The ARRL Board of Directors held its Second Meeting of 2011 July 15-16 in Windsor, Connecticut, under the chairmanship of President Kay Craigie, N3KN. At the two-day meeting, the Board considered a number of reports and acted on several recommendations -- including proceeding with plans for a digital version of QST and planning for the League’s Centennial Celebration in 2014 -- and Directors’ motions.

ARRL Centennial Celebration: The year 2014 will mark the ARRL’s centennial, with many activities to be planned to mark this momentous occasion. The Board voted to have President Craigie appoint a committee comprised of Board members and ARRL staff to plan the program of activities for the celebration. The committee will be chaired by the President, who will work in cooperation with the Chief Executive Officer. The committee shall develop a diverse program of activities and shall solicit suggestions from the Board, Staff and ARRL members.

Digital QST: The Board reviewed a plan to produce a digital version of QST; this benefit would be provided to ARRL members at no additional cost and would be in addition to the printed issues of QST that they receive each month. After reviewing the plan, the Board voted to authorize Headquarters staff to proceed with planning and negotiating a vendor agreement for a digital QST edition. Once finalized, this would then be approved by the Chief Executive Officer, the ARRL General Counsel and the Administration and Finance Committee.

Digital DXCC: Following the recommendation of the ARRL Programs and Services Committee, the Board voted to change the name of the RTTY DXCC Award to the Digital DXCC Award, taking into account that Amateur Radio technology has advanced to include many variations of digital communication.

Ad Hoc Committee on Youth in the Second Century: Noting that it is essential to enhance the League’s outreach to potential radio amateurs among America’s youth, and taking into account that the ARRL’s Centennial Celebration in 2014 will highlight not only the accomplishments of the past, but also its future, the Board voted to create the Ad Hoc Committee on Youth in the Second Century. This committee will be comprised of youth and young adults and will seek input from youth and also from adult radio amateurs who work with young people.

Ad Hoc Committee to Address and Update ARRL Band Plans for the 902-3500 MHz Bands: The Board authorized President Craigie to appoint an ad hoc committee to study the ARRL Band Plan affecting the following bands: 33 cm, 23 cm, 13 cm and 9 cm. This committee will determine the current band usage in the US and internationally, seek input and comments from the amateur community and look toward emerging technology and projected future uses of this spectrum.

Larry Price, W4RA, Named ARRL President Emeritus: Dr Price served as ARRL President from 1984-1992 and served previously as a Vice Director, Director and Vice President of the ARRL Board of Directors. He also served for 10 years as Secretary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) and another 10 years as that organization’s President. Dr Price continues to serve the IARU as an expert consultant and has been recognized as President Emeritus by the IARU’s Administrative Council. In celebration of Dr Price’s service to the Amateur Radio Service and in recognition of his 60th anniversary as a radio amateur, the Board named him President Emeritus of the ARRL.

Financial Matters: ARRL treasurer Jim McCobb, K1LU, told the Board that the ARRL stock portfolio remains solid, despite the current financial market. ARRL Chief Financial Officer Barry Shelley, N1VXY, reported that at this point in the year, operations are ahead of the budget plan, mainly because of lower expenditures. Cash flow has been positive in the first half of the year and the balance sheet is strong. Upon recommendation of the Administration and Finance Committee, as presented by Chairman Cliff Ahrens, K0CA, the Board formally accepted the financial audit conducted by J.H. Cohn LLP for the year 2010. The report notes an unqualified audit of the financial statements of the ARRL for the year ending December 31, 2010.

ARRL Foundation: Foundation President Tom Frenaye, K1KI, highlighted the recent activities of the ARRL Foundation, noting that it had awarded 84 scholarships totaling more than $180,000 to deserving amateurs attending undergraduate or graduate institutions.

Recognizing Long-Standing ARRL Members: The Board voted to provide ARRL membership plaques at no charge through 2014 to those members celebrating their 70th and 80th year of ARRL membership.

WRTC 2014: The Board welcomed the opportunity for the ARRL’s involvement with the World Radiosport Team Championship (WRTC) in 2014, coinciding with the League’s Centennial Celebration. This event, which is held every four years, will take place in New England. WRTC provides an exceptional opportunity to promote Amateur Radio as an international technology-based activity.

Approval of Board Minutes: The Board acted upon the Executive Committee’s recommendation to allow Directors to approve minutes from Board meetings via e-mail.

Dissolution of Committees: The Board voted to dissolve the ad hoc Committee on Scouting, noting that the committee had met its charge of studying the interface between ARRL and scouting organizations, as well as presenting recommendations for improvement and surveying ARRL and scouting literature for effectiveness and adequacy. The Board also voted to dissolve the Narrowband Committee, formed in 2009, after accepting the committee’s extensive report studying VHF and UHF narrowband technologies, practices, political, internal and external impacts.

Changes to Articles of Association and By-Laws: The Board voted to update the ARRL Articles of Association and the ARRL By-Laws to codify succession procedures in the event of a vacancy in the office of President or First Vice President, phased out the title “Executive Vice President” in favor of “Chief Executive Officer” and made other minor wording changes.

Philip J. McGan Silver Antenna Award: The Board selected Angel Santana-Diaz, WP3GW, of Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico, as the winner of the 2011 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award for actively promoting Amateur Radio at the local and regional level via print, audio, personal appearances, school presentations and volunteer services.

The complete Minutes of the 2011 Second Meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors are available on the ARRL website.

The next meeting of the ARRL Board of Directors is scheduled for January 20-21, 2012.