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ARLB006 ARRL Board meets in Houston
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ARRL Bulletin 6 ARLB006
From ARRL Headquarters
Newington CT January 18, 1999
To all radio amateurs
SB QST ARL ARLB006
ARLB006 ARRL Board meets in Houston
The League's Board of Directors met at Houston, Texas, Friday,
January 15, and Saturday, January 16, 1999, with President Rod
Stafford, W6ROD, in the Chair.
Opening the meeting was a tribute to former Northwestern Division
Director Mary Lou Brown, NM7N, who passed away December 3 of last
year, while in office. The assembly observed a special moment of
silence in her memory.
The Board adopted an initiative proposed by President Stafford to
promote new technology in Amateur Radio. The League's policymakers
created the ''Amateur Radio Technology Task Force'' to develop a
strategy and plan for exploring new technologies, assessing their
applicability and possible incorporation into Amateur Radio.
Stafford will appoint members to the task force who have been
actively involved in experimenting with or developing new
technology. An initial report is due next January.
In a collateral move, the Board reconstituted the Future Systems
Committee as the ''Amateur Radio Technology Working Group'' to serve
as a resource for the Technology Task Force.
ARRL legislative positions for the 106th Congress were adopted.
The Board reviewed a draft petition for rule making for possible
joint submission with the National Frequency Coordinators' Council
(NFCC), to seek rules requiring that all repeater and auxiliary
facilities must be frequency coordinated. A majority of the Board
did not find that there was compelling evidence warranting a move
beyond the existing rules at this time, but the NFCC was invited to
revisit the matter.
The International Humanitarian Award was given to Radio Amateur du
Quebec, Inc. (RAQI) for its service to the citizenry of Quebec
during the 1998 ice storm, which devastated the region.
Following a study of the Y2K computer issue by its Volunteer
Resources Committee, the Board recommended that Section Managers,
Section Emergency Coordinators, and ARES groups enter into MOUs, and
conduct drills, with public utilities and public safety agencies for
emergency communications necessitated by possible Y2K problems.
Directors Kay Craigie, WT3P, Frank Fallon, N2FF, Fried Heyn, WA6WZO,
and Tod Olson, K0TO, were elected to the Executive Committee for the
1999 term. The Executive Committee was tasked with developing a
proposal for changing the name of the ARRL to one that more clearly
reflects the focus and purpose of the organization to both insiders
and outsiders. The Board felt that the year 2000 is a natural point
for such a change.
Responding to an offer by the founding sponsor of ''Kid's Day,''
ARRL will assume sponsorship of this operating event that introduces
Amateur Radio to hundreds of kids in a creative format. See page 46,
January 1999 QST for more on this innovative program.
ARRL votes to ratify the elections of ARRL and IARU leader Larry E.
Price, W4RA, as IARU President and David A. Wardlaw, VK3ADW, as IARU
Vice President for the 1999-2004 term were enthusiastically
authorized by the Board.
Following the recommendations of its Administration and Finance
Committee, the Board approved operating and capital spending plans
for 1999.
Eugene Hastings, W1VRK, and ARRL Directors John Kanode, N4MM, and
Greg Milnes, W7AGQ, were elected to three-year terms as directors of
the ARRL Foundation.
The full story and minutes of the meeting will appear in March QST.
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