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Minutes of the 2009 Second Meeting
ARRL Board of Directors
July 17-18, 2009
1. Roll Call
2. Moment of Silence
3. Courtesies
4. Consideration of the Agenda for the meeting
5. Consent Agenda
6. Consideration of items removed from Consent Agenda
7. Consideration of recommendations of Standing Committees
8. Consideration of additional recommendations as contained in reports
9. Directors’ motions
10. Any other business
1. Pursuant to due notice, the Board of Directors of the American Radio Relay League, Inc. met in annual session at the Hartford/Windsor Airport Marriott in Windsor, Connecticut, on Friday, July 17, and Saturday, July 18, 2009. The meeting was called to order at 9:00 AM EDT July 17 with President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, in the Chair and the following Directors present:
Bill Edgar, N3LLR, Atlantic Division
George R. Isely, W9GIG, Central Division
Jay Bellows, KØQB, Dakota Division
Mickey D. Cox, K5MC, Delta Division
Jim Weaver, K8JE, Great Lakes Division
Frank Fallon, N2FF, Hudson Division
Bruce Frahm, KØBJ, Midwest Division
Tom Frenaye, K1KI, New England Division
Jim Fenstermaker, K9JF, Northwestern Division
Bob Vallio, W6RGG, Pacific Division
Dennis Bodson, W4PWF, Roanoke Division
Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT, Rocky Mountain Division
Gregory A. Sarratt, W4OZK, Southeastern Division
Dick Norton, N6AA, Southwestern Division
David Woolweaver, K5RAV, West Gulf Division
Also present without vote were Kay C. Craigie, N3KN, First Vice President; Rick Roderick, K5UR, Vice President; Rod Stafford, W6ROD, International Affairs Vice President; James McCobb, K1LU, Treasurer; David Sumner, K1ZZ, Executive Vice President/Chief Executive Officer and Secretary; Chief Technology Officer Paul Rinaldo, W4RI; Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B; Chief Financial Officer Barry J. Shelley, N1VXY, and Chief Development Officer Mary M. Hobart, K1MMH.
Also in attendance at the invitation of the Board as observers were International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) President Timothy S. Ellam, VE6SH; Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) Vice President for International Affairs, Daniel Lamoureux, VE2KA and the following Vice Directors: Tom Abernethy, W3TOM, Atlantic Division; Howard Huntington, K9KM, Central Division; Greg Widin, KØGW, Dakota Division; David A. Norris, K5UZ, Delta Division; Gary L. Johnston, KI4LA, Great Lakes Division; Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF, Hudson Division; Clifford H. Ahrens, KØCA, Midwest Division; Mike Raisbeck, K1TWF, New England Division; William J. “Bill” Sawders, K7ZM, Northwestern Division; James A. Tiemstra, K6JAT, Pacific Division; Patricia M. Hensley, N4ROS, Roanoke Division; Dwayne Allen, WY7FD, Rocky Mountain Division; Jeffrey J. Beals, WA4AW, Southeastern Division; Martin Woll, N6VI, Southwestern Division; and John Thomason, WB5SYT, West Gulf Division. Also present were General Counsel Christopher D. Imlay, W3KD; Membership and Volunteer Programs Manager David Patton, NN1N; Brennan Price, N4QX, Technical Relations Manager; and John Chwat of Chwat and Co., ARRL’s legislative consultant.
2. The assembly observed a moment of silence in recollection of Radio Amateurs who have passed away since the previous Board meeting, especially Ed Andress, W6KUT; Rich Beebe, N0PV; Lee Bergren, W0AR; Chip Brown, KR1P; Nelson E. “Sandy” Donahue, W4RU; Masayoshi Fujioka, JM1UXU; John Kanzius, K3TUP; Donald G. Lemley Sr, W8DL; Robert L. Lincoln; Joseph Phillips, K8QOE; David Rankin, 9V1RH; Dieter Schliemann, KX4Y; Jim Smith, VK9NS; Jim Tabor, KU5S; Dalton H. “Don” Tunstill, W4NO; and Dave Vest, KZ4G.
3. At this time the Chair asked the respective Directors to introduce the new Vice Directors: West Gulf Division, John Thomason, WB5SYT; Southeastern Division, Jeff Beals, WA4AW; and Pacific Division, Jim Tiemstra, K6JAT (Applause).
