > > Thought you might be interested in this press release from the Anchorage VEC about all-electronic, totally paperless VE exams (see link: https://kl7aa.org/17905-2/) 73, Craig, KL4E > >

1 0

[arrl-odv:30480] FW: [LincolnTalk] We Commit
by Fred Hopengarten 29 Jun '20

29 Jun '20

This is an example of a generic “excuse us for living” letter. It took an inordinate amount of time away from more immediate important tasks, and accomplished nothing. -Fred K1VR From: Lincoln [mailto:lincoln-bounces@lincolntalk.org] On Behalf Of Susan Taylor Sent: Monday, June 29, 2020 12:28 PM To: LincolnTalk.org Subject: [LincolnTalk] We Commit Lincoln Public Schools Ballfield Road Lincoln, Massachusetts 01773 http://www.lincnet.org/schoolcommittee/index.html School Committee Tara Mitchell Chair Peter Borden Vice-Chair Trintje Gnazzo Adam Hogue Susan Taylor Kim Mack METCO Liaison Laurel Wironen Hanscom Liaison The Lincoln School Committee stands with our school community against institutional violence and racial discrimination and we recognize the need to do more to address racial inequities and to uphold our commitment to a school community of respect, diversity, equity and inclusion. As the district’s governing body, we will work with all stakeholders toward more evolved school policies, budgets, and education plans that promote an inclusive environment for all members of our community. In the coming months the School Committee will look at its role in making these words a reality, and we will invite the community to join us in considering steps we can take together to learn and grow. -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

2 1

[arrl-odv:30471] FW: Suggested ARRL Position on FCC Amplifier Power Limit
by Hopengarten Fred 27 Jun '20

27 Jun '20

To the Board: W1ZR, see below, thinks we should chime in on the amplifier gain rule. I believe he's talking about the petition filed by N3JT on behalf of (perhaps it was) an Italian amplifier manufacturer. Full disclosure, N3JT has been co-counsel with me in a couple of cases when I was ill a few years back and is a close friend. He has also been VERY helpful w/r/t the drafting of our AREPA bill. As I recall, the original rule was designed to dampen the market for 5 watt to 500 watt-1KW CB amplifiers. Should I recuse myself? Should ARRL adopt the Joel Hallas, W1ZR, position? Is this a Board matter? Or does it go to PSC? 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 From: Hallas, Joel W1ZR [mailto:jhallas@arrl.org] Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2020 1:30 PM To: Hopengarten, Fred, K1VR, (Dir, NE) Subject: Suggested ARRL Position on FCC Amplifier Power Limit Fred, I think it is time to push the FCC to drop its rule about amplifier gain. I believe that the current limitation of a max gain of 13 dB no longer serves a purpose and results in lower performance of amplifiers, and thus excessive size, weight and cost of amateur equipment. Any thoughts? Thanks. GL & 73, Joel Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR Contributing Editor, QST ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio -- This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software. https://www.avast.com/antivirus

6 8

[arrl-odv:30470] In Newsletter June 26 2020
by Pereira, Carla, KC1HSX 26 Jun '20

26 Jun '20

Happy Field Day weekend! Please share your Field Day pics with me for next week's edition!

