[South Florida DX Association] The ARRL Letter, Vol 23, No 49

[Bill Marx]

> ***************
> The ARRL Letter
> Vol. 23, No. 49
> December 17, 2004
> ***************
>
> IN THIS EDITION:
>
> * +ARRL asks public utilities commissioner to temper her BPL enthusiasm
> * +League urges FCC to act in ongoing interference case
> * +Canadian PM's wife witnesses ARISS school group QSO
> * +BPL industry reacts to major ISP's BPL report to FCC
> * +NASA puts ISS crew on a diet
> * +Ham club tips FCC to illegal telephone
> *  Solar Update
> *  IN BRIEF:
>      This weekend on the radio
>      ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration
>      Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration
>      Emergency communications seminar set for Louisiana State Convention
>     +ARRL VEC exam session application fee to change
>      ARRL ham equipment insurance plan has new claims administrator
>      Don Allen, W9CW, named CQ, CQ VHF ad manager
>
> +Available on ARRL Audio News
>
> ===========================================================
> NOTE: ARRL Headquarters will be closed Friday, December 24, and Friday,
> December 31. There will be no W1AW code practice or bulletin transmissions
> on either day. The final editions of The ARRL Letter and ARRL Audio News
> for 2004 will be distributed one day early, on Thursday, December 23, and
> there will be no editions of The ARRL Letter or ARRL Audio News on Friday,
> December 31. Following the Christmas weekend, ARRL Headquarters will
> reopen Monday, December 27, at 8 AM EST. Following New Year's weekend,
> ARRL Headquarters will reopen Monday, January 3, at 8 AM. The ARRL Letter
> and ARRL Audio News will return Friday, January 7. We wish a safe and
> enjoyable holiday season to all!
> ===========================================================
>
> ==>ARRL AIMS TO DAMPEN CALIFORNIA UTILITY COMMISSIONER'S ENTHUSIASM FOR
> BPL
>
> Citing its accumulated experience in dealing with Broadband over Power
> Line (BPL) issues, the ARRL has suggested that California Public Utilities
> Commission (CPUC) member Susan P. Kennedy temper her "excessively
> optimistic" view of the technology. Speaking recently about BPL with Marc
> Strassman of California Politics Today, Kennedy contended that it's
> "criminal that California does not have a major BPL pilot project or
> commercial project under way." Kennedy said she intends to see the CPUC do
> everything possible to change that. ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, wrote
> Kennedy December 10 to raise the caution flag and offer the League's BPL
> expertise.
>
> "It has yet to be demonstrated that BPL systems can be deployed without
> polluting the radio spectrum," Sumner said. "Until this issue is resolved,
> we respectfully suggest that public statements that paint an excessively
> optimistic picture of BPL are inadvisable." Even the CPUC acknowledged the
> BPL interference issue in its reply comments in the FCC's BPL proceeding,
> ET Docket 04-37, Sumner noted. Citing BPL's status as "a nascent service"
> and the "significant disagreement" over the level of interference, the
> CPUC suggested the FCC "ensure that adequate testing is performed and
> industry standards are developed before any deployment takes place."
>
> Sumner told Kennedy that BPL's interference potential is "not surprising"
> since it uses unshielded power lines. "The fact that they radiate radio
> frequency energy is simply a matter of physics," he pointed out.
> California is home to some 100,000 Amateur Radio licensees--about 14
> percent of the nation's total.
>
> This fall, a BPL field trial in Menlo Park, California, where FCC Chairman
> Michael K. Powell had extolled the technology's virtues earlier this year,
> was aborted before getting very far off the ground. The demonstration of
> BPL technology was co-sponsored by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E)
> and AT&T, which decided to direct its business energies elsewhere. PG&E
> said that without a telecommunication partner in the venture, it didn't
> make sense to continue the trial.
>
> California Politics Today article noted the apparent lack of interest on
> the part of California utilities in getting involved in BPL. Sumner said
> there are "a number of good reasons why BPL is not moving forward very
> fast," including the interference "caused by virtually all BPL systems to
> nearby radio receivers."
