June 2021 - arrl-odv - reflector.arrl.org

[arrl-odv:32515] Fwd: Maglite sellout?
by Michael Ritz 25 Jun '21

25 Jun '21

Reference below the e-mail I received from a member, who apparently is not very happy about our new marketing relationship with Maglite. Anybody know what the announcement of our partnership with Maglite in today's ARRL letter really means? In other words: Are we making money on this? Are ARRL members going to get discounts on Maglite products? Are we going to sell Maglite flashlights re-branded as ARRL flashlights? Was this partnership something approved by the EC or A&F? 73; Mike W7VO > ---------- Original Message ---------- > From: H Field > To: "w7vo(a)arrl.org" <w7vo(a)arrl.org> > Date: 06/24/2021 5:16 PM > Subject: Maglite sellout > > > Hi Mike > The announcement reads like a corporate buyout. Did this go to the board for approval? > If this is not a corporate takeover and actually a marketing feat by Maglite, how much money did Maglite pay ARRL for ARRL's endorsement of its products? Can that money be distributed to the members, in recognition of the devaluation of ARRL as it just turned itself into a marketing organization? > > Halden NR7V > >

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[arrl-odv:32514] BOARD CONFIDENTIAL: Possible New ARRL Activities
by Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) 24 Jun '21

24 Jun '21

BOARD CONFIDENTIAL: There are some sensitive comments below Dick Thanks for your creative input. My comments are below: ARDC, with its $100M+ assets We have met with ARDC to discuss opportunities. I have 2 grant proposals I would like see submitted on behalf of ARRL that involve support of clubs and our blind/visually impaired initiative. The club grant I am collaborating with Dr Woolweaver on who is taking the lead. The other I am waiting for feedback from ARDC before putting the work into writing the proposal. That number will likely double in the next year or two so ARDC will be able to fund some huge initiatives. 1a) Financial assistance to conventions and hamfests This has been discussed with respect to the Dallas area, where HAMCOM has ceased. Director Stratton and I have discussed this on a few occasions. It is more complicated than just dollars, as it was also impacted by the age, health, and ability of the core team to support HAMCOM going forward. I am a big believer that ARRL needs to engage the larger event teams, help them share best practices (and failures), to evolve as an event. I also agree that there are ways ARRL can help on the financial side. 1b) Literature and distribution form assistance for widows and families with radio equipment This, to me, is a sensitive subject having dealt with 2 estates personally. What I observed was local hams trying to get in first with very lowball offers, at a delicate time, and take advantage of the situation. I believe our clubs can be a tremendous resource here. In both estates I was involved with, the widows wanted absolutely nothing to do with the ham shack. Both chose not to be home when I brought in the buyers to take out the equipment. Any document they might have had, short of a name and a phone number, would have meant nothing to them. Both of my friends told their wives to call me to deal with the shack and no one else. Today when we get calls from families, we direct them to contact the President of a local club for assistance. We could also direct them to their Section Manager. We’ve talked about this in the past and we’re really not clear where to post something like this or how to address it – or even to what detail. What can be helpful are those SKs who took out ARRL Insurance as they had to detail and value everything being covered in their shack. I have also noted the increase in the number of auctions being handled by Schulman. They’re about to launch another auction that is loaded with Collins equipment. We’re open to ideas and suggestions. It is a sensitive subject. 1c) Accepting and processing donations of equipment and parts As I understand it, Norm used to handle this. He’d work with the Lab to fix the radios and then he’d sell them on eBay – for a fee. Over time it was discovered that this was taking up precious resource time in the Lab and Norm grew tired of boxing and shipping radios, so the program ended. As a matter of course, we get very few donations of equipment. We have received donations of equipment towards the auction. In fact, we received two absolutely amazing restored radios from the 1960+/- vintage the member wants us to auction off. These are very special radios. I went to see them just today and the Valiant II is absolutely museum quality. 