[bulletins] ARRL General

Sat Sep 24 15:53:31 EDT 2005

[TO REPLY, SEND TO k8je at arrl.org, ONLY.  Do not click on Reply.]

- 60 Meters
- UP-DATE YOUR INFO
- CW SURVEY (PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FEEL)
- ELECTION PROCEDURES
- BETTER PRESS FROM OUR SERVED AGENCIES
- HOW THE BOARD WORKS

WHAT IS GOING ON WITH 60 METERS?

The 60M ham band is not totally controlled by the FCC.  It is
controlled largely by NTIA.  This is the reason much different
restraints have been placed on us when operating in this band than any
other of our bands.  At the direction of the Board of Directors, ARRL
is exploring possible modifications in the restrictions NTIA (through
FCC) have on the band.  We are discussing removing some restrictions
and expanding the size of the band.  One of the more difficult parts of
negotiating regarding 60M relates to the use of this band by the Coast
Guard.  This service needs much reassurance from experience that we
aren't going to create problems for them.

With mutiple agencies involved in our effort, we do not expect
negotiations to proceed rapidly.

IS YOUR INFO UP-TO-DATE

In checking over information on file on The ARRL web site (ARRL.org) it
has become apparent that 1) about one-third of Affiliated Clubs Have
incorrect information on file with the League, and 2) an even higher
percent of individual members have allowed inaccurate information to
remain on file.  This incorrect information ranges from the names,
addresses, telephone numbers and E-mail addresses for club contact,
presidents and newsletter editors, to incorrect E-mail information,
addresses (!) and telephone numbers for individual members.  Especially
when it comes to active clubs, allowing incorrect information "to lie
around" hinders potential new members from contacting officers and
isn't particularly wise if one wishes the club to grow.  Go to ARRL.org
to correct wrong information.  Go to the "clubs" link to correct club
info and to the "members only" link to correct personal information.

CW SURVEY

I have one of my member surveys I'd like you to take to assist me.  The
background to this is that the FCC has proposed to dump Morse code
testing requirements.  I would like you to tell me how you think the
Board should react to the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rule Making
by selecting from among the following answers.  Please answer both
Question No. 1 and Question No. 2.  Question No. 2 has three possible
answers to choose from, so provide the answer that best reflects your
position.

Question No. 1:  Do you operate using CW?  ___Yes  or ___No.

Question No, 2:  What do you believe ARRL should do regarding the FCC's
proposed rule change?

___ 2.a. Do nothing.  Let the FCC do what it chooses without
encouragement or protest.

___ 2.b. Fight to have FCC retain a Morse code requirement but do not
allow this fight to draw effort from our attempts to obtain additional,
critical changes in the Amateur Radio license structure.

___ 3.C. Fight strongly to have FCC retain a Morse code requirement
even though doing this will prevent us from engaging in a strong
campaign to obtain additional, critical changes in the Amateur Radio
license structure.  Pull out all the stops for CW.

Please be certain to answer the questions with Yes or No (No. 1), or
with No 2.a., No. 2.b., or No. 2.c. ONLY if you wish your preference to
be recorded, promptly.  ADD a discussion statement to your pin-point
answers if you wish, but I may be unable to review any discussion
answers, themselves, until some time in November or possibly December.

Send your answers to k8je at arrl.org only.  Clicking on REPLY to my
newsletters takes you to a dead letter office.

ELECTION PROCEDURES

I've been asked about the timing for balloting in the Director/Vice
Director elections by several members.  The ballots will be mailed from
HQ at the end of this week.  These are being mailed via "bulk mail"
which means it could take as long as two weeks for some of them to be
delivered.  In the past, the overwhelming majority of ballots seem to
have been received within a week after they were mailed.  There is
ample time to mark and return your ballot in time for them to be
counted. 

Ballots are counted very carefully under tight security in a
moderate-size conference room at HQ.  Ballot counting generally
requires most of the day and into the evening provided there is more
than one contested election.  (Five Divisions are open for elections
each year over a three-year cycle.)  The Elections and Ethics Committee
is always on hand throughout the process to adjudicate any questions
that may arise (we don't have to contend with hanging chads, but I
understand other questions regarding proper marking of ballots, etc.
occasionally surface).  Typically, successful candidates of contested
elections learn they have been elected via a telephone call (often the
next day) from the President.

A limited number of observers may attend ballot counting provided they
receive confirmation of their request to do this ahead of time.  These
observers must officially represent a candidate for elected office.

