<<093009.doc>>
IN-Newsletter
Vol. 32, No. 39
September 30, 2009 -- Covers the period September 20-26.
Upcoming Meetings and Events
Section Manager Workshop
September 25-27 – ARRL HQ
Global Emergency Communications Coalition Meeting
October 7-8 – ARRL HQ
United States Telecommunications Training Institute (USTTI)
October 12-16 – ARRL HQ
Executive Committee Meeting
October 24 @ 9:00am – Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX
Ballot Counting for Director/Vice Director Elections
November 20 -- ARRL HQ
Ad Hoc Committee Meeting on Amateur Auxiliary
November 20 -- ARRL HQ
Administration &Finance Committee
November 21 @ 8:30am – ARRL HQ
Programs & Services Committee
November 21 @ 8:30am – ARRL HQ
COO:
The ARRL On-Line Auction is coming up in November. If you have any Amateur Radio related items that you would like placed in the auction as a donation, please contact Deb Jahnke. This year we have a special auction category for books. Electronic and Amateur Radio books have sold well in past auctions, so let Deb know if you have anything interesting.
The Fathom project continues to move ahead. This next week we will begin training team leaders on the content management system.
Technical Relations
Reported by Brennan Price, N4QX
Both Brennan Price and Jon Siverling are on travel this week, Jon to a CITEL meeting in Argentina, Brennan to ITU Telecom in Geneva. Brennan attended the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communication Conference in Elk Grove, Illinois, presenting a talk on recent ITU Study Group deliberations regarding Software Defined Radio and Cognitive Radio Systems.
Media & Public Relations
Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP
Problems with links in the Hello-Radio.org website caused by a transfer in the hosting servers were resolved after multiple calls to Network Solutions. There are now two possible video pieces being prepared for National Geographic Channel in 2010, plus an NPR piece. With the variety of dates different sections are using for the SET (the suggested one is Oct 3-4), a national wire release is not the best use of our resources, but regional submissions are being made where possible at no cost. Allen presented the strategy, tactics and resources available at the new Section Manager orientation at HQ. An opportunity came up for Allen to be present in the media center for the Chicago Marathon on Oct. 11. This is a major opportunity to present Amateur Radio to national media and arrangements have been made. In addition, promotional materials are being shipped to Jerry Martin, KC9BDA, for use in a pavilion viewable by the public and signs for the Amateur Radio operations at the medical stations. The departmental 2010 draft budget and narrative have been submitted for review. A call to Mark Kraham, W8CMK, Chairman elect of the RTNDA, confirmed that the proposal for a presentation of Amateur Radio emergency operations and how it relates to news operations in crises has passed two vetting and is ”a done deal” for their next national convention in 2010.
Development
Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH
Production for the Spectrum Defense campaign is well underway. This fall’s mailing includes 8 unique mail segments for the first effort. Follow up messages will be sent by email to half of the file of donors who have supported the Defense Fund previously. The other half of donors for whom we have email addresses and who will receive an e-follow up message. In addition, more than 58,000 prospects from the first effort have active email addresses and will receive an e-follow up message. For this campaign Development is encouraging installment contributions of at least $10 a month in an effort to make contributions easier to manage for our donors.
In planning for 2010 Development is working with the IT team to reduce the requirement for the installment option for Diamond Club from $500 to $120 (or $10 per month). Development will reach out to past Diamond Club donors with this option, and include this option for new Diamond Club donors through the membership renewal process.
Development received a generous donation of $2000 to the Ham Aid Fund this week.
Production/Editorial
Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE
Joel Hallas presented “A Comparison of Approaches to Multiband Antennas,” to a Brown Bag lunch (in-service for HQ staff) on September 24.
Khrystyne Keane wrote and distributed The ARRL Letter, Vol. 28, No. 38, for September 24, 2009 – the first Letter to be distributed on a regular basis on Thursdays. She also voiced and produced ARRL Audio News for September 24.
Membership & Volunteer Programs
Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N
Contest Branch
We have received 442 logs for the September VHF contest so far. Log submission deadline is October 14.
We have received 11 logs for the 10 GHz and Up Contest. Log submission deadline is October 20.
Promotion for the November Sweepstakes continues, with lots of press continuing to blanket the reflectors and Contest Update newsletter with reminders of the new 15-day log submission deadline. Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X, also wrote a detailed how-to article on SS for the new website www.collegearc.com, aimed at improving participation in the School Club category. There have been a few inquiries from that article, but nothing indicating a huge amount of new activity.
