ARRL Board Discusses Issues, Strategic Plan, and Stuff

[Pete, WA2CWA]

ARRL Board of Directors held its Second Meeting of 2009 July 17-18 in Windsor, Connecticut. The Board considered and acted on a number of recommendations from committees as well as motions by Directors.
Topics Included:
Inappropriate Use of Amateur Radio
Emergency Communications Advisory Committee
Amateur Auxiliary/Official Observer Program
Emergency Liaison Station
Narrow band Channel Spacing
Volunteer Consulting Engineer Program
Annual Audit
ARRLWeb Redesign
IARU
ARRL Strategic Plan

Some info here, http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/07/24/10980/?nc=1 but I assume the meat of the meeting will be forthcoming in the meeting minutes which have yet to be posted (as of 7/24, 2:42PM EDST).

Some possible inappropriate use of amateur radio:

Key in a box of cereal


Animal cruelty - listening to 75M during the evening


Field Day in Michigan(?)

[ka3zlr]

Hey Pete,

What's up with the Channel spacing on VHF/UHF, You have any idea what's up.

73
Jack.

 

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Hey Pete,

What's up with the Channel spacing on VHF/UHF, You have any idea what's up.

73
Jack.

Maybe they are trying to work out and define AM calling frequencies on 144, 222, 432, and above. This way we can use without fear of reprisal, the phrase, "see you on the channel".

[ka3zlr]

Hey Pete,

What's up with the Channel spacing on VHF/UHF, You have any idea what's up.

73
Jack.

Maybe they are trying to work out and define AM calling frequencies on 144, 222, 432, and above. This way we can use without fear of reprisal, the phrase, "see you on the channel".

LOL...

[K1JJ]

 

Yep, Rin Tin Tin endorses this key - like he knows a good one from bad.
 
I can imagine the poor kid that gets it and tries to set up a "telegraph station"  as suggested.  "Hey dad, I need to run this pair of wires through the neighborhood over to my friends house." 


About as realistic as that 8' latex weather balloon I bought mailorder expecting it to hold up an inverted vee. It burst at 4' and covered me with white powder.

T

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Hey Pete,

What's up with the Channel spacing on VHF/UHF, You have any idea what's up.

73
Jack.

 

See my post on the Board of Director's Meeting Minutes or go to http://www.arrl.org/announce/board-0907/ to read the Minutes.

[K1ZJH]

They want hams to follow commercial practices and move repeaters to narrowband spacing. I assume for 2.5KHz deviation. So, every repeater in the country, and every mobile or base rig will also be obsolete because of commercial practices?  What are these loons drinking? Next it will NarrowBanding AM. Geeez. Like the VHF bands are overflowing with FM activity these days.

Pete

[WQ9E]

So lets see:

They offer QST for remedial reading
QEX for technical material
And the minutes for humor

Whereas that little section on channel spacing is a load of self-serving drivel that looks like it could have been penned by the senior caucus of the Chinese central committee during the 1970's.

If the league really believes that the proper direction for amateur radio is to follow selected commercial practices then I hope they drop their opposition to BPL since the best use of spectrum is that which brings in the most money (and yes I am being sarcastic).  Perhaps we could all be "channelized" to commercial spacing on 11 meters-this must be part of the league's fantastically excellent long-range plan to get back our old 11 meter band band.

[Tom WA3KLR]

Here we go again.

This 10 kHz 10 meter FM channeling was in the IARU Region 2 new band plan adopted January 2008 that was rubber stamped by the ARRL at the September 2007 convention in Brazil.  (Remember the flap over the "no normal AM bandwidth operation anymore" in that new Region 2 band plan?)
 
Region 2 rolls over to what Region 1 came up with first for a new band plan adopted 2006(our socialist friends in Europe).

I will post the pdfs below for Region 1 and Region 2 band plans.  Region 1 has better footnotes on the 10 meter band than the Region 2 pdf does.

