Find on this site... Site Index  ·Classes ·Exams ·Clubs ·Hamfests ·Addresses    Search site:    Call sign search:   ARRL Member Login... Username:   Password:    Register    Forgot userid/password?  Quick Links... ·Join or Renew ·Catalog & Store ·ARRL Courses ·Classifieds ·Getting Started

Operating Activities Licensing News/Bulletins Services Education Public Service Support Donate to ARRL ARRL Info Text-only

ARRL Products: FM & Repeaters (More) The ARRL Repeater Directory (Pocket-sized Edition) -- Now Shipping! -- 2008/2009 Edition. Find it F A S T E R with the newly improved ARRL Repeater Directory! VoIP: Internet Linking for Radio Amateurs -- Where RF meets the Internet! A guide to four VoIP systems: EchoLink, IRLP, eQSO and WIRES-II. The ARRL Repeater Directory (Desktop Edition) -- Now Shipping! -- Easy-to-read size. 2008/2009 Edition. Find it F A S T E R with the newly improved ARRL Repeater Directory! TravelPlus CD-ROM with BONUS Repeater Directory -- Now Shipping! -- Locate repeaters along your travel route. Detailed maps and current repeater data.

Pursuant to due notice, the Executive Committee of The American Radio Relay League, Inc. met at 8:30 AM Central Standard Time, Saturday, March 15, 2003, at the Dallas -- Fort Worth Airport Marriott North, Irving, Texas. Present were the following committee members: President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, in the Chair; First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN; Executive Vice President and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ; and Directors Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Tom Frenaye, K1KI, Bernie Fuller, N3EFN, and Rick Roderick, K5UR. Also present were International Affairs Vice President Rodney J. Stafford, W6ROD, and General Counsel Christopher D. Imlay, W3KD.

1. The following agenda was agreed:

1. Consideration of agenda for the meeting
2. Consideration of plan of work for the committee for 2003
3. Review of working draft of study in response to Minute 56, July 2002 Board Meeting (amateur utilization of 902 MHz -- 24.25 GHz)
4. Study of standing committees (Minute 52, July 2002 Board Meeting)
5. Discussion of anticipated FCC Omnibus Part 97 Notice of Proposed Rule Making
6. Consideration of implementation plan for limited temporary relief from Automatic Power Control requirement for spread spectrum at 2.4 GHz (Minute 31, January 2003 Board Meeting)
7. Confirmation of schedule for strategic planning meetings, July and September
8. Review and possible approval of 4^th round of applications for Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program
9. Review of progress in accomplishing past Board and EC actions
10. Status of review of Articles of Association and Bylaws
11. Status of review of Standing Orders
12. Status of memoranda of understanding to which the ARRL is a party
13. Amateur Radio Interference Assessment (ARIA) update
14. Review of status of other pending FCC matters
15. Status of ARRL Legislative Agenda for 108^th Congress
16. Dissemination of state legislative report
17. WRC-03 status report
18. Other international matters
19. Legal matters
20. Field organization matters
21. Antenna and RFI cases
22. 2003 National Convention status report
23. Recognition of new Life Members
24. Affiliation of clubs
25. Approval of conventions
26. Approval of minutes of December 5, 2002 meeting by telephone conference (Number 470)
27. Date and place of next EC meeting
28. Other business

2. The committee agreed to the following plan of work for the year 2003:

• Completion of review of Articles of Association and Bylaws. It was agreed that with the exception of whatever amendments may arise from the study of standing committees now underway, the only revision indicated at present is the simplification of Bylaw 23 since the transition from two-year to three-year terms for Directors and Vice Directors has been completed. The Secretary will provide a proposed revision for committee approval so that it can be circulated to the Board at least 30 days in advance of the July 2003 Board Meeting.

• Review of ARRL Standing Orders. By April 15, committee members will review the current list of Standing Orders with a view to eliminating those that are obsolete or that do not rise to the level of organizational policy. Recommendations for changes and deletions will be presented to the Board for consideration at the July 2003 Board Meeting.

