Newsletters

ARRL NW DIVISION NEWSLETTER – AUGUST 26, 2023

I will start by saying I hope all our ARRL Northwestern Division
amateurs are enjoying our “wonderful” late-summer weather. With all
this oppressive heat and smoke in the air, I can’t wait for our cooler
Fall weather and the beginning of the 2023/2024 contest season!

Due to some family health issues, I missed putting out a Division
newsletter last month. There’s a lot to discuss this month, so let’s
get going!

ARRL BOARD MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

Vice Director Mark Tharp, KB7HDX and I both flew back east to
Connecticut and attended the July ARRL Board meeting last month. It was
an interesting Board meeting, to say the least, with a lot of discussion
on various topics we’ll discuss here.

The Programs and Services Committee (PSC) met the day before the Board
meeting and held a “hotwash” review of 2023 Field Day (FD) rules.
The committee has received very few complaints from members regarding
the current FD rule set, apart from the possibility of removing the
COVID leftover “aggregate score” rule, where a member operating from
home can combine his score with a club effort “in the field”. At
this point there has been no decision made on whether it stays or not.
Stay tuned….

We also received updates regarding the Contest Advisory Committee (CAC),
and DX Advisory Committee (DXAC) current projects. Both committees
continue to meet on a regular basis.

Taking much of the time in the PSC meeting was vetting candidates no
less than seven ARRL service awards, along with discussing status
updates on various ARRL programs and initiatives. Unfortunately, our
PSC meeting was cut short due to all of us having to attend an afternoon
ARRL investment portfolio update meeting, so we again ran out of time
before everything on the PSC agenda was discussed. We’ll need to have
another PSC meeting via Zoom sometime in October to finish off our July
agenda.

As far as the July Board meeting itself was concerned, a lot of
discussion revolved around the proposed ARRL annual dues increase, the
first since 2006 or so. This was not a subject taken lightly by the full
Board, and in the end, I feel we really did what was necessary to keep
ARRL solvent into the foreseeable future. President Roderick put out a
special ARRL Bulletin immediately after the meeting where he stated:
“Yesterday, the ARRL Board of Directors completed their second annual
meeting. I’m writing to let you know that they made the tough, but
necessary, decision to increase the regular membership dues rate to $59
a year starting January 1, 2024.

Additionally, ARRL has chosen to separate the printed, mailed magazine
from regular membership. Members will be able to choose whether they
want to add-on a print subscription to any of our magazines including
QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ. All members will continue to have online,
digital access to each of these four magazines and the digital archive
as part of their regular membership benefits.

This is only the second time in 22 years that ARRL has raised dues. It
is a necessary part of ensuring ARRL is supported so we can continue to
promote and fight hard for our Amateur Radio Service, while providing
benefits and services for our members that increase your knowledge and
enjoyment of ham radio.”

Of course, social media has been exploding over this and a lot of false
information has been disseminated as a result. Let me put one rumor to
rest: I can confidently say that no, ARRL is not increasing dues to
cover a big raise in CEO Minster’s salary! The dues increase is really
to ensure the League will still be here protecting and growing Amateur
Radio 20 plus years from now. The dues increase will also allow ARRL to
further invest in initiatives that will bring younger amateurs into the
hobby.

An example of such as program is the successful Teachers Institute,
where ARRL does hands-on training for primary and secondary school
educators at ARRL HQ, teaching them how to weave amateur radio into
their STEM curriculums. It costs money to put such a program on, and
your dues help to fund it. It’s an investment in the future.

Another increasing cost is ARRL legal efforts with both the FCC to
protect our spectrum, and our legislative efforts to get extreme HOA
antenna limitations curbed. Neither of these efforts are free.

While most members seem to understand the reasons ARRL had to increase
dues, the subject of removing printed and mailed QST magazines from
normal ARRL membership and making it an extra cost option, (except for
ARRL Life Members who “opt in” on the website after Sept 1st), has
proven to be most controversial. There was a primary reason this had to
be done, and that’s related to what’s happening to the entire paper
industry. CEO Minster reported to the board during the Board meeting
that as more and more publications go 100% digital, the correct size and
quality of paper used to print our magazines is getting much harder to
find, and much more expensive when it is available. Paper companies are
apparently putting their production efforts into making corrugated
cardboard to support supply chain logistics companies such as Amazon,
not into sheet paper for magazines. It appears that eventually the
correct type of paper for our publications will not be available at any
price. What do we do? We wean our members off the printed magazines and
put our future efforts into digital media.

The final dues proposal for Directors to vote upon was a result of a lot
of work done by the ARRL Administration and Finance Committee (A&F) and
a special Revenue subcommittee they created. Neither Mark nor I are
members of either committee, so we must take them at their word that the
information and data provided to us to justify the dues increase was
accurate. There are some of the smartest financial minds the League has
on those committees, including both our ARRL CFO and Treasurer. I must
believe they got it right.

