Organization

Content pertaining to organizational structure, web- and email infrastructure

Organization

Membership Query Email is NOT a Phishing Attempt, June 16, 2021

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

ARRL logoFrom nediv.arrl.org:

Earlier today, ARRL life members received an email from the Membership Department asking them to verify that their membership ID and address information were correct.  Many people were rightfully suspicious, thinking the message was a possible phishing attempt.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, confirmed late this afternoon that the message was, in fact, legitimate and there was no need for concern. ARRL asks that you reply to the email with the appropriate response.

Organization

ARRL Headquarters Closed Tomorrow for Winter Storm Bailey

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

ARRL logoFrom nediv.arrl.org:

Central Connecticut, along with much of New England, will be impacted by winter storm Bailey tonight into Thursday and beyond. Estimates have varied widely, but have consistently indicated a major impact. The latest forecast is calling for 11-15” of snow beginning this evening going through tomorrow afternoon.

ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, has announced that the Headquarters building in Newington, Connecticut will be closed for business on Thursday, December 17, 2020.  Employees will be encouraged to work from home; many already are, or are equipped to.

In advance of the storm, ARRL staffers removed some antennas from one of the towers on the HQ roof that was in poor condition. 

Minster anticipates that Headquarters operation “will be back to normal” by Friday.

73,

Fred Hopengarten, K1VR
ARRL Director
New England Division

Phil Temples, K9HI
ARRL Vice Director
New England Division

Organization

Tom Walsh, K1TW, Declared Elected to a Two-Year Term As Section Manager Beginning January 1, 2021

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

SB QST @ ARL $ARLB037
ARLB037 New York City-Long Island Section Manager Re-Elected in Fall
Balloting

ZCZC AG37
QST de W1AW 
ARRL Bulletin 37  ARLB037
From ARRL Headquarters 
Newington CT  November 25, 2020
To all radio amateurs

SB QST ARL ARLB037
ARLB037 New York City-Long Island Section Manager Re-Elected in Fall Balloting

New York City-Long Island Section Manager Jim Mezey, W2KFV, has been re-elected in the Fall election cycle. Mezey, of Carle Place, received 527 votes to 136 for challenger Donnie Katzovicz, W2BRU. The race for NYC-LI SM was the only contested election. Mezey begins a new 2-year term of office on January 1, 2021. He has served as New York City-Long Island Section Manager since 2013.

In the West Central Florida (WCF) Section, Michael Douglas, W4MDD, of Wauchula, Florida, will become Section Manager starting on January 1, 2021. He was the only nominee for the post. Douglas is currently Affiliated Club Coordinator, a Technical Specialist, and an Official Emergency Station. Incumbent WCF Section Manager Darrell Davis, KT4WX, did not run for a new term after serving for the past 6 years.

These incumbent Section Managers were the only candidates for re-election and will begin new terms of office on January 1: Tom Walsh, K1TW (Eastern Massachusetts); Cecil Higgins, AC0HA (Missouri); Matt Anderson, KA0BOJ (Nebraska); Thomas Dick, KF2GC (Northern New York); Marc Tarplee, N4UFP (South Carolina); Tom Preiser, N2XW (Southern New Jersey), and Joe Shupienis, W3BC (Western Pennsylvania).
NNNN

Organization

Purchases via AmazonSmile Provide Dividends to ARRL

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Amazon Smile logoFrom arrl.org:

Those who use Amazon for online purchases can automatically donate to ARRL by opting to use AmazonSmile and designating American Radio Relay League (ARRL) as their charity of choice.

The AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price of eligible AmazonSmile items to whichever charity you choose. Product and Marketing Specialist Jackie Ferreira, KB1PWB, reports that the benefit of AmazonSmile to ARRL for 2018 was $8,676, up from $8,022 in 2017.

Family and friends can select ARRL as their charity of choice too. There is no difference between Amazon and AmazonSmile in terms of making purchases.

Organization / Youth

ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program Now Accepting Applications

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

ARRL Foundation logo09/29/2020 – Applications for the 2021 ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program will be accepted between October 1 and December 31, 2020.All applicants must be FCC-licensed radio amateurs, and many scholarships have other specific requirements, such as intended area of study, residence within a particular ARRL Division, Section, or state, and license class.

