METERS Newsletter - November 2006

A monthly publication of the Middle East Tennessee Emergency Radio Service, Inc.
METERS is a registered non-profit service organization based in Knoxville, serving all the surrounding area.
Club call sign: KG4NLF      Website: www.metersinc.org

Meetings are held at 7 PM, the 4th Tuesday every month. Our November 28th meeting will be at the Tennessee Technology Center, 1100 Liberty Street, Knoxville, TN 37919. (See the website for directions, or watch the Net Reminder.)
Licensed Amateur Radio Operators are invited to join METERS and assist in meeting the needs of our served agencies.
Members’ submissions are invited for this newsletter, in plain text formats, subject to space available and editing. Editor: John Randle, K9RSQ; e-mail to john.randle (at) tds.net; Phone (865) 675-1293, or mail to: John Randle, 10625 Summit Mtn Ct, Knoxville, TN 37922.

President's Statement for November 2006

Autumn has arrived. The leaves are falling and the holiday season is upon us. We have much to be thankful for.

When taking stock of your blessings, please take time to review your disaster preparedness kits and capabilities. With the cold weather coming, it's time to winterize your vehicles and prepare your home for those freezing temperatures that are coming soon. It's also a good idea to update your go bag to include winter items such as warmer clothing and extra food and check your batteries. There is no joy in being out in the cold with dead batteries. With the foul weather approaching, now is the time to take the online FEMA courses to fill in those gaps in your training & certifications. Be sure to send or deliver copies of your certifications to our secretary Larry W8JYQ so he can update our records and maintain the cert files.

This year our November meeting is after Thanksgiving and is on Tuesday November 28, 2006 at 7:00PM at the TN Technology Center of Knoxville. David Hoffman KE4FGW will be our speaker. He will bring his mobile repeater that was used at the Big South Fork race and tell us all about it.

Our treasurer Dave KE4YBZ cannot attend the meeting so Merle KD6FBT will be in charge of dues collection and receipt issuance. Larry W8JYQ will be collecting applications and copies of certifications. Gary AG4XO will take the photos for the ID badges. We have a lot to do at this meeting so please be there.

Our only meeting during the month of December is the Christmas party on Tuesday Dec 12 at 7PM at the TN Technology Center of Knoxville. There is a $5 charge per person which can be paid at the next meeting or at the door as long as you sign up early so we can plan on the number of those attending. Significant others are invited for a fun social evening of good conversation and fellowship among our members.

Remember our military service members in your thoughts and prayers this holiday season. Happy Thanksgiving!
73,

-- Tyra Buczkowski AI4KG METERS President

Vice President's Statement for November 2006

As I write this it is the day before Thanksgiving, 2006, I can't help thinking that we have much to be thankful for as ham radio operators, as METERS members and as Americans. Just in the last 48 hours METERS had another "win". Let me explain a bit.

I received a call from Diane Fox of the Knox County EMA's office. She needed my help in order for her to fulfill a request to purchase a ham radio station for the TN Homeland Security District 2 Mobile Command Post that is parked at the EOC. The MCP, as you may recall was recently purchased by the county with the understanding that it would be available for use by all of the 16 counties in HS-2. They will probably purchase a Kenwood TS-2000 and of course antennas and radio accessories.

I think our efforts in support of the health department, the hospitals and our first responders has resulted in their including us in their plans and in their purchasing decisions. There is no greater compliment than to be considered part of the team! Thanks to you all for your part in making this happen.

Thanks to everyone that submitted an After Action Report for our recent HS-2 exercise. I received a total of 15. Many, many helpful comments were made and they were very thoughtful. In fact, at least one of the reports was 6 pages long! I have summarized all reports in the METERS AAR. There is still a lot more for me to do on it before the final report is complete. I hope to finish it up in early December. I can tell you, however, that we all learned a great deal that will be helpful to us in the future.

