Weaver's Words
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director, Great Lakes Division
[Reply to k8je@arrl.org]
- Urgent Message to All Radio Clubs
- Did you know?
- Dayton Hamvention (TM) Forum Schedule
- Ontario Cell Phone Law
- W1AW operates from Division
- Dumbing down?
- Search Function on New Web Site
- Tentative Schedule
+++ Urgent Message to All Radio Clubs +++
Changes made three years ago to the federal tax laws could cause many
radio clubs to lose their tax-exempt status this year. To protect
themselves, clubs that are tax-exempt under Section 501(c) of the
Internal Revenue Code must file the required IRS annual returns or
reports before the deadline, which is May 15 for those with calendar
years.
Many clubs have, at some time in the past, applied for tax-exempt
status under Section 501(c)(3) [charitable organizations], Section
501(c)(4) [civic leagues] or Section 501(c)(7) [recreational clubs].
Years ago, any club with gross receipts averaging less than $25,000 per
year was not required to file annual returns with the IRS. However,
after 2006, such clubs had to file a Form 990-N, a simple "electronic
postcard" with minimal information, by the fifteenth day of the fifth
month after the close of each fiscal year. Some clubs may not have
been aware of this new requirement or didn't bother to comply. Even
those that filed in a prior year may have neglected to keep up with the
required filings as officers changed from year to year.
Section 6033(j) of the Code provides that failure to file Form 990,
990-EZ or 990-N for three consecutive years results in revocation of
tax-exempt status as of the filing due date for he third return. That
filing date for calendar year 2009 is less than two weeks away. If you
are a club officer and are uncertain who is responsible for IRS filings
or whether such filings are current, you should determine your fling
status as soon as possible and take immediate steps to file the current
and any missed prior-year IRS forms. Going forward, your club's board
should assign the responsibility for compliance filings with a
designated officer and document that responsibility in the written
"job description" for the position so that subsequent holders of
the office are made aware of the requirements. If you have questions
about your club's status, you may wish to consult a CPA or other tax
advisor.
(Thanks to Marty Woll N6VI, CPA-retired, Vice-Director, ARRL
Southwestern Division)
+++ Did You know? +++
Did you know:
- That if you are away from your home for lengthy absence . . . and
will live in a single location during this absence, ARRL will send mail
such as QST directly to your temporary address. You can even schedule
the change in addresses ahead of time so that QST and other League mail
will automatically be redirected to your vacation home and then directed
back to your permanent home on schedule. No missing QSTs or ballots for
Section Manager, Vice Director or Director. You will still be a member
of your home division.
That to make address changes of this type it currently is necessary to
contact the Membership office at ARRL HQ by telephoned. However, in
about a week, a form will be added to the new ARRL web site to let you
do this on line.
- That if traveling outside the US . . . in one of seven popular
countries you can take an FCC Amateur Radio exam while there. Go to
http://greatlakes.arrl.org/index.htm, click on Library then on Ham
License Exam Locations under Misc. Data of Interest. Search under
Select Exams by Country. At this time, exams are given in Germany (4
locations), Great Britain (1 location), Italy (1 location), Japan (7
locations), Mexico (1 location), Panama (1 location) and the
Philippines (1 location).
- That there are . . . 10,045 members of the Great Lakes Division (GLD)
that we know have Internet access. Of these, 8,726 receive ARRL e-mail
and 7,264 receive e-mail from their SM and the Director.
- That there are . . . 12,440 ARRL members in the GLD. The breakout of
these by location section is: Ohio = 6,167, Michigan = 4,647, Kentucky
= 1,598 and Foreign = 1.
- That in April . . . there were 38 operating contests listed by ARRL.
Non-ARRL (but US sponsored) = CW (13), phone (10), Digital (7) and VHF+
(4) contests. European sponsors held contests on CW (6), phone (4) and
digital (3). There were two CW and one phone contest from Asia. A
Middle Eastern group sponsored one CW and phone contest and a non-US
north American sponsor held a CW and phone contest. ARRL? It
sponsored one contest. It was on phone. Numbers will most likely vary
from month to month.
+++ Dayton Hamvention (TM) Forum Schedule +++
The complete schedule of forums for the Dayton Hamvention (TM) can be
found at
http://www.arrl.org/news/forum-schedule-announced-for-2010-dayton-hamvention.
One forum that should be of particular interest to ARRL affiliated
clubs is ARRL, Resources for Radio Clubs. This forum is at 9:15-10:15
Sunday morning in Room 2. A forum of special value in our effort to
promote Amateur Radio to the public as well as to recruit new amateurs
will occur at 9:15 Friday morning in Room 2. This is the ARRL, Public
Relations Forum. Want to learn how to deal with power line noise?
