ARRL Central Division

Welcome to the ARRL Central Division - Director & Vice Director

Central Division Director

Kermit Carlson W9XA
1150 McKee Street
Batavia, IL 60510
(630) 879-0983
w9xa@arrl.org

Central Division Vice Director

Carl Luetzelschwab K9LA
1227 Pion Rd
Fort Wayne, IN 46845
(260) 637-6988
k9la@arrl.org

NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH - NEWS FLASH

Dear Fellow Central Division ARRL Members,

            It is with deep sorrow that I announce the
passing of W9IXG, Mr Donald Michalski of Madison
Wisconsin. First licensed in 1957, Don served the
amateur radio community from 1999 until 2015 as the
ARRL Wisconsin Section Manager.
           A graduate Electrical Engineer, with many accomplishments,
Don had been the Associate Director of the University of Wisconsin
Space Astronomy Laboratory. Although he retired in 2000,
Don did remain active with many various departments at the
University of Wisconsin. Don was also an avid bicyclist,
not only participating in biking events but also commuting
to work each day by bicycle. He was a net control for the daily
Badger Weather Net held on 3984 kHz daily and he
was an officer of W9YT, the University of Wisconsin - Badger
Amateur Radio Society.

            He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Ann;
his daughter, Lisa Danielson (Mark) and his grandson,
Mathias Danielson of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

           A memorial service will be held at the Cress Funeral Home,
3610 Speedway Road, Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday, August 18, 2018,
at 11:00 a.m. A visitation will be held at the funeral home from 10:00 a.m.
until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the UW Carbone Cancer Center,
https://www.uwhealth.org/it-starts-with-you/41056


                                        73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

for more details please see;
https://www.channel3000.com/obituaries/donald-e-michalski/781840304

W9IXG, Donald Michalski

ARRL The EMC Committee Report, Document #16

can be found here"

The associated appendices can be found here..."

73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

Relative to the following news item released May 23rd 2018

concerning the white paper which provides some context to explain

proposed alterations to the Articles Of Association and By Laws

that the Executive Committee (EC) of the Board of Directors

recommended for full Board passage at its April 21 meeting:

http://www.arrl.org/news/arrl-white-paper-provides-context-for-recommended-governance-changes

The ARRL Board will consider the following recommendations;

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/About%20ARRL/Proposed_ByLaw_Changes_2018_July.pdf

The ARRL Meetings begin in Newington on Wednesday (7-18-18)

of this week and I have submitted the customary Division

Report to the ARRL Board which can be found at this link > Div Report July 2018

I also Chair the EMC (ElectroMagnetic Compatability) Committee

when the report for that Committee has been accepted by the Board,

I will post it to this site http://Central.ARRL.org later this week..

As always, please feel free to email me with any comments,

questions or concerns at W9XA@arrl.org

Respectfully Submitted,

73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

ARRL Director, Central Division
ARRL - National Assc
for Amateur Radio

ARRL Executive Committee Proposes Changes to the Articles Of Association
and By Laws, Continues to Study the Code Of Conduct

The Executive Committee of the ARRL Board of Directors recently voted to recommend two

amendments to the organization’s Articles of Association and one change to the organization’s

By-Laws for approval by the Board of Directors at the Board’s upcoming meeting in July.

At its January 2018 meeting, the ARRL Board agreed to provide ARRL members with the

rationale and purpose behind proposed changes to the Articles of Association and By Laws.

Accordingly, the four changes being proposed are as follows:

¤ A change to the wording of the Articles reflecting on Indemnification and Personal

Liability of ARRL Directors, Vice Directors and Officers.

Two new Articles of Association – Articles 15 and 16 – were approved at the July 2017 meeting

of the ARRL Board of Directors.(Click here to read the minutes.) To ensure compliance with

Connecticut state statutes, ARRL’s Connecticut counsel recommended two revisions, which

would need approval from the Board. The proposed amendments address those revisions.

Article 15 addresses the issue of personal liability on the part of Directors, Vice Directors, and

volunteer and staff officers for damages due to a breach of duty in their respective roles,

provided the breach did not involve a “knowing and culpable” violation of law, improper

personal economic gain, a lack of good faith, and conscious disregard or sustained and

unexcused pattern of inattention amounting to abdication of duty.

Article 16 would provide indemnification of Directors, Vice Directors, and volunteer and staff

officers for any monetary judgement based on any actions taken or any failure to take action,

except in those conditions similar to the ones spelled out in Article 15.