>
> Nonetheless, Kennedy told Strassman that she'd be surprised if California
> could not get "something substantial" under way in the BPL area by the
> middle of next year. She suggested she'd like to pave the way for BPL at
> the state level in much the same way that the FCC has done at the federal
> level. On October 14, the FCC adopted a Report and Order (R&O) spelling
> out Part 15 rules specifically aimed at enabling the rollout of BPL
> technology. At the same time, the new rules impose certain regulatory
> requirements aimed at mitigating interference.
>
> Sumner said radio amateurs were not alone in their concern. He pointed to
> the National Telecommunications and Information Administration's BPL
> study, which concluded that interference to low to moderate radio signals
> was likely from BPL systems 75 meters from land mobile stations and 460
> meters from fixed stations. The FCC cited the NTIA's findings in its
> decision to prohibit BPL systems from using Aeronautical Radio Service
> frequencies, he said.
>
> "The ARRL is continuing its efforts to persuade the FCC that in order to
> conform to international agreements and the Communications Act, other
> radio services must be afforded the same protection," Sumner told Kennedy.
> "We at the ARRL would be pleased to work with you and your staff to answer
> any questions you may have," he concluded, directing Kennedy's attention
> to the BPL information available on the League's Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/bpl>.
>
> The California Politics Today interview is available on the Web
> <http://www.etopiamedia.net/empnn/pages/cpt-emnn/cpt-emnn222-5551212.html>
> .
>
> ==>ARRL URGES ACTION IN GERRITSEN CASE
>
> In a strongly worded letter to FCC Enforcement Bureau Chief David Solomon,
> the ARRL has called on the FCC to intervene with the US Attorney's office
> in the case of former amateur licensee Jack Gerritsen, ex-KG6IRO, of Bell,
> California. The FCC already has affirmed a $10,000 fine against Gerritsen
> for interfering with Amateur Radio communications and recently proposed
> imposing another $21,000 fine for additional, similar violations.
> Gerritsen, who erroneously claims he's still licensed, allegedly has been
> bombarding numerous Los Angeles-area repeaters with verbal tirades for
> many months, often identifying with his now-deleted amateur call sign.
>
> "It is urgent that the United States Attorney's office be brought into
> this matter without delay, and that procedures other than monetary
> forfeitures be brought to bear," ARRL General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD,
> wrote on the League's behalf in a December 13 letter to Solomon. Imlay
> asked Solomon to intervene "in this one instance, so that this matter is
> resolved without further delay." He suggested the time for gathering
> additional evidence was past, since the malicious interference continues.
>
> Things were comparatively quiet on LA-area repeaters while Gerritsen was
> said to have been out of the US for about three weeks. When he returned to
> California on or about December 9, the transmissions resumed "with a
> vengeance," Imlay said. Repeater owners shut down their machines "to avoid
> the constant barrage of malicious interference," he added.
>
> In his letter, which also was e-mailed to Solomon's office, Imlay
> recounted some of the history of the Gerritsen case. In 2001, the FCC's
> Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB) rescinded Gerritsen's Amateur
> Radio license grant after it learned of his earlier state conviction for
> interfering with police communications. As a result of the conviction,
> which he's appealed, Gerritsen ultimately spent some time in jail. He
> continues to maintain that the FCC can't take away his operating
> privileges without a hearing.
>
> Gerritsen's now-pending Amateur Radio application remains in the hands of
> the WTB, which also will decide the fate of his General Mobile Radio
> Service (GMRS) license. The FCC set aside that grant last fall because of
> the allegations of continued unlicensed operation and deliberate
> interference. A Hearing Designation Order for Gerritsen is said to be
> working its way through the FCC. But, Imlay noted, the slow pace of the
> case has angered and frustrated the Amateur Radio community, which has
> begun to view the FCC as powerless to halt the interference.