4. Mr. Ellam delivered greetings on behalf of the IARU Administrative Council. He noted that this was his third visit to an ARRL Board meeting but his first as IARU President. He thanked the ARRL for its assistance to IARU and to him and hoped for a successful first term as IARU President.
5. Mr. Lamoureux delivered greetings from RAC. He relayed regrets from RAC President Bob Cooke, VE3BDB at being unable to attend, and said that he hoped to learn from the meeting in order to help RAC address the challenges it faces.
6. Mr. Frenaye, as President, reported on the activities of the ARRL Foundation. The Foundation awarded 49 scholarships with a total value of over $55,000 earlier this year to an exceptional group of winners.
7. On motion of Mr. Bellows, seconded by Mr. Edgar, the agenda for the meeting was ADOPTED.
8. On motion of Mr. Vallio, seconded by Mr. Bodson, the Board APPROVED the following items listed on the Consent Agenda:
9. Mr. Kramer answered questions pertaining to the report of the Chief Operating Officer including premiums for memberships offered at hamfests and conventions and the relative cost of different membership recruitment programs.
10. Mr. Imlay answered questions on the report of the General Counsel.
11. President Harrison took questions from the floor pertaining to the report of the Executive Committee, including the status of the Memorandum of Understanding being negotiated with American Red Cross. The full Board will vote on approval of this MOU when it is ready.
12. Mr. Sarratt, Chairman of the Ethics and Elections Committee, updated the Board on the status of complaints related to a recent Section Manager election.
13. Mr. Bodson, as Chairman, expanded upon the written report of the Electromagnetic Compatibility Committee. He described the testing performed by the ARRL Laboratory on compact fluorescent lights with the results being that none of the lights tested caused RF interference.
14. Dr. Weaver yielded the floor to Mr. Johnston, who added to the written report of the Historical Committee with emphasis on the need for the Board to begin consideration of ARRL’s 100-year anniversary in 2014 and what events and activities might take place in celebration.
15. Mr. Mileshosky expanded upon the written report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Scouting. The Committee continues its work toward a Memorandum of Understanding with the Boy Scouts of America, and when that is finished they will pursue the same with the Girl Scouts of the USA. He thanked organizers of the ARRL Expo area at the Dayton National Convention for their assistance in the very successful scouting booth located therein.
16. At this point the Board began consideration of the recommendations of the Standing Committees. On motion of Mrs. Craigie, seconded by Mr. Edgar, it was VOTED that Rod Stafford, W6ROD, be appointed IARU Secretary effective October 1, 2009.
17. The Board was in recess from 9:46 until 10:06 AM. At this time, joining the meeting were Information Technology Department Manager Jon Bloom, KE3Z; Sales & Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R; and a group from Fathom, a contractor working for ARRL in a World Wide Web redesign project, consisting of President Brent Robertson, KB1PYY; Vice President of Business Development Bob Margolis; and Director of Accounts Kim Mitola. They gave a detailed presentation regarding the status of the project. Mr. Bloom and the Fathom representatives left the meeting at 10:43 AM. At this time Mr. Inderbitzen delivered a short presentation and description of ARRL’s hamfest display materials and answered questions. Mr. Inderbitzen left the meeting at 11:10 AM.
18. On motion of Mr. Fenstermaker, seconded by Mr. Norton, the following resolution was ADOPTED:
RESOLVED, that the American Radio Relay League, Inc. authorizes each person holding any of the following officer positions:
President; Chief Executive Officer; Treasurer; and Chief Financial Officer
Acting alone, to (1) establish now with the Bank of America (the “Bank”) one or more deposit accounts and additional accounts from time to time; and (2) to designate from time to time persons to operate each account; and
RESOLVED FURTHER, that this organization adopts for each account the Authorization in the Bank’s agreement entitled Commercial Segment Account Signature Card, which is incorporated by this reference.
19. On motion of Mr. Fenstermaker, seconded by Dr. Weaver, it was VOTED that Kim Dotolo, Controller, be authorized as an additional signer on the ARRL operating checking account.
20. Mr. Frahm, as Chairman, expanded upon the written report of the Programs and Services Committee. Among the items mentioned was the creation of an ad hoc subcommittee to study the Amateur Auxiliary/Official Observer program and recommend any desirable changes to the Board. He also noted that there will be a Maxim birthday memorial operating event from September 2 through 9 with eligible stations appending /140 to their call signs to mark the 140th anniversary of the birth of the ARRL’s founding President.