My emails with Dave Sumner at the time on the normal AM operation being "slighted", I commented to him on what was up with the 10 meter 10 kHz FM channels with 2.5 kHz deviation bit and he replied that he was baffled too about it, or so he said.  So you can see the man at the top apparently had no idea what they were agreeing to at the time.  My view is that the ARRL at that IARU Region 2 conference was not too well orchestrated.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Below is what Item 29 of the minutes say. There is no discussion here about HF band plans. There is no mention of 10 meters nor 10 kHz spacing for FM in the meeting minutes. I would also suggest that you read the IARU Region 1 "VHF Managers Handbook" Version 5.40 updated July 25, 2009.  ( http://iaru-r1.org/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=173&func=startdown&id=178 )  Briefly, in Region 1, FM maximum bandwidth for 6 meters is 12 kHz, 2M is 12 kHz, and 432 mHz is 12 kHz. HF band plans, whether domestic U.S. or international, are different animals then VHF/UHF band plans. Let's get the story straight. QEX magazine won't help here either.

WQ9E says: "They offer QST for remedial reading"  Dictionary says: remedial reading  >>> "Intended to correct or improve deficient skills in a specific subject."  My recommendation then is that many members and nonmembers need to read QST each month.

Meeting Minute #29:
29. On motion of Mr. Sarratt, seconded by Mr. Frenaye, the following resolution was ADOPTED:
WHEREAS, there is current substantial amateur radio movement, activity, and innovation in the digital narrowband area; and

WHEREAS, the FCC has mandated that by 2013 commercial radio move to narrowband channels and Amateur Radio manufacturers normally follow commercial practices; and

WHEREAS, the VHF/UHF Amateur Radio band plan currently uses 15 and 20 kHz FM channels; and

WHEREAS, with the increasing use of narrowband across the country amateurs are placing and using narrowband equipment outside the repeater subband because there is no real place to fit the narrowband pairs; and

WHEREAS, for ARRL to remain a respected leader in technology, we must be actively involved in innovative solutions to problems by bringing about a productive discussion on a technical paradigm shift; now

THEREFORE, the President shall appoint a study committee for the purpose of research and to consider developing a plan to move the US amateur community to narrowband channel spacing.

[Tom WA3KLR]

THEREFORE, the President shall appoint a study committee for the purpose of research and to consider developing a plan to move the US amateur community to narrowband channel spacing.

Pete, why do you feel this excludes HF?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

10 meters is generally listed as part of HF band plans. Some might say that 10 meters exhibits some of the same propagation characteristics as 6 meters, so it should be considered the lowest member on the VHF/UHF band plan scale. I guess it's all a matter of interpretation. As was quoted in Item 29, "VHF/UHF Amateur Radio band plan currently uses 15 and 20 kHz FM channels". If you believe the upper part of 10 meters (FM portion 180 kHz) is part of a VHF/UHF band plan, then it does. The 15 kHz and 20 kHz bandwidth spacing came about in the late 70's and early 80's, and much of if was probably based not only geographical locations but also the nature and technology of the equipment being used at the time.

Thirty years have past. Commercial services are moving to narrower channel spacing and most of Region 1 has moved (or is in the process of moving) to a 12 kHz spacing. The ARRL probably feels it time to revisit the situation as they point out in one important point, "with the increasing use of narrowband across the country amateurs are placing and using narrowband equipment outside the repeater subband because there is no real place to fit the narrowband pairs". In my opinion, this is going to be an uphill battle with lots of current repeater owners and users. Narrowband pairs would have the same problem on 10 meters although I haven't heard of any problems at this time.

[Tom WA3KLR]

I go by the standard definitions:

                                      Frequency             Wavelength
MF    medium frequency     300kHz to 3000kHz    1km to 100m
HF    high frequency          3MHz to 30MHz      100m to 10m
VHF  very high frequency   30MHz to 300MHz    10m to 1m
UHF  ultrahigh frequency   300MHz to 3000MHz    1m to 10cm.

