+++ Balloting in progress for Vice Director +++

Voting for Vice Director for the Great Lakes Division is in progress.
Most Division members appear to have received their ballots; however,
some may still be waiting for the US Postal Service to deliver theirs.
Remember, the ballots were mailed by Bulk Mail.  Times required for
delivery of it are erratic.

If you do not receive a ballot by October 31, I encourage you to
telephone Dave Sumner at 1-860-594-0303 or e-mail him at k1zz@arrl.org
to request a replacement ballot be sent to you by First Class mail.
Ballots must be received by noon on November 21.

Please review the candidates' backgrounds and vote.  Be certain to
place your ballot inside the "ballot" envelope and seal this in turn in
the mailing envelope provided with your ballot.  Ballots are to be
mailed to the League's accounting firm, not to Headquarters.

What is the duty of the Vice Director?  Article 5 of the ARRL governing
documents specifies that the Vice Director has the power of
"succession" (to become Director) in the event the Director becomes
unable to serve.  Otherwise, the Vice Director assists the Director (of
the President) as requested and agreed.

+++ QST Cover Plaque winner from Ohio +++

Great Lakes Division amateur Jim Weit, KI8BV of Sandusky, OH has been
named winner of the Cover Plaque Award for September QST.  His winning
article was titled "An All Band HF Dipole Antenna."

Sincere congratulations to Jim for his fine article and the award.  QST
Cover Plaque Awards consist of a plaque of the front plate of the issue
in which the winning article appeared.  Winners are determined by vote
of the membership.

+++ Red Cross is demanding Intellectual Property agreements +++

Red Cross appears to be expanding its legal agreement demands.  This
time, a few chapters in Ohio are demanding radio amateur volunteers to
sign away their rights to intellectual property developed while a Red
Cross volunteer.  The local chapters say this is another requirement of
American Red Cross at the national level.

Signing away ones intellectual rights -- rights to inventions or
written "product" any of us develop -- is a potentially serious action.
 Many of us sign intellectual property agreements with employers.  They
pay us and deserve to receive the rewards of inventions we develop at
work and in some instances when we are not at work.  But signing away
our ownership rights for innovations we develop just because we operate
a radio to help our community in an emergency?  This seems to be going
just a bit overboard.

If you are asked to sign an intellectual rights agreement, I encourage
you to evaluate the agreement thoroughly before you sign it.  Having it
reviewed by an attorney either on your personal behalf or the behalf of
your ARES unit or club would be a good idea.  Depending on the wording
of the agreement the agreement just might require you to surrender the
rights to a "better mousetrap" over to Red Cross if you happen to
develop one.

ARRL does not recommend you refuse to sign an intellectual property
agreement with the RC.  What we suggest is that you review carefully a
request by anyone to sign your rights over to them.  Personally, I
would graciously decline to sign any of my rights away if doing this is
not in my families' or my own best interest.

+++ A brief poll regarding Red Cross +++

The Background:

It has been about a year since the American Red Cross allowed the
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between ARRL and itself to expire
without making any effort to renew it.  Soon after the Red Cross
allowed the MOU to expire, RC began to require its volunteers to sign
an agreement to allow it to perform full background checks on them.  As
the background check is described on Mybackgroundcheck.com, it would
include manner of living, credit and criminal checks.

Investigators could visit your employer, co-workers, friends and
neighbors to ask probing questions about you if you agree to the manner
of living check.  Authorizing a credit check give full right to digging
out any information concerning your financial history.

Puzzling to me is that RC insists background checking be done by a
private corporation rather than by a law enforcement agency that has
limitations placed on it by law.  RC initially stated it would have
only criminal background checks done; however, they still demanded
volunteers sign an agreement that authorized them to do all forms of
background checking.

Today's Situation:

The situation has changed relatively little in the past year.  Even
though American RC stated it would remove demands that ham volunteers
automatically agree to credit and manner of living checks, legal review
of the modified agreement fails to show a meaningful difference from
the initial demand.  After months of attempting to work with RC, we
still seem to be essentially where we started.