21. On motion of Mr. Bodson, seconded by Mr. Fallon, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors selects Jason Hatfield, KD8FDD of Grafton, West Virginia as the recipient of the 2008 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Award (Applause).
22. On motion of Mr. Sarratt, seconded by Mr. Bodson, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors selects Geoffrey Haines, N1GY of Bradenton, Florida as the recipient of the 2009 ARRL Technical Service Award (Applause).
23. On motion of Mr. Fenstermaker, seconded by Mr. Fallon, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors selects Dan Smith, KK7DS, of Hillsboro, Oregon as the recipient of the 2009 ARRL Technical Innovation Award (Applause).
24. On motion of Mr. Frahm, seconded by Mr. Isely, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors selects Brian Short, KC0BS of Olathe, Kansas as the recipient of the 2009 Herb S. Brier, Instructor of the Year Award (Applause).
25. On motion of Mr. Cox, seconded by Mr. Bellows, it was VOTED that the Terms of Reference of the Volunteer Consulting Engineer position are modified as described below:
(1) Amend the 5th bullet under the “the Volunteer Consulting Engineer:” to read: “Must be a registered professional engineer by the appropriate department of state government;” and
(2) Amend the 7th bullet to read “Should be able to provide expert testimony and information on issues such as, but not limited to, structure wind loading, guy anchor requirements for given soil conditions, antenna height effectiveness and data on antenna structure safety and consistency with local building codes, radio frequency interference, grounding and electrical safety.”
26. On motion of Dr. Woolweaver, seconded by Mr. Frahm, it was VOTED that the Board establish the Emergency Liaison Station appointment. This is a national level appointment conferred by ARRL Headquarters. The ELS will utilize Voice over Internet Protocol to amateur HF or VHF linking in order to bring W1AW presence into emergency nets and drills.
27. Mr. Cox moved, seconded by Dr. Woolweaver, that the following resolution be adopted:
WHEREAS, recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications, is one of the five expressed principles in Part 97 of the Federal Communications Commission’s rules that describes the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service; and
WHEREAS, natural and man-made disasters in recent years have shown the necessity for the Amateur Radio Service to continue to improve its ability in providing emergency communications on behalf of the public; and
WHEREAS, analysis of the issues related to amateurs providing emergency communications can be beneficially provided to ARRL’s Programs and Services Committee by a geographically diverse panel of emcomm experts; now
THEREFORE, an ARRL ECAC (Emergency Communications Advisory Committee) is established.
- Committee membership shall follow the Rules and Regulations concerning Advisory Committees.
- Committee members should be exceptionally qualified and recognized members of the emergency communications community.
- The committee shall report to the Programs and Services Committee.
During discussion of the motion the Board was in recess for luncheon from 12:28 until 1:30 PM, when the Board reconvened with all persons originally in attendance present.
After further discussion, Mr. Bellows moved to refer the ECAC proposal to the 71 Section Managers for comments to be discussed at the 2010 Annual Meeting. The motion FAILED for lack of a second.
On motion of Mr. Norton, seconded by Mr. Isely, it was VOTED to postpone the pending question until the next day.
28. On motion of Mr. Edgar, seconded by Mr. Cox, the following resolution was ADOPTED:
RESOLVED, considering his guidance and Elmering of the Field Organization as Section Manager of Western New York for two decades, and long-term service as NTS Eastern Area Staff Chair, the ARRL Board of Directors confers the Joe Knight Distinguished Service Award on Bill Thompson, W2MTA (Applause).
Mr. Chwat left the meeting at 2:00 PM.
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.
30. Mrs. Craigie assumed the Chair at 2:25 PM. It was MOVED by Mr. Cox, seconded by Mr. Frahm, that the Board of Directors establish a new award to be known as the “George Hart Distinguished Service Award” with the following terms of reference:
The George Hart Distinguished Service Award may be presented by the Board of Directors to the ARRL member whose service to the ARRL’s Field Organization is of the most exemplary nature. The Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of George Hart, W1NJM, long-time Communications Manager at ARRL Headquarters and chief developer of the National Traffic System.
After discussion, on motion of Mr. Fallon, seconded by Mr. Bodson, it was VOTED to call the question, at which time the motion was ADOPTED.
