[ARRL logo-and-logotype black gold vertical] IN-Newsletter Vol. 41, No. 45 December 23, 2016 Covers the period December 10 - December 16, 2016 Upcoming In-Person Meetings and Events Logbook Study Committee January 18, 2017 @ HQ, Newington, CT New Director and Vice Director Orientation January 18, 2017 @ HQ, Newington, CT Administration & Finance Committee Meeting January 19, 2017 @ HQ, Newington, CT Programs & Services Committee Meeting January 19, 2017 @ W1AW, Newington, CT Annual Board Meeting January 20 - 21, 2017 @ Windsor, CT ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention January 27 - 29, 2017 @ Hatillo, Puerto Rico Southeastern Division Convention, February 9 - 13, 2017 @ Orlando, FL Hamvention 2017 May 19 - 21, 2017 @ Xenia, OH Chief Executive Office Reported by Tom Gallagher, NY2RF The 95th Anniversary of the first transatlantic signal reception was commemorated on December 11, in Greenwich, CT and Ardrossan, Scotland, as noted in last week's IN-News by Dave Patton. The event was covered on the UK side by BBC Scotland. A link to the BBC story can be found here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-38262397 On December 14, Tom Gallagher met with ABC/Disney news executive, Howard Price, KA2QPJ, who is also President of the Broadcast Employees Amateur Radio Society, Inc. (BEARS), along with the founder of RFinder, to discuss potential opportunities for collaboration. Planning and preparations continue for the January 2017 Annual Board Meeting. Development Reported by Lauren Clarke, KB1YDD A recent mailing was sent to Life Members who have never contributed to ARRL - the letter, signed by Tom Gallagher, NY2RF, asked these Life Members to join the Diamond Club. In the past month, we have gained 25 new Diamond Club members and $3,915 in revenue through this mailing. Part of Development's business plan is to encourage recurring donations, i.e., giving $10 a month for a total of $120 a year. A new buck slip has been created for recurring donations and will be included in Diamond Club renewals and solicitations in 2017. The ARRL Foundation is in the process of approving the W1FDR Scholarship Fund, funded through the generosity of Bob Ravenstein, W1FDR. Education Reported by Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Teacher Registration Instructor Registration Graduation Kit Requests License Class Listings 2 9 0 9 IT continues to work on resolving bugs in the new instructor feedback system. It is not yet fully operational. Debra coordinated with Radio Waves contributing editor Edith Lennon to identify stories to solicit for future issues. ARISS International contacts supported this week included a direct contact between Astronaut Thomas Pesquet, KG5FYG and students at the Maristes High School, Toulouse, France on Dec. 12; a direct contact between cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov and students at The Communication College of Vologda and Information Technologies, in Vologda, Russia, on Dec. 13; and a telebridge contact with students at Scuola Secondaria di Primo Grado "Niccolò Pisano" in Marina di Pisa, Italy, on Dec. 15 with astronaut Shane Kimbrough, KE5HOD. Debra sent notices to the accepted applicants to the ARISS program whose proposals were received during the fall proposal window, generated the announcement of selected schools, and updated the ARRL website. She also corresponded with schools that were not selected, advising them on how to improve their proposals for resubmission. Education & Technology Program Debra met with Sean to revise the script for the video about the Teachers Institute being produced with the help of Vice Director Tom Delaney. Field Services Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Field Organization With four Section Manager elections scheduled for this winter, Leona Adams received Section Manager candidate statements from all nine candidates who are running for the next terms of office. Leona prepared these statements and section ballots for Arizona, Kentucky, Iowa, and North Texas ARRL section elections. After proofing and additional coordination efforts with other departments at Headquarters, these items were sent to the local printer. Steve Ewald completed work on the Field Organization Reports column for February QST. As expected, the end of the year ARRL related section expense reports have been flowing into this branch of the department, and staff has been handling these. W1AW Reported by Joe Carcia, NJ1Q Joe processed three Qualifying Run certificates. He also processed regular QSL card requests. Joe repaired a power distribution breaker panel used for the 15-meter broadcast transmitter. He performed