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Rapid dissemination of information is the lifeblood of an active, progressive organization. The ARRL Official Bulletin Station network provides a vital communications link for informing the amateur community of the latest developments in Amateur Radio and the League. ARRL bulletins, containing up-to-the-minute news and information of Amateur Radio, are issued by League Headquarters as soon as such news "breaks." These bulletins are transmitted on a regular schedule by ARRL Headquarters station W1AW and distributed via the Internet.

A primary function of OBS appointees is to copy these bulletins directly off the air from W1AW--on voice, cw or RTTY/ASCII--and retransmit them locally for the benefit of amateurs in the particular coverage area, many of whom may not be equipped to receive bulletins directly from W1AW.

To serve the greatest possible "audience," OBS appointees who can send ARRL bulletins over vhf repeaters, and via uploading to packet bulletin board systems (PBBS) are of maximum usefulness and are much in demand. If possible, an OBS who can copy bulletins directly from W1AW (or the Bulletin Manager) should be assigned to each major repeater in the section. Bulletins should be transmitted regularly, perhaps in conjunction with a vhf repeater net, on a repeater "bulletin board" (tone-accessed recorded announcements for repeater club members), or via a RTTY or packet (computer) mailbox, if one is functioning locally. Duties and requirements of the OBS include the following:

1. OBS candidates must have a Novice class license or higher.

2. Retransmission of ARRL bulletins must be made at least once per week to maintain appointment.

3. OBS candidates are appointed by the Section Manager (or by the Bulletin Manager, if the SM so desires) and must adhere to a schedule that is mutually agreeable.

4. OBS appointees should send a monthly activity report (such as FSD-210 under "Schedules and Net Affiliations") to the Bulletin Manager, indicating bulletin transmissions made and generally updating the Bulletin Manager to any OBS-related activities. This reporting arrangement may be modified by the Bulletin Manager as he/she sees fit.

5. As directed by the Bulletin Manager, OBSs will include in their bulletin transmissions news of local, section and regional interest.

Recruitment of new hams and League members is an integral part of the job of every League appointee. Appointees should take advantage of every opportunity to recruit a new ham or member to foster growth of Field Organization programs, and our abilities to serve the public.

W1AW Bulletin and ARRL Letter Lists

To subscribe to the ARRL Letter and W1AW bulletin lists on the Internet, following these instructions:

ARRL Letter: Send an e-mail message to listserv@netcom.com. In the text of the message, type: subscribe letter-list

W1AW Bulletins: Send an e-mail message to w1aw-list-request@arrl.org. In the subject of the message, type: subscribe <your e-mail address>

FSD-7 (2/97)