Room 2 Friday afternoon at 2:30 -- ARRL Lab, Power line Noise.
FCC, Emergency Communications will be in Room 3 at 9:15 Saturday
morning and the ARRL, Member Forum will be in Room 3 from 1:15-2:15 in
the afternoon. This will be an opportunity to meet, hear and talk with
local, regional and national ARRL officials including new ARRL President
Kay Craigie, N3KN.
Of course, there are many additional forums on many additional
interesting topics.
While at the Hamvention, be sure to come to the ARRL Expo area where
there will be several booths, each on interesting topics to clubs and
individual amateurs. Booths include ARRL Youth Activities and Youth
Lounge, Ham Radio and Scouting, ARRL Radio Clubs, Amateur Radio in
Education, ARRL Project Building, On the Air, 2011 ARRL National
Convention, Legislative Action and the New ARRL Web Site.
Where else but the Hamvention could one have so much to do in a short
3-day period?
+++ Ontario Cell Phone Law +++
Marsha Fleming, N8FE and Milt Dzodin, N8AYD appear to have dug deeply
enough to learn the skinny on the new Ontario distracted driving law as
it relates to amateurs. The question had been if the new law applied
equally to US hams visiting Ontario and Ontario amateurs alike. The
concern was that the grace period for applying the law would not apply
to visiting amateurs. The answer Marsha reports is that US hams and
Ontario hams both are covered by the limited stay in enforcement. The
section of the law that outlines the grace period is:
"13. (1) Until January 1, 2013, drivers who hold a valid radio
operator certificate issued under the Radiocommunication Act (Canada)
may drive a motor vehicle on a highway while holding or using a two-way
radio.
"(2) This section is revoked on January 1, 2013."
+++ W1AW operates from Division +++
As an addition "did you know," did you know that local clubs can apply
to operate as W1AW under a number of circumstances. They can, and the
SouthWest Ohio DX Association (SWODXA) did . . . and will. The
operation will be during the IARU HF contest later this summer. The
club will operate on 160M through 10M (excluding WARC bands, of course)
with 13 stations. Of course, the call that will be used is W1AW/8.
To use W1AW the event must be particularly notable and consistent with
the objectives of ARRL and the operation well designed.
+++ Sanctioned Hamfest Freebies Process is Changed +++
When a club applies to have its hamfest/swap sanctioned by ARRL, it
enters into a two-way contract with the League. In this contract the
club agrees to perform certain actions for ARRL and Amateur Radio in
exchange for being sanctioned and ARRL agrees to perform other actions
to benefit the club. Two of the perks ARRL agrees to provide the
hamfest are prizes and free giveaway material. Hamfest committees
need to be aware of these changes so they can obtain the greatest
benefit possible from ARRL.
Prizes: ARRL HQ no longer sends specific publications as prizes.
Instead, hamfest receive gift certificates to be awarded to prize
winners. These certificates can be used toward any League publication
by their winners. The certificates can be redeemed for ARRL
merchandise directly with a local dealer or can be sent to ARRL HQ and
applied toward a purchase. When used by sending a certificate in to
ARRL, the merchandise selected is shipped at no cost to the certificate
winner.
Freebies: Similar to the situation with prizes, ARRL no longer sends a
boxful of free handouts. Instead, an envelope that contains a list of
hamfest-oriented goodies that are available to clubs is sent along with
a pack of WAS mats/frequency charts and done or two additional items.
The important thing here is that someone on the hamfest committee
reviews the sheet of goodies. If the committee wants to buy some of
the items on this sheet, this is fine. If they do not wish to buy
anything, this also is fine
The important thing is that a committee representative look over the
list of free good (box in upper right of sheet) to see which of the
dozen or so items available would be useful to the hamfest crowd.
Order these from HQ and indicated on the sheet at least three weeks
before the hamfest.
There is no charge for the free material or for shipping it to hamfest
committees.
The new procedure avoids hamfests receiving items of no particular
interest to their anticipated attendees. It also saves ARRL money by
minimizing after-hamfest throw aways.
To order free materials, follow the directions on the list of
hamfest-related materials. One may also telephone the ARRL Publication
Sales Department toll free at 1-888-277-5289.
The gift certificate prizes are sent in an envelope that is stapled to
an ARRL publications catalog. Do not mistake these for freebies. One
hamfest I attended this year had the prize certificates laying out on
the ARRL table as freebies. Valued at a total of $100, I don't think
any hamfest committee would like to have the prizes given them used as
pick-up items.
Incidentally, when a hamfest committee applies to have it's hamfest
sanctioned by ARRL, it agrees to have a display table dedicated to ARRL
materials and any ARRL official who may be able to attend the hamfest.