As far as alternative positions I’ve heard on the subject the
strangest one is: “We should allow the League to burn through its
existing cash reserves rather than increase member dues, then just call
it quits when it’s gone. After all, if we’re gone, we won’t need
ARRL anymore as amateur radio will be dead anyway!” That
irresponsibility would allow ARRL to remain solvent only for the next
7-10 years. We all need to look into the future and do what we can to
preserve our passion, amateur radio, and instill that passion on future
generations. That can’t happen without an ARRL, and not without some
sacrifice on our part.

ARRL 2022 ANNUAL REPORT PUBLISHED

The 2022 ARRL Annual Report has been published. This yearly summary
details accomplishments of our member-volunteers. Included is ARRL’s
“Report to America”, which highlights the contributions made by
radio amateurs to their local communities. It may be especially valuable
to amateur radio clubs and emergency communications groups to help tell
the story of good works done by hams. Communications responses for New
England blizzards, Oklahoma tornadoes, Colorado wildfires, and Hurricane
Ian are detailed in the report which may be viewed at:
https://www.arrl.org/annual-reports

LATEST THREAT TO OUR HF AMATEUR RADIO SPECTRUM

Let’s take a few minutes to discuss the latest threat to our amateur
spectrum, a petition filed with the FCC in April that would allow
automatic frequency agile high power, high bandwidth digital FCC Part 90
commercial signals dangerously close to our HF bands, and potentially
splatter well into them. The FCC petition number is RM-11953, which
would allow a HF based “instant access” stock trading system to be
developed. The proponents, a consortium called the “Shortwave
Modernization Coalition” (SMC), which represents certain
high-frequency stock trading interests, believe that using direct
peer-to-peer HF radios for stock trading can decrease latency times
existent in satellite and fiber/wireline systems. The faster a computer
can jump on a stock buy or sell opportunity, the more profit it can make
for the stock traders. It’s that simple.

My opinion? This is a dangerous petition for Amateur Radio, and I
certainly hope it gets shot down by the FCC. There are already many
users in the spectrum they seek (allocations in all of 2-25 MHz?). The
US Military is one of them, and they certainly aren’t going to want to
give up any HF spectrum, nor are they going to allow a commercial
enterprise to share their space. There are some big questions that are
not answered in the petition.

Looking at the technology, the RM-11953 proponents are looking at
utilizing frequency agile ACDS technology (automatically controlled
digital stations), up to 50 kHz wide in bandwidth, some 20 kW of power,
and transmitting through 10 dB gain antennas. That is a lot of Effective
Radiated Power (ERP)! The ACDS signals can pop up anywhere and interfere
with somebody already using the frequency. They claim they can use
“frequency agile” technology to automatically change to a different
frequency if an existing frequency user’s signal is detected before they
transmit. The problem with that is the fact that we all know that
sometimes one can’t hear the other end of a HF conversation we are
listening to as a third party, as the propagation between us and the one
of the ends just isn’t there. In this case, the 20 kW ACDS station will
assume the frequency is not in use and start transmitting right over
them. That is an ongoing argument with our ham band Winlink PACTOR ACDS
stations now, but not with 50 kHz wide 20 kW signals!

OK, there are a lot of commercial Shortwave (SW) broadcasters that use
much more power than 20 kW, but 50 kHz is a lot of bandwidth too and can
lead to co-channel splatter. The problem with that much power is that
the FCC currently places a -43 dBc spurious emissions requirement on
Part 97 HF amateur equipment, they are seeking a much lower -35 dBc
limit for this proposal, some 8 dB worse that other services.

They also claim they don’t need to work with the ITU or deal with any
international spectrum allocations. I’m sure the ITU and IARU will have
something to say about that too, as we all know radio waves don’t stop
at our borders!

One big question is: Exactly what frequencies are they going to use in
the end? If they are assigned specific frequencies by the FCC, and those
frequencies are far enough from the ham bands, it probably won’t be much
of an issue unless you live near one of the transmitter sites. If their
“frequency agile” transmitters scan the airwaves looking for somewhere
to land, and that somewhere happens to be edging upon a ham band, that
is REALLY bad news.

On August 2nd, ARRL filed their formal opposition to the petition. In
their conclusion paragraph ARRL stated “The ARRL constrained its
review and analysis to the interference potential represented by the
technical rules proposed in the SMC petition. During the process it
became clear that despite the statements and rhetoric in the Petition,
no actual test results relevant to harmful interference to spectrum
neighbors have been provided by the petitioners. The proposed rules
requested by SMC offer substantially less protection to the licensees
who would be its spectrum neighbors than protections adopted by the
Commission in multiple other services, including the Amateur Service. It
also became apparent that destructive interference would result if
operations commenced using anything close to these rules. Accordingly,
the ARRL respectfully requests that the petition be dismissed or
denied.”