2) POTENTIAL PROJECTS DIRECTED AT POSSIBLE NEW MEMBERS Please suggest something. Item 3a) has some connection to this category. I know there was some heat to this item during A&F, but we have been selling the EFHW Antenna kit at an unbelievable clip. Sales believes it is the most successful kit we’ve ever sold. We sold 3 rounds of 250 kits in a matter of days each time it went into the store. YouTubers have done build videos which drove sales wild. These are not directed at members. The kit is directed at hams to get them to build something and get on the air. And they are. We are currently looking to source 2-3 more kits for the holidays to give hams a reason to build something for their station and get radio active. We will be following those up with communications to convert the non-members into members. If you have any ideas, please let us know. One idea we have for Fall is an Anderson PowerPole power strip kit sold by K9JEB. He’s assembled some really nice kits and they’re practical to build and to use. The other area where we see a lot of activity is in portable operation including POTA and SOTA. I am looking into working with a YouTube creator who has a channel called TheOutdoorGearReview (TOGR). I’d like to get him to get licensed and integrate some ham operating into all of his outdoor activities. The guy is prolific. 3) POTENTIAL PROJECTS DIRECTED AT PUBLIC AND AMATEUR RADIO TECHNICIAL EDUCATION 3a) Producing books, videos, and convention talks on modern communications, explained from the viewpoint of ham radio. modes and schemes such as CDMA, GSM, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and others. We could look into finding an author to take this subject matter on. I think that WiFi and Bluetooth would have specific interest to hams. Especially if there are projects related to them like what Green Heron is doing with their GH Everywhere line. I have always thought about a Bluetooth adapter for paddles so there’s no cables laying on the desktop. Other than a primer on the other modes, there are probably existing texts that one could purchase that cover the material better than we could from scratch. 3b) Amateur Radio Museum Another item, discussed in the past, would be to establish ad maintain a substantial Amateur Radio museum, possibly in conjunction with another organization. One of your ideas Diane and I have continued to pursue: the acquisition of our own building for warehousing. We have also been looking at opportunities for mixed-use facilities that could possibly house a museum and an area where equipment could be maintained. We did find a building very close by that would fit the bill, but at $1.5MM it comes with a steep price tag. The search continues. I think there’s a ton of work to be done in the historical aspect of our business. I cannot push the idea hard enough that we need a digital museum. We have approached Universal Radio about acquiring their website, which happens to be one of the very best resources for amateur radio equipment and publication data on the Internet today. (They are continuing to sell off their inventory and have told us that 3 different retailers have approached them about buying the business) We could curate a historical collection and move it around the country to events or to be displayed in other radio museums, but that is very expensive and we run the risk of needing to constantly repair radios post-shipping. Here’s another item worth considering: PRESERVATION OF AMATEUR RADIO RESOURCES There are considerable threats to hams losing access to precious resources. Examples? MFJ – Martin is aging out, has no one from the family interested in running the business, he has an extremely low cost base due to geography and a local flexible workforce, and it isn’t obvious that anyone would step in to try to buy the business post-Martin. A few of the brands? Maybe. Scott Robbins has built out Vibroplex doing that, but he has a bandwidth problem. I’m not sure what we could do here, but MFJ has been an important resource – maybe one of the most important – to amateur radio. AMSAT – Sadly, it appears they are tearing themselves apart from within. What would we do if they implode? Should we look to acquire(?) them and integrate them into ARRL? ARISS is off on their own now but also very dependent on money from AMSAT. CQ Magazine – They were saved once before. It is likely they’ll lose steam again at some point. Is that good for ham radio? Nope. Do we acquire them before they’re neck deep in red and going down for the last time? Do we get out ahead of that? QRZ.com – A huge resource for amateur radio. One guy. A few helpers. If he’s gone, so is QRZ. That’s very fragile. Do we acquire that? Somehow integrate it into our member services? ExamTools – VEC groups including us rely on them. One guy. One helper. When he’s gone because it was too much work for no money, so is ExamTools. We are looking at moving on this to add into our licensing ecosystem now. We’ve begun the dialog. It is the next step, now that we have the Dave Cassler licensing videos to supplement our books. I could keep going. The point is: Are we the caretakers of amateur radio? Is that one of the jobs our members expect us to take on? Are we the ones who should recognize the importance of these and other resources and take steps to ensure that they don’t go away? Where do we draw the line? CLOSING I could spend millions. At the moment, I am trying to build a team and create a culture where we can step up and be counted on to do real work. We also have at least 2 projects, LoTW and ARRL.org, which could easily cost more than $1MM each. We are at a pivotal time, we need to prioritize, and we need to determine where and how we need to spend money for real impact. Thanks for spurring on the discussion Dick! David

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[arrl-odv:32509] Rep Lesko Addresses Congress re Amateur Radio & Field Day
by Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) 23 Jun '21