+++ Dumbing Down? +++
We've all probably heard the claim that Amateur Radio is being "dumbed
down." I know I receive-mail notes that make this assertion every now
and then. What I occasionally wonder is just what is proved in the
occasional instance in which the writer misspells "dumbing.
+++ Search Function on New Web Site +++
Google has finally finished indexing the new ARRL web site. The Site
Search function is now working very.
+++ Tentative Travel, Hamfest and Activity Schedule +++
Hamfests in the following list have received ARRL sanctioning as of
press time. Hamfests and other events for which a Great Lakes Division
representative is scheduled to attend are identified with the
representative's name. The schedule can be expected to be fine-tuned
in the future.
Patronize ARRL-sanctioned hamfests. Hamfests, conventions, symposia
and similar events sponsored by ARRL-affiliated clubs may be eligible
to be sanctioned by the League. For information, see
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/hamfests/Sponsors. Please have
your event sanctioned soon.
Support our Division hamfests and swaps:
14-16 May: Hamvention), Dayton, OH - Gary, Jim, John
26 May: Directors webinar - Jim
5 Jun: IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI
5 Jun: Mid-Ohio Valley ARC Drive-In 'fest, Gallipolis, OH
5 Jun: Fulton Co. ARC Hamfest, Ted row, OH
5 Jun: Carter Co. Hamfest, Olive Hill, KY - Jim, John
6 Jun: Chelsea Swap & Shop, Chelsea, MI
11 Jun: Central MI ARC meeting, Lansing, MI - presentation, Jim
19 Jun: Milford Hamfest, Milford, OH - Jim, John
19 Jun: Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI
20 Jun: Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI – Jim, John
23 Jun: Directors webinar - Jim
8 Jul: Mahoning Valley ARA, presentation – Jim
15 Jul: A&F Committee, Newington, CT - Jim
16-17 Jul: Board of Directors, Windsor, CT – Gary, Jim
17 Jul: HOARSEST, Elyria, OH
18 Jul: Van Wert ARC Hamfest, Van Wert, OH
25 Jul: Portage Ham air, Randolph, OH
28 Jul: Directors webinar - Jim
7 Aug: UP Hamfest, Escanaba, MI
15 Aug: Warren ARA Hamfest, Cortland, OH
15 Aug: Central KY Hamfest, Lawrenceburg, KY - Jim, John
15 Aug: Lapeer Swap & Shop, Lapeer, MI
21 Aug: SARA Inside/Outside Trunk Sale, Owosso, MI
22 Aug: Cambridge Hamfest, Cambridge, OH
25 Aug: Directors webinar - Jim
11 Sep: Greater Louisville ‘fest, Shepherdsville, KY
11 Sep: GRAHam fest, Wyoming, MI
12 Sep: Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH - Jim, John
18 Sep: Central KY ARES Hamfest, Richmond, KY - Jim, John
19 Sep: Greater Cincinnati ARA Hamfest, Cincinnati, OH - Jim
19 Sep: Adrian ARC Hamfest, Adrian, MI
22 Sep: Directors webinar - Jim
26 Sep: Cleveland Hamfest, Cleveland, OH - Jim, John
16 Oct: Ohio Section Conf., Columbus, OH - Jim
17 Oct: Kalamazoo Hamfest, Kalamazoo, MI
27 Oct: Directors webinar - Jim
30 Oct: Hazard Hamfest, Hazard, KY
31 Oct: Massillon Hamfest, Massillon, OH
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail: k8je@arrl.org, Tel.: 513-459-1661
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org
_____________________________________________
Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2010 3:18 PM
Subject: WEAVER'S WORDS - Did Someone say Sunspot?
[Reply to k8je@arrl.org]
- Williams Appointed to ECAC
- The New MOU with Red Cross Offers Much
- US ARDF Championship in Cincinnati
- Repeater Narrow Banding under Review
- Comment Deadline Nears on Two NPRMs
- Field Day Cometh
- Destroy Obsolete Applications for Credit Cards
- Chris Castle, KI4BOQ, Another Honor
- Directors Webinars -- What are These?-
- Tentative Schedule
+++ Williams Appointed to ECAC +++
I am very pleased to announce the appointment of Michigan Section
Manager Dale Williams, WA8EFK to represent the Great Lakes Division on
the ARRL Emergency Communications Advisory Committee (ECAC). The ECAC
was established by the ARRL Board of Directors at its January meeting.
As is true of other ARRL advisory committees, the ECAC will be composed
of one representative from each of the 15 ARRL Divisions. This is the
first ARRL advisory committee that is open to section managers as well
as typical League members. Dale was among several qualified candidates
considered for the post.
Thanks to Dale for his willingness to assist. I also thank other
candidates who stood ready to serve.
The ECAC will advise the Board and HQ on matters related to
multi-regional and nationwide emergency response planning.
