IN-Newsletter Vol. 28, No. 36 September 7, 2005 Upcoming Meetings and Events ARRL Section Manager Training. ARRL Headquarters. 23-25 September, 2005. United States Telecommunications Training Institute-Amateur Radio Administration for Regulators Module. ARRL Headquarters. 26-30 September, 2005. CEO Everyone is working non-stop on the Hurricane Katrina response. John Hennessee updated the presentation which can be used in educating local antenna regulators about the value of Amateur Radio. Information on Katrina was added. He assisted amateurs with local government zoning concerns in Yardley, PA (K3PIN) and Thousand Oaks, CA (W6RSP) and with a covenant concern in Pasco, WA (W7WCC). Development The summer Spectrum Defense Campaign has topped $155,000 so far. Response is slowing, but we still hope to reach the $230,000 mark. The final $25,000 contribution for the 2005 Teachers Institute is expected next week. Development is joining other departments to support the ham radio response to Hurricane Katrina. Production/Editorial Rick Lindquist reports The ARRL Letter, Vol. 24, No 34, was distributed on September 2. Much of the news involved Amateur Radio involvement in disaster relief efforts in the Gulf Coast and other areas. Rick voiced, edited and produced ARRL Audio News for September 2. Membership Services Awards Branch WAS in the 90th Awards 2 WAC QSL Cards Checked 24 LTMA Inquiries 1 Replacement Award 1 VUCC Initial Applications 7 Grids 840 VUCC End. Applications 2 Grids 146 Awards Mailed 7 Also worked on budget matters. Processing Status: Current or up to three weeks. For the coming week-WAS QSL card checking, Basic WAS awards for August, U.S. WAC and VUCC awards, and work on budget matters. Contest Branch Labels for the DX Contest certificates were printed after the database was repaired. Stuffing envelopes and affixing labels commenced. Rules announcements for the 2005 ARRL 160-Meter and 10-Meter contests were prepared and sent to Production. Data entry for paper IARU HF logs continued and the database for the August UHF contest was initialized. We worked with the Sales & Marketing Department to get the Icom logo format ready for incorporation with the November Sweepstakes web rules and use in QST and announcements. We started work on the 2005 Field Day write-up. DXCC Branch For the week of: September 4, 2005 Beginning Credits 89,789 Credits Received 5,557 Credits Processed 15,213 Ending Credits 80,133 Applications Pending 858 Processing Time (Conventional) 9.8 Weeks Year-to-date (2005) Credits Received 444,176 Credits Returned 423,847 DXCC is currently mailing applications received on June 25, 2005. DXCC is currently entering credits received on July 7, 2005. Logbook of the World QSO records entered into the system 78,460,364 QSL records have resulted 3,736,795 Logs Processed 142,224 Active Certificates 15,655 Users registered in the system 10,395 Hybrids Pending Mail 107 QSL Bureau There is a 2 day processing time delay. This week, 77 pounds of cards were received from members. 51,100 cards were mailed this week. W1AW W1AW was staffed over the weekend (and on Monday, Labor Day) to answer calls that came in on the "Katrina" line and to monitor the various emergency nets in operation. A special thanks to those HQ staff who contributed time, energy and material goods. Joe updated the web code practice files and created the texts for the September W1AW Qualifying Runs. He also processed certificates and one endorsement for the Qualifying Run award. He also processed regular W1AW QSL card requests. Joe also worked the Monday and Tuesday late afternoon/night shifts for a vacationing Scott Gee. Field & Educational Services Rosalie worked with the US ARISS Officers to draft a grant proposal going to NASA. We hope the grant can help fund ARISS 2006 activities, including money for IRLP/Echolink, which will broaden our outreach. Rosalie passed along to the Hq staff information from served agencies regarding Katrina. One item was from an unknown agency requesting that ARRL partner with them. She networked with Joyce Birmingham and then the ARISS Team about a QSO request from space tourist Greg Olsen. Field Education Team Gail Iannone sent 5 hamfest approval letters and 3 convention approval letters to the sponsoring committees confirming the Division Directors' approval of their events as "ARRL-sanctioned," processed 11 handout and door prize material orders, 2 label requests for upcoming events, and sent a Wouff Hong supply package for the ceremony to be performed at the Southwestern Division Convention being held September 9th-11th in Riverside, CA. She co-coordinated travel for Harold Kramer to be the Hq Rep at the Pacific Division Convention to be held October 14th-16th in San Ramon, CA and for Mike Gruber to be the Hq Rep at the Florida State Convention to be held December 3rd-4th in