A Message from ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR

Dear ARRL members,

Yesterday, the ARRL Board of Directors completed their second annual
meeting. I'm writing to let you know that they made the tough, but
necessary, decision to increase the regular membership dues rate to
$59 a year starting January 1, 2024 (see 2024 Dues Rates at www.arrl.org/2024-dues-rates).

Additionally, we have chosen to separate the printed, mailed magazine
from regular membership. Members will be able to choose whether they
want to add-on a print subscription to any of our magazines including
QST, On the Air, QEX, and NCJ. All members will continue to have online, digital access to each of these four magazines, and the digital archive
as part of their regular membership benefits.

This is only the second time in 22 years that ARRL has raised our dues.
It is a necessary part of ensuring ARRL is supported, so we can continue
to promote and fight hard for our Amateur Radio Service, while providing benefits and services for our members that increase your knowledge and enjoyment of ham radio.

To help us make this decision, we invited every ARRL member to participate
in a survey in May...you can view the results at www.arrl.org/dues-survey

Over 20,000 members responded. We know from the survey results that most
of you will find the new rate reasonable, or even ask why we didn't set
it higher. We also know that some may find the rate is too high.

As I've shared with many of you during my visits at hamfests and
conventions, each of us has a responsibility to be active participants,
and to support ARRL if we want to increase our ranks, and ensure a
lasting legacy for amateur radio's future.

You told us that you value ARRL's advocacy efforts, including spectrum
defense, standing up to regulators and policymakers, and our work in
other areas that defend, promote, and grow amateur radio - including
STEM outreach to schools, teachers, and youth. There is no other
organization that is working harder to advance a vision that allows any
citizen to explore, develop, and practice radio communications and radio technology.

Your feedback showed us the many benefits, services, and programs you
use - from Logbook of The World, to the work done by the ARRL Lab, to
test equipment for product reviews. While our magazines topped the list
of benefits, many of you also shared that your reading preferences have changed. Some of you prefer print, and increasingly members prefer
digital. As a result, for those who prefer print, you will be able to
subscribe to QST and/or On the Air magazine. Again, all members will
continue to have access to the digital editions of all four ARRL
magazines.

Have you ever heard a Life Member say, "I got a good deal when I signed
up for Life Membership 25 (or 30, or 40...) years ago." They're right!
They got a good deal, but continuing to serve Life members is not
sustainable without making some changes.

So, we're going to freeze new applications for the program, not adding
any new Life Memberships until we can price the offering to be revenue
neutral over its term. And, again, as more members prefer digital, we'll
be asking current Life Members to opt-in if they want to continue to
receive QST by mail.

The cost of doing business goes up every year. During the last couple of
years, the costs associated with printing and postage have increased significantly. We've cut and delayed hiring for some positions on our professional staff - one of the smallest teams we've had staffing our headquarters in Newington, Connecticut, in years. We are also continuing
to examine other cost-saving measures, but we cannot go further without reducing or eliminating benefits and programs which our members have told
us are important to them.

I can assure you that the ARRL Board exercises due diligence and oversight
in making sure your association is a good steward of your membership
dollars. The reality is that ARRL does a lot - in fact much more than dues cover.

ARRL shares your passion for amateur radio. We are committed to
strengthening and growing our community, and protecting our rights to
use and experiment on our amateur radio spectrum. We have a 109-year
track record that includes YOU as part of that ongoing legacy of support
for amateur radio and ARRL.

73,

Rick Roderick, K5UR
President, ARRL
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)

Filers Seek Extension on Shortwave Petition. ARRL to File Comments.
07/31/2023 [Updated 7/31/2023]

Since May, ARRL The National Association for Amateur Radio (R) has
been reviewing the rules proposed in a petition before the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from the "Shortwave Modernization
Coalition" (SMC). The ARRL Laboratory has been studying the petition
out of concern for potential interference to Amateur Radio
communications.

Comments on the petition, RM-11953, were due to FCC by July 31, 2023
(see previous ARRL News story, noted elsewhere in this post).

However, a 30-day extension of time was requested by both Skywave
Networks LLC and FlexRadio Systems.

The timely request from Skywave automatically triggered an extension to
the filing deadline. Under FCC rules, when a request for extension is
made within the appropriate timeframe, commenters may file comments until
a date set by FCC when it rules on the extension request, or no earlier
than two business days after the FCC decision. On Monday, July 31, the
FCC denied the request for extension. Comments therefore may continue
to be filed through Wednesday, August 2.

In its petition, SMC, a group that appears to represent high-speed stock trading interests, has proposed amending the FCC Part 90 rules to allow introduction of high-power digital communications to the shortwave
spectrum, that in many instances, is immediately adjacent to the amateur
HF bands.

ARRL's comments on the matter will be based on the analysis by its
laboratory and guided by its experienced Washington, D.C. regulatory
affairs counsel. ARRL will use the extension to best represent the
interests of its members and the Amateur Radio Service.

**

The Previous Post on this, from the Arkansas Section Manager, is below.
Note: There are already several videos on YouTube concurring with this. DS

***

Please take a few moments to read the following notification from the
ARRL WebSite.

The Direct URL to the article is:

http://www.arrl.org/news/commercial-interests-petition-fcc-for-high-power- allocation-on-shortwave-spectrum

(above URL all on one line -- this is the "previous story" from above)

The context of this article is copied below.

After reading this please reach out to the ARRL, and your congressional representative to let them know that you are OPPOSED to this possible
action!

You can submit your objection using the FCC URL:

https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/how-comment#comments

Reference the Rule Making Request RM-11953

Time is not on our side as the open comment period closes on 31 July
2023. (as per the top story, the deadline was extended to August 2).

========================================================================

The ad hoc group "Shortwave Modernization Coalition" petitioned the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow data communications on multiple bands within the HF 2 - 25 MHz range with up to 20 KW,
including in bands immediately adjacent to spectrum allocated to the
Amateur Radio Service. This group appears to represent high-speed stock
trading interests.

ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio (R) is treating the
petition as a subject of concern for its members and the greater Amateur
Radio Service. ARRL Laboratory staff are studying the matter from a
technical standpoint, including analysis of transmitted signals
potentially interfering with Amateur Radio communications on Amateur
Radio spectrum. The results from this expert review are being finalized
and will inform ARRL's filed comments on the matter.

The FCC has assigned the petition RM-11953. Comments are due by July 31,
2023, and reply comments by August 15. While the petitioners exclude the amateur bands, high power operations on immediately adjacent bands are proposed.

A copy of the petition is at:

https://www.fcc.gov/ecfs/document/1042840187330/1 (PDF).

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ARRL Arkansas Section
Section Manager: James D Ferguson Jr, N5LKE
n5lke@arrl.org --------------------------------------------------------------------
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
* Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (454:1/33)