23 Jun '21

https://www.facebook.com/RepDebbieLesko/videos/891890428207324

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[arrl-odv:32508] FW: card checker question
by Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) 22 Jun '21

22 Jun '21

Sorry! Hit reply rather than reply all. Answer to Carl’s email is below. From: Minster, David NA2AA (CEO) Sent: Monday, June 21, 2021 2:55 PM To: Carl Luetzelschwab <carlluetzelschwab(a)gmail.com> Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:32507] card checker question Yes he will. I don’t believe that Norm was the first point of contact on these issues, but it doesn’t matter. It’s in Bob’s area of responsibility. From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces(a)reflector.arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org>> On Behalf Of Carl Luetzelschwab Sent: Monday, June 21, 2021 1:03 PM To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv(a)reflector.arrl.org<mailto:arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org>> Subject: [arrl-odv:32507] card checker question This question showed up on the card checker reflector. Will Bob W5OV pick this up? Carl K9LA "Now that Norm Fusaro W3IZ has retired, I am wondering who is the League's point of contact for questions pertaining to Field checking as well as general DXCC/LoTW related issues? I didn't see any ARRL announcement associated with Norm's departure or who would be picking up his responsibilities... Perhaps I missed that? 73, Hal W8HC"

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[arrl-odv:32507] card checker question
by Carl Luetzelschwab 21 Jun '21

21 Jun '21

This question showed up on the card checker reflector. Will Bob W5OV pick this up? Carl K9LA "Now that Norm Fusaro W3IZ has retired, I am wondering who is the League's point of contact for questions pertaining to Field checking as well as general DXCC/LoTW related issues? I didn't see any ARRL announcement associated with Norm's departure or who would be picking up his responsibilities... Perhaps I missed that? 73, Hal W8HC"

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[arrl-odv:32506] IMC June 22, ***7pm Eastern***
by Niswander, Rick 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

Login information for the Zoom meeting of the Investment Management Committee on June 22 is below. NOTE that the meeting will start at 7pm Eastern. The June 29 meeting will start at 7pm as well. Frederick (Rick) Niswander, PhD, CPA, CGMA Professor of Accounting East Carolina University Greenville, NC 27858 Rick Niswander is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/93489480083?pwd=TlhvWWY4aGg4TGovYTd3Qm5HaVN1dz09 Meeting ID: 934 8948 0083 Passcode: 731489 One tap mobile +13126266799,,93489480083#,,,,*731489# US (Chicago) +19294362866,,93489480083#,,,,*731489# US (New York) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 436 2866 US (New York) +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma) Meeting ID: 934 8948 0083 Passcode: 731489 Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/acio2WbN9Z

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[arrl-odv:32505] Possible New ARRL Activities
by Richard Norton 20 Jun '21

