ARRL Hudson Division 
April 2001
Hudson Division Beacon - email edition
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.arrlhudson.org

ARRL Members

Since last August I have attempted to get the "Hudson Loop" back in
operation, but to no avail. It is, unfortunately, simply a case of
volunteer burn out. A few attempts were made to restart the process but
none were successful. Family and business pressures just became too
great. I wish to thank Richard Sandell, WK6R, Steve Anderman,K2SMA, and
Bob Chamberlain, N2KBC, for four years of great service to us all. Their
weekly efforts were very much appreciated by all and will be missed.
Thanks guys for a great job.

To help fill the void I plan to put out a monthly email update like this
one via the ARRL web site. Please spread the word to others who may want
to receive this information that they will need to access the ARRL
members only web site. After becoming a member they must elect to
receive bulletins from the Section Manager and Director. I have no
access to the old Loop mailing list and will not be able to make
arrangements for any type of direct mailings.

NEW YORK PRB-1 EFFORT CONTINUES

Our PRB-1 Task Force has again been able to get bills introduced into
the Assembly and Senate in the State of New York. Earlier in mid-January
our group met at the home of Assistant Directors Herb and Barbara Sweet,
K2GBH and WA2KCL of Hyde Park, NY with Westchester Assemblyman, Ron
Tocci to discuss the bill and assure it reintroduction. Present at the
meeting were N2FF, N2GA, KR2L, K2DO, W2GLA, K1XV, WB2VXS and KB2JTG. By
late February the two bills had been reintroduced.

The Assembly bill is A.1565 and the Senate Bill is S.2893. Last year our
bill cleared all the necessary committees in the Assembly and was
awaiting a move to the floor for a vote when the session ended in early
July. We expect this year to the able to again get through the Assembly
committees and hope that A.1565 will receive priority and a vote in the
2001 session. The Senate bill, S.2893, has four sponsors - Volker,
Larken, Maziarz, and McGee - which indicates a very good support level
for the bill. Members of the task force are planning a trip to Albany to
meet with key legislators.

We need thousands of letters, e mails and phone calls to get passage of
both bills. The division web site, http://www.arrlhudson.org has more
information, a copy of the bill, sample letters and a means of looking
up the addresses of state legislators. Please help us achieve this
important goal so that more NY amateurs may have a chance at an effect
antenna system. NY clubs may want to arrange letter writing nights.
Please help.

NEW JERSEY "HANDS FREE" GROUP MEETS 

As a prelude to an effort next year to get state tower legislation on
the books in New Jersey a group has been meeting to make sure that
amateur radio operators are exempted from any "hands-free" cell phone
legislation that might be introduced in New Jersey. At a meeting hosted
by the 10-70 Repeater Association held in Paramus, NJ on March 27, 2001
the group developed a mission statement, strategy and shared information
about current bills and the implications they held for amateur radio.
The group took on the name "NJ Hams for Safe Driving." Hudson Division
leadership was present in the form of Director Frank Fallon, N2FF, Vice
Director Steve Mendelsohn, W2ML, and the next NNJ Section Manager Bill
Hudzik, W2UDT. The meeting led by 10-70 RA President, Frank Occidental,
N2ZNF, heard Bill Hudzik and John Burgio, W2JB, outline contacts they
had made with bill sponsors and legislative leaders. The consensus was
that no letter writing campaign need be conducted at this time but NJ
ARRL members would be alerted if that became necessary. Lobbying efforts
with key legislators will continue.

An April meeting of the group has been set and an email reflector set up
in October 2000 is functioning and keeps members of the group up to date
on developments. Also attending the meeting were KA2ANF, KV2JCW, NO2T,
NW2B and K2YLH.

NEW JERSEY HAM RADIO LICENSE PLATE BILL

A-1593 has been introduced into the New Jersey State Assembly by
Assemblymen Nicholas R. Felice (District 40 - Bergan and Passaic) and E.
Scott Garrett (District 24 - Sussex, Hunterdon and Morris) which will
modernize the law concerning Amateur Radio call sign plates. This is the
second year that NNJ SM Jeff Friedman, K3JF, and ARRL State Government
Liaison Ray Makul, K1XV, have been working on passage of the bill. The
bill would allow plates on leased vehicles, add the words "Amateur
Radio" to the plates. There will be a $10 to $15 charge for the new
plates which is in line with fees charged in neighboring states for such
plates. 