I hope to see all of you at the November general meeting. We have a great agenda lined up and some surprises for you. Until then, please enjoy your holiday time with your family and may your travels be safe and uneventful. 7 3

-- Gary Buczkowski AG4XO METERS VP

Secretary's Notes - November 2006

• Treasurer Dave Ogle KE4YBZ presented a plan for new METERS ID badges for all members at the October meeting. These will carry our photo and credential summary, along with our new logo. This was approved in conjunction with an increase in dues to $15. for 2007. Thanks to Dave for devoting his time in researching and preparing this proposal. Remember to provide your certifications, as noted below, for your ID badge.
• Hazmat by Rail was the topic of our guest speaker in October. We learned a lot, and received two excellent handouts for our reference files. One of those items was a placard ID chart showing the various diamond-shape warning labels seen on both rail cars and trucks, defining the dangers of some contents. If you ever come upon an accident scene and one of those placards is evident, you are advised to know what it says, and stay upwind of any fumes or escaping gases. This could save your life.
• Minutes of our meetings are available via e-mail. We have dispensed with reading them due to time constraints in our meeting location(s). If you would like a copy of the last month's minutes, or any minutes, please call or e-mail me, or contact your Board Member at Large, Dick Wolf WI8X.
• Certifications and qualification documents: -- Copies are requested from all members as we upgrade and expand our member database. Our served agencies are increasingly asking for these certifications, including your FEMA and EmComm completion documents. Recently, in accessing one of our served hospitals, I was complimented on having my Knox Health Dept. credentials in plain view on a lanyard around my neck, so they wouldn't have to ask to see my credentials. – As you copy these items (IS-100, IS-700, EmComm, etc.) for our files, please also copy your 'ham' radio license(s), CERT, MARS, SATERN, and other applicable documents, so that when we get the call from a security person, asking if you are qualified, we can easily reply that, "yes indeed", he/she is one of our own, and here is the list of their certifications. Please send or bring your copies to the next meeting. Many thanks.
• Net participation is an easy part of your membership. If you haven't been checking in, please take a few minutes weekly to do so. Our frequency allocations are at stake and the more use we show by our check-ins, the more we prove usefulness of the allotted frequencies to FCC, via ARRL. If you are not getting the weekly e-mailed Net Reminder, please contact Bill (WR4MS (at) ARRL.NET).
• Membership in METERS normally means you would be expected to attend our meetings and training sessions regularly held monthly at Tennessee Technology Center on Liberty Street in Knoxville. However, if your schedule does not allow attending, this doesn't mean you cannot be a member. We invite all nearby licensed amateur radio operators who would like to assist our community work, and are willing to obtain training either at meetings or on the web, to become members. Applications for membership can be obtained at our METERS website. The application will ask for your agreement with the Bylaws, so it is important that you read them. Our current Bylaws also can be found at the website. Please check the website, or contact me and I will send you our membership brochure. -73

Training Topics

Your EmComm Level 3 study book is in!

If you signed up for an EmComm Level 3 book at the October meeting, rejoice!  It will be available at the November METERS meeting Tuesday, November 28, at 7:00 pm, Tennessee Technical Center, 1100 Liberty, just south of Middlebrook Pike.  Please bring $15 (exact currency; please; I won't be able to make change) to the meeting for the book (normally $19.95 plus shipping).  There is no shipping charge.

Signees include: Jerry Moore AF1P; Connie Harrison K9GWB; Sam Burgiss KA4ATE;  Bobby McFalls KA4OKJ; Merle Growden KB6FBT; Buddy Sumner KI4DIW; Don Riley N4CZL; Bill Renaud WR4MS.

-- de Dick WI8X

Treasurer Talk!

Hi Folks!

Yes. it's that time again. time to avoid the rush of the upcoming holidays and re-up for next year! Yes. it's time for your 2007 METERS Membership Dues! Only Fifteen Bucks! (What a deal!) I will, unfortunately be absent from the November meeting due to work obligations, but MERLE GROWDEN has agreed to step in to take your METERS dues, and issue receipts. He will be taking Cash and/or checks at the next METERS meeting, slated for Tuesday, November 28th. so on your way to the TN Technology center, you might want to remember to stop by the ATM. and come ready to re-up!

