Compiled by S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL News Editor
k1sfa@arrl.org

This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of February.

The ARRL asked its members to write letters in opposition to HR 607, a bill introduced in Congress that if passed, would auction off portions of the 70 cm band.

The ARRL and the Boy Scouts of America signed a Memorandum of Understanding, designating the ARRL as a key resource for K2BSA and Radio Merit Badge training and establishing the ARRL as the go-to source for Scouts interested in learning about and becoming involved in radio communication.

The California Court of Appeals reached a mixed decision in an antenna case concerning a Palmdale, California radio amateur.

Packets for the 2011 ARRL Field Day are now available.

ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and Chief Technology Officer Brennan Price, N4QX, represented the ARRL at the Conference Preparatory Meeting for WRC-12 in Geneva, Switzerland where delegates brought an MF amateur secondary allocation one step closer to actuality.

Astronaut Doug Wheelock, KF5BOC, will be a special guest of the ARRL at the 2011 ARRL EXPO at the Dayton Hamvention®.

As part of the ARRL’s Ham Aid donation to the 2010 Haitian earthquake relief effort, the League -- with the help of IARU Region 2 and the Radio Club Dominicano -- donated a repeater to the Radio Club d’Haiti.

The ARRL Lab is undergoing renovation and will be getting a new floor. Lab staff have temporarily moved to the W1AW attic.

W1AW Station Manager Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, installed new shelving in the broadcast racks at W1AW, the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station. These shelves hold the transmitters used for code practice and bulletin transmissions.

New questions have been posted to the QuickStats page on the ARRL website.

Almost 1600 logs were received for the 2011 running of the ARRL RTTY Roundup.

ARRL members in Arkansas elected a new Section Manager, while eight Section Managers who ran unopposed were declared re-elected.

The ARRL Facebook page now has almost 16,000 fans, gaining almost 500 fans in the month of February.

Official Observer Desk: A complaint about unlicensed hunters using 2 meters in Michigan was forwarded to the FCC. Reports were received regarding unlicensed fishermen using 80 and 2 meters off the coasts of Massachusetts and Washington. An Oregon FM broadcast station was using a 2 meter frequency as a link to simulcast programming to another station; after notification, the station shut down the link. A situation involving coarse language on a repeater system in Eastern Massachusetts was also resolved.

DXCC News: The 9X0SP 2010 DXpedition to Rwanda has been approved for DXCC credit.

Member Contact: ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, attended the ARRL South Carolina State Convention; ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, attended the ARRL Southeastern Division Convention, and ARRL Test Engineer Bob Allison, WB1GCM, attended the ARRL Arizona State Convention. In addition, Technical Editor Joel Hallas, W1ZR, presented a talk at the Vermont State Convention via Skype. A snowstorm prevented him from traveling.

The April issue of QST was released to the printer, as were the March/April issues of NCJ and QEX.

The winner of the QST Cover Plaque Award for February 2011 is Lou Burke, W7JI, for his article “A Compact 40 Meter Receiver.”