These new plates will help our recognition when we respond to
emergencies and it will also make Amateur Radio more visible. Many
non-hams believe that Amateur Radio has gone away now that the Internet
and cell phones are here. These plates will give us much needed
publicity. To my way of thinking, there is no use having a call letter
plate unless folks know what we are. Plates in New York have the words
"Amateur Radio" and also a logo of a radio tower. We point out at tower
hearings that Amateur Radio antennas and support structures are so
important to the emergency service we provide that the state pictures
them on our license plates. NJ hams should contact their assembly
legislators and ask them to support the bill. You can get to the NNJ web
site through the Hudson Division page http://www.arrlhudson.org for more
information.

NEW SECTION MANAGERS IN HUDSON DIVISION SECTIONS

The ARRL Eastern New York Section has a new Section Manager. Rob Leiden,
KR2L, who had served since March 1996, has stepped down because he is
soon moving to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. On March 1, Peter A. Cecere,
N2YJZ, of Woodstock, New York, was appointed by ARRL Field and
Educational Services Manager Rosalie While, K1STO, to complete Leiden's
term of office which expires March 31, 2002.

Meanwhile NNJ SM, Jeff Friedman, K3JF, decided not to run for another
term. Jeff cited increased business travel as the reason for his
decision, but Jeff wants to stay on until his term expires on July 1 to
help push the license plate bill through in NJ. Let's help him reach
that goal!

Bill Hudzik, W2UDT, who had filed a petition by the March 7th deadline
will therefore become the Northern New Jersey Section Manager on July 1.
Bill who works for Johnson and Johnson Corp is a resident of Gillette,
New Jersey and is past President of the North Jersey DX Association, and
a member of the Raritan Valley Radio Association. He holds an
appointment as an Official Emergency Station and has been a member of
the Hudson Division Cabinet for many years serving as an assistant
director.

DUES INCREASE

A reminder: ARRL dues go up effective July 1 to $39 for regular members
and $35 for senior members. See the March QST editorial for an excellent
summary of the financial problems facing ARRL. The bottom line is that
while dues haven't increased in four years; costs have. We are a
membership organization with a great deal of volunteer labor devoted to
the operation of the League, but ARRL is not immune to cost increases.
Postage goes up, labor costs for the full time professional staff at
Newington go up, as do membership expectations. Additionally, a major
effort is now in the planning stages that will we expect, tap additional
revenue sources and provide a greater measure of long-term financial
security than ARRL presently enjoys, but at the risk of short-term
deficits. The Board was therefore faced with the options of accepting
significant deficits, reducing services and staff, or raising dues. I
voted with the majority in agreeing to increase dues.

For the next few months, until July, new members and renewals are
available at the old rates. Multiple year renewals are available. You
also have the option for 3 and 5 year memberships before the deadline.
You can renew on line with a credit card or see page 6 of April QST for
details.

Now is the time to consider life membership in ARRL. Life membership is
set at 25 times the current dues. Right now that fee is $850, but after
July 2001 it will move to $975. You have a chance to lock in the old
rate of $850 and pay it in eight quarterly installments over two years.
Please be aware, this is probably not the last dues increase you will
see in your lifetime! 

QSL CARDS

The North Jersey DX Association provides incoming QSL card service for
any US station with a two in the call sign, no matter where the amateur
resides. They also maintain an interesting web site at
http://www.njdxa.org If you have been working contests or DX during the
height of the current cycle you probably have some cards waiting at the
W2 Bureau. See page 168 of QST April 2001 for details about how our
national system of bureaus works. You must now buy envelope credits from
the bureau as they no longer accept sase's. Send a check made out to
NJDXA for credits to:

ARRL 2nd District QSL Bureau
NJDXA
PO Box 599
Morris Plains, NJ

ARRL at Newington handles outgoing cards. The rate is now 10 cards for
$1, one-half pound for $4, and $8 for any package of cards between
one-half pound and one pound. You will need to include an ARRL
membership mailing label with your cards as this is a members only
service. See p.166 of QST, April 2001 for a list of countries not served
and sorting instructions.

ONLINE QSLing COMES CLOSER

The ARRL Membership Services Committee (N2FF is Chairman) is developing
a plan to implement electronic QSL verification for all ARRL Awards
including DXCC. Dave Patton, NT1N, QST cover-boy for April 2001 and
Assistant to Dave Sumner, is the staff person detailed to implementing
the project and is currently working with consultants to specify the
software that will need to be written to implement the program. While
exact details are still to be worked out there are NO plans to accept
laser or ink jet printed QSL cards for ARRL awards. It's too easy to
forge them. When implemented ARRL expects to be able to accept logs from
expeditions and DX stations and its own members the way it currently
accepts contest logs via email. Those wishing credit for awards such as
DXCC will eventually be able to check the status of their QSOs and apply
for awards on line. The project has been dubbed "Log Book of the World."
No firm date has been yet set for implementation as the software still
has to be written and tested but it could happen within a year. 