• Establishment of tracking mechanism for monitoring progress on implementation of Board actions.

• Completion of study of standing committees (Minute 52, July 2002 Board Meeting).

3. Mr. Imlay presented a draft document comprising the work to date by Technical Relations Manager Paul Rinaldo, W4RI, First Vice President Harrison, and himself in response to Minute 56 of the July 2002 Board Meeting. This Board action calls for an analysis of options for better protecting and efficiently deploying Amateur Radio in the bands between 902 MHz and 24.25 GHz. Committee members participated in a wide-ranging and thoughtful discussion of the issues raised in the draft report and concluded that the final report should include an analysis of the concept of strategic partnering with non-amateur interests. Mr. Imlay and Mr. Harrison indicated that the document will be delivered to the Executive Committee by May 15 for onward transmittal to the Board by June 1.

4. Mr. Frenaye presented a strawman proposal for the restructuring of standing committees of the Board responsive to Minute 52 of the July 2002 Board Meeting. Following discussion that led to minor changes to the proposal, on motion of Mr. Roderick it was voted to distribute the proposal to the Board for the consultation with the other standing committees called for in Minute 52, with the objective of completing work on a formal proposal for the necessary amendments to the Bylaws prior to the July 2003 Board Meeting. Mr. Roderick agreed to provide introductory text.

The committee was in recess for luncheon from 12:00 to 1:10 PM.

5. Mr. Imlay reported that the FCC is expected to release in May an Omnibus Part 97 Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) incorporating proposals from several petitions for rule making, including some from the ARRL. The NPRM is expected to include some items that will be proposed by the FCC on its own motion. It is possible that the comment period for the NPRM will end before the July 2003 Board Meeting, in which case it will not be possible for the Board to discuss in person those issues upon which it has not already taken a position. Accordingly, the committee discussed several such issues in order to provide Mr. Imlay with guidance as to what positions should be reflected in draft ARRL comments, but without adopting any positions as ARRL policy inasmuch as it is not yet known which proposals will be included in the NPRM. Any draft comments prepared in response to the Omnibus NPRM will be subject to the usual policy review prior to filing.

6. Mr. Imlay reported on discussions with FCC staff by Mr. Rinaldo and himself regarding the fulfillment of Minute 31 of the January 2003 Board Meeting, which is to provide a specific group of amateur experimenters operating under the control and supervision of the ARRL High Speed Digital & Multimedia (HSMM) Working Group with temporary relief from the automatic power control requirement for spread spectrum communication at 2.4 GHz. It appears that it may be possible for the group to achieve its objectives within the existing regulations. It was agreed that Mr. Imlay shall draft a letter, to be reviewed by Mr. Rinaldo and Mr. Sumner prior to sending, to the chairman of the HSMM Working Group explaining this interpretation, with a copy to the FCC's Public Safety and Private Wireless Division.

7. Mr. Sumner noted that in accordance with the recommendations of the Ad Hoc Planning Committee that were accepted by the Board (Minute 40 of the January meeting), on Thursday, July 17, the Officers, Directors, and staff officers will be involved in a full-day Leadership Development Seminar as the initial step in the resumption of strategic planning. The regular Second Meeting of the Board will begin the following morning. Thus, there will not be time available for standing committees or other committees to meet just prior to the Board Meeting. Mr. Sumner was asked to remind the committees that they will have to complete their tasks in advance. Travel days for Vice Directors attending the Board Meeting will be Thursday (arrival) and Sunday (departure).

8. After discussion, on motion of Mr. Bodson, ten applications for participation as Pilot Schools in the ARRL Amateur Radio Education & Technology Program were approved.

9. Progress in implementing several past Board and Executive Committee actions was reviewed, including the following:

• July 2001 Board Meeting, Minute 64. Mr. Imlay reported that considerable information on state-level "PRB-1" legislation is now available on the ARRL Web site although it is not in the "how-to" form envisioned in the motion. In practice, a case-by-case approach is required because each state is somewhat different. Regulatory Specialist John Hennessee, N1KB, of the Field & Educational Services Department is the initial point of contact for inquiries on this subject and provides what is necessary; for example, a sample floor statement for use by a legislator recently was requested.

