ONE TOPIC MANY members will appreciate is a free, digital version of QST via the Internet.  This version offers the ability to read our membership journal online in a manner quite similar to that in which we read the hard-copy version.  It also offers the ability to include full schematics and other information that sometimes can merely be referenced in the print edition, as well as direct links to items contained in the ads.

Becoming accustomed to the online version may require a little familiarization, but I believe it will become a welcome enhancement to membership.

It is inevitable that two questions regarding digi-QST will arise.  The first is if a member can opt-out of receiving the hard-copy version.  The answer:  yes.  The second question is:  Is there a reduction in dues for members who opt-out of the print version.  The answer to this is no.  The hard-copy version is financed largely by advertisement, not by membership dues.

Digi-QST should be unveiled yet this winter or early spring.

I think this is great, but it sounds to me like we’ll have to read the magazine on-line rather than being able to download a PDF file.  I’ve never really liked these online magazines. Reading them is a real pain, and you often can’t download and archive them. Let’s hope the ARRL thinks about this when they set this up.

• FCC denies Anchorage VEC’s waiver request. In July 2011, the Anchorage VEC asked the FCC to permit individuals who have previously held an Amateur Radio license grant issued by the Commission — but which has expired and is beyond the two year grace period for renewal — to receive credit for elements previously passed, and thus a new license grant, without additional examination.
  I’m not altogether sure why this VEC would request this waiver. In fact, I’ve suggested that maybe it would be a good idea to regularly re-test ham radio operators.
• Minutes of ARRL Board’s winter meeting posted. The ARRL board held their annual winter meeting the weekend of January 13-14, 2012. The  minutes from that meeting have now been posted. These are always interesting and worth perusing.
  One item of interest is that the board has approved electronic voting for division elections. I wonder how that would have affected, if at all, the two elections that I participated in.
• LOTW to support CQ awards. The ARRL and CQ magazine have agreed that QSLs recorded in Logbook of the World can now be used to apply for CQ-sponsored operating awards. These are the first non-ARRL awards to be supported by LoTW. The first CQ award that you will be able to apply for via LOTW is the WPX award.

1. Roll Call (Friday, January 13, 9:00 A.M.) and announcement that meeting is being recorded
2. Moment of Silence
3. Courtesies
   1. Introduction and welcome of first-time participants and guests
   2. Remarks/greetings from IARU Secretary Rod Stafford, W6ROD
   3. Remarks/greetings from Radio Amateurs of Canada President Geoff Bawden, VE4BAW
   4. Remarks/greetings from ARRL Foundation President Frenaye
4. Consideration of the agenda of the meeting
5. Elections
   1. Officers
   2. ExecutiveCommittee
   3. ARRL Foundation Directors
6. Receipt and consideration of financial reports
   1. Treasurer’s report, Mr. McCobb
   2. Chief Financial Officer’s report, Mr. Shelley
   3. Chief Development Officer’s report, Ms. Hobart
7. Motion to Adopt Consent Agenda (Any Board member may request that any item on the Consent Agenda be removed and discussed separately. Otherwise, the listed items will be considered as a whole without debate or amendment. Receipt of a report does not include approval of any recommendations contained in the report. Consideration of such recommendations comes later on in the agenda. Listed reports that are not received and distributed prior to the meeting will be removed from the Consent Agenda.)
   1. Receipt of other officers’ reports
      1. President Craigie
      2. First Vice President Roderick
      3. Vice President Frahm
      4. International Affairs Vice President Bellows
      5. Chief Executive Officer Sumner
      6. Chief Operating Officer Kramer
      7. Chief Technology Officer Price
   2. Receipt of General Counsel’s report, Mr. Imlay
   3. Receipt of Legislative Relations report, Mr. Chwat
   4. Receipt of committee and coordinator reports
      1. Executive Committee, Mrs. Craigie, Chairman
      2. Administration & Finance Committee, Mr. Ahrens, Chairman
      3. Programs & Services Committee, Mr. Edgar, Chairman
      4. Ethics & Elections Committee, Mr. Frenaye, Chairman
      5. Amateur Radio Legal Defense & Assistance Committee, Mr. Ahrens, Chairman
      6. RF Safety Committee, Mr. Blocksome, Liaison
      7. EMC Committee, Mr. Carlson, Chairman
      8. Public Relations Committee, Dr. Boehner, Liaison
      9. Historical Committee, Mrs. Birmingham, Chairman
      10. Ad Hoc Band Planning Committee, Mr. Frahm, Chairman
      11. National Broadband Plan Committee, Mr. Bellows, Chairman
      12. Centennial Celebration Committee, Mrs. Craigie, Chairman
      13. Ad Hoc Committee on Youth in the Second Century, Mr. Mileshosky, Chairman
      14. UHF/Microwave Band Plan Committee, Mr. Roderick, Chairman
      15. ARDF Coordinator Joe Moell, K0OV
      16. Contest Advisory Committee
      17. DX Advisory Committee
      18. VHF-UHF Advisory Committee
      19. Emergency Communications Advisory Committee
8. Consideration of items removed from Consent Agenda
9. Consider recommendations of the Standing Committees (Additional recommendations as contained in the reports will be added to this agenda item as the reports are received.)
   1. Executive Committee
   2. Administration and Finance Committee
   3. Programs and Services Committee
10. Consider additional recommendations as contained in reports (to be added to this agenda item as the reports are received)
11. Proposals for amendments to Articles of Association and Bylaws
    1. Amendments to implement electronic voting
12. Directors’ motions:
    1. Mr. Sarratt, Southeastern Division
    2. Mr. Norton, Southwestern Division
    3. Dr. Woolweaver, West Gulf Division
    4. Mr. Edgar, Atlantic Division
    5. Mr. Isely, Central Division
    6. Mr. Widin, Dakota Division
    7. Mr. Norris, Delta Division
    8. Dr. Weaver, Great Lakes Division
    9. Mrs. Birmingham, Hudson Division
    10. Mr. Ahrens, Midwest Division
    11. Mr. Frenaye, New England Division
    12. Mr. Fenstermaker, Northwestern Division
    13. Mr. Vallio, Pacific Division
    14. Mr. Bodson, Roanoke Division
    15. Mr. Mileshosky, Rocky Mountain Division
13. Any other business
14. Adjournment