+++ New MOU with Red Cross Offers Much +++
The new MOU between Red Cross and ARRL does much more than include an
agreement to support RC and to acknowledge the appropriateness of
criminal background checks for its ham supporters. When it is signed
by both organizations it will provide a clear distinction between
amateurs as official Red Cross volunteers and amateurs as partners but
not RC volunteers. This should be a very helpful distinction.
Basically it means that amateurs can provide volunteer communications
support to the community through RC without becoming RC volunteers if
this is what they choose.
Why is this potentially an important distinction?
It has been my personal experience that RC chapter officials typically
conclude anyone who provides support to them is a RC volunteer. This
conclusion may be justifiable for "the man on the street" who walks in
to a chapter house and says he wants to help. On the other hand, the
conclusion may or may not be accurate regarding individual members of
an ARES(TM) unit that also offers to help. The ARES member may, in
fact, be volunteering to support ARES in its assistance to RC, but not
be interested in being a RC volunteer.
One important feature of the new MOU is that it clearly distinguishes
between ARES members and RC volunteers. ARRL and ARES are referred to
as partners and in similar terms, not as RC volunteers. The MOU
solidifies this distinction even further when it agrees that ARES
amateurs should be encouraged to become RC volunteers and that RC
amateurs who do not belong to ARRL/ARES should be encouraged to join
these organizations.
Again, why is this distinction important?
As a RC volunteer, an individual may be required to sign certain
agreements that are not required if the individual is not a RC
volunteer. One agreement is the Intellectual Property Agreement that
basically gives the RC first rights to ideas, inventions, developments,
and other property developed by the individual even though these were
not developed for Red Cross or as a direct result of being a RC
volunteer. Those of you who work for major corporations may have
signed a similar agreement with your employer to get a job and earn a
living.
I am aware of at least one local Chapter for which the Intellectual
Property Agreement is a big issue. Many ARES members in its service
area are very reluctant to sign the agreement, but are equally
interested in providing valuable service to the community through the
RC. They view the situation as being one of lose-lose.
Because the new MOU recognizes that ARES members do not need to become
Red Cross volunteers, it should not be necessary for amateurs who
choose not to be RC volunteers to sign the agreement. This same
philosophy will apply to other requirements of RC volunteers.
Unfortunately, it may be necessary to wait until the new MOU is
published to convince many RC chapter managers that radio operators are
not required to become RC volunteers and, therefore, are not required
to sign these agreements.
One final thought. Becoming an official RC volunteer may not be
one-sided. This may depend on the specific chapter, but some chapters
reimburse their volunteers (including amateurs) for certain expenses
while performing RC duties. It would be justifiable for these
reimbursements not to be offered to hams who choose not to be RC
volunteers.
+++ US ARDF Championships in Cincinnati +++
The 2010 national ARDF (Amateur Radio Direction Finding) championships
are in Cincinnati. The dates are May 19-23. These will be the tenth
championships for the US.
This will be an especially good opportunity for amateurs in our area to
see what competitive ARDF is about and why it is fun. A two-day
training camp may be Of particular interest to new and would-be
ARDFers. An ARDF forum will also be held at the Dayton Hamvention(TM)
the week before the championships.
To learn more about ARDFing, visit the 2010 ARDF Championships web site
-- http://www.usardf2010.com. This site contains a good discussion of
ARDFing as well as full information about the 2010 championships.
One interesting feature of the event is that individuals who have never
participated in a US ARDF Championship may register without paying a
competition fee. The ARDF community definitely wants to encourage new
people to join it.
Bob Frey, WA6EZV of Hamilton, OH and Dick Arnett, WB4SUV of Erlanger,
KY are co-chairmen of the 2010 Championships.
+++ Repeater Narrow Banding under Review +++
As many of us know, the FCC is pushing a variety of radiocommunication
services toward digital narrowbanding. As one example that is somewhat
related to Amateur Radio, the FCC is considering a rather major move in
repeater spacing for the Land Mobile service. Land Mobile currently
uses a 25 kHz spacing. FCC is talking about a plan that would reduce
this spacing to 12.5 kHz on an interim basis and then to 6.25 kHz. The
move to 12.5 kHz is being fought and no deadline has been proposed for
6.25 kHz, but the pressure toward narrowbanding exists.
It seems appropriate, therefore that we in Amateur Radio review the
possibilities that would exist if we were to find narrowbanding in our
future. It is always better to study a potential situation when there
is plenty of time for the study than to wait until a deadline exists.