• October 2001 EC Meeting, Minute 2.10. The FCC had solicited comments to "refresh the record" in IB Docket 95-59 regarding reconsideration of rules adopted in 1996 on preemption of local zoning regulation of satellite earth stations. It had been thought that the proceeding might provide an opportunity to argue against inconsistent interpretation of the Commission's authority to preempt private land use restrictions, and the EC had authorized appropriate comments to be filed. However, on closer examination of the proceeding it provided no basis for comments on behalf of the Amateur Radio Service.

• October 2001 EC Meeting, Minute 2.13. Brief comments had been authorized in response to a petition by Loea Communications Corporation, RM-10288, simply to remind the FCC that the Amateur Service continues to have access to 75.5-76 GHz on a primary basis until 2006 when WRC-2000 decisions to realign the band will take effect. Comments were filed and were taken into account in the NPRM in WT Docket 02-146. The EC reviewed this proceeding during its December 5, 2002, teleconference and agreed that no further ARRL comments were required.

• October 2001 EC Meeting, Minute 2.16. Mr. Imlay reported that he had reviewed the disclaimer posted on the "FCC Enforcement Log" section of the ARRL Web site and had found it to be adequate.

• March 2002 EC Meeting, Minute 2.11. The EC had requested that Mr. Sumner and Mr. Imlay collaborate in drafting a letter to the FCC advocating a prohibition on multiple applications for the same call sign by a single applicant. Discussions with FCC staff revealed that their position was that amendment of Part 1 of the Commission's Rules would be required. In the meantime, a petition for rule making, RM-10582, was filed by three individuals seeking the same relief and is expected to be included in the upcoming Omnibus proceeding (see Minute 5).

• March 2002 EC Meeting, Minute 6.2. The matter has been addressed without the necessity of correspondence.

• March 2002 EC Meeting, Minute 6.3. A Working Group of the IARU Region 2 Executive Committee has been established to develop an implementation plan for a program to promote greater collaboration between the member-societies of Region 2. When the program is implemented an ARRL contact person will be named.

• July 2002 Board Meeting, Minute 57. President Haynie conceived the six-minute video, Amateur Radio Today, to address the objectives of Minute 57. It was unveiled at the January 2003 Board Meeting and has proved to be very effective. Mr. Sumner confirmed that staff is prepared to support Mr. Haynie's ideas for additional materials.

On motion of Mr. Harrison, it was voted that a tracking mechanism for monitoring progress on implementation of Board actions is established. A chart prepared by the Secretary will be included with future EC reports to the Board showing a summary of the action item, to whom it was assigned, budget, status, and the expected or actual completion date. Once completion has been reported, the action items will be removed from the chart.

10. Review of the Articles of Association and Bylaws had been completed under Minute 2.

11. Similarly, the status of the ARRL Standing Orders had been reviewed under Minute 2.

12. Mr. Frenaye initiated a discussion of principles related to the Memoranda of Understanding to which the ARRL is a party. He said that in some cases it is not clear where in the ARRL organization the responsibility resides to "manage" the relationship described in an MOU. Committee members agreed that it was generally desirable to review MOUs periodically, e.g., every five years.

Mr. Frenaye expressed concern about disclaimers that appeared in the 2002-2003 Repeater Directory with respect to listings in certain areas and that would be repeated with some modifications in the next edition. While recognizing that work on the next edition is essentially finished, several committee members expressed the desire that if possible, such disclaimers be avoided in the future.

13. Mr. Harrison reported on the status of the Amateur Radio Interference Assessment (ARIA) project. He hopes to be able to report progress in field measurements by the July Board Meeting.