Stay tuned as this develops. The comment period on this petition is now
closed, and now we wait.

CLEAN SIGNAL INITIATIVE LATEST

The Clean Signal Initiative (CSI) Committee continues to meet virtually
on a monthly basis and its work has moved along far enough to start
putting “pen to paper”, so to speak. Most of the benchmark signal
standards have been agreed upon by committee members, now we are busy
creating a formal technical standard utilizing the IEEE Standard
template.

ARRL SIMULATED EMERGENCY TEST (SET), OCT 7-8, 2023

ARRL Field Organization Leaders in our Division are among the many
amateur radio operators who are developing plans and scenarios for this
year’s ARRL Simulated Emergency Test (SET).

This annual nationwide exercise presents an important opportunity to
test one’s training and to develop new skills as well. It’s a prominent
time to work with partner organizations and served agencies, to get to
know them better and to learn what their needs may be in advance of an
emergency or disaster situation. For many decades, ARRL has established
working national relationships with organizations and agencies like the
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), American National Red Cross,
Salvation Army, National Weather Service, National Communications
System, the Association of Public-Safety Communications
Officials-International (APCO-International), Citizen Corps, National
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), REACT International,
Inc., Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) and Boy Scouts of America.
More details on these particular organizations and how they work with
ARRL and amateur radio operators can be found at
http://www.arrl.org/served-agencies-and-partners.

Getting to know these organizations at the local, Section, and state
levels and how to work together for effective emergency and public
service is an important goal. The annual ARRL SET provides the chance,
and you and the radio amateurs of your community help make it happen.

Get Involved — To find out how to get involved in this year’s SET,
please contact your local ARRL Emergency Coordinator (EC) or Net
Manager. (Your Section Manager can help you get ahold of your local EC.)
Check on upcoming planned activities through local, state or
Section-wide nets. In addition, refer to the ARRL Section web pages at
www.arrl.org/groups/sections.

In consideration of local and Section-wide schedules and schedules with
partner organizations and served agencies, ARRL Field Organization
leaders have the option of conducting their Simulated Emergency Tests at
another time if the main SET weekend of October 7 and 8 is not the best
for all concerned. Consult with your local and/or section Field
Organization leaders for details.

Additional background on the annual SET is presented in the article,
Simulated Emergency Test 2022 Results, in the July 2023 issue of QST,
pp. 66-68. Also, guidelines and specific SET reporting forms for ARRL
Section and Field Organization Leaders and reporting participants are
linked on the ARRL website at
www.arrl.org/public-service-field-services-forms.

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, WASHINGTON ARES HIGHLIGHTED
Below is a link to the article prepared by the Chair of the State of
Washington State Emergency Communications Committee and written by Ted
Buehner, W6TOR, about new emergency power and communications trailers to
support response teams, especially in rural areas such as the Cascade
Mountains. The article prompted ARRL Western Washington (WWA) Section
Manager Monte Simpson, W7FF, to say “The innovativeness of the Snohomish
County Department of Emergency Management is outstanding, and they are
forward leaning in the use of their amateur radio EMCOMM team that ARES
is an integral part of. In March 2014, Snohomish County DEM deployed
amateur radio operators to staff Mobile EMCOMM busses/coaches for local
public safety at the SR530/Oso landslide.” Simpson said “The hams were
the primary operators of the county’s 800 MHz communications system. As
the Section Manager, I am proud of the outstanding efforts and
accomplishments of the Snohomish County Amateur Radio EMCOMM team.”

ATTENTION ALL CLUB LICENSE TRUSTEES!

The following ARRL Club License Tips come from ARRL VEC Manager Maria
Somma, AB1FM:
“All club license transactions (except for new vanity call sign
requests) must be processed through an FCC-approved Club Station Call
Sign Administrator (CSCSA) and by completing a 605-C club form. ARRL VEC
is an FCC-approved CSCSA. Club license changes, including email and
address changes; club license renewals; new club license grants, and
club license trustee changes must be submitted through a CSCSA. Trustee
changes require the club meeting minutes showing the change, signed by
club officers, to accompany the 605-C application.

CSCSAs are also authorized to process military recreation station
license applications. Military recreation station licenses are not
eligible to apply for vanity call signs.

As a reminder, according to FCC club station license rule 97.5(b)(2):
“The club must be composed of at least four persons and must have a
name, a document of organization, management, and a primary purpose
devoted to amateur service activities consistent with this part.” In
addition, the document of organization must be kept in the club’s
records and made available to the FCC upon request.

