Dayton Hamvention
2003
Page 2
Well, on to the ARRL booth! Bob K4NJN (ASM-6) and I had the pleasure of meeting with Dave Sumner, K1ZZ, Chief Executive Officer of the ARRL (Red ARRL shirt) and Bob Vallio W6RGG, Pacific Division Director (Far Right).
Who says that Texas is not bordered by the Carolinas! Meet Jim Haynie, President of the ARRL (center)! I was happy to meet up with John Covington W4CC, SM of North Carolina (left) and couldn't resist this photo op!
For those who have not had the opportunity to meet with Jim Haynie W5JBP, he is a salesman, not only in his day job, but also for the ARRL. He realizes that ARRL members and potential ARRL members are his customers, and that is how the ARRL views them as well. Jim is very well spoken, and is very determined to be proactive and progressive on behalf of the ARRL. I asked him about the new threat to Amateur Radio, that of Power Line Communications. I did not see that the ARRL was moving ahead fast enough. He stated that he just had a five hour meeting on the subject, and then I found that the June issue of QST (waiting for me at home) had an editorial by Dave Sumner on that very topic! Be assured that the ARRL is "on it"! I also discussed the "channelization" of the 5 mHz band - the FCC has approved 5 channels for amateur radio use, USB only, on that band rather than a full spectrum allocation. Jim did state that this was because the frequencies will be located between coast guard frequencies, and it was a "foot in the door". It appears that since the disaster on 9/11 many agencies are going back to basics- i.e. HF frequencies.
On Saturday Morning was the ARRL Forum. I was pleased to see that the room was absolutely packed! I had the pleasure of meeting Kay Craigie N3KN, 2nd Vice President of the ARRL. She was previously the Atlantic Division Director-my former Division before I left for the South!
The picture above is that of Dave Sumner K1ZZ, CEO of the ARRL, addressing the forum. He spoke on the refarming of the 40 meter band. He has traveled abroad extensively working with other country member organizations regarding this matter. The goal is to negotiate for amateur radio a primary allocation from 7.0-7.3 mHz worldwide, with progressive relocation of the SW broadcasters upward above 7.3 mHz. This is a lofty goal, but well worth working towards!
ARRL President Jim Haynie W5JBP spoke on a number of topics at the Dayton ARRL forum. First was a viewing of the new ARRL Video CD, Amateur Radio Today, narrated by Walter Cronkite. The film's producer, David Bell, W6AQ was in the audience and he was thanked for his outstanding efforts (picture to follow!). Jim spoke about the concerns of the application of Power Line Communications (PLC) and its effect on the HF bands, as well as the VHF-Lo frequencies that are still used by a number of municipalities for police and fire communication. He also spoke of spectrum defense. He gave a staggering example of what our 440 mHz allocation was worth. We have 420-450 mHz. If you figure that each frequency, channelized at 12.5 khz, is worth $300,000 on the auction block, then that allocation alone is worth over a billion dollars!! There are entities that are willing to pay top dollar for our frequencies. We are fortunate to have a national organization that watches out for our interests! He then gave an overview of the ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program, a program that will provide ham radio resources, equipment and a curriculum into schools at no cost to the school system. Jim then fielded questions, comments and suggestions from the audience. I was happy to see a number of people from the ARRL-SC team there, including Bob K4NJN, ASM6 and Charlie Miller AE4UX, SEC.
I have been in amateur radio for over thirty-three years, and an ARRL member for even longer. This aggressive, forward thinking, proactive and progressive approach was extremely encouraging to me-something that I have not seen in the past (at least of this magnitude!) We should all feel proud of the (new) ARRL!
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