>
> "Deterrence is critical to this effort," Imlay said, adding that the
> Commission's perceived inability to stop violations of Sections 301 and
> 333 of the Communications Act of 1934 and numerous Part 97 regulations
> "stands to quickly evaporate the years-long effort that has been so
> successful." Suggesting that the FCC will have a tough time collecting the
> fines it's imposed or proposed to levy on Gerritsen, Imlay said further
> delay will totally erode the Commission's excellent track record--in
> particular the work of FCC Special Counsel Riley Hollingsworth.
>
> "Time is very much of the essence in preserving the sense of deterrence
> that exists generally in the Amateur Service," Imlay concluded.
>
> The FCC's Los Angeles District Office, under District Director Catherine
> Deaton--not Hollingsworth--has primary enforcement responsibility over the
> Gerritsen case. Agents from that office already have tracked interfering
> transmissions to Gerritsen's residence and issued oral warnings that by
> all evidence have been ignored. The FCC has said that Gerritsen refused to
> let Commission agents inspect his radio transmitting equipment.
>
> Deaton's office issued the FCC's recent Notice of Apparent Liability,
> proposing the $21,000 fine for Gerritsen's "unauthorized willful and
> malicious interfering radio operations." Imlay said the interference
> extends beyond California, since the repeaters are linked throughout the
> US Southwest, and the interference has disrupted "not only regular ongoing
> Amateur Radio communications but emergency communications as well."
>
> Imlay said several hundred ARRL members have "repeatedly and with ample
> justification" complained to the League about Gerritsen's alleged
> activities. He called on Solomon and the FCC to "arrange for appropriate
> proceedings to be initiated to cause the incessant and damaging malicious
> interference to cease."
>
> FCC Enforcement Bureau Assistant Chief George R. Dillon acknowledged the
> ARRL's letter December 14. "We are treating the allegations contained in
> your letter and the complaints we have received regarding his actions very
> seriously," Dillon said.
>
> Imlay thanked Dillon for his "very prompt and encouraging response." But,
> he re-emphasized, "the Amateur Radio interference simply has to be made to
> stop without further delay."
>
> ==>PRIME MINISTER'S WIFE ON HAND FOR ARISS SCHOOL GROUP QSO
>
> Sheila Martin, the wife of Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin topped the
> list of VIPs on hand when youngsters at Manordale Public School in Ottawa
> spoke via ham radio with International Space Station Expedition 10
> Commander Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW. The December 9 contact was arranged via the
> Amateur Radio on the International Space Station--or ARISS--program. Chiao
> answered 11 of the kids' questions, including one asking how the ISS is
> making life better on Earth. In addition to general technological spin
> offs from the space program, Chiao cited some ongoing biomedical research.
>
> "There are some experiments on board where we're developing some protein
> crystals that pharmaceutical companies can use to hopefully make vaccines
> and things like that for diseases such as AIDS," he explained.
>
> Chiao also told the youngsters--who ranged from pre-kindergartners to
> sixth graders--that he's "very comfortable being in space" and has not had
> any problems adjusting to zero gravity or with sleeping in space. The
> 44-year-old astronaut told another youngster that while life in space can
> be very challenging, he had not seen anything unusual or frightening.
> Recounting that the Expedition 10 crew had to override automatic controls
> and dock manually with the ISS, Chiao said the experience was "kind of
> exciting, but I wouldn't say it was scary."
>
> There's no TV or Internet aboard the space station, he told another
> youngster. "Sometimes we miss those things, and it makes you wonder how we
> ever got along without them, doesn't it?"
>
> Back on Earth, Steve McFarlane, VE3TBD, served as the ARISS mentor, while
> Steve Regan, VA3MGY, and Geoff Johnson, VE3KID, provided the Earth
> station, for which Johnson loaned his call sign.
>
> "The PM's wife was thrilled with this," McFarlane said, describing Sheila
> Martin's reaction to the youngsters' enthusiasm and excitement and the
> contact's success. McFarlane's wife Lori, a teacher, assisted with this
> QSO. Having earned a reputation among the Ottawa news media as "the space
> lady," she has helped out with earlier ARISS contacts in Merivale,
> Ontario, and Iqaluit, Nunavut.