We are also still trying to get photos of all our members, which will be used to make our new METERS ID Badges. (which we will probably be ordering right after the first of the year) This is ANOTHER reason to pay your dues, as all dues-paying members will be getting their new ID badge at that time. Gary (AG4XO) will be taking photos of those members whom we still do not yet have. so be sure to smile at the camera! Whether you have paid your dues to date or not. we still want your photo.

Oh. and don't forget.. we still have a few METERS T-Shirts available! They are still $10 each, so get them while they last! We also have those nifty METERS Logo patches for sale. They are $3 each, or 2 for $5 bucks! (Great to put on a Baseball Cap or on a windbreaker jacket, to show your METERS Affiliation!)

If demand dictates, we will order more t-shirts - including some large enough to possibly fit ME!!!. but officially, we have no plans to place a new order unless and until we get enough requests for new shirts.

Thanks guys! Talk to you soon!

Dave KE4YBZ

Net Notes!

(Editor’s Note: Please see the December’s issue for this item.)

METERS Bylaws: Article V Duties of the Officers

Board Member at Large

Section 3. Board Member at large. The Board Member at large shall serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors and shall represent the general membership at all deliberations of the Board of Directors. The Board Member at large shall be a standing member of the Membership Committee. This individual shall serve as the Ombudsman for any and all concerns of the individual members. (boldface and italics added)

I was elected "Board Member-at-Large" last year and agreed to serve in this capacity until someone else wants the job. So join me on this exciting journey called, ‘let’s take a closer look.’

1. "The Board Member at large shall serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors and shall represent the general membership at all deliberations of the Board of Directors."
Simply put, if you want something brought up to the Board of Directors, just contact me. In person; (865) 584-9168; wi8x ( at ) ntown.net

2. "The Board Member at large shall be a standing member of the Membership Committee." Elsewhere in the bylaws, you will find this: "c. Membership Committee. This committee is composed of a chairman and a minimum of two or a maximum of four members appointed to staggered two-year terms. One of these individuals shall be the METERS Board Member at large. The Membership Committee shall actively promote membership in METERS (boldface added) and shall promote participation of members in METERS activities. The Membership Committee shall propose and facilitate meeting programs."
Again, contact me (see above) to submit your member gathering, member-activating, meeting program ideas.

3. "This individual shall serve as the Ombudsman for any and all concerns of the individual members."
Dictionary definition: "an appointed public official who investigates activities of government agencies that may infringe on the rights of individuals." (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Second Edition) Well, I don’t represent any government, but if you think something METRRS does/says runs counter to METERS’ purpose, contact me. I’ll present your concern(s) to the METERS Board. METERS By-Laws are on the METERSINC.Org Web site; click on Applications; click on METERS Inc. By-Laws.

Now you know everything I know. Please contact me during waking hours, even on the day of METERS Board meetings. I’d appreciate brevity; bullet-point your concerns/suggestions. Doing so encourages self-editing for brevity and clarity. I will present your concerns/suggestions as submitted and without editing. E-mail works best for me.

-- de Dick WI8X

Recent and Up Coming Public Service Events:

We still don't have specific dates for the Strawberry Plains half marathon, but mark your calendars for late February, and I'll announce the dates when I know it.

Jerry Moore, AF1P, Special Events Coordinator.

METERS Members in the SpotLight: This month it’s…..

Jordan Webb, K4AVG

’ve been acquainted with Jordan for about three years, and have seen him progress from Technician Class to General Class.  In addition, Jordan has become valuable to METERS for his initiative, dependability, and technical knowledge.  He has helped me at an area hospital, setting up the Amateur Radio equipment for the once-a-month radio check.  He has been on time and eager to set up and operate.  Imagine my dismay when I learned that he could no longer participate in the hospital radio checks because – he is too young.