Just one thing has changed.  ARRL, through our EmComm officer, and RC
are engaged in preliminary discussions toward developing a new
Statement of Understanding (SOU) between the two organizations.
Traditionally, these statements obligate ARRL and ARES to be available
to support Red Cross.  Any benefit to Amateur Radio would be derived
from supporting Red Cross.

The Question:

At its July meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors expressed its firm
position that we will not agree to a new Statement of Understanding
before RC actually removes its demands for credit checking and manner
of living checking from background checking agreements.  Soon after the
Board took this position, President Joel Harrison, W5ZN gave a similar
assurance to all ARRL members in an item that was posted on the ARRL
web site.

I want to learn what you think about this issue.

What do you believe the Board should do regarding a new SOU between
ARRL and RC?  Should the Board hold to its initial position and not
approve a new SOU -- not sign a mutual agreement of cooperation with RC
-- until RC has dropped demands for credit and manner of living
background? Or, should we sign a new SOU regardless even if the RC
still demands that hams agree to having credit and manner of living
checking done?  Incidentally, there is no question of the legitimacy of
RC requiring criminal background checks.  We'd prefer these by done
through police agencies rather than private industry, though.

How to Participate in the Poll:

To participate in the poll, go to the Great Lakes Division web site at
http://greatlakes.arrl.org.  Click on Surveys/Feedback and answer the
question posted there.  If you would like to add comments to your
answer, go to the Feedback area and type in your thoughts.

The poll will be open for 10 days after this issue of Weaver's Words is
distributed.  Please let me know your opinion.

+++ GLD member in October QST +++

Tom Shaver, KC8NJK was pictured receiving the Lansing, MI, Hometown
Hero Award on behalf of the Ingham (MI) County ARPSC.  Tom Is ECC of
Ingham County, MI.  The award was given in appreciation of ARPSC's work
following a series of tornadoes and torrential rains in the area.

+++ This weekend is JOTA +++

This weekend is JOTA -- Jamboree on the Air -- for Scouts.  This year,
JOTA celebrates its 51st anniversary.  The on-air jamboree follows a 48
hour schedule beginning 0000 local time on Saturday, October 18,
continuing through 2400 local time on Sunday, October 19.  Nearly
500,000 Scouts worldwide are expected to operate on SSB, CW and digital
-- particularly, PSK-31 -- this year.

Full information on JOTA 2008 can be found at
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2008/10/13/10385/?nc=1.

+++ Pennsylvania is 29th state to pass antenna support bill +++

On Wednesday, October 8, Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell (D)
signed into law a bill that guarantees radio amateurs the right to
erect antenna support structures. Ohio members are requested to be
ready to support Ohio House Bill No.563 which will place FCC Rule PRB-1
into Ohio law.  This bill will require all government agencies in the
state to allow amateurs to erect antenna support structure regardless
of any current local, township or county ordnances.

What is an antenna support structure? If you haven't guessed, this is a
"tower" however, do not call them towers to non-hams.  Non-amateurs
automatically think of cell towers when someone refers to a tower.

Ohio hams, please contact Ohio SM Joe Phillips, K8QOE (k8qoe@arrl.org)
to learn how you can support passage of Ohio HB 563.  Working together,
the job can be done.  The law is non-partisan, costs nothing and merely
puts into Ohio statutes the FCC rule that is already accepted as Ohio.
The difference is that by putting PRB-1 into actual print in Ohio law,
its existence cannot be "accidentally" overlooked by local officials
who prefer to ignore it, now

+++ Humanitarian Award nominations invited +++
 
Nominations are open for the 2008 ARRL International Humanitarian
Award.  The award is conferred upon an amateur or amateurs who
demonstrate devotion to human welfare, peace and international
understanding through Amateur Radio. The League established the annual
prize to recognize Amateur Radio operators who have used ham radio to
provide extraordinary service to others in times of crisis or disaster.
 The award is described in greater detail at
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/awards/humanitarian.html.

+++ First call for SW Ohio Digital Symposium +++

This is the first call for the 23rd Annual Southwest Ohio Digital &
Technical Symposium.  The symposium will again be held in Thesken Hall
of the Miami University Middletown Campus, Middletown, OH.  The date is
January 10, 2009.