frequency measure tests (CW, digital) on all the broadcast equipment. Joe also processed three authorization requests for the use of W1AW next year during one ARRL State convention (Puerto Rico) and two ARRL Division conventions (Northwestern and Southwestern - Sea-Pac and Hamcon, respectively). Scott worked on slow and fast code practice texts for the upcoming week. He also processed VUCC certificates and endorsements. Lab Reported by Bob Allison, WB1GCM QST Product Review Bob Allison, WB1GCM, is currently testing an HF/VHF mobile transceiver. Testing should be wrapped up shortly. There are many other transceivers scheduled for testing, so please look for Bob in the screen room if you need him. RFI Mike Gruber, W1MG, responded to numerous telephone calls and emails regarding radio frequency interference. Mike also stayed at Headquarters very late to chair the p1897 Working Group meeting for IEEE. Ask Mike about this very important work he's conducting. Technical Information Service Zack Lau, W1VT, uploaded the Propagation Forecasts for January 2017. The predicted solar flux is a very low 78. He also handled quite a number of emails and phones calls that routinely come into the Lab each day. At home, Zack worked two more countries, Montenegro on CW and Sardinia on JT65, to push his 160M country total to 101 worked and 96 confirmed. Working 100 countries (DXCC) on 160 meters is no easy feat! Production/Editorial Reported by Becky R. Schoenfeld, W1BXY The February2017 issue of QST is at the printer. Radiosport Reported by Norm Fusaro, W3IZ DXCC Paper/Fieldcheck Processing Time 2 Weeks Logbook Processing Time 1-2 Days Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R Bob Inderbitzen traveled to Dayton on December 8 to meet with key members of the 2017 Hamvention Committee. He committed ARRL's exhibit space at the Greene County Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Xenia, Ohio - the new home for Hamvention. ARRL's exhibit area is approximately one-third of the size we occupied at the Hara Complex since 2005 (when Hamvention approached ARRL for help filling unsold exhibit space). Other buildings on the property will house forums and some additional exhibits. Preliminary layouts depict over 300 booths, an outdoor flea market, and onsite parking. Registration and instructions for lodging reservations will be circulated in late January. 2017 Hamvention is May 19-21. Jackie Ferreira crafted a handful of holiday-themed publication campaigns conducted via email and promoted on our website and social media. These activities have been responsible for driving the majority of traffic to our e-store throughout the month. One campaign, which concluded last week, required participants to subscribe to a daily email for 12 days featuring specific products and offers. The campaign reached 3,700 unique members and subscribers, and contributed 367 orders. With help from John Proctor, our sales reports have been modified to include costs of goods and net revenue. The information will help us closely track the effectiveness of our marketing and promotion activities. A campaign featuring the ARRL Visa Signature® Card was promoted to members by email and in the ARRL Letter. ARRL earned $3,468 in November for the ARRL Visa Card program; year to date $42,311 ($39,458 Jan-Nov 2015). Yvette prepared "reminder letters" that were mailed to 553 members making quarterly payments toward Life Membership. She also continues to participate with an interdepartmental team to define the criteria for programming a new membership system. Our staff reviewed planning for the introduction of the new digital publishing platform for QST, so we can support members as they migrate to the improved digital QST benefit. The warehouse clerks are readying the facility for the end of year physical inventory. Hamfest/Member Contact/ARRL Representative/Meetings/Vacations Leona Adams 12/27 - 12/28 PTO Bob Allison 12/26 - 12/30 PTO " Jackie Ferreira 12/27 - 12/30 PTO Steve Ford 12/22 - 01/02 PTO Norm Fusaro 12/22 - 12/27 PTO Tom Gallagher 12/14 - 01/03 PTO " 01/27 - 01/29 ARRL Puerto Rico State Convention, Hatillo, PR " 02/10 - 02/12 Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, FL Scott Gee 12/23 - 12/27 PTO " 02/20 - 02/24 PTO Perry Green Medical Leave Dan Henderson 12/05 - 01/09 Medical Leave Gail Iannone 10/07 - 01/09 Sick Leave Bob Inderbitzen 12/28 - 12/30 PTO " 02/09 - 02/13 Southeastern Division Convention, Orlando, FL Debra Johnson 12/23 PTO Sean Kutzko 12/22 - 12/30 PTO Lisa Kustosik 12/22 - 12/23 PTO Monique Leveque 12/21 - 01/02 PTO Carla Pereira 12/23 PTO " 12/30 PTO Sincerely Compiled by, Carla Pereira, Assistant to CEO