1 0

[arrl-odv:30463] Fwd: Setting the record straight
by Mickey Baker 26 Jun '20

26 Jun '20

There is a media phenomenon here that has been generated by one of our best section managers that needs some attention. This section manager is not in my division, but 5 of the 7 section managers as well as I have attended these sessions almost every week. This is the most valuable interactive session in amateur radio today. Most people who attend are SMs and SECs, but the meetings have grown to capacity - first to 100 and now to 500. Last night's session: *Topic: AREDN - Amateur Radio Data Networking for the 21st Century * *Speaker: Randy Smith, WU2S, president and founder of Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network Inc. * Had 153 participants. *Today's Winlink session has exceeded 500 participants/ because the invitation went viral within FEMA.* It turns out that we have ARES people in FEMA that are promoting amateur radio. (Please don't think that they shouldn't do that!) I received an invitation from a FEMA employee who I know that had over 100 emails on it, inviting them to the event. I understand that a request from the SM (see below) for $395.08 to be allocated from several participating SM budgets was declined. I have been told that they must use our GOTOMeeting account. Wrong answer. Please find out who is thinking that way, I can't believe that was Barry, Declining this $400 expenditure indicates that the staff is unable to recognize and capitalize on a viral event. $400, or even $4,000, for live interactive sessions twice per week that promote the value of ARES and actually HOW TO PERFORM the ARES mission, that is current, replicating successes and learning how to deploy the best in breed technology is a BARGAIN that WE SHOULD NOT MISS. The recordings can be captured and archived so that when we actually HAVE a "Lifelong Learning" system, we will have VALID ACCURATE CURRENT and USEFUL content for it. Let's find a way to get these VOLUNTEERS repaid for their out of pocket expenditures and let's find a way to CAPTURE this intellectual property for the use of ARES and amateur radio in general. The BEST field programs should come from the field and Dan Marler, K7REX has momentum and a great thing going. Let's fund it FULLY and set up a weekly series of Zoom meetings for this purpose. Compared to other initiatives I've seen recently, this is a bargain. Let's say YES to $400 now and talk to Dan to determine how we can help him continue. Technology moves too fast for us to write and publish books about deployment of it. Please, let's encourage staff to fund this initiative so that the FEMA size crowds can attend. This is the nature of viral opportunity. It demands action now. The funds are budgeted, let's allow their use in lieu of mileage for the several SMs that consent, or take the funds from the Southeastern Division travel budget. 73, thank you and let's think about GROWTH and POSSIBILITIES! 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* ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: ARRL ID Section <arrl.idaho(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 8:12 PM Subject: Setting the record straight To: <n4mb(a)arrl.org> I have received emails and seen others on email reflectors that show the need to clear up some issues. Many have questioned my use of Zoom. The ARRL permitted me to purchase Zoom and authorized me to conduct the weekly nationwide meetings we've been holding since the first of the year and months before Covid-19 shut everything down and forced many to resort to video teleconferencing. After consulting with other section managers, I decided not to use the league's go-to-meeting. There is an issue of ARRL content control and scheduling challenges that using Zoom avoids. It seems ironic that the upcoming ARRL Board Meeting is apparently going to be conducted using Zoom rather than the "Go to Meeting" system, which is a rather low-tier and somewhat unreliable (but cheap) system, but they want the section managers to use it. Recently, our Zoom meetings started exceeding the Zoom Pro limit of 100 participants, and knowing those numbers will only increase, I made a request to the ARRL to increase that limit to the next level of 500. Steve Ewald, WV1X took my request up through his chain of command, where it was declined. I didn't feel then, and I don't feel now that something that is being used nationwide should be paid for out of a section budget. However, a group of section managers did present a proposal to the league to do just that. That proposal was also rejected. I posted an update to the section managers as to where that stood, and what I posted was sent off, resulting in others getting involved. Directors and officers have been contacted by many inside and outside of the ARRL origination, and other voices have surfaced in all this. Bottom line: Those that support our efforts are making their voices heard, and those that don't, want the noise to go away. Zoom costs: I added a 500 limit to an already paid for Zoom Pro account ($14.99/mo - $148.90 annually). The additional 500 seats added $50/mo, bringing the total up to $64.99/mo - $779.88 annually. I received a discount, so the actual billing was $600.00. Since we already had the paid Zoom Pro account, they pro-rated the amount due to* $395.08*, which is the amount I am asking the ARRL for reimburse. The current Zoom account is paid up to February 13, 2021, at which time it will need to be renewed for the full amount of $64.99/mo - $779.88 annually. Rather or not, we renew Zoom at that time will depend on several factors. To address comments made about me representing ARRL section managers, I want to stress that in no way do I represent the ARRL's section managers or their sections either through my actions or what I say. However, I do provide them a platform for them to represent themselves and the sections they serve. While not all section managers participate, over half do, and together we've been able to make amazing progress. It is only a beginning, and we have a lot more yet to accomplish. Our ARRL members and others affected by the decisions of the ARRL want to be a part of that process. Section Managers are in the best position to be the voice of those in the field and need to be able to represent their membership better. The current procedure is for section managers to go through their division directors does not work for everyone. If a section manager is restricted from representing his or her section, the membership is who it hurts most. The section managers met with some directors to work out a solution. While the solution we came up with was not ideal, it was a start but short-lived as the directors did not except it, and those doors were closed. Muting the voice of those elected to serve the members effectively mutes the membership. Other projects include ARES, which is not covered here. Hopefully, this answers a lot of questions. Please feel free to contact me directly or by email. - Dan Dan Marler, K7REX 208-914-8939 K7REX(a)arrl.org