They did tweak the rules a bit. The did increase the required notch filtering capability for systems operating below 30 MHz from 20 to 25 dB and clarified the guidelines for measuring emissions. One notable aspect of the new rules is that they differ from the recently-released IEEE 1901 standard  calls for 35 dB notching at frequencies below 30 MHz.

The R&O document itself makes for some interesting reading. The tone is quite petulant. You can tell from the tone how much they resented the ARRL keeping their feet to the fire.

How will the ARRL respond? It’s unsure at this time. The minutes from the October 1, 2011 ARRL Board of Directors Executive Committee meeting note that the ARRL counsel did not expect the second R&O to be released so soon:

BPL Issues: More than three years have passed since the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit found that the FCC violated the Administrative Procedure Act when it adopted rules governing broadband over power line (BPL) systems. General Counsel Imlay told the EC that the FCC is “long overdue” in releasing a Report and Order to correct the deficiencies in its BPL regulations. According to Imlay, a draft Report and Order is reportedly circulating among the Commissioners, but is not expected to be adopted soon.

Imlay also pointed out that FCC is also lax in bringing enforcement action against operating BPL systems that have been shown to be operating in violation of the existing rules. Members of the EC agreed that it is time to request another round of meetings with the FCC Commissioners or their senior staff to press these issues.

Over and above all that, it’s good for hams that BPL has not been a big success in the marketplace. Don’t let that fool you, though. BPL has been touted as the backbone of the “smart grid.” That could put lots of little transmitters on the air, in many places where BPL is not being used for Internet access.

It ain’t over yet.

UPDATE 10/27/11

The 10/27/11 ARRL Letter points to a story on the ARRL website about this new R&O. It reads, “‘We were prepared to be disappointed, and we were,’ commented ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ.’ It also says, “While a thorough technical analysis of the FCC’s latest BPL document will take some time, Sumner predicted that the ARRL will file a Petition for Reconsideration.”

How the ARRL operates seems to be a mystery to many members. The confusion probably comes from the fact that many members assume ARRL in organized and operates the same way as their local club. It doesn’t. Somewhat like the U.S. Government, ARRL has three branches of its organization. These are the Board of Directors, the Field Organization and the HQ Staff.

The Board of Directors, including the Vice Directors, are elected by members of the divisions they represent. In the case of the Great Lakes Division (GLD), these members are from Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. The Board of Directors establish policy for the ARRL and is headed by the ARRL president who, along with the other officers, is elected by the Board.

The Field Organization is the group of volunteers that provide eight crucial services: emergency communications, message traffic, volunteer monitoring, RFI problem-solving, support of affiliated clubs, government liaison, encouragement of technical activities, and dissemination of on-the-air bulletins. The field organization is headed in each section by the section manager (SM).

Section managers are elected by members of the Sections they represent and head activities in their Sections to put League policy into effect at the field level.. The GLD consists of three sections, the Kentucky Section, the Michigan Section, and the Ohio Section. Each section spans the entire state.

The biggest part of the SM’s job is coordinating the activities of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) in his or her section. Each section has hundreds of ARES members, so you can imagine what a gargantuan effort this is. Being an effective SM means a person must be willing to dedicate great effort to the job and must be an excellent, skilled leader.

The ARRL HQ staff support the field organization and provide a variety of other member services. The staff is headed by our Chief Executive Officer, who is hired by the Board and reports to the Board. The CEO is responsible for putting Board policy into action at headquarters and, through the services HQ performs, for the members.

Even though many members believe their SM reports to their Director, this is incorrect. Dale Williams, WA8EFK (MI), Jim Brooks, KY4Z (KY) and Frank Piper, KI8GW (OH) do not report to me. They report to Dave Patton, NN1N at HQ, who heads the ARRL membership services department, which supports the Field Organization.