I think the ARRL's "Whereas" about VHF/UHF is just being used as one thing to point out a precedence, not to be taken literally and explicitly for the "Therefore" future effectivity.

[w3jn]

WHEREAS, the FCC has mandated that by 2013 commercial radio move to narrowband channels and Amateur Radio manufacturers normally follow commercial practices;

LOL

How valid can the conclusion be when most of the premises are incorrect?

[Opcom]

what hogwash. These 6 and 2 sets are not narrowband. I should give them up? never!

[Pete, WA2CWA]

WHEREAS, the FCC has mandated that by 2013 commercial radio move to narrowband channels and Amateur Radio manufacturers normally follow commercial practices;

LOL

How valid can the conclusion be when most of the premises are incorrect?

Amateur radio manufacturers such as Yaesu, Icom, and Kenwood, who all make radios for the commercial world, have repeaters on the market that include a wide or narrow bandwidth selection. Wide in their world is 25 kHz and narrow is 12.5 kHz.  I have no idea what percentage of these users are wide versus narrow today. However, it makes sense to prolong equipment obsolescence by offering wide and narrow in today's market. Wide keeps current customers happy, and on or before 2013, customers can transition, and still keeps the current customers happy. I also checked several commercial HT's and they also have the option of wide or narrow. Some of newer digital repeater boxes are way cool:



I would suspect 90 to 95 per cent of all the HT's and mobile/base FM type rigs that are in use today are probably made by the big 3 mentioned above. It should be fairly easy to implement "narrow" in most of the FM VHF/UHF rigs going forward. I believe some of the newer HT's and maybe even some of the mobile/base rigs, already have a "narrow" position on the transmitter. However, in my opinion, the big hurdle will be to convince repeater owners and repeater coordinators that going "narrow" is a good thing for amateur radio.

And please, to the peanut gallery, we talking about VHF/UHF FM channels. No reason to get your AM/SSB shorts all twisted up. 

[K1ZJH]

And it wouldn't be too far of an stretch to include all of the amateur bands in regards to current technologies. I believe that would knock SSB out of the running too.

Pete

[W3SLK]

You have to forgive Pete, WA2CWA, he views the world through ARRghL glasses.

[Tom WA3KLR]

It appears that the desired goal by the "trendsetters" is to monkey with the existing voice modes and degrade the audio quality until it sounds like SSB.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I've heard many a good sounding SSB signal on the bands over the years.


I need no forgiveness.  You can have your amateur radio move to be stale, stagnated, dried up, and eventually die out, or you can look forward to keeping it vibrant, exciting, interesting, and moving forward with technologies. It's your choice with or without anyone's glasses. Some just like to sit on the front porch rocking chair and watch the rest of the world pass them by. Ugh, what a way to go.

[W3SLK]

Pete said:

Some just like to sit on the front porch rocking chair and watch the rest of the world pass them by.

I'm glad we have people sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs, (like JN, and KYV) to counter every bonehead move the (be)League(d) tosses out.

[K5UJ]

I've heard many a good sounding SSB signal on the bands over the years.


I need no forgiveness.  You can have your amateur radio move to be stale, stagnated, dried up, and eventually die out, or you can look forward to keeping it vibrant, exciting, interesting, and moving forward with technologies. It's your choice with or without anyone's glasses. Some just like to sit on the front porch rocking chair and watch the rest of the world pass them by. Ugh, what a way to go.

So have I relative to other SSB signals.  But stock Johnson 300 Hz to 3 KHz AM audio sounds a lot better than the same response on SSB. 

Let's get a little perspective.  ARRL leadership continues to swagger around as if it is 1970; the reality is ARRL isn't the FCC; they don't make legally enforceable rules and they no longer can even enjoy some sort of cozy relationship with the FCC out of sight from licensed hams.  I mostly ignore them now since I know anything they come up with I can comment on directly to the FCC via the ECFS.

This is a hobby.  It quit driving technological development around 30 - 40 years ago.  For example if we simply had to be right up there doing the latest AM, we'd be running solid state rigs with Hilmer Swanson's RF PA module switching design and transmitting IBOC. 

