ARRL Hudson Division
January 2005
Hudson Division Beacon - e-mail edition  - # 46
By Frank Fallon, N2FF, Director, Hudson Division, ARRL
30 East Williston Avenue, East Williston, NY 11596
(516) 746-7652
n2ff@arrl.org
Hudson Division Home Page - http://www.hudson.arrl

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http://www.hudson.arrl.org

* LIMARC Winter Hamfest on February 27 in Bethpage  -  This is the first
division hamfest of the 2005 season.  Can the Spring Thaw be far
behind?

A belated Happy New Year!

Sorry we are a bit late this month but our trip to England, a Hudson
Division Cabinet meeting and the ARRL board meeting kept us busy along
with a cold we picked up in England which we still have not shaken.  And
then there were the frozen pipes..... typical winter stuff.

* HUDSON DIVISION CABINET AND PRESIDENTS MEETING HELD JANUARY 15th

Saturday January 15th there was a joint Hudson Division Cabinet and Club
Presidents Meeting starting at 9:30 at the Paramus Congregational
Church.   Bagels, lox and coffee were served before  9 AM.  About
thirty-five Assistant Directors, Club Presidents or their
representatives attended.  The entire Hudson Division leadership team
was on hand to explain what is happening division  and section wide.
Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, and Vice Director, Joyce Birmingham, KA2ANF
and  Section Managers, Pete Cecere, N2YJZ (ENY); George Tranos, N2GA
(NLI); and Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, (NNJ) all gave reports.  At 12:30 those
attending  had pizza and soda and a chance to network before they headed
home.  The next meeting is scheduled for June 11, 2005 at the same
location.

* FCC's Riley Hollingsworth  keynotes Ham Radio University 2005

HRU 2005 was once again a resounding success with over 300 in attendance
on Sunday January 9, 2005 at Briarwood College in Bethpage, NY. This
event is unlike your typical hamfest as there are no vendors or dealers.
The focus at HRU is to present information on various Amateur Radio
related topics to the attending hams.  Thanks again to George Tranos,
N2GA, NLI Section Manager and his team for putting the successful event
together. Over three hundred hams turned out for this event where some
are introduced to a segment of Amateur Radio for the very first time.
Forum topics included emergency communications, propagation, lightning
protection, DXing, introduction to Morse code and many others. The
forums were well organized and very informative. All attendees received
a package full of operating aids, pamphlets and other informative
brochures.

Visitors to HRU were honored to hear special guest speaker Riley
Hollingsworth, K4ZDH, Special Counsel for Amateur Radio Enforcement for
the FCC. While focusing on enforcement issues, Riley also told the crowd
of their obligation to "sell" Amateur Radio and to support their
national organization, ARRL, in the efforts that they are doing on
behalf of all hams. "Today all groups need a national organization [to
protect their interest]." Riley said, "There's even a national
organization for kite flyers." He reminded the audience that in the past
Amateur Radio had powerful colleagues like Senator Barry Goldwater,
K7UGA (SK) and others that were hams and they could help look after our
interest. Riley emphasized that in today's world of powerful lobbies and
special interest groups, the individual's letter doesn't carry much
weight so we need to support our national organization for Amateur
Radio, ARRL.

Riley shared his vision for ham radio to last "a thousand years" and
made it a point to remind all hams of their obligation to invite someone
to join the world of Amateur Radio. He told the audience "If you are not
the person to teach a class or work one on one then try something new.
Try getting on PSK-31 or a mode that you don't normally operate." Riley
was making a point for all hams to rejuvenate their enthusiasm for the
hobby and this enthusiasm will become contagious. He suggested that we
introduce youngsters to Amateur Radio and plant the seed for the future.
However, if we are to get new hams into the hobby right now we should
focus on the part of the population that has the time and resources to
devote to a hobby. He also praised the Amateur community for all of the
work that they do with mentoring. The focus of his message was that we
all have to give something back to this wonderful hobby that has given
us so much. "I could not agree more with Riley when it comes to
mentoring" comments Hudson Division Vice-Director, Joyce Birmingham,
KA2ANF. Joyce has been extremely active in promoting mentor programs in
the ARRL Affiliated Clubs throughout her division.