Consistent with this thinking, we on the ARRL Board passed the
following resolution at the July 2009 Board meeting (Minute 29):
WHEREAS, there is current substantial amateur radio movement,
activity, and innovation in the digital narrowband area; and
WHEREAS, the FCC has mandated that by 2013 commercial radio move to
narrowband channels and Amateur Radio manufacturers normally follow
commercial practices; and
WHEREAS, the VHF/UHF Amateur Radio band plan currently uses 15 and
20 kHz FM channels; and
WHEREAS, with the increasing use of narrowband across the country
amateurs are placing and using narrowband equipment outside the
repeater subband because there is no real place to fit the narrowband
pairs; and
WHEREAS, for ARRL to remain a respected leader in technology, we
must be actively involved in innovative solutions to problems by
bringing about a productive discussion on a technical paradigm shift;
now
THEREFORE, the President shall appoint a study committee for the
purpose of research and to consider developing a plan to move the US
amateur community to narrowband channel spacing.
The Committee has begun its work. Please be aware that neither the
Committee nor the Board are preparing to propose a shift to narrow band
spacing. This is an information gathering effort. You will hear more
in the future as the work progresses.
+++ Comment Deadline Nears on Two NPRMs +++
The comment deadline for two FCC Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM)
dockets is March 26. These NPRMs are intended to amend, clarify and
codify certain existing procedures governing the amateur vanity call
sign system (WT Docket No. 09-209) and to revise certain rules that
apply to club stations (FCC No. 09-102). The two NPRMs and information
needed to submit comment on them may be found at
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-1262.pdf.
+++ Field Day Cometh +++
The annual Field Day exercise of emergency communications preparedness
is June 26 and 27. Anything you ever wanted to know or needed to know
about this annual exercise can be read or downloaded at
http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/fd-2010-packet.pdf.
Why not invite your State or Federal senator and representative, EMA
director or other public leaders to visit Field Day. If you do this,
be sure to have literature that concisely describes Amateur Radio and
the critical role amateurs play in emergency communication available to
give to them. Some of this information is available to pick up at no
charge at an ARRL booth at any ARRL-sanctioned hamfest.
+++ Destroy Applications for Obsolete Credit Cards +++
Individual amateurs and hamfest officials who have applications for
ARRL credit cards that were distributed before February 22 please note.
Toss these applications in the trash. Better still, put them in the
paper recycle bin. These applications were made obsolete by the new
credit card laws.
+++ Chris Castle, another Honor +++
Chris Castle, KI4BOQ, has received another honor. He has been named a
WYMT-TV Mountain Achiever. Chris is a senior at Johnson Central High
School, Paintsville, KY. He is the son of Patty and Ron Castle, KI4NM.
The Castles live in West Van Lear, KY.
+++ Directors Webinars -- What are These? +++
What are the Directors webinars I've listed in the following Tentative
Travel, Hamfest and Activity Schedule? These are monthly discussions I
helped initiate by working with other members of the ARRL Board of
Directors. The purpose of these monthly discussions is to bring
directors together frequently to promote full exchange of ideas,
problems and experiences throughout the year. Participants in the
webinars believe that members, the staff and the Board will benefit
from these frequent discussions.
Incidentally, members of the Great Lakes Division Cabinet periodically
hold teleconferences to discuss items of interest to the Division and
Sections. These are not listed below because they occur on an
as-desired basis and generally do not fit the publication schedule of
Words. The Division Cabinet consists of SMs WA8EFK, KY4Z and KI8GW,
Division Legislative Action Chairman NB4K, Vice Director KI4LA and your
Director.
+++ Tentative Travel, Hamfest and Activity Schedule +++
Hamfests in the following list have received ARRL sanctioning as of
press time. Hamfests and other events for which a Great Lakes Division
representative is scheduled to attend are identified with the
representative's name. The schedule can be expected to be fine-tuned
in the future.
Patronize ARRL-sanctioned hamfests. Hamfests, conventions, symposia
and similar events sponsored by ARRL-affiliated clubs may be eligible
to be sanctioned by the League. For information, see
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/hamfests/Sponsors. Please have your
event sanctioned soon.