Now the ARRL is concerned with channel spacing?  First ARRL has to make this a relevant issue by generating activity on FM repeaters since no one uses them now since everyone (except me) has cell phones.   This is another example of ARRL blindly swaying forward obsessed as always with "spectrum conservation" (as if spectrum gets used up like oil) with no attention to circumstances.  The last time spectrum conservation was a serious issue with regard to a transmission mode was when hams were running spark rigs. 

Manufacturers have offered "cutting edge" communications technology to hams (D Star and those AOR digital audio boxes for SSB rigs for example) -- hams mostly ignore them.  That's because unlike IBOC, a guy in a suit can't tell a ham to start using a digital box on his ham station or he's fired. 

I think everyone would be a lot happier if ARRL quit trying to control everything and accepted the hobby for what it is, a way for people to fool around with electronics and radio and have fun, and devoted their time and energy to controlling outside forces having a negative affect on ham radio, which to be sure, they have been doing in part, and for which they should be commended.

Whoops, it's daylight here now--time to get back to work on the K5UJ antenna farm.  Today the new 65 foot vertical is going up.  Going to hold a wire for 40 m., 160 m. inverted L, be driven directly for 75 m., and hold up one end of a dipole for 80 and 40 m.   50 feet of guyed 3" o.d. aluminum tube with a 15 foot stinger on top. 

73

Rob K5UJ

 

[Steve - WB3HUZ]

Anyone who thinks amateur radio is up to date with technology need to put down the crack pipe. It's doubtful amateur radio was ever on the cutting edge but they most certainly have not been since WWII. The technological advances thaw occurred during the war left amateur radio in the dust.

[ka3zlr]

Imagine walking around a fester with those Shades on ....LOL... wonder how long it'd be before you got bum rushed....LOLOL

When I was involved with the Western Pa Repeater Assoc a few years ago this was news back then an some of the owners were a little upset...but there were more interested in it happening...there's alot of folks that want their own Pairs, their own little deals on VHF/UHF Let them go they aren't hurting a soul...

73
Jack.

[k4kyv]

Anyone who thinks amateur radio is up to date with technology need to put down the crack pipe. It's doubtful amateur radio was ever on the cutting edge but they most certainly have not been since WWII. The technological advances thaw occurred during the war left amateur radio in the dust.

Even SSB was old technology by the time hams finally began to experiment with it in earnest.  I have in my personal collection a series of three articles from 1933-34 that appeared in R/9 magazine, first explaining the theory of what SSB is, followed by DIY construction information on building a prototype 75m filter type exciter.

I need to scan that article and have it posted here or on the AM Window site. Many are totally convinced that SSB was invented after WW2.

Maybe amateur radio did accelerate the acceptance of SSB worldwide.  In the late 40's, O.G. Villard, W6QYT,  ran a series of articles in QST that sparked new amateur interest.  Then Art Collins saw a new market for a new product and converted his manufacturing line from AM (32V series, KW-1, 75A-1/2/3 receivers) to SSB (75A-4, KWS1). http://www.wa3key.com/crads.html  Thanks to Art's relationship with  Gen. Curtis LeMay, the military adopted SSB for strategic communications links, and then commercial interests got on the SSB bandwagon.

LeMay was an active amateur radio operator and held a succession of call signs; K0GRL, K4FRA, and W6EZV. He held these calls respectively while stationed at Offutt AFB, Washington, D.C. and when he retired in California. K0GRL is still the call sign of the Strategic Air Command Memorial Amateur Radio Club. He was famous for being on the air on amateur bands while flying on board SAC bombers. LeMay became aware that the new single sideband (SSB) technology offered a big advantage over Amplitude Modulation (AM) for SAC aircraft operating long distances from their bases. In conjunction with Art Collins (W0CXX) of Collins Radio, he established SSB as the radio standard for SAC bombers in 1957

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_LeMay