<<062409.doc>> IN-Newsletter <<Microsoft Word Picture>> Vol. 32, No. 25 June 24, 2009 -- Covers the period June 14-20. Upcoming Meetings and Events Administration &Finance Committee July 16 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Programs & Services Committee July 16 @ 8:30am in Newington, CT Second Board Meeting July 17-18, 2009 @ 9:00am in Windsor, CT Regulatory Information Reported by Dan Henderson, N1ND As of June 19, Chwat & Co had received 728 letters to 268 different members of Congress supporting HR 2160. This does not include any letters sent directly to members of Congress instead of to Chwat & Co. Some minor changes to the draft text of the proposed CEPT public notice for US Amateur Extra, Advanced and General class licensees prepared by ARRL Technical Relations Manager Brennan Price, N4QX were forwarded for consideration. The proposed revisions to the Palmdale, CA zoning ordinance have been obtained. In spite of the ongoing Zubarau court case, the city has proposed changes to the ordinance that continue to be incompatible with the PRB-1 rulings as well as RFI jurisdictional matters set down by Public Law 97-259. Working with ARRL officials and VCs in the area, we will continue to monitor this situation. Several ongoing situations have been addressed by the RIB, both working in cooperation with Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG's OO program and with Laura Smith at the FCC. One involves a member from southern California who has been denied repeater coordination on the two-meter band by TASMA, the local repeater coordinating group. We have explained that by agreement with the NFCC the ARRL does not become involved with these type issues - the same answer he has received from several ARRL officials in his area. After some rather unkind comments about the ARRL and staff/officials, he has escalated his complaint to the FCC. The FCC has made a determination not in his favor, and he has indicated he will exercise his right to appeal. We also provided him with the correct contact on whom to contact if he wished to pursue his additional complaint against ARRL staff and officials. The second case has involved an individual from the Philadelphia area who is claiming that several amateur radio neighbors are trying to cause her and her family intentional harm with "their radio waves" and asking the ARRL's help in "getting justice on these people." After several phone calls, emails and one US mail letter from her to several ARRL staffers, she was politely but firmly informed that the ARRL could not assist her in this situation and that if she felt there was a real threat against her and/or her family that she really needed to be speaking with the police department. Unfortunately, we receive several of this type complaint each year. We try to handle them as politely as possible but sometimes the complainant simply cannot distinguish fiction from reality. Hitting the home stretch for ARRL Field Day, much time was spent during the week answering email and phone queries related to Field Day. There are now 1,426 clubs and sites listed on the Field Day site locator representing all 50 states. There are also sites listed for eight Canadian provinces/territories, as well as Puerto Rico. The annual Field Day message was written and sent to W1AW. We are working with Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, the W1AW Station Manager, for the station's annual participation in the event. Media & Public Relations Reported by Allen Pitts, W1AGP Copies of state Field Day proclamations have been received from DE, CT, TX, NH, OH, NM, NC, WA, NE, MS, MI, TN, FL and ND. The ARRL release sent out via PR Newswire has produced good results and the release, or versions of it, have appeared in dozens of major publications and Web sites. The linked contact information has also resulted in emails and phone calls from media. We have secured the pictures of the FD logo and caption being displayed on the Times Square and Las Vegas Reuters billboards. Inquiries with the Radio and TV News Director Association have resulted in a positive dialog which we hope will end with special presentations to media leaders about Amateur Radio at their 2010 national convention. The new www.serve.gov <http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=bWFpbGluZ2lkPTUwN