The three Sections in the Great Lakes Division are extremely fortunate to have members who care enough for Amateur Radio and the ARRL to be willing to devote the extensive amount of time and effort to doing the job and, finally, who have the skills and knowledge to be successful, top-notch SMs.

It is obvious from their success that Dale, WA8EFK; Jim, KY4Z; and Frank, KI8GW are excellent SM. Their past successes are indisputable evidence that they have everything needed to do the job. We in the GLD are indeed fortunate to have such high-quality SMs leading our sections.

NOTE: This article first appeared in Weaver’s Words, an e-mail newsletter sent to members of the Great Lakes Division. It did such a good job of explaining the ARRL organization, I got permission from K8JE to post it here……Dan

09/29/2011

On September 12, at the invitation of White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Howard A. Schmidt, W7HAS, the ARRL briefed several members of the National Security Staff on the capabilities of the Amateur Radio Service to communicate in emergencies. “The White House is looking for ways that the great work of Amateur Radio operators can continue to support emergencies in the future with particular attention to increased use and dependency on internet based technologies,” Schmidt said. The ARRL presentation, conducted by Emergency Preparedness Manager Mike Corey, W5MPC — along with President Kay Craigie, N3KN, and Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ — focused on Amateur Radio’s current and evolving capabilities to provide Internet messaging connectivity.

Wouldn’t you have loved to sit in on this presentation? Perhaps we can get the ARRL to post the slides to the website someday or maybe even make it the focus of a QST article. As I’ve mentioned before, it doesn’t appear to me that anyone is working on technical advances for emergency communications the way TAPR is working on software-defined radio and AMSAT is working on satellite communications. Maybe (hopefully?) I’m wrong about that, though.

The September 2011 issue of Spectrum Defense Matters is now out. It’s mostly a plea for donations to the Spectrum Defense Fund, but you might find something interesting in it.

The ARRL claims that they need $189,005 to reach their fund-raising goal for 2011. Is 15 kHz in the 600m band worth that kind of money?

Nominations are open for the 2011 ARRL International Humanitarian Award. This award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and international understanding through Amateur Radio. The League established the annual prize to recognize those radio amateurs who have used ham radio to provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster.

As one of the few telecommunication services that allows people throughout the world from all walks of life to meet and talk with each other, Amateur Radio spreads goodwill across political boundaries. The ARRL International Humanitarian Award recognizes the Amateur Radio Service’s unique role in international communication and the assistance amateurs regularly provide to people in need.

Nominations should include a summary of the nominee’s actions that qualify the individual (or individuals) for this award, plus verifying statements from at least two people having first-hand knowledge of the events warranting the nomination. These statements may be from an official of a group (for example, the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, a local or state emergency management official) that benefited from the nominee’s particular Amateur Radio contribution. Nominations should include the names and addresses of all references.

read more

In a move designed to demonstrate amateur utilization of the 33 cm through 9 cm amateur bands, the ARRL Board established a UHF Band Plan Committee at its July 2011 meeting.  This committee, described in Minute 39 of the meeting minutes, has been populated.  Vice President Rick Roderick, K5UR will be its chair.  Remaining members are ARRL CEO Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, retired ARRL Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, Central Division Vice Director Rod Blocksome, K0DAS and Southwestern Division Vice Director Marty Woll, N6VI.

This committee will work in cooperation with the National Band Plan Threat Assessment committee chaired by International Affairs VP Jay Bellows, K0QB.

As outlined in Minute 39, the committee shall present a preliminary report containing recommended Band Plans at the 2012 ARRL Board of Directors Second (July) Meeting.   The general charges to the Committee are:

1.  To determine current band usage in the United States.
2. To seek input and comments from the amateur community.
3. To consider international issues.
4. To look toward emerging technology and projected future usage.
5. To keep the ad hoc National Broadband Plan Committee apprised of its progress.
6. To, above all else, be conducive to increasing amateur usage in these bands.

The primary purpose of this committee is to map the use of the 33 cm through 9 cm. band segments by amateurs and to determine how best to expand this usage.  As directed in item 2, the committee will obtain input from amateurs on current use as well as of any steps that may be developed to increase our use of these frequencies.

+++ Want to Receive BoD Agendas and Minutes? +++

In response to requests from members, agendas and minutes for its meetings, the ARRL Board of Directors voted to make these available automatically.  Agendas and minutes have been available on the website for some time; however, it is now possible to receive them automatically as they become available.

To be  added to the list of automatic recipients, go to the ARRL website and click on EDIT YOUR PROFILE.  At the next screen, click on EDIT EMAIL SUBSCRIPTIONS.  Check the box for ARRL BOARD MEETING AGENDAS AND MINUTES.

There are quite a few different e-mail newsletters that you can sign up for that can be very useful.  You do, though, have to be an ARRL member to sign up for these e-mails..