Papers to be presented at the symposium are solicited.  Topics are wide
ranging, from "how-to" articles concerning digital modes, to
construction projects for transceivers.  A sampling of what was
presented last year is on the web at http://www.swohdigi.org.  Please
send your ideas and suggestions to K4ZLE, k4zle@embarqmail.com

The SW Ohio Digital & Technical Symposium is the 2nd longest running
amateur radio technical symposium in the United States.  The event is
free, except for a nominal cost for an optional catered lunch.

+++ Online Call Sign history database +++

The U.S. Amateur Radio Call Sign History Restoration Project is the
product of Michael Carroll, N4MC of Woodbridge, Virginia.  His
Operation CQ is to encourage development of a true database of the
history of Amateur Radio call signs.  Michael requests your help in
this project.

Operation CQ is all about assembling information so that any one of us
could go to it, search on a legitimate call sign and find who held it
when.  Now that FCC is re-issuing call signs after previous holders of
them have given them up, wouldn't it be interesting to do this?  Who
was the first person to hold WA8COA or K8PGL or whatever, during what
years and with what license classes?  Ideally, wouldn't it be nice to
find out who used license 2HT way back when?

For Michael's database to be able to do this, a lot of additional
information -- history -- needs to be entered into his database.  This
is where you come in.  Go to the www.vanityhq.com web site to enter
your call sign history.  In addition to entering information for call
signs and their holders, one can look up call sign history that has
already been provided.  If you have information on friends or relatives
who are SKs, you can enter this as well.

Check with Michael at n4mc@arrl.net if you have any questions or
comments for him.

Tentative Schedule:
 
15 Oct:  Delaware ARA Meeting, Delaware, OH - Jim
17 Oct:  Mason ARC, Mason, OH - Jim
19 Oct:  Preble ARA, present Certificate of Affiliation, Eaton, OH - SM
Phillips, Jim
28 Oct:  Quarterly GLD Teleconference
2  Nov:  Grant Hamfest, Georgetown, OH - Jim
21 Nov:  (Noon) Deadline for return of ballots; ballots counted
22 Nov:  (By end of day) Candidates notified of election results
22 Nov:  Administration & Finance Committee, Newington, CT - Jim
 few members asked the purpose of the study of FCC rules the ARRL
Board authorized.  It is to determine if ARRL should consider
recommending a petition to change improve the rules regarding wideband
transmissions.  Any petition that would be considered would provide a
win-win situation for everyone.  The study will determine if changes in
rules might possibly facilitate greater use of broadband digital
operation while simultaneously reducing interference to other modes.

A problem with operating on the ham bands is interference between two
or more QSOs.  It happens all the time.  There may be no QRM as a QSO
begins but often creeps in as propagation changes.  It also happens as
we try to squeeze "too many" signals into "too little" space.  The
situation is further complicated especially with digital operation
because of the difficulty in simultaneously monitoring the frequency
for other modes.

QRM can result even though all stations involved operate legally.
There is no FCC rule that prohibits all forms of interference -- just
intentional interference.

I'll make certain you have the opportunity to cuss, discuss and comment
on any proposal.


73,

Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director
ARRL Great Lakes Division
5065 Bethany Rd.
Mason, OH 45040

E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is!

Members - The Reason ARRL Is!

OHIO SECTION CABINET LISTING:
SM: Joe Phillips, K8QOE, Fairfield, (to contact me, see QST page 16 or on the Web at <www.arrlohio.org>; ASM-NE: Bob Winston, W2THU, Cleveland; ASM-NW: Ron Griffin, N8AEH, Findlay; ASM-Central: Bill Carpenter, AA8EY, Westerville; ASM-SW: John Haungs, W8STX, Cincinnati; ASM-SE: Connie Hamilton, N8IO, Marietta; SEC: Appointment Pending; ACC: Joanne Solak, KJ3O, Mantua; TC: Tom Holmes, N8ZM, Tipp City; PIC: Emily Wells, KC8RAL, Warren; OOC: Rick Swain, KK8O, Galion; SGL: Nick Pittner, WB8TMF, West Jefferson; STM: John Tipka, W8UL, Reynoldsburg.