4 3

[arrl-odv:30465] Re: Go to Meeting/Go to Webinar
by Lee Cooper 26 Jun '20

26 Jun '20

I would have to disagree strongly about maligning of GTM/GTW. I teach online classes using the application on average of several sessions weekly and have been doing so since 2014. In the past 6 years I have had sessions with nearly a thousand students or more annually. These students login from around the globe, Europe, Middle East, Russia,Asia and even from down under. I have had extremely few issues with it. In many ways it has more functionality for an Instructor/host than Zoom does and it doesn't look like an episode of the Brady Bunch or Hollywood Squares when using it. As a SM for nearly 10 years we hosted many an SM meeting using the app without too many issues, and the ones we had were operator not app. Many of those sessions are posted on the league website. We can discuss cost and other differences but i would not be too quick to throw it under the bus. It had served the league very well for many years and is still a good tool. Lee On June 25, 2020, at 21:39, rjairam(a)gmail.com wrote: I have to second the comment about GotoMeeting. Every GTM meeting I've attended for any purpose was fraught with technical issues. No matter if it was Mac, PC or mobile device. It needs to be gone yesterday and replaced with something more robust. I asked some time about Zoom. Supposedly we were getting a non profit account. Never heard anything back (my apologies if it went to my spam folder). Zoom has cleaned up a lot of their security issues and for public webinars they aren't that bad. Contest University has used them. I would also urge the Board to consider our earlier proposal to have a direct pipeline to the SMs, as in a means of collaboration. We suggested a groups.io. It's not like we're not going to talk to them. I talk to SMs about stuff all the time and many of them are my friends (including Dan). Of course, I do tell them to go through their Directors for policy concerns, but there is no harm in listening. For a communications hobby we are horribly failing at our core competency, which is communication. I have more thoughts but I am not a wall-of-text person. Anyone is more than welcome to call me sometime. Ria N2RJ On Thu, 25 Jun 2020 at 22:30, Mickey Baker <fishflorida(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > There is a media phenomenon here that has been generated by one of our best section managers that needs some attention. This section manager is not in my division, but 5 of the 7 section managers as well as I have attended these sessions almost every week. > > This is the most valuable interactive session in amateur radio today. Most people who attend are SMs and SECs, but the meetings have grown to capacity - first to 100 and now to 500. > > Last night's session: > Topic: AREDN - Amateur Radio Data Networking for the 21st Century > Speaker: Randy Smith, WU2S, president and founder of Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network Inc. > Had 153 participants. > > Today's Winlink session has exceeded 500 participants/ because the invitation went viral within FEMA. It turns out that we have ARES people in FEMA that are promoting amateur radio. (Please don't think that they shouldn't do that!) I received an invitation from a FEMA employee who I know that had over 100 emails on it, inviting them to the event. > > I understand that a request from the SM (see below) for $395.08 to be allocated from several participating SM budgets was declined. I have been told that they must use our GOTOMeeting account. Wrong answer. Please find out who is thinking that way, I can't believe that was Barry, > > Declining this $400 expenditure indicates that the staff is unable to recognize and capitalize on a viral event. $400, or even $4,000, for live interactive sessions twice per week that promote the value of ARES and actually HOW TO PERFORM the ARES mission, that is current, replicating successes and learning how to deploy the best in breed technology is a BARGAIN that WE SHOULD NOT MISS. The recordings can be captured and archived so that when we actually HAVE a "Lifelong Learning" system, we will have VALID ACCURATE CURRENT and USEFUL content for it. > > Let's find a way to get these VOLUNTEERS repaid for their out of pocket expenditures and let's find a way to CAPTURE this intellectual property for the use of ARES and amateur radio in general. The BEST field programs should come from the field and Dan Marler, K7REX has momentum and a great thing going. Let's fund it FULLY and set up a weekly series of Zoom meetings for this purpose. Compared to other initiatives I've seen recently, this is a bargain. > > Let's say YES to $400 now and talk to Dan to determine how we can help him continue. > > Technology moves too fast for us to write and publish books about deployment of it. Please, let's encourage staff to fund this