2008 ARRL EME certificates were mailed out and are starting to arrive in the mailboxes of the winners.
Thanks to the help of Kathy Allison, KA1RWY, the Contest Branch has taken care of a backlog of minor customer service issues, mostly requests for duplicate or lost contest certificates.
Sean is also configuring the WSJT software package for weak-signal communications on the VHF bands, in an effort to activate W1HQ during the ARRL International EME competition the weekend of October 10th. W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, has provided assistance in this venture as well. Participation in the EME contest would be a first for both W1HQ and Sean. It would be good PR within the EME community to see activity from HQ.
W1AW
Thanks to Steve Ewald, WV1X, and Chuck Skolaut, KØBOG, for their hosting at W1AW on Saturday various Section Managers who were at ARRL as part of the Section Manager workshop.
Logs for the Hiram Percy Maxim 140th Birthday Celebration continue to pour into W1AW. To date, there are currently 300+ logs in the certificate database.
Joe continued inputting the HPM/140 applications into the database. He also updated the web code practice files and their archives. Joe also updated the W1AW web page with current Qualifying Run information.
Scott worked on slow and fast code practice files for the latter part of the month of September and early October.
Field Organization/Public Service Team
Thank you to the entire staff for welcoming a dozen Section Managers to Headquarters for the 2009 Section Managers’ Workshop on September 25 -27. The Field Organization/Public Service Team served as event organizers and coordinators. We give special thanks to everyone that helped by leading a session presentation, greeting our guests or by providing logistical assistance to the Workshop.
The following Section Managers attended the 2009 Workshop: Arkansas Section Manager J.M. Rowe, N5XFW; Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager Mike Neilsen, W1MPN; Georgia Section Manager Gene Clark, W4AYK [starting Oct. 1]; Iowa Section Manager Tom Brehmer, N0LOH; Los Angeles Section Manager David Greenhut, N6HD [starting Oct. 1]; New York City-Long Island Section Manager Mike Lisenco, N2YBB; North Texas Section Manager Jay Urish, W5GM; Oklahoma Section Manager Dean Feken, KL7MA; San Joaquin Valley Section Manager Dan Pruitt, AE6SX; Southern New Jersey Section Manager George Strayline, W2GSS; South Texas Section Manager Lee Cooper, W5LHC [starting Oct. 1]; and Wyoming Section Manager Garth Crowe, N7XKT.
Official Observers in Oklahoma, South Carolina, and California are continuing to follow up on various reports and complaints. We heard about a report of unlicensed hunters in West Virginia, and a report of alleged intentional interference to a 40 meter net was received. On the intruder side of the program, more follow-up investigation is taking place on suspected spurious signals from a shortwave broadcaster.
Emergency Preparedness & Response
Reported by Dennis Dura, K2DCD
Participated in new Section Manager Orientation through presentation on emergency preparedness and response.
Sincerely Compiled by,
Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ
Assistant to the CEO
Staff Absentee List
Kathy Allison 10/19-10/23 Vacation
Margie Bourgoin 10/2-10-6 Vacation
Joe Carcia 10/12-10/20 Vacation
Dennis Dura 10/1-10/5 Vacation
Steve Ford 10/9-10/11 AMSAT Symposium, Baltimore, MD
`` 10/12 Vacation
Scott Gee 10/5-10/6 Vacation
Mike Gruber 9/28-10/2 Vacation
Mary Hobart 10/2 Vacation
Bob Inderbitzen 10/8-10/9 Training Conference
Khrystyne Keane 10/23 Vacation
Joel Kleinman 10/5-10/6 Vacation
`` 10/23 Vacation
Linda Kleinschmidt 10/5-10/9 Vacation
Tony Nesta 9/21-10/2 Medical
Allen Pitts 10/5-10/9 Vacation
`` 10/11 Chicago Marathon, Chicago, IL
Steve Sant Andrea 10/16 Vacation
Dave Sumner 10/9-10/19 IARU R3 Conference/AC Meeting, Christchurch, NZ
`` 10/23-10/25 Executive Committee Meeting, Dallas, TX
Dawn Trigilio 10/2 Vacation
Janice Wytas 10/12-10/14 Vacation