31. On motion of Mr. Sarratt, seconded by Mr. Vallio, it was unanimously VOTED that the following resolution is ADOPTED:
RESOLVED, acknowledging nine years of conscientious service as Section Manager of Georgia, during which her organizational skills, management style and commitment to Amateur Radio have aided the membership and Field Organization, the ARRL Board of Directors confers the Joe Knight Distinguished Service Award on Susan Swiderski, AF4FO (Applause).
32. On motion of Mr. Norton, seconded by Mr. Bodson, it was unanimously VOTED that the following resolution is ADOPTED:
WHEREAS, Nate Brightman, K6OSC, has demonstrated outstanding volunteer public relations success on behalf of Amateur Radio at the local and regional levels, and in his stewardship of station W6RO on the Queen Mary; and
WHEREAS, his public relations campaigns have enhanced Amateur Radio’s presence and support via W6RO on the ship and through it has exposed over four million visitors; and
WHEREAS, he has fostered an environment that significantly increased public awareness of Amateur Radio through the effective use of radio talk shows, television and print media; and
WHEREAS, his television script The Story of the Queen Mary and W6RO, a DVD video, also enhanced the promotion of Amateur Radio; and
WHEREAS, he has been involved in the project since before the ship even arrived in California, was instrumental in establishing the permanent Amateur Radio station aboard, and has been faithful to this project since 1979;
NOW THEREFORE, the ARRL Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the ARRL Public Relations Committee, awards the 2009 Philip J McGan Silver Antenna Award to Nate Brightman, K6OSC, of Long Beach, CA (Applause).
33. It was MOVED by Mr. Frahm, seconded by Mr. Fallon, that the Board make the following changes to the Bill Leonard, W2SKE, Professional Media Award, as suggested by the Public Relations Committee:
1. The Award is divided into three categories, each with its own award
a. Audio formats
b. Visual formats
c. Print and text formats2. Each category is to have an honorarium of $250 for the best selection within that category.
3. The PRC can exercise discretion to withhold an award within a category in any given year based upon the quality and content of submissions.
4. The cash awards will no longer go to the recipients, but rather to Internal Revenue Service 501(c)(3) recognized non-profit organizations of the recipients’ choosing. The three recipients will still receive personalized plaques.
5. Funds to be made available to raise awareness within the professional journalism community regarding the Leonard Award, its availability and criteria. This may include costs for wire releases, mailings and advertising/announcements in trade journals.
It was moved by Mr. Bellows, seconded by Mr. Isely, to remove the honorarium from the Terms of Reference for this award, and to strike paragraphs 2 and 4 from the motion. After discussion, the motion to amend FAILED.
The question then being on the original motion, the motion was ADOPTED.
The Board was in recess from 3:15 until 3:33 PM, at which point Mr. Harrison resumed the Chair.
34. On motion of Mr. Frahm, seconded by Mr. Fallon, it was unanimously VOTED to modify the Terms of Reference for the Hiram P. Maxim Award to require that nominees be current ARRL members.
35. On motion of Mr. Stafford, seconded by Mr. Frenaye, it was unanimously VOTED that the Secretary is instructed to cast an “Aye” vote on IARU Proposal No. 245 concerning the admission of Union des Radioamateurs du Congo (URAC) to IARU membership.
36. On motion of Mr. Edgar, seconded by Dr. Woolweaver, the following resolution was ADOPTED:
WHEREAS, in the past the ARRL proposed annual budget is sent by courier service to ARRL Directors for review and comment; and
WHEREAS, it is desirable to reduce courier expenses; and
WHEREAS, we have some very capable and well qualified Vice Directors whose input to their Division Director about the proposed ARRL annual budget could be valuable and desirable; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Chief Financial Officer is directed to forward the annual proposed budget by email in a PDF format to Officers, Directors and Vice Directors.
37. It was moved by Mr. Isely, seconded by Mr. Edgar, that Article 6 of the ARRL Articles of Association be amended by inserting the phrase “who shall vote only to break a tie vote” in the second line after the word “President.” A roll call vote being required with a minimum of 12 affirmative votes needed for adoption, the motion FAILED with 11 in favor and 4 opposed. All Directors voted in favor except Messrs. Bellows, Frenaye, Bodson, and Sarratt, who voted opposed.
38. On motion of Mr. Fenstermaker, seconded by Mr. Vallio, it was VOTED that the Board of Directors of the ARRL, Inc. formally accept the financial statements for the year ending December 31, 2008, including the auditors’ opinion letter from Haggett Longobardi, a division of J.H. Cohn LLP.