DA3NiZtZXNzYWdlaWQ9UFJELUJVTC01MDQwNzYmZGF0YWJhc2VpZD0xMDAxJnNlcmlhbD0xM jE1NTA1NDAzJmVtYWlsaWQ9ZGR1cmFAYXJybC5vcmcmdXNlcmlkPWRkdXJhQGFycmwub3JnJ mV4dHJhPSYmJg==&&&100&&&http://www.serve.gov/> being promoted by the President has been frustrating. Despite notifying the PIOs about it, our own attempts to list the ARRL itself as a national organization on their database have been stymied by the form they force you to use - obviously meant for small, local groups only. Repeated attempts failed to give correct information, such as we are "Not family-friendly," no matter what options were clicked on in the forms. Email requests for aid in this have been sent to their webmasters, but until we can be assured of having correct information there, we feel it is better to have nothing at all. A similar Web page, www.ready.gov <www.ready.gov%20> , had the same type of problems in previous years. But it too just came up again for 2009 and wants updated information. But this year they were ready for us (we swamped them last year) and they have made accommodations for us as a national organization with local branches. We made a friend out of Susan Moeller, director of the University of Maryland's International Center for Media and the Public Agenda, after she made an unfortunate statement in a CNN interview, did several interviews for regional newspapers and two TV reporters, and continue to aid PIOs in their local, last minute FD work. Development Reported by Mary Hobart, K1MMH Development staff are processing contributions to the Education & Technology Fund. More than $42,000 has come in from the mail campaign. Receipts for the Fund Year-to-date total $142,000. The Diamond Club has raised more than $110,000 in gross revenues so far in 2009. The average contribution is a healthy $165. New bricks have been installed in the Diamond Terrace. The total number of bricks is now nearly 550. As soon as the 2008 Annual Report comes in from the printer, copies will be mailed to donors whose single or combined gifts in 2009 total $1000 or more. The next effort will be a July solicitation to lapsed Diamond Club donors. Production/Editorial Reported by Joel Kleinman, N1BKE The August 2009 issue of QST was released to the printer June 23. In addition, a second printing of Basic Radio: Understanding the Key Building Blocks, has been released to the printer. On June 20, Khrystyne Keane attended a workshop in Lowell, Massachusetts on narrative writing led by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Tom Hallman Jr. It seems that Hallman briefly held a Novice license about 35 years ago. He said he had always been fascinated with the idea of talking to others in foreign countries. "I know we can do that with the Internet, e-mail, Twitter and all that stuff, but there is such magic about actually talking to someone, not just seeing words on a screen....I want to get back in and see what I've been missing, I always looked forward to getting QST every month," he told her. Khrystyne is sending him a Technician License Manual. Khrystyne also wrote and distributed The ARRL Letter, Vol. 28, No. 24, for June 19, 2009. She also produced and voiced ARRL Audio News for June 19. Sales and Marketing Reported by Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R A summer-themed email solicitation was sent out Friday morning. The email featured the new second edition of VoIP: Internet Linking for Radio Amateurs, as well as other ARRL publications with digital mode content. A follow-up email will be sent out Thursday, encouraging last chance orders before the special offers end. An online survey is being prepared for new licensees. A survey invitation and incentive will be included in new ham mailings. Diane Petrilli and Bob Inderbitzen participated in a webinar with our affinity benefits provider. We were introduced to a medical insurance benefit and Medicare Supplement Plans. A membership survey is planned to help measure interest in such a membership benefit. A training session was held for the newest class of ARRL tour guide volunteers. Many thanks go to Bob Allison for touring the new guides around the building, and setting the 'standard' for a high quality HQ visit. The Warehouse crew fulfilled 1,219 packages for publication and product orders, and shipped 354 free book membership premiums and QST mailing supplements. ARRL