Although Mr. Hollingsworth is not involved in the rule making arm of the
FCC he did make mention that there is restructuring on the horizon and
that we need to be focused on getting new people into the hobby. He
noted that Amateur Radio has always been able to change and adapt as the
world changes. Paraphrasing ARRL's Executive Vice President, Dave
Sumner, K1ZZ, Riley told the group "It's not what you do to get into ham
radio that is important. It is what you do after you get into ham
radio."

Another attraction to the forums and guest speakers was the  special
event station W2V. All licensed operators were invited to operate the
station during convention hours. One operator that got his first taste
of HF was Peter Kreppein, KC2NEX. Working with a control operator, this
seventh grader called CQ several times on 20 meters and soon had
stations piled up trying to work him. It wasn't long before he was
handling the QSOs like an old pro. After talking to hams from Florida,
Illinois, Wisconsin, Montana and Tennessee, Peter was anxious to get
started on upgrading his license. He said that he picked up some tips on
learning the code at one of the earlier forums. Peter is a great example
of the enthusiasm that Riley Hollingsworth spoke of when he addressed
his audience. If knowledge was the product then the NLI section's Ham
Radio University had plenty of satisfied customers this weekend.

* ARRL Board of Directors Outlines Ambitious Legislative Agenda

 (Jan 27, 2005) -- Frigid New England temperatures and a major snowstorm
failed to chill enthusiasm as the ARRL Board of Directors met January
21-22 in Windsor, Connecticut, to tackle a lengthy agenda. ARRL
President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, chaired the gathering. Among the highlights
of the session was the Board's unanimous adoption of positions on six
initiatives for the 109th Congress. Topping the list was a call for
"consistent application" of the FCC's limited federal preemption
policy--PRB-1--to Amateur Radio antenna systems. The League wants PRB-1
to apply to "all types of land use regulations," public and private.
That would include deed covenants, conditions and restrictions
(CC&Rs).

See http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/01/27/1/?nc=1 for details and
pictures.

In a related vein, the Board affirmed support for the ARRL Grassroots
Legislative Action Plan and called for its immediate implementation.
Hudson Division Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, says the Grassroots
Legislative Action Plan will function mainly by direct contacts with
lawmakers in their members' home districts and by motivating legislative
support through letter writing by members. "Each Division will have one
Legislative Action Chair and a number of state or section Legislative
Action Coordinators," Fallon explained.

Working with the new Congress could prove more difficult than in the
past, ARRL's congressional consultant John Chwat of Chwat & Co suggested
to the Board. He expressed the belief that the 109th Congress is very
contentious and advised that every League effort on Capitol Hill focus
on Amateur Radio's role in emergency communication.

The Board also elected a new ARRL chief operating officer. He's Harold
R. Kramer, WJ1B, of Cheshire, Connecticut, now a vice president with
Connecticut Public Broadcasting. When he officially joins the ARRL staff
February 15, Kramer will succeed former COO Mark Wilson, K1RO, who left
the ARRL Headquarters staff last September. Kramer's hiring concluded a
lengthy and extensive search to fill the open management slot. Board
members got a chance to greet Kramer at the January Board meeting.

New on the "back bench" was Rocky Mountain Division Vice Director Brian
Mileshosky, N5ZGT. At 25, Mileshosky is believed to be the youngest vice
director in League history.  (He puts a lie to old legend that the ARRL
Board is a bunch of old foogies.  Brian certainly isn't!)

* Industry Canada reports "overwhelming agreement" to drop Morse
requirement

(Jan 20, 2005) -- Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC) reports that an
Industry Canada (IC) analysis has found "overwhelming agreement" that
Canada should move away from retaining a Morse code requirement as "the
sole means of gaining access" to the HF amateur bands. IC has posted a
summary of comments from the amateur community to RAC's Recommendations
from Radio Amateurs of Canada to Industry Canada concerning Morse Code
and Related Matters. Said RAC, "Amateurs should note that while the
responses heavily favored deletion of the Morse Qualification as a
requirement for access to the HF bands, Industry Canada still has to
make and announce a decision on Morse retention or deletion." IC said
there were 123 comments in favor of relaxed code requirements and only
19 "clearly opposed." Another six comments were inconclusive. The
regulatory agency also has attempted to gauge the level of support for
each of RAC's 12 license restructuring recommendations and said it would
formulate a plan to implement changes emerging from the consultation
process. RAC notes that until IC announces a decision to delete Morse,
Canadian amateurs not holding the Morse Qualification may not operate on
the HF bands.