14. Mr. Imlay reported briefly on the status of several pending FCC matters. He noted that in a supplement to its petition for reconsideration in ET Docket 98-153, the UWB proceeding, Cingular Wireless LLC has echoed the ARRL's argument that the FCC lacks the authority to permit the operation of unlicensed devices except as explicitly provided by statute. He observed that the recent Report and Order in ET Docket 02-16 concerning, among other things, the removal of radiolocation stations from 1625-1705 kHz does not represent a new threat to 1900-2000 kHz as the provisions for relocating such stations date back to 1987. He also reported that the Department of Defense has submitted a persuasive rebuttal to erroneous claims by SAVI Technology, Inc. that the restrictions on the use of 425-435 MHz under Part 15 can be relaxed, as proposed by the FCC in ET Docket 01-278, without adversely affecting military radars.

15. Mr. Sumner noted that the Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act has been reintroduced in both the House and the Senate as H.R.713 and S.537 respectively. Reintroduction in the House of the Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Consistency Act is expected shortly.

16. A report on state legislation relating to telecommunications is shared with Board members regularly. After discussion it was agreed that Directors should be encouraged to share the relevant information with the Section Managers in their divisions.

17. Mr. Stafford noted that IARU Region 2 worked effectively to represent Amateur Radio at the recent meeting in Orlando of CITEL PCC.II. He reported that two additional countries in Region 2 will support "Method D" which is one of the methods that provides for a 300-kHz worldwide amateur allocation.

18. Mr. Stafford reported on the status of the consultative process between the ARRL, in its role as the IARU International Secretariat, and the regional representatives to the IARU Administrative Council to identify qualified candidates for IARU President and Vice President for the 2004-2009 term. Vice President David Wardlaw, VK3ADW, has announced that he is not available to serve another term. The consultative process will continue, with the list of available candidates to be completed by July 9. The International Secretariat then has until the next meeting of the Administrative Council, scheduled for September 6-8 in Taipei, Taiwan, to select its nominees.

19. Mr. Imlay reported briefly on legal matters.

20. Field organization matters were discussed without action.

21. Mr. Imlay reported on the status of court cases involving amateur antennas in New Mexico and Texas.

22. Mr. Haynie reported that preparations for the ARRL National Convention in Arlington, Texas, June 20-22, are proceeding well.

23. On motion of Mr. Bodson, 441 recently elected life members were recognized and the Secretary was instructed to list their names in QST.

24. On motion of Mr. Roderick, the following clubs were declared affiliated (all Category 1):

Bi-State Amateur Radio Club, Clinton, IA
Clayton Amateur Radio Emergency Services, Jonesboro, GA
Milwaukee Repeater Club, Inc., Milwaukee, WI
Radio Society of Tucson, Tucson, AZ
RZS Amateur Radio Club, Hawthorne, NY
Saltlake Peaks Amateur Radio Club, West Valley City, UT

The following clubs previously had been affiliated by mail vote:

