ARRL Board meets
The ARRL Board of Directors met in special session October 24 and 26, 1996, at Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The following is a summary of major Board actions.
The League will seek an extension of the compliance date, currently set for January 1, 1997, of new RF safety regulations released in ET Docket 93-62, to January 1, 1998, allowing more time for drafting of acceptable implementation guidelines.
Responding to the continuing problem of minimal FCC enforcement activity, the ARRL will petition the FCC to create procedures to allow submission of private sector complaints of serious rule violations directly to the FCC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge, hurdling bureau processing delays.
ARRL President Rodney Stafford, KB6ZV, was authorized to sign a formal agreement with the National Frequency Coordinators’ Council, effecting the so-called single point of contact concept.
The ARRL will petition the FCC for a relaxation of the rules governing the Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service to permit stations operating under RACES to communicate with non-RACES amateur stations actively engaged in an emergency or drill. An increase in the time limit on RACES drills to five hours per week will also be sought.
In view of the congressional mandate imposed on the FCC to auction the 2305- 2320 MHz band for commercial purposes, ARRL will seek an increase in the amateur service allocation status, from secondary to primary, in the 2300-2305 MHz segment.
The Board adopted revised legislative positions for the 105th Congress.
The Board’s WRC-99 planning committee will study an ARRL Industry Advisory Council recommendation to extend HF digital privileges to Novice and Technician Plus licensees and report back to the Board.
Effective July 1, 1997, ARRL dues of Full and Associate Members will increase to 34 dollars annually. The senior dues rate will be increased to 28 dollars.
The Board declared the theme of the 1997 ARRL National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, to be Public Service. The Board also declared 1997 as the ARRL Year of Public Service, in recognition of the critical importance of public service activities in the amateur community.
The Board commended retiring West Gulf Division Director Tom Comstock, N5TC, for his long-time dedication and service to the ARRL. Details will appear in January QST.
As of October 22, the FCC has ceased issuing Form 610R license expiration notices—reminders to hams that their tickets are going to expire within the next 90 days and that they must request renewal. The last notices sent by FCC covered into February 1997, although the specific date was not available. A Form 610R for renewal must be returned by mail only to the FCC. An FCC Public Notice is expected within a few days.
The demise of the Form 610R means that hams—whose licenses are issued for ten- year periods—must take the initiative to remember the renewal date of their tickets and file a Form 610. An FCC spokesman in Gettysburg says the Commission hopes to have a Form 610 available soon on the Web to permit on-line renewals.
Please note that the W5YI VEC in Dallas, Texas, has begun mailing renewal reminders and FCC forms to hams whose licenses are about to expire. If you receive a Form 610R directly from the FCC, you should return it only to the FCC. If you receive a renewal notice from the W5YI Group Inc. and want the W5YI VEC handle your renewal for a fee, follow the directions and return the form to the W5YI VEC, not the FCC.
If your license will expire within 90 days, you may renew at no cost by completing an Form 610 and returning it to: FCC, 1270 Fairfield Rd, Gettysburg, PA 17325-7245.
(Source: The ARRL Letter)
Bedford, New Hampshire, will be the site of the US National Marconi Museum, to be run by The Guglielmo Marconi Foundation USA. Ray Minichiello, AA1KG—the founding chairman of the organization and a retired professional engineer—says the group hopes to open the museum early next year in Bedford’s former police station. One of the exhibits the museum hopes to have is an exact replica of the wireless room aboard the RMS Titanic, which sank after striking an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Minichiello hopes one day to have the actual Marconi transmitter used by the Titanic’s radio operator, Jack Phillips—if it’s ever recovered from the bottom of the North Atlantic. The shipboard radio led directly to the rescue of 700 passengers, and Minichiello said having the actual Marconi radio would serve as a real tribute to the man who’s credited with developing the first practical wireless system.
Other Marconi museums are in Bologna and Genoa, Italy. Sites in Canada and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, also take note of Marconi’s legacy. For more information, call 603-472-9746 or write the museum at 18 North Amherst Rd, Bedford, NH 03110.
(Source: The ARRL Letter)