¤ A change to the wording of Article 1 to add “ARRL, The national association for

Amateur Radio” as an informal name for the organization along with “American

Radio Relay League, Inc.”

This change simply adds the informal name of the organization to the formal name in Article 1

of the Articles of Association to indicate that either is a proper description of the organization.

This change was also initially approved by The ARRL Board of Directors at its July 2017

meeting, but had not been vetted with ARRL’s Connecticut legal counsel. That has since been

addressed.

The amendment reads:

The name of our corporation shall be The American Radio Relay League, Incorporated. It may

be informally referred to as ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio. Our corporation

commenced its corporate existence as The American Radio Relay League, Incorporated, when its

Articles of Association were approved by the Secretary of the State of Connecticut on January

29, 1915.

¤ A clarification of the election cycle for the election of Directors in By Law 23.

This amendment is only a change in the wording, in an effort to make clear the schedule for the

election of Directors and Vice Directors by specific Division. The current version refers to years

2003 to 2005.

Bylaw 23 would be amended to read as follows:

Elections for Directors and Vice Directors shall take place according to the following

schedule:

In the year 2018 and every third year thereafter there shall be elections in

the Central, Hudson, New England, Northwestern, and Roanoke Divisions.

In the year 2019 and every third year thereafter there shall be elections in

the Pacific, Rocky Mountain, Southeastern, Southwestern, and West Gulf

Divisions.

In the year 2020 and every third year thereafter there shall be elections in

the Atlantic, Dakota, Delta, Great Lakes, and Midwest Divisions.

The terms of Directors and Vice Directors shall begin at noon on the first

day of January of the year after that in which they are elected.

The specific wording of the proposed changes is included in the minutes of the April 21,

2018 meeting of the ARRL Executive Committee and can be found on the ARRL web site

at:

http://www.arrl.org/files/file/2018%20Board%20of%20Directors/Minutes%20April%202018%20FINAL%205-4-18.pdf

In addition, the Board made two specific changes to the Code of Conduct at their January

meeting (click here to read the minutes) and directed the Executive Committee to review the

remaining provisions with the intention of presenting those to the full Board. The Executive

Committee began this process at their meeting in April, considering a simplified version of the

document recommended by the National Council of Non-Profits, but realized it would likely take

longer than originally anticipated to work through the changes and present them to the Board and

the membership. They expect to have a discussion and a proposal for the Board later this year.

ARRL Central Division Convention 2018

Mark your calendar !

The Allen County Amateur Radio Technical Society's Fort Wayne Hamfest
will host the 2018 ARRL Central Division Convention.

The 46th annual ACARTS Hamfest will be held November 17th and 18th
at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum and Exposition Center.

The latest information on the schedule of events

can be found at http://www.fortwaynehamfest.com/

This two-day event will feature forums on contesting, DXing,

antennas, digital modes and more. There will also be VEC Testing,

WAS, WAC, VUCC and DXCC Card Checking, CQ's WAZ card

checking and Hourly and Main Prize Drawings. New and Used

Equipment dealers will be present, along with over 400 tables

and 73,000 square feet of indoor space.

Central Div Convention Entrance Ft
Wayne, IN

1/31/2018 - 10AM The American Radio Relay League has filed

comments on FCC ET Docket 17-340

"TECHNOLOGICAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

SPECTRUM POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS "

The ARRL Laboratory staff, Chief Counsel and ARRL EMC

(ElectroMagnetic Compatability) Committee

members met in Newington last month to discuss the

ARRL Response to this Docket. The file attached

at the end of this message is the product of the work

of several individuals over the past month.

On December 1st the FCC requested comment from the public on a series of

spectrum policy recommendations of the Commission’s Technological

Advisory Council (TAC),

please see (www.arrl.org/news/fcc-seeks-comments-on-technological-advisory-council-recommendations)

which is pursuant to a series of white papers promulgated

by the TAC over the past several years. Specifically, the TAC’s Spectrum

and Receiver Performance Working Group has developed

recommendations for revised Commission spectrum policy,

so as to fulfill the Commission’s statutory obligation to “make

such distribution of licenses, frequencies, hours of operation,

and of power among the several States and communities as

to provide a fair, efficient, and equitable distribution of radio to each

of the same...."

While this FCC Docket has no clearly defined challenge to

the allocations and terms of access to those allocations that we as amateur radio

operators now use, the overall policy issues are of some great concern

for future decisions on how the spectrum resources might be allocated.

I urge all interested amateur radio operators to read the ARRL's lengthy

response to the FCC inquiry. This inquiry possibly signals a watershed moment

for the methods and standards which might be employed by the Commission

in the allocation of spectrum resources and the management of those resources.