>
> As the Manordale ARISS contact ended, Chiao remained on frequency and made
> several casual contacts. Glenn Graff, KB1GUE, in Bedford, Massachusetts,
> west of Boston reports he listened in on most of the Canadian school
> contact, then jumped in to make one of his own, calling NA1SS on the
> 144.49 MHz uplink frequency. Graff said Chiao told him that it was his
> first non-school amateur contact and that he would try to get on the air
> during his off time.
>
> ARISS <http://www.rac.ca/ariss/> is an educational outreach with US
> participation by ARRL, AMSAT and NASA.
>
> ==>MAJOR ISP TELLS FCC BPL NOT A "COMMERCIALLY VIABLE ALTERNATIVE" TO
> CABLE, DSL
>
> Officials of Internet service provider EarthLink told the FCC that
> broadband over power line (BPL) cannot compete with the dominant cable or
> DSL technology today or in the near future. A BPL industry spokesperson
> subsequently criticized the ARRL apparently for reporting the company's
> statements. EarthLink President and CEO Garry Betty and other company
> officials met November 16 with FCC Chairman Michael Powell and Commission
> attorney Aaron Goldberger to deliver an ex parte presentation on several
> Wireline Competition Bureau and Common Carrier Bureau proceedings.
>
> "EarthLink discussed that it has invested in and is in trials with several
> potential 'third wire' broadband transmission paths to the home, including
> WiFi, WiMax, MMDS and broadband over power lines," EarthLink Counsel Mark
> J. O'Connor informed FCC Secretary Marlene Dortch in a November 17 letter.
> "However, EarthLink pointed out that cable and DSL still account for
> virtually all consumer broadband connections and that none of these
> alternative technologies offer a commercially viable alternative today or
> in the near future."
>
> An EarthLink analysis indicated that BPL is the most expensive of the
> broadband technologies it evaluated. In a chart titled "Next generation
> broadband," EarthLink said that wireless and BPL "are not likely to be
> competitive in cost and performance with cable and DSL over the last mile
> to the home."
>
> EarthLink judged as "not successful" one unspecified BPL technical trial
> using Amperion equipment in a "wireless/BPL combo." In discussing other
> trials using Ambient and Current Technologies equipment--in one of which
> EarthLink had invested--the ISP's assessment was that the high cost per
> household passed--$125 in both instances--would require a better than 15
> percent market penetration to attain a competitive cost.
>
> EarthLink said its assessment determined that ADSL2+ technology is the
> "best option" and can offer VoIP as well as high-speed broadband (at 6 to
> 10 Mbps) and video over copper wire and using on-premise consumer
> equipment. The company also indicated that it plans to invest in ADSL2+
> technology. The company's ex parte submission is available on the FCC Web
> site
> <http://gullfoss2.fcc.gov/prod/ecfs/retrieve.cgi?native_or_pdf=pdf&id_docu
> ment=6516883843>.
>
> ARRL's reporting of EarthLink's submission to the FCC apparently struck a
> nerve at Ambient, with which EarthLink has a business relationship. In a
> classic case of shooting the messenger, Ambient CEO John J. Joyce took the
> League to task on behalf of the BPL industry in a statement posted via
> Market Wire on the CBS MarketWatch.com Web site
> <http://cbs.marketwatch.com/tools/quotes/newsarticle.asp?guid={ABFA5879-0D
> B7-43C3-BA02-94071FAECC3D}&siteid=mktw&dist=nbs&symb=>. Joyce seemed to
> suggest that the League itself had provided the EarthLink information and
> was spinning the company's remarks to advantage.
>
> "The release by the ARRL clearly takes the statements of EarthLink's
> attorney out of context and conveniently ignores many developments in the
> industry that contradict ARRL's conclusions," Joyce said, adding that 2005
> promises to be "the year of BPL."
>
> Among other things, Joyce said that "the ARRL perception of BPL's
> economics fails to consider that consumer broadband is only one
> application for a BPL-enabled utility system." he said there are other
> industrial applications that may augur in BPL's economic favor. He also
> emphasized that the projects with which his company and EarthLink have
> collaborated were demonstrations "never intended to be competitive
> installations" and are "in no way representative of BPL economics."