Conventions Date Name Division City State ARRL HQ Rep. Jun 26-28 HAM RADIO 2009 Int'l Friedrichshafen Germany Inderbitzen/Patton Jul 4 E. Pennsylvania Section AT Bressler PA Jul 17-18 Arizona State SW Williams AZ Bob Allison Jul 17-19 Montana State NW Essex MT Jul 18 W0 DXCC/Contest Central DK Rochester MN Jul 23-25 Central States VHF CL Elk Grove Village IL Jul 24-25 Oklahoma Section WG Oklahoma City OK Chuck Skolaut Aug 7-8 Texas State WG Austin TX Aug 7-9 Pacific Northwest DX NW Spokane WA Sean Kutzko Aug 14-15 New Mexico State RM Albuquerque NM Allen Pitts Aug 15-16 Alabama Section SE Huntsville AL Aug 15 SW Division SW Santa Barbara CA Aug 16 Kansas State MW Salina KS Aug 22-23 West Virginia State RK Weston WV Aug 23 W. Pennsylvania Section AT New Kensington PA Membership & Volunteer Programs Reported by Dave Patton, NN1N Contest Branch We have received 694 logs for the June VHF QSO Party, with 21 days remaining before the deadline. Given the stellar conditions on 6 Meters during the contest, there is a good chance we will top last year's 1,075 submissions. This is good news; VHF contesting needs more participation. Larry "Tree" Tyree, N6TR, has agreed to adjudicate the 2009 IARU HF World Championships. Tree takes over from Larry Weaver, N6TW, who stepped down. Field Organization/Public Service Team The staff members of the Membership and Volunteer Programs Department as well as other HQ departments and the ARRL Field Organization were saddened to learn that Ohio Section Manager Joe Phillips, K8QOE, became a Silent Key on June 20. Joe had been Section Manager since October 1998. Leona Adams completed the production work on the Section Manager Election ballots and candidate statements for both the South Texas and Los Angeles elections. These have been sent to the printer. At the invitation of Citizen Corps, Steve Ewald and Dennis Dura joined a teleconference with the National Citizen Corps office and representatives of the four pilot NET Guard programs to discuss how Amateur Radio is getting involved already or how it could be involved more effectively. Official Observer documentation was received regarding an operation on 28.360 MHz, and this was forwarded to the FCC. A report was received from West Virginia about unlicensed operation on 2 meters. OOs are gathering information. Chuck Skolaut fielded questions this past week on operating overseas, imported VHF radios, auxiliary stations, D-Star repeater identification, researching an old license and reports of obscene language observed on 75 meters. Official Observers are investigating possible repeater interference between machines in New Jersey and New York. ARRL Volunteer Monitoring stations are investigating an unidentified signal on 14.025 MHz. Sincerely Compiled by, Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ Assistant to the CEO Staff Absentee List Leona Adams 6/29-7/2 Vacation `` 7/31 Vacation Kathy Allison 7/6-7/10 Vacation `` 7/16-7/21 Vacation `` 9/25-9/28 Vacation Bob Allison 7/6-7/10 Vacation `` 7/16-7/21 ARCA/William AZ Hamfest `` 9/25-9/29 Vacation Shelly Bloom 6/29-7/6 Vacation Joe Carcia 7/6-7/10 Vacation `` 7/17 Vacation `` 7/24 Vacation `` 7/31 Vacation `` 8/7 Vacation `` 8/14 Vacation Jackie Cornell 7/6 Vacation `` 8/6-8/10 Vacation Steve Ewald 6/25 Vacation Steve Ford 6/27-7/5 Vacation Scott Gee 7/2 Vacation `` 7/30 Vacation Mike Gruber 6/22-6/26 Vacation `` 8/24-8/28 Vacation Dan Henderson 7/2-7/7 Vacation `` 7/22-7/25 NCVEC Conference, Gettysburg, PA `` 7/27-8/10 Vacation Mary Hobart 7/16-7/18 Committee Meeting/Board Meeting `` t 8/12-8/14 Vacation Bob Inderbitzen 6/23-6/28 Ham Radio 2009, Friedrichshafen, Germany `` 6/28-7/2 Vacation `` 7/27-7/31 Vacation Debra Johnson 7/27-7/31 Vacation Joel Kleinman 7/6-7/7 Vacation Harold Kramer 7/16-7/18 Committee Meeting/Board Meeting Lisa Kustosik 7/8-7/10 Vacation `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting Zack Lau 6/26-6/30 Vacation Dave Patton 6/23-6/30 Ham Radio 2009, Friedrichshafen, Germany `` 7/16-7/18 Committee Meeting/Board Meeting Brennan Price 6/26 Vacation `` 7/16-7/18 Board Meeting `` 7/20-7/24 Vacation `` 7/27-7/29 Vacation Steve Sant Andrea 7/6-7/7 Vacation Barry Shelley 7/16-7/18 Committee Meeting/Board Meeting Dave Sumner 7/16-7/18 Committee Meeting/Board Meeting Sharon Taratula 6/26 Vacation Maty Weinberg 7/6-7/17 Vacation