SB QST @ ARL $ARLB008 ARLB008 ARRL Board meets 1/2 ZCZC AG08 QST de W1AW ARRL Bulletin 8 ARLB008 From ARRL Headquarters Newington CT January 20, 1998 To all radio amateurs SB QST ARL ARLB008 ARLB008 ARRL Board meets 1/2 Board re-elects League's leadership team Expressing confidence in the League's leadership team, the ARRL Board of Directors has re-elected all current officers. Among those tapped for new two-year terms was President Rod Stafford, ex-KB6ZV, who now sports the call sign W6ROD. Also re-elected were First Vice President Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, Vice Presidents Joel Harrison, W5ZN, and Hugh Turnbull, W3ABC, International Affairs Vice President Larry Price, W4RA, Treasurer James McCobb, W1LLU, Executive Vice President and Secretary David Sumner, K1ZZ, Chief Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, and all current Executive Committee members. The action came as the Board met for its first regular session of the new year January 16 and 17 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. For several hours on January 16, the Board gathered under emergency lighting because of a power outage caused by an ice storm. The League ended 1997 in the black and in overall sound financial shape, the Board was told. That was a dramatic improvement from 1996, when the League finished the year in red ink. The Board also approved a financial plan for 1998 that will continue 1997's successful fiscal management policies. The Board also okayed the appointment of up to 15 members of The President's Roundtable, a group of influential Amateur Radio leaders and strong League supporters to guide development and endowment activities. The League plans to launch a ''vigorous program of education on planned and deferred giving.'' In response to repeated member complaints of malicious interference and the use of foul language on the amateur bands, the Board established an Enforcement Task Force to push for better rules enforcement from the FCC. Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, will chair the 10-member panel. Other members include President Stafford, Directors Joe Falcone, N8TI, Frank Fallon, N2FF, Kay Craigie, WT3P, Fried Heyn, WA6WZO, and Marshall Quiat, AG0X, Vice President Hugh Turnbull W3ABC, General Counsel Chris Imlay, W3KD, and Field Services Manager Rick Palm, K1CE. The Task Force will oversee and work closely with the Amateur Auxiliary and make recommendations to the Board on enforcement issues. The ARRL also will ask the FCC for a declaratory ruling to put teeth into the voluntary band plan concept. The League wants the FCC to affirm that any operation that conflicts with established, voluntary band plans and causes interference or adversely affects those operating in accordance with applicable band plans ''is not good amateur practice'' and would be considered a rules violation. The Board also applauded actions by the FCC and the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission to crack down on illegal use of the 10-meter band by taxi drivers in the city and urges confiscation of equipment and fines to drivers who fail to comply and eventual removal of illegal transmitters from New York City cabs. Approved by the Board were rules changes for the DXCC program that had been recommended by the DXCC 2000 Committee. Under the new criteria, no countries currently on the DXCC list will be removed. In the future, countries will be referred to as entities. A political entity will be added to the DXCC list if it meets any one of three criteria: it is a UN member state, it has an ITU prefix block assigned, or it has a separate IARU member society. The new criteria also replace all DXCC measurements, including physical separation distances, with metric system figures roughly equivalent to the former distances. While the 57 entities on the deleted list will remain, no new countries will be added to the deleted list in the future. Deleted entities simply will be removed. In addition, the new rules specify a minimum ''island'' size of 100 meters measured in a straight line. The DXCC field checking program will remain in place. The effective date of the changes will be announced later this year. The DXCC 2000 Committee was discharged with the Board's thanks. NNNN /EX