Applicants should review the scholarship descriptions and check off the ones for which they are eligible. If you complete an online application, you must also email a PDF of academic transcripts from your most recently completed school year by January 11, 2021. Some scholarships require additional documents to be submitted (e.g., letter of recommendation from an officer of an ARRL-affiliated club). Applications not accompanied by transcripts and additional documents, where applicable, will not be considered.

The ARRL Foundation Scholarship Committee will review all applicants for eligibility and award decisions. Scholarship recipients will be notified in May 2021 via USPS mail and email. For more information, visit the ARRL Foundation Scholarship Program page.

Organization

Phil Temples, K9HI, Appointed as New England Division Vice Director

- by k1tw - Leave a Comment

photo of Phil Temples, K9HI09/24/2020

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, has appointed Phil Temples, K9HI, of Watertown, Massachusetts, as New England Division Vice Director. He succeeds Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, who was elected earlier this year as ARRL First Vice President. President Roderick made the appointment after consulting with New England Director Fred Hopengarten, K1VR, and the region’s Section Managers.

“I want to thank all of those who forwarded their recommendations to Director Hopengarten,” Temples said. “Mike Raisbeck left some big shoes to fill. I look forward to working with Fred, and to advise and assist him with various tasks and board committee assignments. One task I’m especially eager to tackle is launching a New England Division website.”

An ARRL Life Member, Temples has been licensed for 50 years, initially as WN9EAY in Indiana. He has written articles for QST and contributed articles for the ARRL website. He also recently co-authored a chapter in the Amateur Radio Public Service Handbook.

Temples served three terms as Eastern Massachusetts Section Manager and now is an Assistant SM and an Assistant New England Division Director. He’s also held ARRL field appointments as Affiliated Club Coordinator and Public Information Officer and currently serves as program chair for the ARRL New England Division Convention.

Temples has been active in MARS, the National Traffic System, and as an Emergency Coordinator, and he enjoys CW. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from Purdue University.

Temples has actively promoted instruction and licensing and is a Volunteer Examiner under the ARRL, W5YI, and Greater Los Angeles ARG Volunteer Examiner Coordinators. He’s currently involved with New England Amateur Radio, Inc. in administering remote exam sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Temples is employed at Boston College as a computer systems administrator.

From  the ARRL website

Tom K1TW
ARRL Section Manager
Eastern Massachusetts

Organization

Board of Directors Elects New ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

From ARRL Web:

08/27/2020 – The ARRL Board of Directors has elected David Minster, NA2AA, of Wayne, New Jersey, as ARRL’s new Chief Executive Officer, starting on September 28. Minster is currently Managing Partner at Talentrian Partners, a management consulting firm serving the consumer goods and luxury goods industries.

Minster began his career as a software engineer, moving into management at Unilever, as a Chief Information Officer of this globally recognized portfolio of brands that includes Elizabeth Arden Company, Chesebrough-Ponds Canada, Thomas J. Lipton Co., and others. From there, he moved to fine jewelry manufacturer and retailer David Yurman, where he served as COO and CIO. More recently, Minster served as CEO of jewelry brands Scott Kay and Judith Ripka.

“Building a culture of accomplishment and accountability is what I do best. My initial focus will be working with the Board on establishing strategic goals and concrete plans to navigate ARRL through the digital transformation required for the coming decades of its Second Century. This includes exciting and innovative ways to be engaged in amateur radio, while growing activity and membership.”

Minster got his Novice license, WB2MAE, in 1977, when he was in his teens. He progressed from Advanced to Amateur Extra and, after a stint as NW2D, he settled on the vanity call sign NA2AA in the 1990s as a way to honor a mentor, N2AA, and the contest station that he used to frequent, K2GL, in Tuxedo Park, New York.

Minster’s ham radio pursuits have ranged far and wide over the years. His background includes National Traffic System training and participation in public service events, as well as contesting from home, club stations, and contest stations in the Caribbean — particularly on Bonaire, where he is a member of PJ4G. Primarily a CW operator, Minster collects unique and vintage bugs and keys.