6 Mar: Mammoth Cave Hamfest, Cave City, KY - Jim
18 Mar: Bellbrook ARC Annual Dinner, Waynesville, OH - Jim
20 Mar: Michigan Crossroads Hamfest, Marshall, MI -- Jim
21 Mar: TMRA Hamfest/Computer Show, Toledo, OH - Jay, Jim
3 Mar: Directors webinar - Jim
3 Apr: ARGYL Hamfest, Lowell, MI
3 Apr: Lincoln Trail Hamfest, Elizabethtown, KY
10 Apr: JCARC Hamfest, Radio Show, Jackson, OH
17 Apr: Milford Swap & Shop, Highland, MI
18 Apr: Cuyahoga Falls Hamfest, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
24 Apr: River Cities ARA Tail-Gate 'fest, Ashland, KY
25 Apr: Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH
26 Apr: Livonia ARC meeting - presentation, Jim
27 Apr: Cherryland ARC meeting - presentation, Jim
28 Apr: Directors webinar - Jim
1 May: Louisa Hamfest, Louisa, KY - Jim
1 May: Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
14-16 May: Hamvention(r), Dayton, OH - Gary, Jim
26 May: Directors webinar - Jim
5 Jun: IRA Hamfest, Hudsonville, MI
5 Jun: Fulton Co. ARC Hamfest, Tedrow, OH
5 Jun: Carter Co. Hamfest, Olive Hill, KY
6 Jun: Chelsea Swap & Shop, Chelsea, MI
19 Jun: Milford Hamfest, Milford, OH - Jim
19 Jun: Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI
20 Jun: Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI -- Jim
23 Jun: Directors webinar - Jim
8 Jul: Mahoning Valley ARA, presentation -- Jim
15 Jul: A&F Committee, Newington, CT - Jim
16-17 Jul: Board of Directors, Windsor, CT -- Gary, Jim
18 Jul: Van Wert ARC Hamfest, Van Wert, OH
25 Jul: Portage Hamfair, Randolph, OH
28 Jul: Directors webinar - Jim
7 Aug: UP Hamfest, Escanaba, MI
15 Aug: Warren ARA Hamfest, Cortland, OH
15 Aug: Central KY Hamfest, Lawrenceburg, KY - Jim
15 Aug: Lapeer Swap & Shop, Lapeer, MI
22 Aug: Cambridge Hamfest, Cambridge, OH
25 Aug: Directors webinar - Jim
11 Sep: Grtr Louisville 'fest, Shepherdsville, KY
12 Sep: Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH - Jim
18 Sep: Central KY ARS Hamfest, Richmond, KY - Jim
19 Sep: Adrian ARC Hamfest, Adrian, MI
22 Sep: Directors webinar - Jim
26 Sep: Cleveland Hamfest, Cleveland, OH - Jim
27 Oct: Directors webinar - Jim
30 Oct: Hazard Hamfest, Hazard, KY
31 Oct: Massillon Hamfest, Massillon, OH
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail: k8je@arrl.org, Tel.: 513-459-1661
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org
_____________________________________________
Date: Sunday, January 31, 2010 2:44 PM
Subject: WEAVER'S WORDS - Valentines from ARRL
- New MOU with Red Cross Approved
- Board Adopts Position on 97.113
- ARRL Board Meeting Minutes Posted
- Board: Technical Consultants for Commissioners
- Ohio PRB-1 Bill has Hearing
- ARRL Receiving Applications for EPR Manager
- Ohio PRB-1 Bill has Hearing
- Assistant to EPR Manager Authorized
- Additional IT Programmer will be Hired
- Division Convention Seeks Sponsor
- Webinar: Club Legal Considerations
- The GLD in Print
- Tentative Schedule
+++ New MOU with Red Cross Approved +++
The ARRL Board of Directors has approved a new Memorandum of
Understanding between the American Red Cross and ARRL. The new MOU is
the result of lengthy negotiations between the two organizations.
Being discussed was a Red Cross requirement that Amateur Radio
operators who wished to serve as volunteer communicators agree to have
an extensive background check performed. The new MOU allows for
amateurs to avoid agreeing to such checking.
The new MOU includes an agreement by RC to accept the results of
criminal background checks performed by State or local law enforcement
agencies as well as checks performed by Mybackgroundcheck.com.
From the time negotiations for the new MOU began, the two organizations
had agreed that requiring criminal background on volunteer
communicators was reasonable. Unfortunately, the only mechanism RC
identified for having the checks done was through a service that
automatically required the volunteer to agree to multiple forms of
checks. These included manner of living and financial background
checks in addition to the needed criminal check. You may recall that
RC asserted they would have no more than criminal checks run on
communication volunteers regardless of the wording of the agreement the
volunteer was required to sign.
We on the ARRL Board did not believe it was appropriate to accept a new
MOU that included such an overly-comprehensive background check
agreement. Our goal was to make it possible for individual amateurs to
have three options available when considering supporting Red Cross
communication. These options were to agree to multiple background
checks and to agree only to a criminal background check. The third
option, of course, is to choose not to have a background check run and
not to be a volunteer.
This goal has been accomplished. Hams considering becoming RC
volunteers now have the full range of choice.
RC agreement to accept criminal background checks performed by law
enforcement agencies came with one provision. This is that any fee for
having the check done will not be paid by RC. The fee will need to be
paid by some other agency or by the individual volunteer. This should
pose no problem in situations in which criminal background checks are
performed on behalf of EMA or other civil agency with which the amateur
is a volunteer.