As you will note in the ARRL response, there are some details which are

positive - such as the minimum standards for receiver performance. There

are other suggested practices such as the establishment of "harm claim

thresholds or HCT's" that might set interference standards so high that claim of

harmful interference to an amateur station might no longer be actionable.

Another troubling concept recommended in the FCC TAC Study suggests that

more robust error correction will overcome potential interference issues - and

as a personal note as a weak signal operator I find any suggestion that modes

we now employ might not in the future be protected as troubling.

Please read the ARRL response and feel free to contact me with your

comments.

73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

ARRL Director, Central Division

Chair, ARRL EMC Committee

2017 ARRL COMMENTS on TAC Spectrum Policy Recommendations

Dear ARRL Central Division Member,

The ARRL Annual Board Meeting will convene in Connecticut on the 19th of this month. At this meeting there will be several motions considered for changes to the By-Laws of the American Radio Relay League. At the bottom of this letter are links to three different sets of motions for changes to that ARRL By-Laws which I would like to address. Two of sets of motions linked below are the subject of emails and postings on social media. The third set of files is a motion which I have filed that clarifies the ARRL Policy on Board Governance. That motion will eliminate ambiguities that have been interpreted as preventing an ARRL Director from telling the members in their Division how they will or have voted on an issue.

The files in the links below are the final versions of the motions that have been distributed in advance of the ARRL Board meeting. Please note that the motions authored by the ARRL Board’s Executive Committee are considerably different from what is presented on various websites and that there is no motion proposed which would add a provision the removal of an ARRL member or officer. There is no such language in the Executive Committee proposals and it is my understanding that there will be no such provision introduced at the Board meeting. I will steadfastly oppose any such change.

There are several proposed changes to the By-Law which have been created by Hudson Director Lisenco, N2YBB. These motions seek to allow votes on the Board by the three sitting Vice Presidents who do not now have a vote on Board issues. I believe that there will NOT be a majority of 10 Directors who will approve this measure as published. It is my position to not support that or any of the other changes proposed by the Director Lisenco.

The motion which I have introduced, would eliminate a significant number of ambiguities in the ARRL By-Laws' and "The ARRL Policy on Board Governance". Simply stated, a Director MUST have the ability to tell the members of his Division how they voted on any issue before the Board.

At the 2017 July Board meeting I was one of the authors of a motion that was discussed during the Director’s Motions portion of the meeting. It would have added language to the Policy on Board Conduct that I feel would have eliminated some ambiguity in the Policy. After serious debate, the motion was withdrawn without further consideration. In preparation for the Annual 2018 Meeting of the Board this January19th I have already re-introduced amendments to the Policy on Board Governance which I do anticipate will help clarify some very specific ambiguities. A link to my letter to my colleagues with a high-lighted mark-up appears in the link below.

The changes I have proposed will clarify those few ambiguities that have given rise to the pejorative reference to a "gag-order" in some social media threads and emails when referring to the ARRL Policy on Board Governance. While it has recently been repeated on the internet that the ARRL Policy on Board Governance is a “gag order”, which limits a Director’s ability to communicate candidly and directly, that assertion is incorrect. However, the presence of this incorrect perception indicates that the Policy itself suffers from ambiguities or imperfections that

must be corrected. The ARRL Policy on Board Governance must be at its face as clear and direct as possible.

Codes of board conduct are very much part of the current state of the art in the governance of most large not-for-profit membership organizations. Any ambiguity in that Policy that results in the remotest scintilla of a possible interpretation that the ARRL Board members cannot be transparent to the membership must be corrected.

The ARRL Policy on Board Governance clearly states that: " Being elected to serve on the ARRL Board of Directors is an honor and privilege bestowed by the membership. It is one that carries with it a serious responsibility to serve the interests of the ARRL and its members. Members of the Board of Directors and Vice Directors serve in a representative capacity relative to ARRL members, and in a fiduciary capacity relative to the organization. " Prior to the adoption of the “Policy” in 2016 the ARRL Board had been briefed by our Connecticut Legal Counsel that such a statement of recommended conduct is an expected portion of any responsible system of governance of a not for profit organization. That legal firm has been the ARRL Connecticut corporate counsel of record since Clarence Tuska and Hiram Percy Maxim first incorporated our League and I take that firm’s recommendations as the best expert legal advice on Connecticut law available.

