Joel, the Region 1 EC meeting does indeed have something to do with WRC-03. It is the last IARU meeting before the WRC. The new Region 1 Chairman, Ole Garpestad, LA2RR (who you met in Guatemala) has been selected for the Norwegian delegation to the WRC. I encouraged Ole to run for the position of Region 1 Chairman and he did so despite the fact that like you, he must balance his volunteer obligations against a demanding professional position and family responsibilities; he relinquished the presidency of NRRL, a position that he enjoyed and meant a great deal to him, in order to be able to devote attention to the IARU. He is in a younger generation from which we need to draw our future leaders. It would be worth a weekend of my personal time and a half-day out of the office if all he wanted was to see my smiling face. But there is a bit more to it than that. The Region 1 EC will be discussing possible candidates for IARU Vice President and input from the International Secretariat has been specifically requested. I'm sure you can appreciate the desirability of discussing this in person. Larry considered attending the meeting himself but after examining his travel schedule determined that he couldn't do it. Larry, Rod and I discussed the topic on Saturday after the Board Meeting so I have the benefit of their input. Another topic that may be much more difficult is that of the South African Radio League. Relations between SARL and the previous Region 1 officers were a bit rocky and led to SARL sending a letter of resignation from the IARU. It's a long story that I would prefer not to take the time to go into right now, but you probably saw the reference to the issue in the Summary Record of the November Administrative Council meeting that I distributed to the Board on December 30. Suffice it to say that having the largest Amateur Radio organization on the African continent withdraw from the IARU on the eve of the WRC is something we would like to avoid if at all possible. IARU Region 1 relies on its External Relations Committee (ERC) for representation to CEPT and ATU. Until now Wojciech Nietyksza, SP5FM, has been ERC Chairman. Wojciech is now 70 years old and while he says he is in better health than ever, he recognizes that he can't keep doing this forever and plans to phase himself out after WRC-03. PA7BT, his replacement, is young (by amateur radio standards) and has considerable professional background but is new to the IARU. He has experience with CEPT but not with ATU. Wojciech has asked me to help him with regard to an aspect of ATU/IARU Region 1 relations that he and I believe could be important to our success in June. Since you're questioning the wisdom of my attending I am attaching the agenda for the meeting so you can see what they will be grappling with. It may be immodest of me, but with 30 years of experience in IARU matters I believe I can contribute something to the new EC getting off to a productive start, and that this will work to our long-term best interests. I would ask that you not copy or distribute the agenda, which is an internal Region 1 document. I am responsible for the overall WRC effort. This doesn't mean that I have to call every play. The ball is carried mainly by the Technical Relations Office staff, experienced professionals who know their jobs. However, I am personally involved in the 7-MHz issue as I have been for 29 years. When Chris and I have our meetings tomorrow I will do most of the talking. I plan to discuss with John Chwat before I leave whether in his opinion there is anything useful that can be done on the Hill while I am gone. If he believes there is, Chris will have the detailed background on the issue to make the pitch with John. If in John's view the presence of an officer or director would be helpful, we will certainly not hesitate to ask. This is in accordance with our overall plan for how we will handle Hill representation during 2003. Jon Siverling will represent ARRL on the US delegation to CITEL PCC.II. IARU Region 2 will be represented by President Pedro Seidemann, YV5BPG, and Dario Jurado, HP1DJ. 73, Dave Sumner, K1ZZ -----Original Message----- From: Harrison, Joel (1st Vice President) Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 10:22 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8285] Re: Washington and 7 MHz I still don't have the answers to all of my questions, and I don't feel comfortable. If for some reason you don't feel comfortable discussing them in this open forum, then please call me (1st VP) and Jim (Pres) so we all know fully well what is going on. To be more specific, who is in charge of this effort....are you? If so, who is going to be in charge of this effort while you are away from January 28 through February 11 and for the most part unable to communicate back from Armenia on a regular basis? You know I am a huge IARU supporter, but I have to question the request, and your acceptance of going to a Region I Executive Committee meeting during what the board sees as a critical time period in getting our government to support our position regarding 40 meters at WRC03. I realize the Region I officer's are new, but they are not new to IARU or particularly Region I activities and I'm not sure what assistance they are asking you to provide. Does it have something to do with WRC03? Who is covering us at the CITEL PCC II meeting in Orlando? 73 Joel W5ZN -----Original Message----- From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 4:33 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8284] Re: Washington and 7 MHz Joel, the immediate plan is as I outlined toward the end of the Board meeting. The meetings that Chris and I have set up for Friday carry out most of it. There's more we can do on the Hill if necessary, but that has a longer gestation period. In the meantime another possible political opportunity has arisen that I don't yet feel free to discuss but that looks to be worth pursuing. We've stirred up a lot of activity in DoD; much of my Tuesday morning was spent on the phone with a DoD staffer who had been handed the ball. The immediate window of opportunity is before the CITEL PCC.II meeting in Orlando the first week of February. We're covered at that meeting. Afterwards we'll see where we are and take the additional steps that are appropriate. Dave K1ZZ -----Original Message----- From: Harrison, Joel (1st Vice President) Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 5:11 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8283] Re: Washington and 7 MHz Dave, When I left the board meeting, I felt like we were all on the same page regarding the urgency and seriousness of addressing this matter. Now, I'm not so sure we were. What is your plan here, who is in charge of directing our resources, and what is the next step to take should these meetings not produce any positive results? 73 Joel W5ZN -----Original Message----- From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org] Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2003 2:25 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:8282] Washington and 7 MHz With considerable assistance from Chris, he and I have appointments on Friday with: FCC Chairman Powell's Senior Legal Advisor Bryan Tramont, who handles wireless and international issues for the Chairman Frank Williams, Department of State Nancy Victory, NTIA There are also some irons in the fire on the political front. I am planning to leave for Armenia on vacation as originally scheduled next Tuesday evening, January 28, flying home February 11. I have been asked to attend the initial meeting of the new IARU Region 1 Executive Committee in Amsterdam February 15-17. This involves flying from Boston Friday night, February 14, and returning Monday afternoon. As that Monday is a holiday, the only time I will be out of the office as a result of the Amsterdam meeting is Friday afternoon. Dave K1ZZ