Conclusions: RC and ARRL have an active MOU once again. To volunteer
to provide support to RC as a radio amateur, the amateur will need to
undergo a background check. The background check may be done through
the RC at no charge to the volunteer; however, following this process
the volunteer will agree to being subjected to a variety of background
checks. Instead of having background checking done through the RC,
Amateur Radio volunteers my have the checking done by a State or local
police agency. Following this process, the volunteer will be required
to pay for having the checking performed provided the fee is not
already covered by EMA or some other agency.
It was refreshing to have RC change its initial position and to agree
to accept criminal background checks performed by duly constituted
civil agencies.
+++ ARRL Board Adopts Position on 97.113 +++
Throughout the past several months there has been much discussion over
the desirability of allowing employee-hams to perform training and
emergency communications work for their employers. The FCC has
responded to this discussion by liberalizing part 97.113 of the Amateur
Radio rules and allowing exceptions to the rule for
government-sponsored drills. Rather than have the Commission announce
rulemaking in the area without first receiving Amateur Radio input, the
Board developed a proposed modification of current rule.
Before taking action, the directors studied a report by a special
committee that was established at the Board meeting last July. The
committee reviewed 97.113 to determine the possible actions the Board
might wish to take. Three basic actions, including suggesting no
change in the rule, were presented to the directors. Petitioning for a
change was the action we chose following a healthy debate. We voted
unanimously to modify 97.113 (3) to read:
"(3) Communications in which the station licensee or control operator
has a pecuniary interest, including communications on behalf of an
employer, except that the station licensee or control operator may, on
behalf of an employer, participate in emergency preparedness and
disaster drills that include Amateur operations for the purpose of
emergency response, disaster relief or the testing and maintenance of
equipment used for that purpose. Amateur operators may, however . . ."
+++ ARRL Board Meeting Minutes Posted +++
The minutes of the January meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors may
be read at http://www.arrl.org/announce/board-1001/.
+++ Board: Technical Consultants for Commissioners +++
At its meeting in January, the ARRL Board of Directors voted to provide
active support to a US Senate bill that would enable FCC Commissioners
to add an additional consultant to their staffs. The bi-partisan FCC
Commissioners' Technical Resource Enhancement Act has bipartisan
sponsorship by Senators Olympia Snowe (ME) and Mark Warner (VA). The
bill, S. 2881, has been assigned to the Committee on Commerce, Science,
and Transportation.
The bill is intended to ensure each FCC Commissioner has a technical
consultant on staff. This clearly is not the case at present.
If authorized, the new, appointed positions will be open to electrical
engineers and computer scientists. These technical positions will be
in addition to the general consultant positions currently authorized to
each Commissioner.
+++ ARRL Receiving Applications for EPR Manager +++
The ARRL continues to solicit applications for the open position of
Emergency Preparedness and Response (EPR) Manager. Several
applications have already been received.
The job is based at ARRL HQ in Newington, CT. The successful applicant
will represent the League with government and non-government emergency
and disaster response organizations and partners for planning,
continuity and operational purposes.
Requirements for the position include holding a General Class or higher
amateur license, having a minimum of 5 years experience in ARES(r) or
equivalent and hold a Bachelor-level or higher degree. For further
requirements and a description of the EPR Manager position, go to
http://www.arrl.org/announce/jobs/. Interested amateurs should follow
the instructions on the Internet notice to apply.
+++ Ohio PRB-1 Bill has Hearing +++
Ohio State House of Representatives bill HB 212 received its second
hearing by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee on January
19. Section Manager (SM) Frank Piper, KI8GW, State Government Liaison
Nick Pitner, K8AP and bill ramrod Assistant SM Steve Katz, N8WL headed
the group that provided testimony on behalf of the bill. The
legislation awaits its third hearing after which it is expected to be
released to the floor of the House for action.
A companion bill was introduced into the Senate in December and is
awaiting further action.
Michigan SM Dale Williams, WA8EFK and his legislative team are also
working a PRB-1 bill through the Michigan House.
+++ Assistant to EPR Manager Authorized +++
Not content with obtaining a new Emergency Preparedness and Response
(EPR) Manager, the ARRL Board authorized a new position to support the
this manager. The new position will be filled after the new EPR
Manager has been able to determine the form of support needed.
+++ Additional IT Programmer will be Hired +++
The Board also authorized hiring an additional programmer in the
Information Technology department. With IT increasingly being a
critical function in the progress of greater numbers of projects, the
Board and Staff are committed to move backlogged projects. Linking
VUCC with LoTW will be among the first of these projects to move
forward. Other projects to facilitate awards projects and management
activity can be expected to follow.
+++ Division Convention Seeks Sponsor +++
The Great Lakes Division is looking for interested individuals, clubs
or groups to sponsor the Division Convention in 2011. The dates and
location of the convention as well as details of the program and other
features will determined by the sponsoring organization and the
Division Cabinet (Director, Vice Director, Section Managers and
Division Legislative Action Chair).