20 Jun '21

Amateur Radio today is swimming in money. The May 2021 ARRL financial report showed, "The investment portfolio had a balance of $36 million, $7.2 million greater than May of 2020." ARDC, with its $100M+ assets, continues to dole out $5M to $6M per year in grants related to Amateur Radio and digital communications. For example, they just gave $1.6M to the MIT Radio Club to refurbish a microwave antenna radome installation on top of one of MIT's buildings. As I have previously said, we have a lot of money and should find something productive to do with some of it. This does not seem to be trivial. Here are a few ideas that the League might undertake that might productively employ a small amount of the League's substantial funds. If there is any Board support, we might take steps toward implementation. 1) POTENTIAL PROJECTS BENEFITING CURRENT MEMBERS 1a) Financial assistance to conventions and hamfests Amateur Radio conventions in a number of regions have been discontinued because venue costs have increased to beyond the point where Radio Amateur's support can make them profitable or even break-even. This has been discussed with respect to the Dallas area, where HAMCOM has ceased. This is not unique to the West Gulf Division. The same cost issue affected Hudson, Central, and Southwestern Divisions, as convention-appropriate hotels in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Phoenix have been priced beyond what hams will support for a number of years. Currently, ARRL takes no financial risk on sanctioned conventions. It gives financial support in the form of a couple of certificates for free books to be used as door prizes, and possible funding of a speaker from Headquarters. We might consider partially funding venue costs, or even have a staff that deals and negotiates with venues. If there is support for League financial convention assistance, we should be able to work out appropriate formulas. 1b) Literature and distribution form assistance for widows and families with radio equipment A fairly simple and inexpensive contribution to a deceased ham's survivors would be a brochure dealing with what to do with station equipment after death. It might include blank forms for a Radio Distribution Directive. The directive could list important pieces of equipment, rough estimated value, and the desired disposition. Should something be given to a club or a person, or should an attempt be made to sell it? How? What should happen with a tower and antenna installation? What should happen to a collection of parts? What should happen with a collection of old radios or keys? What should be done with QSL card collections, magazines, books, logbooks, and plaques? If hams took a little time to document this type of information, it would ease the survivor's burden of equipment disposal, and minimize chances of anyone taking advantage of unknowledgeable widows. 1c) Accepting and processing donations of equipment and parts For a number of years, the League has had an unpublicized program of accepting donations of equipment, checking donations out, repairing, and somehow disposing them in a way that financially benefitted the League. Most of this appears to have been done with volunteers, whose status today is not known. What is today's status of these efforts? Should they be continued? Should the efforts use paid staff? Should they be done with help from volunteers not necessarily located in or near Newington, CT? Should they be publicized? 2) POTENTIAL PROJECTS DIRECTED AT POSSIBLE NEW MEMBERS Please suggest something. Item 3a) has some connection to this category. 3) POTENTIAL PROJECTS DIRECTED AT PUBLIC AND AMATEUR RADIO TECHNICIAL EDUCATION 3a) Producing books, videos, and convention talks on modern communications, explained from the viewpoint of ham radio. Radio Amateurs have classically used basic modes of transmitting information such as CW, AM, FM, SSB, RTTY, and others. Much of today's electronic communication takes place using modes and schemes such as CDMA, GSM, 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi, Bluetooth, and others. Most hams do not understand the functioning of these concepts, whereas hams 50 years ago did understand the then-current electronic communications. The League could take on the task of presenting these concepts in a way that hams could understand them, and deliver the material through books and videos. The League could also fund knowledgeable speakers to deliver the material at gatherings such as conventions. The League might be a center of such communication knowledge that might attract attention from hobbyists primarily involved in using computers for information processing. Information might include hardware descriptions of cell phones as multiple-transceiver devices with antennas that have antenna patterns that could be described in a way where they might be exploited to improve communication. Descriptions of Wi-fi and Bluetooth in computers might be explained similarly. The digital information-format sent by devices, both in scanning for connections, and in exchanging information could be covered. This would involve a major technical addition to League technical capabilities, and likely involve significant cost. The technical knowhow does not appear to be present in the current League staff. ARDC probably has more inherent technical capability than the League in these areas. The ARRL has more inherent publishing and information distribution capability. This is suggested to the League first because it might attract positive attention to the ARRL and ham radio. Possibly something involving both organizations could result. 3b) Amateur Radio Museum Another item, discussed in the past, would be to establish ad maintain a substantial Amateur Radio museum, possibly in conjunction with another organization. Summary These suggestions are for actions that can deliver visible and concrete benefit to members and Amateur Radio. They open up the possibility of the Board doing more than creating committees and fine-tuning documents. If anyone supports any of these possibilities, please let ODV know, and suggest ways that we might proceed. I would also appreciate hearing about other ideas. Thank you. 73, Dick, N6AA

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[arrl-odv:32503] Carla?
by Michael Ritz 18 Jun '21

18 Jun '21

Saw this today in the IN Newsletter, from Carla at HQ: "On a personal note, I’d like to share that I have submitted my resignation, effective July 9. I can honestly say that the staff at HQ are some of the nicest and most dedicated people I’ve ever worked with and I’m thankful for my time here. Hit me up for my personal contact info if you want to keep in touch." 73; Mike W7VO

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[arrl-odv:32502] IN Newsletter June 18, 2021
by Pereira, Carla, KC1HSX 18 Jun '21

18 Jun '21

Please see this weekend's In Newsletter for the latest! Happy Friday!

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[arrl-odv:32479] Phishing attempt emails
by Kermit Carlson 16 Jun '21

16 Jun '21

Hello ALL - I have attached a PNG screenshot of an email that is making therounds to inboxes thoughout the Central DIvision. I have confirmedwith HQ that this is indeed phishing, Several indications such asthe actual link that is behind the blue "link" in the email indicateda problem. I wonder how many other might have seen this ? 73, Kermit W9XA p.s. Perhaps a warning on the website ?

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