Category 1

575 Long Island Amateur Radio Simplex Club, Patchogue, NY
AERIALS, Inc, Morganville, NJ
Air Museum ARC, Williams, AZ
Arizona Near Space Research, Gilbert, AZ
Ashland Amateur Radio Club, Ashland, NE
Bergen County FM Association, Fairlawn, NJ
Big Lake Amateur Radio Club, Clewiston, FL
Bluff Country DX Association, LaCrosse, WI
Bristol County Repeater Association, Fall River, MA
C3I Amateur Radio Group, Hollywood, FL
Colony Mountain Contest Club, Dover, AR
Colorado YLs, Aurora, CO
Crocker Public Service Group, Berlin, MA
Cross County Amateur Radio Club, Wynne, AR
Dawson Hill Contest Club, Louisville, KY
Desert Waves Amateur Club, Blythe, CA
Dickson County Amateur Radio Club, Brentwood, TN
Downtown Amateur Packet Radio, Grand Rapids, MI
East Coast Long Wire Association, Green Creek, NJ
Extra Class Amateur Radio Club, Cortez, FL
Flagler Emergency Communications Association, Inc., Palm Coast, FL
Foothills Amateur Radio Club, Pickens, SC
Greer Amateur Radio Club, Greenville, SC
Horned Toad Acres Wireless Association, Phoenix, AZ
Mabuhay Radio Club of Michigan, Shelby Township, MI
Major Armstrong FM Association, Loxahatchee, FL
Maricopa County Sheriff's Communication Posse, Phoenix, AZ
Marshall County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Culleoka, TN
MicroHams, Redmond, WA
Midwest Amateur Radio Club, Metropolis, IL
Mt. Frank Contesters, Hampshire, IL
North Brevard Amateur Radio Club, Mims, FL
North Jersey Wireless Association, Hopatcong, NJ
Osceola Amateur Radio Emergency Service, Inc., Kissimmee, FL
Piscataquis Amateur Radio Club, Brownsville Jct, ME
Plymouth Historical Museum Radio Club, Plymouth, MI
RACES ARES Disasters Assistance Repeaters (RADAR), Dearborn, MI
San Juan County Amateur Radio Society, Friday Harbor, WA
Sierra Blanca Amateur Radio Club, Ruidoso, NM
South Eastern Kentucky DX Association, Hyden, KY
South West Columbus Ham Radio Club, Columbus, OH
Southwest Michigan Amateur Radio Team, Galesburg, MI
Spokane DX Association, Spokane, WA
Sportsman's Paradise Amateur Radio Club, Crawfordville, FL
Tri-State Amateur Radio Club, Inc, Cresco, IA
U.S.S. Jurassic Amateur Radio Club, Hamersville, OH
Virginia Young Radio Amateurs Association, Charlottesville, VA
White Bear Mountain Amateur Radio Club, Jim Thorpe, PA
Winchester Amateur Radio Society, Winchester, VA

Category 2

Caribbean Contesting Consortium, Columbus, OH
LaCrosse Hams Special Interest Group, LaCrosse, WI
Law Enforcement Amateur Radio Club, S. Ozone Park, NY
Michigan DX Association, Grand Rapids, MI
Mid South Contest Club, Joelton, TN
Mid-Atlantic DX and Repeater Association, Brunswick, MD
North America DX Association, Bradley Beach, NJ
Rainbow Amateur Radio Association, Key West, FL
Westcott Wireless Preservation Association, Springfield, OH

Category 3

Indiana University Purdue University Amateur Radio Club, Indianapolis, IN
Purdue Calumet Amateur Radio Society, Hammond, IN
St. Antoninus School Radio Club, Cincinnati, OH
University of Iowa Amateur Radio Club, Iowa City, IA
Wake Forest University Amateur Radio Club, Winston-Salem, NC
William Blount High School Amateur Radio Club, Maryville, TN
Young Hams of the North East, Passaic, NJ

The ARRL now has the following numbers of active affiliated clubs: Category 1, 1,845; Category 2, 49; Category 3, 114; Category 4, 17; Total, 2,025.

25. On motion of Mr. Fuller, the holding of the following ARRL conventions was approved:

San Francisco Section, June 22-22, 2003, Ferndale, CA
Utah State, July 11-13, 2003, Bryce
Oklahoma State, July 18-19, 2003, Oklahoma City
Arizona State, July 25-27, 2003, Flagstaff
Kentucky State, August 9-10, 2003, Lexington
Alabama Section, August 16-17, 2003, Huntsville
Kansas State, August 17, 2003, Salina
West Virginia State, August 23-24, 2003, Weston
Maryland-DC Section, September 6-7, 2003, West Friendship, MD
Great Lakes Division, September 6-7, 2003, Findlay, OH
Western Pennsylvania Section, September 7, 2003, Butler
Northern New York Section, October 11, 2003, Lake Placid
Connecticut State, October 12, 2003, Wallingford
South Carolina Section, November 8, 2003, Myrtle Beach
Louisiana State, November 14-15, 2003, Monroe
Indiana State, November 15-16, 2003, Fort Wayne