Organizations interested in learning more about sponsoring the 2011
Great Lakes Division Convention should contact Jim Weaver, K8JE, Great
Lakes Division Director at k8je@arrl.org.
+++ Webinar: Club Legal Considerations +++
Good friend and colleague Director Bill Edgar, N3LLR once again has
invited members of the Great Lakes Division to participate in a
webinar. This webinar will be of particular interest to leaders in
local clubs. The following is the announcement Director Edgar sent to
me:
"The Atlantic Division is conducting a webinar with three well
qualified attorneys doing a presentation for amateur radio club
officers or prospective club officers. This webinar presentation and
panel discussion will be led by ARRL Corporate Counsel, Chris Imlay
W3KD. Joining Chris as panelists will be attorneys, Bob Famiglio K3RF
and Mike Lazaroff K3AIR. This presentation will touch on legal issues
for amateur radio clubs or organizations. The panel will cover club
incorporation, liability issues, and legal issues for clubs.
"We will have a question and answer period after the presentation.
"To register for this webinar on Wednesday, March 6th from 9pm to
10:30pm, please use the following URL:
"https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/503665777"
+++ The GLD in Print +++
An oops. I copied a misspelling last month when I referred to Verle
Willingham. Verle may be a most willing ham, but his last name is
Winningham. I should have caught the error -- but didn't. He is,
indeed, K8VW. Verle also noted that many amateurs who belonged to the
defunct Firebird Net still congregate on 7.2775 MHz. Sorry for
perpetuating the error, Verle.
+++ Tentative Travel & Hamfest Schedule +++
Hamfests in the following list have received ARRL sanctioning as of
press time. Hamfests and other events for which a Great Lakes Division
representative is scheduled to attend are identified with the
representative's name. The schedule can be expected to be fine-tuned
in the future.
Patronize ARRL-sanctioned hamfests. Sponsors, please have your hamfest
sanctioned soon.
6 Feb: HARA Swap and Shop, Negaunee, MI
7 Feb: NOARS Winter Hamfest, Lorain, OH
9 Feb: Northern Kentucky ARC presentation - Jim
11 Feb: SW Ohio DXA presentation - Jim
13 Feb: Cherryland Hamfest, Traverse City, MI
13 Feb: IARC League Dinner Night, Mansfield, OH - Jim
14 Feb: Midwinter Hamfest, Mansfield, OH - Jim
21 Feb: Livonia Swap n Shop, Livonia, MI
6 Mar: Mammoth Cave Hamfest, Cave City, KY - Jim
18 Mar: Bellbrook ARC Annual Dinner, Waynesville, OH - Jim
20 Mar: Michigan Crossroads Hamfest, Marshall, MI -- Jim
21 Mar: TMRA Hamfest/Computer Show, Toledo, OH - Jay, Jim
3 Apr: ARGYL Hamfest, Lowell, MI
3 Apr: Lincoln Trail Hamfest, Elizabethtown, KY
10 Apr: JCARC Hamfest, Radio Show, Jackson, OH
17 Apr: Milford Swap & Shop, Highland, MI
18 Apr: Cuyahoga Falls Hamfest, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
25 Apr: Athens Hamfest, Athens, OH
1 May: Louisa Hamfest, Louisa, KY - Jim
1 May: Cadillac Hamfest, Cadillac, MI
14-16 May: Hamvention(r), Dayton, OH - Gary, Jim
5 Jun: Fulton Co. ARC Hamfest, Tedrow, OH
5 Jun: Carter Co. Hamfest, Olive Hill, KY
19 Jun: Milford Hamfest, Milford, OH - Jim
19 Jun: Midland Hamfest, Midland, MI
20 Jun: Monroe Hamfest, Monroe, MI -- Jim
8 Jul: Mahoning Valley ARA, presentation -- Jim
16-17 Jul: Board of Directors, Windsor, CT -- Gary, Jim
7 Aug: UP Hamfest, Escanaba, MI
25 Jul: Portage Hamfair, Randolph, OH
22 Aug: Cambridge Hamfest, Cambridge, OH
11 Sep: Grtr Louisville 'fest, Shepherdsville, KY
12 Sep: Findlay Hamfest, Findlay, OH - Jim
18 Sep: Central KY ARS Hamfest, Richmond, KY - Jim
26 Sep: Cleveland Hamfest, Cleveland, OH - Jim
30 Oct: Hazard Hamfest, Hazard, KY
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040
E-mail: k8je@arrl.org, Tel.: 513-459-1661
ARRL - The national association for Amateur Radio
--------------------------------------------------------------------
ARRL Great Lakes Division
Director: James Weaver, K8JE
k8je@arrl.org
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