Palmetto, FL. She also sent 9 SSC renewal applications and 3 new SSC applications to the Division Directors, Section Managers, and Affiliated Club Co-coordinators for their approval. CEP-Bill Barrett This is the final weekly report for the CEP. The program has been successfully completed. A total of twelve locations were served, with good results at all of them. It is now up to the local hams and emergency served agencies to maintain and extend these new relationships. I am willing to continue on a volunteer basis to handle whatever "tidy-up" tasks and continuing requests for information may occur, if that is desired. A final report is being assembled which will include in a three-ring binder copies of all the pertinent documents, survey analysis spreadsheets, and other materials for future reference. In addition, I am more than willing to write a comprehensive article for QST that would lay out how this entire project was delivered to the field; and my advice and observations on how to do it entirely locally generated, if that is desired, for the benefit of the membership in all the locations the CEP could not reach. I've had a good run, and an excellent time. I wish the program could continue, because it works. My thanks to all for your support, encouragement, intelligence, assistance, and creativity. Field Organization/Public Service team Most of time spent on answering questions and relaying messages in regard to Hurricane Katrina and follow up work with communications in and out of the area. I received documentation concerning problems on 2 meter repeaters in Idaho and Missouri as well as reports of unidentified digital signals on 15 and 20 meters. A report of unlicensed fishermen using 75 meters off the coast of Massachusetts was received and is being investigated. Steve has been communicating with SM's in regard to emergency communications in regard to the Katrina hurricane. Leona received SM nomination petitions from two candidates for Western Massachusetts section: Ed Emco, W1KT and William C. Voedisch, W1UD. The deadline to receive these SM nominations is next Friday, September 9, 2005 by 4 p.m. for the term beginning January 1, 2005. Leona took care of many SM expenses through section budget. She also sent out about 20 packages of supplies to new appointees that included: Emergency Coordinator, Assistant Section Manager, Net Manager, Official Emergency Station. She also sent out an OO test package to one who was recommended for OO appt. of the Orange section. Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program-Mark Spencer The ETP operation was started-up in California on September 1st. There are a few bugs being worked out with e-mail transfer and access, Andy has been a big help working out those issues. The phone number in CA is 530-495-9150. The office hours will be 7-11 PST (10-2PM EST); of course the phone will be answered other times when I am in the office. Current e-mail addresses that are most reliable are mspencer@arrl.org (primary), wa8sme@arrl.org, and etp@arrl.org. The JOTA and SCOUT e-mail addresses are still being worked. This week I cleared out the e-mail backlog accumulated during the 10 days of travel/vacation time. There has been a mailing of a comprehensive survey to all project related schools. The number of inquiries about the Satellite Tracker Project published in September QST has been surprising. I have responded to about 75 e-mails that requested the software or had other questions. It is interesting that the project has been on the ARRL web ETP web pages for about 6 months and there has not been a single inquiry about the project, but the QST article generated this level of interest. A request to update the contact information on the web pages has been submitted. I have begun work on task force tasks and development of a PowerPoint presentation on "Math for the Ham Radio Operator". The focus of this presentation is to give instructors a tool to use to help their licensing students review relevant math for the license exams before they approach the radio content that uses the math. Sincerely, Dave Patton, NN1N Special Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer DCP: lk Staff Absentee List Steve Capodicasa 9/5-9/12 Vacation Dave Patton 9/16-9/18 W9DXCC Convention, Elk Grove, IL 10/20-10/24 Vera Cruz, Mexico (FMRE Convention) 11/21-11/28 Cartagena, Colombia (CQWW CW) Ed Hare 9/8-9/9 Club talk in Rochester, NY Dave Sumner 8/22-9/8 Vacation `` 9/9-9/19 IARU R1 and AC meetings, Davos and Zurich 9/30 Vacation 10/3-10/9 IARU R3 Directors meeting and SEANET meeting, Bangalore Mary Hobart 9/8-9/11 SW Division - Riverside `` 9/15-9/16 Vacation `` 9/22-9/23 Vacation Rick Lindquist 9/19-9/20 Vacation Scott Gee 9/12 Vacation `` 9/29-9/30 Vacation Bill Moore 9/16 Virginia Beach, VA convention Judy Miller 9/16 Vacation Gail Iannone 9/15-9/20 Vacation