Northern Florida Section, February 13-15, 2004, Orlando
International EME Conference, August 6-8, 2004, Ewing Township, NJ

The following conventions previously had been approved by mail vote:

Oklahoma State, July 19-20, 2002, Oklahoma City
Texas State, August 2-3, 2002, Austin
Alabama Section, August 17-18, 2002, Huntsville
New Mexico State, August 23-24, 2002, Albuquerque
Central Division, September 13-15, 2002, Peoria, IL
Alaska State, September 14, 2002, Anchorage
Pacific Northwest VHF, September 27-28, 2002, Bend, OR
W0DXCC, September 28, 2002, Omaha, NE
Roanoke Division, September 28-29, 2002, Virginia Beach, VA
Western States VHF/UHF & Microwave Update, October 11-13, 2002, Cerritos, CA
Northern New York Section, October 12, 2002, Lake Placid
Eastern Washington Section, October 12, 2002, Spokane
Connecticut State, October 13, 2002, Wallingford
Eastern VHF/UHF & Microwave Update, October 24-27, 2002, Enfield, CT
Indiana State, November 16-17, 2002, Fort Wayne

New York City/Long Island Section, January 19, 2003, Oyster Bay
Mississippi State, January 31-February 2, 2003, Jackson
Florida State, February 1-2, 2003, Miami
Northern Florida Section, February 7-9, 2003, Orlando
Tennessee Section, February 8-9, 2003, Memphis
Virginia Section, February 9, 2003, Richmond
Vermont State, February 22, 2003, Milton
Western Washington Section, March 8, 2003, Puyallup
Roanoke Division, March 8-9, 2003, Charlotte, NC
Oklahoma Section, March 14-15, 2003, Claremore
Texas State, March 15-16, 2003, Midland
Nebraska State, March 21-22, 2003, Norfolk
Maine State, March 28, 2003, Lewiston
Maryland State, March 29-30, 2003, Timonium
Southeastern VHF Conference, April 25-26, 2003, Huntsville, AL
SETI League Technical Symposium, April 25-27, 2003, Trenton, NJ
Midwest Division, May 2-3, 2003, Lebanon, MO
International DX, May 2-4, 2003, Visalia, CA
South Carolina State, May 3, 2003, Greenville
Alabama State, May 3-4, 2003, Birmingham
West Texas Section, May 3-4, 2003, Abilene
Rocky Mountain Division, May 30-June 1, 2003, Estes Park, CO
Atlantic Division, May 30-June 1, 2003, Rochester, NY
Georgia State, June 7, 2003, Marietta
Iowa State, June 13-14, 2003, Sioux City
Tennessee State, June 13-14, 2003, Knoxville
Eastern Pennsylvania Section, June 14, 2003, Bloomsburg
Northwestern Division, June 14-15, 2003, Seaside, OR
Southeastern Division, July 12, 2003, Gainesville, GA
West Gulf Division, August 1-2, 2003, Austin, TX
Missouri State, August 23, 2003, Columbia
Southwestern Division, September 5-7, 2003, Long Beach, CA
Alaska State, September 14, 2003, Anchorage
W9DXCC, September 19-20, 2003, Rolling Meadows, IL
Arkansas State, September 20, 2003, Little Rock
Pacific Division, October 17, 2003, San Ramon, CA
Michigan State, October 31-November 1, 2003, Holland
Georgia Section, November 1-2, 2003, Lawrenceville

Northwestern Division, June 19-20, 2004, Seaside, OR
Southwestern Division, August 27-29, 2004, Phoenix, AZ

26. On motion of Mr. Bodson, the minutes of the December 5, 2002 Executive Committee meeting by telephone conference were approved in the form in which they had been distributed.

27. A possible date and place for the next meeting of the Executive Committee was discussed but no firm decision was taken.

28. There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:59 PM.

Respectfully submitted,

David Sumner, K1ZZ
Secretary