Minster earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from The Ohio State University and has a special interest in satellites, digital communications, remote operation, and ham radio computing and software. He has written keyer software for the commercial market, and contest logging, packet, and satellite telemetry software for personal use.

In addition to being an ARRL member, Minster is a member of AMSAT, the Frankford Radio Club, the Straight Key Century Club, CWops, and the North American QRP CW Club.

“I spend every day of my life, one way or another, engaged in amateur radio. It is more than just a hobby for me; it is my community. It is where I live; where I have built lifelong friendships, and friendships that span the globe. Amateur radio allows me to dream and to experiment. I can’t wait to bring my energy and boundless enthusiasm in service to ARRL.”

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, said, “We are excited to welcome David as our new CEO, and look forward to his progressive leadership. His experience in management and operations, plus his activities in amateur radio, will serve our organization and members well.”

Minster will succeed Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY, who was CEO in 2018, and who has been serving as ARRL’s Interim CEO since January 2020. Shelley had been ARRL’s Chief Financial Officer since January 1992.

Emergency Communications / Organization

ARRL Hires Paul Z. Gilbert, KE5ZW, as Director of Emergency Management

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

ARRL logoFrom ARRL web:

As another step in ARRL’s increased focus on strengthening its emergency communications capabilities and long-standing working relationships with federal and state agencies and private emergency response organizations, ARRL has hired Paul Z. Gilbert, KE5ZW, of Cedar Park, Texas, as its first Director of Emergency Management.

Gilbert brings more than 30 years of experience in public service in both his professional and amateur radio endeavors. Beginning with his appointment as Emergency Coordinator in 1987, he has held multiple positions in the ARRL Field Organization. Currently in his second term as South Texas Section Manager, he has also served for more than a decade as the West Gulf Division’s Assistant Director for Public Service, acting as liaison between Division leadership and local, state, and federal emergency management organizations.

Professionally, Gilbert most recently was Radio Officer, HQ Staff, for the Texas State Guard, where for the past 6 years he has been responsible for planning and implementation of the organization’s communications capabilities. Previously he was a Public Safety Radio Coordinator for a Texas agency, charged with overseeing that organization’s large-scale disaster communications response and identifying and eliminating in-state interoperability issues.

Gilbert, who has an Amateur Extra-class license, is a member of Army MARS, and holds numerous DHS certifications, including COML, COMT, COMT Instructor, and AUXCOM Communicator. He is a member of the FEMA Regional Emergency Communications Coordination Working Group (RECCWG), a graduate of the FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s Exercise Design Course, and was a founding member of the Texas Division of Emergency Management Communications Coordination Group.

In his new role, Gilbert will manage a team responsible for supporting ARRL Emergency Communications (EmComm) programs and services, including the Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®) and National Traffic System (NTS), as well as lead the continued modernization of those programs in consonance with the future emergency communications needs of the public and ARRL’s key partners.

Organization

Bob Beaudet, W1YRC, Awarded Knight Distinguished Service Award

- by k9hi - Leave a Comment

Bob Beaudet, W1YRCFrom ARRL web:

The Board named veteran ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager Robert G. “Bob” Beaudet, W1YRC, of Cumberland, Rhode Island, as the recipient of the Knight Distinguished Service Award, given to an ARRL Section Manager. Beaudet has been Rhode Island SM since 2002.

The Board cited Beaudet’s active promotion of ARRL activities in his Section, including visiting hundreds of Field Day operations; participating in many Volunteer Examiner test sessions; attending at countless club meetings; staying active as a contester, DXer, and mentor, and serving as a model to other Section Managers. The Board said “Beaudet’s leadership of the ARRL Rhode Island Section Field Organization has led to a strong working cadre of volunteers within the Section.”

