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ARLB007 ARRL Board meets 2/2
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ARRL Bulletin 7 ARLB007
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 20, 1998
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB007
ARLB007 ARRL Board meets 2/2
On a 11-4 vote, the Board voted to not draft a petition to the FCC
to simplify the Amateur Radio license structure and to increase HF
privileges for Novice and Technician Plus licensees. In general, the
plan would have asked the FCC to halt issuance of new Novice
licenses while continuing to renew existing licenses, to rearrange
current HF CW allocations for Novice and Tech Plus licensees to
provide expanded HF phone frequencies, and to add 75- and 15-meter
phone privileges for Tech Plus holders. No changes in Morse code
testing were proposed. Rejection of the plan completes the Board's
consideration of a committee proposal that it first received at its
January 1997 meeting, and that had been the subject of membership
study and comment during the year.
The Board agreed to have the League petition the FCC to permit
additional call sign formats in its special event call sign rules.
These new formats would include 1x1 call signs with the letter X as
a suffix; 1xx1 and 1xx3 call signs (eg, W25Z or K75AAA), and call
signs starting with the letter N and having two digits and two
suffix letters (eg, N25MM).
In other actions, the Board:
* resumed the important strategic planning process by creating a
Strategic Planning Steering Committee that will develop detailed
procedures to review and revise the ARRL Strategic Plan and work
with the Executive Vice President to pick a facilitator. The Board
developed a strategic plan in 1994 that requires updating in view of
the developments in telecommunications since that time.
* renamed the Technical Excellence Award as the Doug DeMaw Technical
Excellence Award, as requested by several members who have earned
the award.
* authorized appointment of a volunteer ARRL Amateur Radio Direction
Finding Coordinator. Working with IARU organizations in the Americas
and other parts of the world, the ARDF Coordinator would promote
radio direction finding in the US.
* approved in principle the establishment of the ARRL Alternative
Dispute Resolution Service as a low-cost alternative for hams
finding themselves in disagreements with other hams, such as in
frequency utilization disputes, and who wish to avoid legal action.
* directed the Volunteer Resources Committee to study the ''E-Mail
Elmers'' project in the Great Lakes Division and the ''Get on the
Air'' project in the New England Division and recommend ways to
establish a national program that incorporates the benefits of these
programs and other features to encourage new licensees to become
active.
* created an International Membership, open to anyone who holds a
current ham license but who is not eligible for full membership by
virtue of residence.
* agreed to permit the advertising of performance claims (ie, antenna
gain figures) derived from antenna modeling programs in QST, subject
to certain conditions.
* endorsed the APRS/Manned Space ''APRS QSY Activity'' compromise as
a way to share frequencies in the two-meter band to minimize
interference between APRS activities and communication between Earth
and manned spacecraft. The League also pledged a donation of up to
500 dollars to support the APRS QSY initiatives.
* retired the Public Service Advisory Committee ''with deepest thanks
and appreciation.'' Specialized ad hoc committees will now handle
issues formerly addressed to the PSAC.
* recognized Directors Ed Metzger, W9PRN, and Frank Butler, W4RH, for
their 40 years of service as elected ARRL officials.
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/EX