>
> ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ, said the League stands by its account, which
> Joyce characterized as a "claim" on the ARRL's part. "ARRL's report on the
> document was accurate in every way, and we stand by our report," he said.
> "The conclusions given are not ours, but EarthLink's. Anyone who wishes to
> do so can read the submission for themselves."
>
> ==>NASA ASKS ISS CREW TO TRIM CALORIES
>
> NASA has asked ISS Expedition 10 crew members Leroy Chiao, KE5BRW, and
> Salizhan Sharipov to push themselves away from the galley table a bit
> sooner than they have been. According to the Associated Press, NASA
> managers want the crew members to cut 300 calories from their typical
> daily 3000 calorie intake to keep food supplies aboard the spacecraft from
> running dangerously low before a Russian Progress supply rocket arrives
> Christmas Day.
>
> "The spacecraft will bring 2.5 tons of food, fuel, clothing and other
> supplies to the complex," NASA said this week. "Almost 70 food containers
> have been added to the craft's manifest to replenish onboard supplies."
> The supply rocket also will bear Christmas gifts and other personal items
> for Chiao and Sharipov.
>
> Now some two months into their six-month mission, the crew completed
> audits of onboard food and computer hardware earlier this month as mission
> managers were finalizing the manifest for the cargo craft. Surprised to
> learn that the crew already was digging into its food reserves, NASA
> managers worried that if anything were to go awry with the Progress
> spacecraft, the crew could be forced to abandon ship--an unprecedented
> move, but one for which NASA and Russian Space Agency officials are said
> to be preparing for, just in case.
>
> NASA said its early-December audit confirmed "fewer rations available to
> the crew than previously thought," but that Chiao and Sharipov have
> sufficient food to last "one or two weeks beyond the arrival of the
> Progress." NASA said nutritionists on the ground have been working with
> the crew to make sure onboard food supplies "can be safely rationed."
>
> Russian Progress rockets have been the sole resupply vehicles for the ISS
> since NASA grounded its shuttle fleet following the February 1, 2003,
> Columbia tragedy.
>
> ==>FCC ACTS ON LONG-RANGE CORDLESS TELEPHONE COMPLAINT
>
> The FCC in November responded to a complaint from the Holmesburg
> (Pennsylvania) Amateur Radio Club about interference on 2 meters from a
> high-powered so-called long-range cordless telephone. FCC Special Counsel
> Riley Hollingsworth forwarded information from the club to the FCC
> Philadelphia District Office on November 22.
>
> The club claimed that the cordless telephone system was causing
> interference on its repeater's 146.080 MHz input frequency. On November
> 27, an agent from the Philadelphia District Office investigated the
> complaint and determined that a resident of Glassboro, New Jersey, was
> operating a "Senao High Quality Cordless Telephone," model SN-358. The
> base unit appeared to operate on 146.080 MHz, while the handset appeared
> to operate on 228.960 MHz (specifications listed on Senao's Web site
> indicate the model SN-358 handset operates on 268 MHz and the base on 394
> MHz).
>
> During an on-site inspection, the telephone's owner voluntarily
> surrendered the unit to the FCC agent. The telephone owner asserted that
> he'd purchased the system, which reportedly did not display an FCC
> certification notice, from an eBay advertiser.
>
> The FCC's Philadelphia District Office is continuing to investigate.
>
> ==>SOLAR UPDATE
>
> Sunspot seeker Tad "Shining Star" Cook, K7RA, Seattle, Washington,
> reports: The seven-day averages for solar flux and sunspot numbers
> declined this week, while the averages for the geomagnetic A index rose.
> The average daily sunspot number declined more than 19 points to 26.9, and
> average solar flux was down more than 8 points to 88.7. Sunspot counts
> have been quite low and will continue their retreat for about two more
> years.
>
> The most active day in terms of geomagnetic indices over the past week was
> Monday, December 12, when a robust solar wind stream drove the
> mid-latitude A index to 24, the planetary A index to 36, and Alaska's
> college A index to 48. The quiet period this week was on December 14-15
> when the mid-latitude A index was 4 and 3.