* DXCC listings now available on the ARRL Web site

 (Jan 28, 2005) -- The ARRL Web site now features up-to-date listings of
DXCC awards earned. See: http://www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc/    The new
system shows every issued DXCC award known to ARRL's computerized DXCC
system, with the exception of individual standings for 5BDXCC. ARRL
Membership Services Manager Wayne Mills, N7NG, says the Web site listing
is more complete than the DXCC Yearbook ever was, since the printed list
did not list inactive band accounts for the previous year. "This lists
everything and everybody," Mills emphasized. "The new system makes
available a separate listing for each DXCC award type--band or mode."
Even more important, Mills notes, is that it essentially renders
obsolete the manually generated monthly and yearly reports. "Under the
new system, DXCC listings will updated daily," he emphasized. The DXCC
standings of all ARRL members will remain in dark type. Call signs of
non-members who have not submitted credits for 10 years or more are in
grayed-out type. Each listing by band or mode is complete in a separate
Adobe PDF file. The largest listing (DXCC Mixed) now runs to more than
50 pages, but the size of the PDF file is only about 150 kbytes because
of file compression. Printing format options include US letter-sized or
ISO A4 paper.

* John Sheets, K2AGI (SK)

John Sheetz,K2AGI,has become a silent key.  I think I can speak for all
club members in saying that we are going to miss him terribly.  John was
always around to help with advice or just to "chew the rag "on ".75
".And of course, he always had that part you needed from his vast
collection of "stuff ".There is no way we can fill the void that has
occurred with his passing.  On a personal note I can say that only a ham
can really appreciate a fellow ham. If we are lucky, we will come across
a club where we can meet and relate with other hams. If we are really
fortunate, we will come across a club like the New Providence Amateur
Radio Club.  And if we are blessed,  we cross paths with someone like
"AGI ".Our condolences to Coby and her family on his passing.  John 's
spirit will continue to live, on the Green Keys and in our memory.

73 John de Al Hanzl K2AL,President NPARC

HAMFESTS:

* LIMARC Winter Hamfest on February 27 in Bethpage

Announcing the annual Long Island WINTER Hamfair & Electronics Show to
be held at Levittown Hall, 201 Levittown Parkway, Hicksville, NY 11801
on Sunday, February 27, 2005.
Sponsored by the Long Island Mobile Amateur Radio Club, it features a
large indoor location.
Doors open to vendors at 8 AM and to buyers at 9 AM.
Pre-Registration is required for vendors at this indoor hamfest!
* See http://www.limarc.org/fest.htm     for more information.

5 Mar 2005 + North Jersey Hamfest
Splitrock ARA
http://www.splitrockara.org
Talk-In: 146.385/146.985 (CTCSS 131.8)
Contact: Vincent Pisano, KC2LAV
c/o Splitrock ARA
PO Box 610
Rockaway, NJ 07866
Phone: 866-457-6687
Fax: 866-457-6687
Email: hamfest@splitrockara.org
Parsippany, NJ
Parsippany PAL Building, Smith Field
Route 46 and Baldwin Road

12 Mar 2005 + Cherryville Repeater Association
http://www.qsl.net/w2cra
Talk-In: 147.975/147.375 (PL 151.4)
Contact: Walter O'Brien, W2WJO
c/o W2CRA
PO Box 308
Quakertown, NJ 08868
Phone: 908-788-4080
Email: w2cra@qsl.net
Clinton, NJ
North Hunterdon Regional High School
Route 31

10 Apr 2005 + Mt. Beacon Amateur Radio Club
http://www.qsl.net/mbarc
Talk-In: 146.97 (PL 100 or 123)
Contact: Colleen Scalia, KC2HUT
170 Shore Drive
New Windsor, NY 12553-5486
Phone: 845-497-3687
Email: kc2hut@arrl.net
Unionvale, NY
Tymor Park
County Route 21