Direct questions about and applications for club license renewals,
changes, or new club license grants to the ARRL VEC.”

PLANNING A HAMFEST OR CONVENTION?

If your amateur radio club is planning to host a convention, hamfest,
tailgate, or swapfest, please consider applying for it to be an
ARRL-sanctioned event. To learn what it means to be an ARRL-sanctioned
event, and to get some ideas on how to prepare for and conduct a hamfest
or convention, visit www.arrl.org/arrl-sanctioned-events.

To have your event sanctioned, complete the online application at
www.arrl.org/hamfest-convention-application.

The ARRL Hamfests and Conventions Calendar can be found online at
www.arrl.org/hamfests. In addition, the Convention and Hamfest Calendar
that runs in QST each month also presents information about upcoming
events.

In addition, please notify our Northwestern Division Event Calendar
Coordinator, Lynn Burlingame, N7CFO. He can be reached at:
n7cfo@n7cfo.com

AL ROVNER, K7AR AND BOB NORIN, W7YAQ HEADING TO LORD HOWE ISLAND (VK9)

Finally, ARRL Northwestern Division “DXers Extraordinaire” Al
Rovner, K7AR and Bob Norin, W7YAQ have announced they will be putting
Lord Howe Island on the air next month! They expect to be active from
September 20th to October 4th, 2023, using the callsign VK9LAA. They
will be active in the CQ WW RTTY Contest as well.

Until we can meet again, 73, and get on the air!

Mike Ritz, W7VO
ARRL Northwestern Division Director
ARRL Foundation Vice President
W7VO@arrl.org
www.arrl.org
www.arrlnwdiv.org

Now we will hear from Vice Director Tharp!

Diary of the Vice Director, Volume 5, August 2023

Welcome to August NW Division.

Mike and I safely navigated the winding mazes of TSA security once again
for the Second BOD meeting in Connecticut. Both of us were quite busy
the entire time with committee meetings, and other discussions with
fellow board members and HQ staff.

Brief highlights of the meeting, as Mike has included more above….

The ECFSC committee met all morning and early afternoon on Thursday. We
managed to work through some fourteen action items we had been working
on over the last year. Many of these items HQ Staff had been working on
so we moved them into that arena, and a few were simply dismissed, or
placed on hold for review in the future. I will say Mike Walters and
Josh Johnson at HQ are doing great work and it shows. Both are running
full steam ahead and it is refreshing to see the support from HQ for the
Section Managers, and Field Services in general.

Thursday afternoon we had a presentation from CAPTRUST, our investment
management company. Needless to say our investments are doing about the
same as yours.

Friday and Saturday in the Board room were, shall we say, exciting at
times. Much discussion on the dues increases and change in QST delivery.
Unfortunately, with the cost of publishing continuing to rise, and other
factors this was a necessary change. Many hours went into analyzing the
current and future projected financial reports and it was decided this
was the best course of action. Not counting the change in QST delivery
the increase amounts to 83 cents a month. In the overall picture this is
not a huge jump. With the new rate, membership in the ARRL is only 4.91
a month, less than a coffee stand drink. And if you did not know, all
four publications, QST, OTA, QEX, and NCJ are all available online to
members and included in your yearly membership.
http://www.arrl.org/arrl-magazines

The most current list of Hamfests, Conventions, and other gatherings,
can be found at the website maintained by Lynn Burlingame, N7CFO at:
http://www.n7cfo.com/amradio/hf/hf.htm

A link to this page is also on the Division website at:
https://arrlnwdiv.org/

Division stats:
At the end of July the NW Division had 11,997 members which is down 0.2%
from June where we had 12,023.
New hams in the NW Division last month totaled 168 (how many did we
educate about the ARRL???)
New ARRL members last month totaled 76.
Members that re-joined after a lapse totaled 72.
License class upgrades last month were 60.

Mike and I are always open to input, good and bad, (we prefer good) from
members. If you have anything you would like to talk about, shoot us an
email or call on the phone.

Events I am currently planning to attend are:
Spokane Hamfest, September 23rd

Mike and I are always looking for information to share with the
Division. If you have a news item you would like to offer, please send
us a note and we would be glad to include it here. It is always good to
hear from members.

Remember if you are ever curious about what is going on in other
Divisions or Sections, your ARRL membership includes access to any news
bulletins put out from Directors and Section Mangers. You can access
that page at: https://www.arrl.org/section-division-email-log

If you have any questions or input, an email to kb7hdx@arrl.org is the
best way to contact me.

73..
Mark J. Tharp, KB7HDX

ARRL Vice Director
Northwestern Division
kb7hdx@arrl.org


ARRL Northwestern Division
Director: Michael T Ritz, W7VO
w7vo@arrl.org

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