>
> Earth now is passing through a solar wind stream from a coronal hole. For
> Friday, December 17 the predicted planetary A index is 20, followed by 15,
> 8 and 5 for Saturday through Monday. We may expect slightly higher solar
> flux (which is somewhat related to sunspot counts) with this weekend's
> flux value around 90. This is expected to rise to around 105 by December
> 23.
>
> Sunspot numbers for December 9 through 15 were 39, 39, 16, 26, 22, 18 and
> 28, with a mean of 26.9. The 10.7 cm flux was 87.4, 84.8, 89.8, 90.5,
> 89.7, 89.3 and 89.3, with a mean of 88.7. Estimated planetary A indices
> were 8, 10, 15, 36, 11, 7 and 6, with a mean of 13.3. Estimated
> mid-latitude A indices were 7, 8, 11, 24, 8, 4 and 3, with a mean of 9.3.
> __________________________________
>
> ==>IN BRIEF:
>
> * This weekend on the radio: The Russian 160-Meter Contest is December 17.
> The OK DX RTTY Contest and the RAC Winter Contest are December 18. The
> MDXA PSK DeathMatch, the Croatian CW Contest, the Stew Perry Topband
> Challenge and the International Naval Contest are the weekend of December
> 18-19. The RAEM Contest and the DARC Christmas Contest are December 26.
> ARRL Straight Key Night is January 1, 2005 (UTC). See the ARRL Contest
> Branch page <http://www.arrl.org/contests/> and the WA7BNM Contest
> Calendar <http://www.hornucopia.com/contestcal/> for more info.
>
> * ARRL Certification and Continuing Education course registration:
> Registration for the ARRL Antenna Modeling (EC-004) and Radio Propagation
> (EC-011) on-line courses remains open through Sunday, December 19. Classes
> begin Friday December 31. This course is an excellent way to learn the ins
> and outs of computerized antenna modeling. Antenna modeling expert and
> noted author L.B. Cebik, W4RNL, has combined the expertise of his long
> career as a college professor with his love and antennas and antenna
> modeling to offer a comprehensive, yet practical, course of study. Radio
> Propagation students will study the science of RF propagation and various
> propagation modes. To learn more, visit the ARRL Certification and
> Continuing Education <http://www.arrl.org/cce/> Web page or contact the
> ARRL Certification and Continuing Education Program Department,
> <cce at arrl.org>.
>
> * Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course registration: Registration
> for the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level III on-line
> course (EC-003) opens Monday, December 20, at 1201 AM EST and will remain
> open until all available seats have been filled or through the December
> 25-26 weekend. Radio amateurs 55 and up are strongly encouraged to
> participate. Class begins Friday, January 7. Thanks to our grant
> sponsors--the Corporation for National and Community Service and the
> United Technologies Corporation--the $45 registration fee paid upon
> enrollment will be reimbursed after successful completion of the course.
> During this registration period, seats are being offered to ARRL members
> on a first-come, first-served basis. To learn more, visit the ARRL
> Certification and Continuing Education Web page <http://www.arrl.org/cce>.
> For more information, contact Emergency Communications Course Manager Dan
> Miller, K3UFG, dmiller at arrl.org; 860-594-0340.
>
> * Emergency communications seminar set for Louisiana State Convention: The
> ARRL will offer a free Amateur Radio emergency communications seminar in
> conjunction with the ARRL Louisiana State Convention. It will take place
> Friday, March, 11, from noon until 4 PM, at the Rayne Civic Center in
> Rayne. The seminar will not include the Level I course itself! ARRL
> Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Course (ARECC) Manager Dan Miller,
> K3UFG, says ARECC participants reinforce the ARRL Field Organization.