39. It was moved by Mr. Edgar, seconded by Mr. Fenstermaker, that the following resolution be adopted:
WHEREAS, within the last several months there have been some concerns expressed by Amateur Radio operators as to what the rules and regulations are concerning the use of Amateur Radio in different disaster scenarios and various public service events; and
WHEREAS, a majority of Amateur Radio operators are very happy to assist served agencies in providing communications during times of disasters and for public service events; and
WHEREAS, it would be very helpful for the amateur community and others to understand the ramifications of providing Amateur Radio communications services;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the ARRL Board authorize the President to appoint an Ad-Hoc Commercialization of Amateur Radio Committee to study this issue and to draw up guidelines for use by the amateur community and others to avoid the commercialization of Amateur Radio.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this Ad-Hoc Commercialization of Amateur Radio Committee present its findings and suggested guidelines to the Executive Committee within 30 days.
After discussion, on motion of Mr. Bellows, seconded by Mr. Vallio, it was unanimously VOTED to postpone the pending question until the next day.
40. On motion of Mr. Sarratt, seconded by Dr. Woolweaver, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors selects John Stanley, K4ERO, as the recipient of the 2008 Doug DeMaw, W1FB, Technical Excellence Award for his article series The Beauty of Spectrum Analysis, which appeared in the June and July, 2008 issues of QST (Applause).
41. The Chair recapped the logistics for the remainder of the meeting time including a Strategic Planning session on Saturday, July 18. At this point he presented Certificates of Appointment to the newly seated Vice Directors, and placed the meeting in recess at 4:09 PM. The Board reconvened at 3:55 PM Saturday, July 18, following the Strategic Planning session, with all persons originally in attendance present except Messrs. Chwat, McCobb, Patton, and Thomason.
42. The assembly observed a moment of silence in recollection of Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, who passed away Friday, July 17.
43. Pursuant to the postponed question from Minute 27, without objection the following substitute resolution was introduced by the mover and seconder:
WHEREAS, recognition and enhancement of the value of the amateur service to the public as a voluntary noncommercial communication service, particularly with respect to providing emergency communications, is one of the five expressed principles in Part 97 of the Federal Communications Commission’s rules that describes the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service; and
WHEREAS, natural and man-made disasters in recent years have shown the necessity for the Amateur Radio Service to continue to improve its ability in providing emergency communications on behalf of the public; and
WHEREAS, analysis of the issues related to Amateurs providing emergency communications can be beneficially provided to ARRL’s Programs and Services Committee by a geographically diverse panel of emcomm experts.
THEREFORE, an ARRL ECAC (Emergency Communications Advisory Committee) is established.
- Committee membership shall follow the Rules and Regulations concerning Advisory Committees.
- Committee members should be exceptionally qualified and recognized members of the emergency communications community. Directors are encouraged to consult with the Section Managers in their Divisions in selecting the committee members.
- The committee shall report to the Programs and Services Committee.
It was moved by Mr. Edgar, seconded by Mr. Isely, to amend item number 1 in the “THEREFORE” paragraph to add the clause “except that Section Managers are eligible” after “Advisory Committees.” After discussion, the amendment was ADOPTED.
After further discussion, the resolution as amended FAILED.
44. Pursuant to the postponed question from Minute 39, without objection the following substitute resolution was introduced by the mover and seconder:
WHEREAS, there have been some concerns about ambiguity in certain regulations applicable to the amateur service engaged in disaster communications and public service events; and
WHEREAS, a majority of Amateur Radio operators are very happy to assist various served agencies in providing communications during times of disasters and for public service events; and
WHEREAS, it would be helpful for the amateur community and others to understand the ramifications of providing Amateur Radio communication services; now,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the ARRL Board authorizes the President to appoint an ad-hoc committee to study this issue and to prepare guidelines for use by the amateur community and others to identify inappropriate use of amateur radio.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this ad-hoc committee present its findings and suggested guidelines to the Executive Committee within 30 days.
The substitute resolution was unanimously ADOPTED.
45. On motion of Dr. Woolweaver, seconded by the entire assembly, the Board thanked staff, especially Lisa Kustosik, KA1UFZ, for their hard work to ensure the success of this meeting (Applause).
46. All present were given the opportunity to offer closing comments. The Chair declared the meeting adjourned sine die at 6:10 PM. (Time in session as a Board: 7 hours, 44 minutes.)
Respectfully submitted,
David Sumner, K1ZZ
Secretary