initiative so that the FEMA size crowds can attend. > > This is the nature of viral opportunity. It demands action now. The funds are budgeted, let's allow their use in lieu of mileage for the several SMs that consent, or take the funds from the Southeastern Division travel budget. > > 73, thank you and let's think about GROWTH and POSSIBILITIES! > > 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 > > > ---------- Forwarded message --------- > From: ARRL ID Section <arrl.idaho(a)gmail.com> > Date: Thu, Jun 25, 2020 at 8:12 PM > Subject: Setting the record straight > To: <n4mb(a)arrl.org> > > > I have received emails and seen others on email reflectors that show the need to clear up some issues. > > > Many have questioned my use of Zoom. The ARRL permitted me to purchase Zoom and authorized me to conduct the weekly nationwide meetings we've been holding since the first of the year and months before Covid-19 shut everything down and forced many to resort to video teleconferencing. After consulting with other section managers, I decided not to use the league's go-to-meeting. There is an issue of ARRL content control and scheduling challenges that using Zoom avoids. It seems ironic that the upcoming ARRL Board Meeting is apparently going to be conducted using Zoom rather than the "Go to Meeting" system, which is a rather low-tier and somewhat unreliable (but cheap) system, but they want the section managers to use it. > > > Recently, our Zoom meetings started exceeding the Zoom Pro limit of 100 participants, and knowing those numbers will only increase, I made a request to the ARRL to increase that limit to the next level of 500. Steve Ewald, WV1X took my request up through his chain of command, where it was declined. I didn't feel then, and I don't feel now that something that is being used nationwide should be paid for out of a section budget. However, a group of section managers did present a proposal to the league to do just that. That proposal was also rejected. I posted an update to the section managers as to where that stood, and what I posted was sent off, resulting in others getting involved. Directors and officers have been contacted by many inside and outside of the ARRL origination, and other voices have surfaced in all this. Bottom line: Those that support our efforts are making their voices heard, and those that don't, want the noise to go away. > > > Zoom costs: I added a 500 limit to an already paid for Zoom Pro account ($14.99/mo - $148.90 annually). The additional 500 seats added $50/mo, bringing the total up to $64.99/mo - $779.88 annually. I received a discount, so the actual billing was $600.00. > > Since we already had the paid Zoom Pro account, they pro-rated the amount due to $395.08, which is the amount I am asking the ARRL for reimburse. The current Zoom account is paid up to February 13, 2021, at which time it will need to be renewed for the full amount of $64.99/mo - $779.88 annually. Rather or not, we renew Zoom at that time will depend on several factors. > > > To address comments made about me representing ARRL section managers, I want to stress that in no way do I represent the ARRL's section managers or their sections either through my actions or what I say. However, I do provide them a platform for them to represent themselves and the sections they serve. While not all section managers participate, over half do, and together we've been able to make amazing progress. It is only a beginning, and we have a lot more yet to accomplish. > > > Our ARRL members and others affected by the decisions of the ARRL want to be a part of that process. Section Managers are in the best position to be the voice of those in the field and need to be able to represent their membership better. The current procedure is for section managers to go through their division directors does not work for everyone. If a section manager is restricted from representing his or her section, the membership is who it hurts most. The section managers met with some directors to work out a solution. While the solution we came up with was not ideal, it was a start but short-lived as the directors did not except it, and those doors were closed. Muting the voice of those elected to serve the members effectively mutes the membership. > > > Other projects include ARES, which is not covered here. > > > Hopefully, this answers a lot of questions. > > > Please feel free to contact me directly or by email. > > > - Dan > > Dan Marler, K7REX > 208-914-8939 > K7REX(a)arrl.org > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > arrl-odv mailing list > arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org > https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv _______________________________________________ arrl-odv mailing list arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org https://reflector.arrl.org/mailman/listinfo/arrl-odv