It is essential as a statutory requirement that a Director discharge the responsibilities of the office with no external encumbrance on the ability to fulfill these duties. NONE of the rules or policy of Board governance can be construed to create an allegiance to the organization, or to any other person or group that would supersede acting in the best interests of the League membership. Nothing in the Policy should be interpreted as modifying or altering that most essential imperative.

73, Kermit A Carlson W9XA
ARRL Director, Central Division
ARRL-The
National
Association
for Amateur
Radio
1150 Mc Kee St
Batavia, IL 60510
(630) 879-0983
W9XA@ARRL.ORG

Lisenco AABL proposed amendments
        Lisenco AABL proposed amendments.html

Norris-EC AABL proposed amendments
        Norris EC 1 ARRL AABL Gramatical Revisions Motion.pdf
            Norris EC 2 Art 15 Liability.pdf
                Norris EC 3 Art 16.pdf
                    Norris EC 4 Mebership Dues.pdf
                        Norris EC 5 Life Member Bylaw 8 9 10.pdf
                            Norris EC 6 Terms of Office.pdf
                                Norris EC 7 Elections BLs.pdf
                                    Norris EC 8 Recalls BL 24.pdf
                                        Norris EC 9 Officers Duties BLs.pdf
                                            Norris EC 10 Committees BLs.pdf
                                                Norris EC BL 48 Dispute Res.pdf

Carlson Policy on Board Governance
      Carlson Motion 1.pdf
            Motion to modify
            Narrative

The ARRL has announced the NEW YEAR-LONG OPERATING EVENT !

Full details are available in the December QST !

http://www.arrl.org/news/announcing-the-arrl-international-grid-chase

A new and exciting operating event will kick off on January 1, 2018, at 0000 UTC (New Year’s Eve in US time zones), when the ARRL International Grid Chase gets under way. The year-long event hopes to build on the success of the highly successful 2016 National Parks on the Air (NPOTA). The objective is to work stations on any band (except 60 meters) in as many different Maidenhead grid squares as possible, and then upload your log data to ARRL’s Logbook of The World (LoTW). Registration is free, and it costs nothing to use LoTW. Many hams are familiar with grid squares from the VHF/UHF and satellite realms, and everyone lives in one. ARRL’s VUCC is based on grid squares, and some contests on HF, as well as on VHF and UHF, also use them as a scoring factor.

PLEASE see the ARRL.ORG Website for more of the story !

Complete details of the ARRL International Grid Chase will appear in the December 2017 issue of QST. The digital edition is available on Friday, November 10.

US Representative Adam Kinzinger receives ARRL Barry Goldwater Award

Photo l to r: Mr. Chris Imlay W3KD ARRL Chief Consul, Mr. Adam Kinzinger, Mr. Kermit Carlson, Director ARRL Central Division,
Mr. Mike Lisenco N2YBB, Director ARRL Hudson Division and Chairman of the ARRL Legislative Action Committee.,

July 12th, 2017 - Kermit Carlson, Central Division Director, presented the ARRL Barry Goldwater Award to US Representative Adam Kinzinger (IL-16). Mr Kinzinger was presented the ARRL Barry Goldwater Award for introducing the Amateur Radio Parity Act, HR 555.

A companion bill, SB 1534, has been introduced into the Senate. ARRL President, Rick Roderick, K5UR, has asked all amateurs to write the Senators in support of the Amateur Radio Parity Act. Click here for more information on how you can help support SB 1534.

IEEE EMC Society 2017 Meeting Success!

May 1, 2017 - The Chicago Chapter of the IEEE EMC Society held it's meeting on April 19th and all reports are it was a huge success! The "most enjoyable evening" was attended by over 200 IEEE members and amateurs. Those attending provided a very gracious and sizable donation to the ARRL Spectrum Defence fund as well.

K9CT New ARRL Central Division Contest Advisory Committee Rep

February 11, 2017 - For over 18 years Mr. Gregory Clark, K9IG, of Franklin, Indiana has served as the Central Division’s representative to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee (CAC). Having been appointed by Mr. Ed Metzger W9PRN in 1999, K9IG has been recognized as a guiding presence on this important body. His work on this Committee has helped the decision-making process of the ARRL Board regarding HF Contesting during the term of three Central Division Directors. Greg has announced his retirement from this committee position effect today. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for his service to the League and amateur radio over the past two decades. Thank you Greg !

I am a pleased to announce that Mr. Craig Thompson, K9CT, of Trivoli, Illinois has accepted the appointment as the ARRL Central Division Representative to the ARRL Contest Advisory Committee. Craig's accomplishments in amateur radio contesting includes many first place contest finishes and he holds several contest records. Craig is an ARRL Life Member, a member of the NIDXA, CW ops, A-1 Operators, the Maxim Society, and he is Board member of the NCDXF. Craig also presently serves as the President of the Society of Midwest Contesters.