July 2020 Section News

July 2020: EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS (EMA) SECTION NEWS


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Welcome to the Eastern Massachusetts ARRL section newsletter
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To see all the monthly news, which is updated regularly, visit <https://ema.arrl.org/>.
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UP FRONT

AMATEURS ADAPT to COVID REMOTE VE TESTING

There is no question that the current COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted how we go about participating in our hobby-service.  Social distancing and restrictions on indoor gatherings have caused us to curtail club meetings, picnics, breakfasts—even volunteer examinations. Fortunately, Zoom and other online conference tools have helped to fill the void.

The New England Sci-Tech Volunteer Examiner (VE) team, along with other teams across the country, have been successfully conducting remote examinations now for many months. Team leader Bob Phinney, K5TEC, began a series of trials on April 1, 2020, under ARRL Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) review. He and other VE teams now provide ARRL approved video-supervised test sessions almost every day of the week.  Bob’s team has also successfully trained other ARRL VEC-sponsored teams across the country and worked with the software developer of Exam.tools and HamStudy.org, to help them streamline the system for video-supervised testing.

At the moment only one person at a time can be tested, which limits the number of candidates and adds significant time to the VE team’s schedule. An additional time issue is how long it takes a candidate to go through the security protocol involving video-checking the candidate’s work area and room, reading the protocols, and getting the electronic surveillance set correctly. Sometimes the setup for an exam takes longer than the exam itself, in order to provide complete integrity of the exam session.

ARRL VEC-sponsored teams require the use of at least two video cameras—one, to monitor the examinee’s eyes to ensure attention stays focused on the test; the other, to watch the person’s hands on the keyboard. Additionally, audio must be turned on to confirm that no one is speaking in the presence of the test taker. Also, no one else may be present in the room. (Not surprisingly, the vast majority of tests are conducted in the bathroom!) Full screen sharing via Zoom ensures that no other applications are running on the computer during the exam.  Finally, the sessions are recorded and kept for thirty days in case there are any questions about the integrity of the test session.

How has it worked?  Surprisingly well. I can report that, as with any in-person exam session, there is a strong rapport between examiners and examinee. The moment after the test is graded when the results are posted is equally gratifying. There is no mistaking that big smile of relief and the “thanks” are equally profuse—despite the fact that all parties might be separated by thousands of miles.

ARRL was not the first VEC to embrace remote testing, but they have implemented the best version—one carefully thought-out and well-designed and goes far in safeguarding the integrity of the licensing process. It is one that we can all be proud of.

–Phil Temples, K9HI

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ARRL HELD A JULY BOARD MEETING!

The ARRL Board held a virtual one-day meeting on Friday July 17.  There was little advance publicity from ARRL.

The ARRL issued a high level summary of the Board meeting which is found at <http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-board-meets-in-remote-electronic-meeting>.  Some highlights include discussion of a final HF Band Plan, work on hiring an Emergency Management Director, and other matters.  Until the minutes are published, few details other than this ARRL summary exist.  There was no advance preparatory meeting held by the New England (NE) Division Director, Fred Hopengarten K1VR, with NE ARRL section staff and NE club presidents.

Sometimes, other Division Directors may distribute information too.  For example, here is an interesting video describing the July Board meeting, “ARRL Holds a Board meeting on Zoom”, from Ria Jiaram, N2RJ, Hudson Division Director: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SpLeNX3tA8>

— Tom Walsh, K1TW

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UNDERSTANDING ARRL

This the first in a series aimed at improving awareness of the ARRL as a member organization; the benefits members can access; and what ARRL does every day to strengthen Amateur Radio.

The ARRL Annual Report is Well Worth Looking at Every Year
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In the simplest terms, this is how the 2018 ARRL Annual Report describes the ARRL:

“The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the national association for Amateur Radio in the US. Today, with over 156,800 members, ARRL is the largest organization of radio amateurs in the world.

Our mission is simple: “To advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio.”

If you have never seen or read the Annual Report, you are missing a lot of great information.

The first half is an easy read with many great articles.  Every Annual Report highlights the accomplishments over the past year.  There are some interesting articles in the 2018 report, such as: The Presidents’ Message, The Year in Review, and lots of shorter articles about emergency communications, operating actives, and licensing.

The second half of the Annual Report tends to focus on the required financial and auditors’ details.