METROCOR BORN AND COORDINATION NOW UNDERWAY

Is your repeater really coordinated? Last September a group began to
function as area repeater coordinators after a period of almost five
years without coordination in much of the Hudson Division. Check their
web site http://www.qsl.net/metrocor for information and membership
information. You probably should join. Had the Loop continued
functioning there would have been more coverage of their activities and
plans.

AMATEUR RADIO SPECTRUM PROTECTION ACT OF 2001 INTRODUCED

The Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act of 2001 in now officially HR
817. Representative Michael Bilirakis of Florida introduced the bill on
March 1 in the US House of Representatives. About a week later ARRL
President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, and ARRL First Vice President Joel
Harrison, W5ZN, visited the Congressman's office to thank him personally
for his continuing interest in protecting Amateur Radio frequency
allocations. Earlier S 549 was introduced in the Senate.

New Field Day Rules for 2001

Filed Day 2001 will run from 1800 UTC June 23 to 2100 UTC June 24 - as
always, the fourth full weekend in June. Typically a club or group
event, Field Day is the most popular operating activity of the year and
one of the most enjoyable for hams of all skill levels. Some changes
this year will effect bonus points for Field Day scores.

The ARRL Contest Branch has complied a 24-page Field Day 2001
Information packet, http://www.arrl.org/contests/forms/01fdpacl.pdf .
This document is available in hard-copy format by sending a SASE with
four units of postage to Field Day Package, ARRL, 225 Main Street,
Newington, CT 06111.

The non-traditional mode bonus has been expanded from 100 to 300 points
for doing three separate demonstration modes.

Packet is back and will be counted as one of the three demonstration
modes, but to claim packet, you must set up a portable digipeater
system. Existing, permanent packet networks do not qualify for this
bonus.

You may earn a 100 point-bonus if an invited local government official
or representative of one of the agencies that ARES serves in an
emergency visits your Field Day site. To earn this bonus, the invited
official must actually visit the site, not just be invited. This last
change came about at my urging. I feel, not enough clubs are taking
advantage of an opportunity to use Field Day as a public relations tool.
Here is a chance to get local legislators or even federal congressional
representatives and senators at Field Day and show ham radio in action
in a simulated emergency. Point scoring will now reward the effort and
more groups will make the public relations effort with legislators.

The message-handling bonus has been changed. You may now earn 10 points
per message, up to 100 points total, for originating, relay, or delivery
of formal NTS messages. In the past, only messages received and relayed
were counted. The Field Day participation message to the Section Manager
or Section Emergency Coordinator under rule 7.3.5 does not also qualify
for bonus points under these rules.

But the main goal on Field Day remains: to have fun.

QCWA DINNER DANCE MAY 6

The New Jersey Marconi Chapter of QCWA will hold their annual awards
banquet on Sunday, May 6, at the Fort Monmouth Officer's Club. The event
will feature dance music by "The Family." You need not be a member to
attend. Cost is set at $24 per person. Contact Mike DiPersio, KC2Q, of
Bradley Beach at 774-1095 for ticket information.

AREA HAMFESTS

March 31 - April 1 - Greater Baltimore Hamboree
http://www.gbhc.org
Contact: Steve Kenneick, WA3SOR
POB 95
Timonium, MD 21094-0095
Phone: 800-426-3378

April 1, 2001 + Rain Date: 4/8/01 - Delaware Valley Radio Association
http://www.slac.com/w2zq
Contact: Glenn Costello, N2RPM
4 Marlow Ct.
Hamilton, NJ 08610
Phone: 609-882-2240
Email: abbot0903@aol.com

April 21, 2001 - Roseland ARC-IRAC
Contact: James Howe, N2TDI
5 Iroquois Avenue
Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034
Phone: 973-402-6066
Email: jimn2ytdi@att.net

April 29, 2001 - Eastern New York Section Convention
http://www.qsl.net/mbarc
Contact: Ken Akasofu, KL7JCQ
8C Hudson Harbor Drive
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601-5302
Phone: 845-485-9617

May 12, 2001 Orange County ARC
Contact Ed Moskowitz, N2XJI
123 Harold Avenue
Cornwall, NY 12518-18-701
Phone 845-534-3492 (after 7:30 PM)
Email: emoskowitz@bear.com

June 2, 2001 - Bergan ARA (BARA)
http://www.bara.org
Contact: James Joyce, K2ZO
286 Ridgewood Blvd. North
Township of Washington, NJ 07676
Phone: 201-664-6725
Email: jjoyce@cybernex.net