> "This seminar will explain the ever-changing role of radio amateurs with
> emphasis on using lessons learned to effectively move Amateur Radio
> emergency communications to the next level," he said. The seminar is open
> to all interested radio amateurs, but seating may be limited. Especially
> urged to attend are ARES/RACES volunteers, ARECC course participants and
> ARRL Field Organization leaders. Course participants at every ARECC
> level--Mentors, Certification Instructors, Certification Examiners, past
> and current students--are encouraged to share their ARECC experiences and
> brainstorm ideas to motivate volunteers and coordinate activities. Those
> planning to attend should contact Dan Miller, K3UFG, k3ufg at arrl.org
> <mailto:k3ufg at arrl.org>; 860-594-0340; FAX 860-594-0259. Attendance at
> this seminar does not offer admission to the convention. Visit the
> Acadiana Amateur Radio Association Web site <http://www.w5ddl.org/hamfest>
> for more information on the ARRL LA State Convention.
>
> * ARRL VEC exam session application fee to change: Starting January 1, the
> fee charged all applicants at ARRL VEC-coordinated Amateur Radio
> examination sessions will rise from $12 to $14. ARRL Volunteer Examiner
> (VE) teams may retain up to $6 of this fee to reimburse the VE team's
> out-of-pocket test session-related expenses. The fee is charged to anyone
> applying for a new amateur license or an upgrade. It also applies to ARRL
> VEC-session applicants retesting on the same element after being
> unsuccessful (where examiners permit), or applicants seeking
> grandfather-credit upgrades and not taking an exam. ARRL VEC Manager Bart
> Jahnke, W9JJ, says that while the number of examinees has dropped in the
> past year--possibly due in part to the uncertainty regarding pending
> licensing proposals--the cost of business and expenses incurred by ARRL
> VEs and the ARRL VEC continues to rise. "Cost-saving measures already have
> included staff reduction, reduced printing and distribution charges for VE
> training material and exam software--both now only available via the
> Web--and elimination of lesser-used services," he said. The ARRL provides
> free FCC license renewals, address changes and other license modification
> services to current members. Nonmembers pay $14 for those services.
>
> * ARRL ham equipment insurance plan has new claims administrator:
> Effective immediately, the new claims administrator for the ARRL
> "All-Risk" Ham Radio Equipment Insurance Plan is the Risk Management
> Planning Group Inc (RMPG), 211 Station Rd, Mineola, NY 11501. RMPG is a
> third-party claims administration firm. Marsh Affinity Group Services of
> Park Ridge, Illinois, will continue as the program's administrator,
> handling applications as well as policy and insurance coverage questions.
> AIG, the company that underwrites the ARRL insurance program, directed the
> change in a move to consolidate claims-paying functions and to exercise
> more control over all the programs it underwrites through Marsh Affinity
> Group Services. There's more information on the ARRL Web site
> <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/regulations/insurance/equipment.html>.
>
> * Don Allen, W9CW, named CQ, CQ VHF ad manager: Don Allen, W9CW, of
> Urbana, Illinois, has been named advertising manager of CQ and CQ VHF
> magazines, Publisher Dick Ross, K2MGA, has announced. He succeeds Arnie
> Sposato, N2IQO, who is relocating to the West Coast and will continue as
> advertising manager of Popular Communications magazine on a part-time
> basis. Allen previously worked for CQ Communications--from 1989 until
> 2001--as ad manager of Popular Communications and Communications
> Quarterly, as well as CB Radio and Electronic Servicing & Technology
> magazines. He's a former sales and marketing manager for HAL
> Communications Corp. His Amateur Radio interests include both phone and CW
> operating, as well as collecting and building radio equipment. Allen will
> telecommute from his home in Illinois.
>
> ===========================================================
> The ARRL Letter is published Fridays, 50 times each year, by the American
> Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main
> St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259;
> <http://www.arrl.org>. Jim Haynie, W5JBP, President.
>
> The ARRL Letter offers a weekly e-mail digest of essential news of
> interest to active amateurs. The ARRL Letter strives to be timely,
> accurate, concise, and readable. Visit ARRLWeb <http://www.arrl.org> for
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> weekly "ham radio newscast" compiled from The ARRL Letter.
>
> Material from The ARRL Letter may be republished or reproduced in whole or
> in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to
> The ARRL Letter and The American Radio Relay League.
>
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