Find the 2018 Annual report at: <http://www.arrl.org/files/file/About%20ARRL/Annual%20Reports/2018%20ARRL%20Annual%20Report.pdf>.

You can see all the latest reports at <http://www.arrl.org/annual-reports>.

Take Advantage of the ARRL Email Newsletters
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Times change and so does ARRL. For decades, joining ARRL meant simply receiving QST every month.  But a single publication cannot truly represent the diversity of such a large membership.  So over time ARRL introduced many newsletters dedicated to different audiences. Today, we can sign up for many specialty publications, such as:

  • The weekly ARRL Letter
  • The bi-weekly ARRL Contest Update
  • The monthly ARES E-Letter
  • News from your Division Director and Section Manager
  • W1AW Bulletins (e.g., weekly propagation forecast, DX, and other
    bulletins

At minimum, I hope you subscribe to “News and information from your Division Director and Section Manager.”

To sign up for this and more, go to ARRL.org and login.  Then select “Edit your Profile” and then select “Edit your subscriptions.” Then select what is of interest to you.

Take Advantage of all ARRL Magazines Included in Your Membership

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Today members can select to receive either “QST” or “On-The-Air” by mail.  But you can also view four ARRL publications (i.e., QST, On-The-Air, QEX, and NCJ) in digital format online without any additional cost as a member. ARRL has eliminated the separate subscription costs for both QEX and NCJ.  QEX features technical articles while NCJ contains articles and information about contesting. I personally think this is an excellent move by ARRL to make all these magazines available with membership.  How to see them?  Go to http://www.arrl.org/qst and in the left menu choose what you wish to read.

ARRL DIVISIONS – A Gold Mine of Nationwide Information
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I like to start my visits to clubs with a simple question “How many ARRL divisions and sections are there?”  Do you know?

Too often we only think about our local environment; our home station; our ham club; our city or town; our state; or our call area which happens to also define our New England Division.  Do you ever wonder what ham radio is like in a different section, or a different division?

I’ll bet your local club has (or at least should have) a very friendly welcoming web site that tells the world who they are!  We have some outstanding club pages here in Eastern Massachusetts.

Most sections and divisions have great web pages, too—like Eastern Massachusetts (EMA) at https://ema.arrl.org.

How do we find the gems outside our area and see what’s happening elsewhere?  It’s not as hard as you think.  There is a wonderful page on the ARRL web site that will introduce you to the world of sections and divisions.  Visit http://www.arrl.org/divisions.

Go to this site and click on each division and explore.

Try this:

– After first clicking on http://www.arrl.org/divisions

– Scroll down to where you see this text: “For your convenience, we have included direct links to the individual division web sites.”

– Scroll a little more and click the division name yet again and you will be taken to the division web site (if they have one – most do)

– Some of the divisions then have further links to their section websites.  I think this page is so cool.  I hope you will too.

Send me feedback
===============

If you find a great division web site, email me at k1tw@arrl.org. If enough folks respond, I’ll include in next newsletter the most popular division site based on our small world sample.

— Tom Walsh, K1TW

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FINAL WORD

Hospital Net

I am happy this month to be able to include details on the August Eastern Massachusetts Hospital Net.  Sometimes the announcement doesn’t make the section news distribution deadline but this month it does.  Thanks to K1JRO for the data.

— Tom Walsh, K1TW

The August 1,2020 Eastern MA Hospital Net will operate from the Mansfield Emergency Management Agency and the Net Control Operator will be Bob/WB1GON.

The Net will commence as usual at 10 AM.

He will use the following repeaters in the order listed, followed by a simplex test on 147.420, and then return to the Mansfield Repeater for Net closing.   

Mansfield               147.015 / tone 67 

Bridgewater                     147.180 / tone 67 

Attleboro               147.195 / tone 127.3 

— John O’ – K1JRO

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ACKOWLEDGEMENT

This section news has been jointly produced by Phil, K9HI, Assistant Section Manager and Tom, K1TW, Section Manager.

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——————————————————————–
ARRL Eastern Massachusetts Section
Section Manager: Thomas D Walsh, K1TW
k1tw@arrl.org
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