This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of August.

The 2007 ARRL National Convention, held in conjunction with the Huntsville Hamfest, attracted thousands of visitors to its wide variety of activities, exhibits and presentations. The centerpiece of the Convention was ARRL EXPO.

The 2007 Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference (GAREC-07), sponsored by the IARU, took place just before the National Convention.

With graphics and public relations assistance from the ARRL staff, Cliff Segar, KD4GT, has installed a ham radio message on an unused billboard on his property bordering Interstate 40 in Rockwood, Tennessee.

The ARRL is sending "specific mitigation reduction numbers" to 122 repeater owners in Massachusetts and California, as requested by the US Air Force and Department of Defense.

Michigan's Genesee County ARES and SKYWARN were activated due to a severe thunderstorms and a tornado touchdown near Fenton.

A command post at the Seneca County (Ohio) Emergency Operations Center was activated after a week of heavy rains inundated several Northwest Ohio communities.

Editorial and production work has wrapped up on several new and revised ARRL publications: The 2008 Handbook, The HF Digital Handbook, Low Power Communication, The ARRL Antenna Compendium Volume 4 and FCC Rules and Regulations. All are either available now or are expected by early October.

The October issue of QST, and the September/October issues of NCJ and QEX, were released to the printer. In addition, the August edition of CONTACT! for public information volunteers was posted.

The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for July is Jim DeLoach, WU0I, for his article "Balloon-Lifted Full-Wave Loop Antennas."

Robert McGwier, N4HY, will present "A Stroll through Software Radio, Information Theory and Some Applications" at the ARRL/TAPR Digital Communications Conference Sunday Seminar in Hartford, Connecticut on September 30.

In the only contested Section Manager race this summer, Bill Hillendahl, KH6GJV, was re-elected as the ARRL San Francisco Section Manager.

The final two ARRL Teachers Institutes were held at ARRL Headquarters. In all, 48 teachers representing 45 schools from around the country attended the four 2007 Teachers Institutes.

ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has appointed Brent Zitting, KB4SL, of Huntsville, Alabama, to serve on ARRL's ElectroMagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Committee.

All 2007 Field Day logs have been received and posted to the Claimed Scores page on the ARRL Web site. A record number of logs were received this year.

Earlier this summer, FEMARA made a $5000 donation to the ARRL Foundation to fund their New England FEMARA scholarships.

Contest Manager Tom Hogerty, KC1J, has left the ARRL staff to pursue other opportunities.

Chuck Skolaut compiled and forwarded the monthly ARRL Monitoring System report to the IARU Region 2 coordinator.

The ARRL UHF Contest and 10 GHz and Up Contest were held. 

The following ARRL Certification and Continuing Education (CCE) program online courses begin September 21: Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 2 (EC-002); Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Level 3 (EC-003R2); Antenna Modeling (EC-004); HF Digital Communications (EC-005); VHF/UHF -- Life Beyond the Repeater (EC-008), and Radio Frequency Propagation (EC-011).

Numbers: ARRL membership will exceed 151,800 at the end of August. The ARRL Letter now distributes to more than 65,000 ARRL members each week. The number of candidates who took ARRL VEC exams from January 1 through July 30 doubled between 2006 and 2007, from 16,954 to 32,373.

Staff travel: A number of ARRL staff, Board members, officers and volunteers traveled to the Global Amateur Radio Emergency Communications Conference and the ARRL National Convention in Huntsville, Alabama. Norm Fusaro traveled to Hamfair in Tokyo, while Ed Hare attended the West Virginia State Convention in Weston. In addition, Chuck Skolaut took part in the Kansas State Convention in Salina.

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