2 1

[arrl-odv:30442] ARRL Learning Network
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 24 Jun '20

24 Jun '20

Good afternoon: I wanted to inform the Board of a new initiative we are launching that has been named "The ARRL Learning Network" -- a series of online webinars presented by member-volunteers, for members. While somewhat a reaction to the pandemic, like hamfest forums and radio club presentations, these webinars are intended to help members get more active, involved, and engaged in amateur radio. Prospective speakers will be invited to complete an online form including their topic and other information. A cross-departmental staff team will select speakers to schedule for the webinars. At least initially, the webinars will be hosted using our 500-seat GotoWebinar account, though we will likely evaluate Zoom, too. Webinars will be recorded, and some will be made available for viewing as part of a ARRL Learning Network library. In this way we will be able to control the quality of both the content and the presentation for distribution. Motivation for the Learning Network stems from a handful of goals and interests: * We want to identify more subject matter experts for our future online course member benefit, the ARRL Learning Center. In addition, this might also help identify content providers for our line of publications (both books and periodicals) although that is not the primary purpose. * We want to position ARRL and our experienced member-volunteers as a regular source of quality learning and skills development in amateur radio. * We want to be able to respond to regular requests from our affiliated radio clubs for quality programming, particularly clubs that lack ready access to presenters, or have a last-minute speaker cancellation. * We want to bolster the ARRL membership proposition. The live webinars and recorded presentations are intended for members and will create additional value in the membership. To help initially identify potential presenters, we will be enlisting the SMs in this first step as, individually, each is well connected with known speakers and presenters from throughout the clubs and hamfests in their Section. We will be sending out the attached Call for Speakers to the SMs later this week. Our current plan is to begin scheduling speakers for webinars as early as mid-July. The ARRL Learning Network is the creation of, and is being developed by, Kris Bickell for Lifelong Learning, and Bob Inderbitzen for Product Development. Steve Ford, for Publications, will provide additional support for vetting speakers and topics. Ally Flynn, also for Lifelong Learning, will provide additional support and coordination for the program and speakers. Overall it calls for a collaboration across functions at HQ and it uses qualified member-volunteers to help us reach our objectives, two things we have been criticized for in the past. Right now the program is labeled "beta" as we anticipate making modifications as we introduce and evaluate the webinars. Please let me know if you have any questions and we will try and answer them. 73, Barry, N1VXY

10 14

[arrl-odv:30441] Fwd: FCC actions
by Mike Raisbeck 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

K1KI dug this up and sent it to me. Worth a read MikeK1TWF Mike Raisbeck k1twf(a)arrl.net -----Original Message----- From: Tom Frenaye <frenaye(a)pcnet.com> To: k1twf(a)arrl.org Sent: Fri, Jun 19, 2020 8:44 am Subject: FCC actions ARRL has always believed that a little FCC enforcement goes a long way, and we actively publicize actions involving hams who have gotten into trouble as a way to deter others. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything that actually suggested that “theory” was an accurate assessment. Check this out https://phys.org/news/2020-06-osha-violations-yields-compliance-equal.html Might be worth passing along to Riley and other. 73 Tom/K1KI —Tom Frenaye, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093. c: 860-597-4539 h: 860-668-5444

1 0

[arrl-odv:30440] IN Newsletter June 19 2020
by Pereira, Carla, KC1HSX 19 Jun '20

19 Jun '20

Have a safe and happy weekend!

1 0

[arrl-odv:30439] FW: draft joint press release / 2021 ARRL National Convention at Orlando HamCation
by Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) 18 Jun '20

18 Jun '20

Good Afternoon ODV: The attached should be considered BOARD CONFIDENTIAL for the moment and is for your information only. While it might seem far off at this point, the 2021 ARRL National Convention at the Orlando Hamcation is only 8 months away and will be here before we know it. In light of that, attached is a draft joint press release we will be issuing early next week beginning our promotion of the event. Please DO NOT forward this beyond the ODV group. We are waiting for Hamcation's final sign off on the release and will put it out on ARRL news and social media outlets beginning next week. If anyone has any questions, you can ask me or Bob Inderbitzen. I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe. 73, Barry, N1VXY From: Inderbitzen, Bob, NQ1R <rinderbitzen(a)arrl.org<mailto:rinderbitzen@arrl.org>> Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2020 12:56 PM To: Shelley, Barry, N1VXY (CEO) <bshelley(a)arrl.org<mailto:bshelley@arrl.org>> Subject: draft joint press release / 2021 ARRL National Convention at Orlando HamCation Hi Barry, The press release I've prepared (attached) has already been approved by Kathleen. I'm seeking final sign-offs from Dan H. and Dee, and then copyediting with Becky. The final doc will be the basis of a joint press release with Orlando HamCation for the 2021 ARRL National Convention. Pending a couple more sign-offs (including HamCation), I'll get this into the ARRL News pipe early next week. I can also stagger this, if you'd like to share the final with ODV on Monday, and then releasing it to ARRL News on Tuesday. Bob

1 0