I look forward to working with Craig as part of the ARRL Central Division team.
73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

HR 555 passes the US House of Representatives

JANUARY 23, 2017 - Greetings; It is with great pleasure that I can relate that the Amateur Radio Parity Act, HR-555, has passed the House of Representatives and is now on the way to the Senate. The bill passed by unanimous consent late Monday afternoon January 23rd, 2017. For the whole story, please see...
73, Kermit Carlson W9XA

HR 1301 passes the US House of Representatives

September 12, 2016 - Late breaking news. At 6:29 P.M. EDT, H.R 1301 as amended was considered on suspension and passed by the U.S. House of Representatives. It now goes to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Thank you to all who helped sign letters to their Representative. 73, Kermit W9XA

Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, Appointed new Central Division Vice-Director

July 21, 2016 - ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, in consultation with Central Division Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, has appointed R. Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, to become the new Central Division Vice Director. He fills a vacancy created when Carlson became Director with the recent retirement of Dick Isely, W9GIG. Luetzelschwab is a resident of Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Licensed since 1961, he is an ARRL Life Member and is well known in the amateur community.

He is a frequent contributor to many ARRL publications, and had previously served as the Editor of the ARRL's National Contest Journal. He is an active contester and DXer, having achieved DXCC #1 Honor Roll as well as having earned 160 Meter DXCC. He is considered one of the leading authorities on HF propagation and has been a frequent presenter at many hamfests and conventions, including W9DXCC, Dayton Hamvention, and DX University.

“I plan to bring lots of energy to the job and to be visible to the members of the Central Division," Luetzelschwab said. "It is an honor to serve and give back to the Amateur Radio service for all that it has given me over the years. I am looking forward to working with Kermit Carlson, W9XA, whom I have known for a number of years. And I would like to give a big thank you to retired director Dick Isely, W9GIG, for his friendship and many years of service. I hope to emulate his visibility and approachability.”

Luetzelschwab is married to Vicky, AE9YL, and together they have participated in several DXpeditions, including YK9A, OJØ, and numerous trips to ZF, operating as ZF2LA and ZF2YL. He retired in 2013 after 41 years as an RF Design Engineer with Motorola and Raytheon (formerly Magnavox).

ARRL Central Division Director - Dick Isely, W9GIG, Steps Down

July 19, 2016 - Saying it was time that the ARRL Central Division had a younger leadership, Central Division Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, of Saint Charles, Illinois, has resigned from the League's Board of Directors. He has been succeeded by Vice Director Kermit Carlson, W9XA, of Batavia Illinois.

"I'm 77 years old, and I still have pretty good health, despite my slow recovery from a shingles attack that hit me last December," Isely said in a public announcement. "However, it's time that you have a younger Central Division Director." Isely and Carlson were re-elected last year without opposition, and Isely expressed confidence that Carlson would "do a better job" in the Director's chair.

Isely tendered his resignation during the July 2016 ARRL Board of Directors meeting over the weekend in Windsor, Connecticut, and acting on Carlson's nomination, Isely's Board colleagues elected him as an ARRL Honorary Vice President.

"I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with many of you over these many years, and, from time to time, there will be future opportunities for the activity," Isely's announcement concluded.

During his time on the Board, Isely served as a member of the ARRL Executive Committee as well as on the Board's Administration and Finance and Membership Services committees. He chaired the CEO Search Committee after former ARRL CEO David Sumner, K1ZZ announced his retirement in 2015. Isely also has been among the ARRL Board members to promote the Amateur Radio Parity Act on Capitol Hill.

Isely became the ARRL Central Division Director in 2001, succeeding Ed Metzger, W9PRN, and he was an ARRL Foundation director from 2007 until his resignation from the Board. He had served as ARRL Foundation vice president since 2008. ARRL Great lakes Director Dale Williams, WA8EFK, has been named to replace Isely on the ARRL Foundation Board.

Isely is a graduate of the University of Missouri and a retired US Navy and American Airlines pilot. He's an ARRL and an AMSAT Life Member and has been a radio amateur since 1977. Isely helped organize the National Frequency Coordinators' Council and served 4 years as a director.

ARRL President Rick Roderick, K5UR, is expected to soon announce a successor to Carlson to fill the now-vacant Vice Director's seat. The ARRL Central Division is comprised of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

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