WHY WE MUST NOT BROADCAST ARRL VIDEOS

I've been asked the reason we are not to allow the older video, Amateur
Radio Today, the newer one, The ARRL Goes to Washington, and others to
be broadcast over the air or via cable, etc.  The reason apparently is
the result of union contracts that require payment of certain fees for
broadcast material.  These contracts appear to supersede the voluntary
will of performers in cases such as ours.

WHY DOESN'T AMATEUR RADIO GET BETTER PRESS FROM AGENCIES WE SERVE?

This is a question that has bothered me for decades.  Now that ARRL has
a gung-ho, capable public information guy to head our PR effort (Allen
Pitts, WA1AGP), and that I am on the Board of Directors, I've asked to
have this issue reviewed.  Specifically, I think we need to modify
Memos of Understanding (MOUs) with served agencies such as the Red
Cross so they quit treating us in the same manner they treat any other
volunteer that has any old skill.

I don't mean that we amateurs are any better than the agencies we serve
or than any other volunteer who serves them.  What it boils down to is
that Amateur Radio needs to be seen and deserves to be seen as a
special tool to be used for the good of our citizens.  We need this so
that young people will understand the value and excitement of Amateur
Radio to the point they want to become part of us.

Selling this excitement is just as much the ultimate responsibility of
served agencies as it is ours.  Unless served agencies wake up and
realize they need to acknowledge Amateur Radio in a manner that
promotes it to young people, they soon will run out of skilled radio
operators who can fill their needs in emergencies.  Without enough
skilled communicators, the volume of skilled communication will
continue to decrease.  The served agencies will become incapable of
protecting lives and property when the inevitable hurricanes, tornados,
floods and earthquakes strike populated areas.

In short, I believe served agencies need in many cases to cease being
so focused on attracting every possible penny of donations to
themselves that they end up with piles of money, but with no
specialized volunteers (e.g., hams) to get the job done.  Patting
Amateur Radio on the back in public would benefit served agencies long
term.  If the agencies don't begin to do this, at some future date they
will suddenly realize there are no hams around to pass life-saving
messages when no one else can do it.

When All Else Fails' Amateur Radio!

HOW THE BOARD WORKS

The ARRL Board of Directors functionally consists of 15 Directors (one
from each of 15 ARRL Divisions), a President, and two Vice Presidents
along with an Executive Secretary, Legal Counsel, Treasurer, and
Technology Officer.  The 15 Directors form the voting body.  The Board
as a whole meets the middle of January and July each year.  Its
Standing Committees typically meet four times a year -- mostly by
teleconference.  In addition, an Executive Committee that consists of
the Board officers and a few Directors typically meets each month in
between the two whole-Board meetings.  The EC usually meets in person,
but often meets by teleconference, instead.

The bulk of the business of the ARRL culminates at the whole-Board
meetings.  Critical business that must be managed between Board
meetings is addressed by the Executive Committee.

This sounds pretty simple and straight forward . . . and it is. 
However, most of the preparation for the several meetings is done by
telephone with back-up by E-mail.  These calls and messages relate to
exploring new ideas or changes in proposals that are likely to be
discussed and acted-on at a Board meeting.  Many hours of effort may be
involved in these "between-meeting" discussions and negotiations which
prove to be critical to the ability of the Board to govern our dynamic
organization.

As just one example of the intra-meeting negations that goes on, is the
effort to modify the stand taken by the Board on wideband signals.  At
the last meeting, it was voted that the maximum bandwidth of a signal
in HF (below 10M) would be proposed to be 3.5 kHz (with specific
exceptions).  I've been working on an allocation of a bit of spectrum
here and there for signal bandwidth up to 15-20 kHz to allow for very
modern experimentation of new and modified communication methods.  I'm
continuing this effort in between Board meetings.  Another Director,
two Vice Directors, Staff and advisory committee members are involved
in this work which has involved several hours of time being invested in
the project by each person, each month.

As our former Directors can testify, the amount of time Directors spend
in Board meetings pales in contrast with the time spent in between
these meetings.  In my view, serving on the ARRL is a labor of love,
and because of this, we're pleased to make it never-ending labor.

Jim Weaver, K8JE
Director, Great Lakes Division ARRL; http://www.arrl.org/
5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040
Tel.:  513-459-0142; E-mail:  k8je at arrl.org
ARRL:  The reason Amateur Radio Is!
MEMBERS: The reason ARRL Is!

--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je at arrl.org
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This message is being sent to you via the ARRL Members Only Web site.
If you do not want to receive further messages, go to the site at:
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1
Log in with your username and password and change your email options.
Unchecking the "News and information from your Division Director and
Section Manager" box will prevent messages such as this one from
being sent to you.
-- webmaster at arrl.org