[HCARC] Fwd: [CTDXCC] Fw: Director Election

Tue Oct 8 22:10:54 EDT 2019

Below is a posting for W5MJ, Madison, a candidate forWest Gulf Division Director...
73DonW4WJ

BELOW is posting sent to Midland Club reflector this morning    73 Robert W5AJ

so there would be no attachments to the email, Madison’s documents were copied in ->  it seemed to work.

I was concerned for the link I inserted but no errors reported.

From: Robert [mailto:woodr90 at gmail.com] 
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2019 7:54 AM
To: 'marc at w5qgg.org' <marc at w5qgg.org>
Subject: Director Election

We have two great Candidates running for office of West Gulf Director. 

As MARC club member, I would have been better served if club leadership invited both candidates to come and talk to us.

The ARRL has tried pouring their water and telling us to drink it now for several years, without listening to members.   

Both candidates offer strong points.   Unlike the SE Division where there is one clear reasonable choice….

I think one difference for us, lies with how each candidate would vote concerning unmonitored message passing involving digital modes that are not open source. 

If you’ve never had your QSO QRM’ed by an automated pactor station,  get on and operate.

https://www.eham.net/ehamforum/smf/index.php/topic,10110.msg60305.html#msg60305

Winlink in concept – email / message relaying on ham bands using digital modes is a good concept and has place in Amateur Radio.   That’s an important statement as is the next.  

The implementation hasn’t worked well, appearing to many as a commercial email forwarding service for free, some distributors for the SCS Pactor modem seem to indicate such.

The only available Pactor modem is a commercial modem made by one company.   The Pactor protocol is not open source.   

ARRL is in internal battle, perhaps more due to SCS and Pactor than we know, why else do they favor closed doors?

Recently, the Winlink system operators took steps to shut down 3rd party traffic going through system with countries without 3rd party agreements.   

That’s been going on unchecked, like other traffic for years.   It appears to be tip of the iceberg of an Amateur Radio system being used for emails that should be on existing commercial services.

Regardless of the legal interpretation of encrypted, Pactor is unique to one commercial company’s modem, it’s a closed mode and has no place in Amateur radio.

The barn door has been opened on that one and even best lawyers seem unable to tackle that issue at ARRL, instead accepting the problem.

Today, the ARRL continues to coddle Winlink and their use of Pactor and automatic unmanned Amateur Radio digital stations.   

An automated station maybe legal, what was expected and what’s happening maybe different, you need to determine that yourself.

The ARRL also favors that Winlink operators do not have to screen messages passing through their station…..    Ponder that one.

As Madison did not get chance before ballots came out to speak to club, Below are two documents being distributed by Madison.    

Since many of you have not heard from Madison personally, I forward these here of my own free will and choice for your reading.

Get on Google and do some searching before you vote….   73 Robert W5AJ  

Below are Documents from Madison

What I Believe for the West Gulf Division

How many times has the present Director stood in front of you and asked: “What is on your mind?  What is important to you?  What can I do for you? What do you want to know about the ARRL Board and how it works?”.

I want to be Interactive with you and your Club on a regular basis.

I am an ACTIVE Ham – a DX’er, a Contester, a DX’peditioner – I have been on 17 DX’peditions.

I am the only Extra Class operator in this race.

I think the ARRL Board of Directors meeting should be open to any visitors that want to be there.  If there is need for an Executive session, visitors can be excused.

I think it is time for a change in the West Gulf Division - to have a competitive race and change from the “Good Ole Boys” program they have been following for the last 10 years.  The last Director, K5RAV was appointed Vice-Director by the previous Director, Coy Day.

When he retired, K5RAV moved up to Director.  The present Director, N5AUS, was appointed Vice-Director by K5RAV (even though N5AUS says he was never appointed). Are you getting dizzy yet?  It goes on: N5AUS was elected as Vice-Director 6 months later, but ran as an incumbent because of his appointment.  N5AUS has run unopposed for Vice-Director the last two elections, previous to this one.  

When K5RAV retired, N5AUS moved up to Director.  He then appointed the present             Vice-Director.

See a pattern here?  Get the picture?

One of the things I will push for when I am on the Board is that there be no more appointing of Vice-directors.  There should be a special competitive election for a full term.  The Members should have a choice – they should make the decision – not the Suits!

What about Winlink?  I believe all Amateur Radio communications should be able to be decoded by regular hams.  Whether the transmission is compressed or encrypted, it should not be happening.  The FCC rules forbid it.  

I believe there should not be Automatic Transmitting stations without a Control Operator.  I believe all Winlink operation should be in the upper part of each band, away from CW and other narrow digital signals.  I believe that Winlink should not be used by non-hams who want to use it to bypass Commercial Email Services.  You can spend your life, as some have, getting into the weeds about Winlink, but, those are the basic things that I believe and will fight for.

Thank you and Please Vote for Madison Jones, W5MJ for West Gulf Director

MADISON JONES, W5MJ

CANDIDATE STATEMENT FOR 

ARRL WEST GULF DIRECTOR

I am a candidate for West Gulf Director. I would like the ARRL Board of Directors to redirect itself to be the leader in returning the Amateur Radio Service to its vision of advancing amateur radio for all of its members - not just a few, to follow existing laws and regulations of the FCC, to hear the voices of all amateur operators, and to make the actions and activities of its officers and directors transparent to all ARRL members.

I am the only Extra Class Operator in this race, and have been one for over 25 years, fully involved in amateur radio: DX’er (DXCC with 328 confirmed); traveler (held operating licenses in 15 countries - the attached picture is me as V63MJ in Micronesia - led and participated in many DXpeditions); contester (team member of the 1st place World LP MS ARRL Int’l DX CW Contest 2019);  built my first crystal set at age 7, my first Heathkit at 16 (and still build radio equipment); emergency response (CERT in Houston and Cedar Park); volunteer examiner since 1994; club leader (president, program director, secretary and treasurer of various radio clubs);  teacher of theory and CW; mentor to new hams; writer on radio-related topics in QST and other publications with world-wide circulation.

I am now retired but ran my own law office and other businesses for many years, served as legal counsel to a regional airline, working with governments on bond and contract issues. I am married and have 6 grown children with college degrees. I am a retired Air Force fighter pilot, Lt.Col., 21 years’ service. I am a ham radio operator, not a suit!

In the last West Gulf election, only a small number of the 11,800 eligible voters actually voted!  

              Please vote for Madison Jones, W5MJ, for Director

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