By circumstance of birth Jordan is 16, and the hospital requires volunteers to be at least 18 (for liability reasons) in order to participate in the radio checks and other hospital Amateur Radio activities.  Jordan now has a car and has mounted his mobile Amateur Radio equipment in it, demonstrating neat workmanship.

Jordan, thank you for all you have done so far.

I’ll have to wait until August 2008.  Then I get dibs on his services at the hospital!

-- Dick Wolf WI8X

Notes from The ARRL Letter

==>AMERICAN RED CROSS CLARIFIES BACKGROUND CHECK POLICY

The American Red Cross (ARC) has attempted to clarify its policy to require background checks of its employees and volunteers, at least as far as the policy applies to possible credit checks. After the ARC announced the policy in July through its regional and local chapters, Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members who support Red Cross disaster relief and recovery efforts began expressing concerns to ARRL. In some past incidents – most notably the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks and the 2005 Hurricane Katrina response -- ARES volunteers have had to badge in as Red Cross volunteers. In a statement <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/RedCross-LauraHowe-Statement.pdf> to the ARRL November 9, Laura Howe, the ARC's director of response communication and marketing, stressed that, while background check applicants must give permission to conduct a credit check, the ARC has no intention of conducting them across the board.

"The Red Cross realizes some volunteers may have concerns about authorizing a credit check. Those concerns are understandable," Howe said. "But please rest assured that credit checks are only run in rare instances and are not a part of the routine minimum basic check the Red Cross performs on employees or volunteers." Howe told the League that the "standard minimum check" verifies the applicant's Social Security number and a search of the National Criminal File for the past seven years.

"While the Red Cross will never run a credit check on the vast majority of its employees and volunteers," she asserted, "it is important that this standard language is included in the consent form to protect our clients, volunteers and employees."

The ARC has contracted with MyBackgroundCheck.com LLC (MBC) to handle the on-line background checks. MBC notifies the applicant's local Red Cross chapter whether or not the individual passed the background check, but it does not share any personal data.

In a statement <http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/RC-Background-Checks0610.pdf> October 24, ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, urged ARES and other ham radio volunteers to tread cautiously and read very carefully what they are giving MBC permission to collect on behalf of the Red Cross, especially given the wide net being cast. Howe acknowledged that by signing the consent form, applicants do give MBC permission to "conduct a credit check or other investigation into an individual's background." ARES members are not obliged to submit to a background check, however; the choice to do so is a personal one.

Several ARES leaders maintain that they and their volunteers represent ARES when supporting the ARC as a served agency. "Our issue is not the background checking, but the fact ARC considers ARES members ARC volunteers," one ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator told ARRL. An ARES District Emergency Coordinator suggested the ARC policy is too arbitrary. "The unfortunate thing is that if a member decides not to submit to this check, then that will hamper our ability to serve the Red Cross in an emergency," he said.

ARRL Field and Educational Services Manager Dave Patton, NN1N – whose department supports and oversees the ARRL Field Organization -- believes the Red Cross stands to lose a fair number of volunteers because of the requirement -- and not necessarily just ARES volunteers.

The Statement of Understanding (SoU) between the ARC and the ARRL does not address the issue of background checks. It also is ambiguous on the subject of whether ARES volunteers automatically become ARC volunteers when supporting Red Cross operations and become subject to a background check.

The bottom line: The requirement extends to whomever the Red Cross says it does. While some Red Cross chapters will allow ARES member participation without requiring that they register as Red Cross volunteers, others may not. The ARRL-ARC SoU is up for review in 2007.

==>ARRL ON-LINE AUCTION: "WE'LL BE BACK!"

The first ARRL On-Line Auction <http://arrl.auctionanything.com/> is history, but the event may well become an annual affair. Once the bidding had ended November 3 and the dust had settled a bit, ARRL Business Services Manager Deb Jahnke, K1DAJ -- whose staff pulled the auction together – was able to compile and share some statistics. Not only did auction proceeds exceed expectations by more than 20 percent, it attracted more than 4300 bidders from 36 countries -- and as far away as Australia -- competing for just over 100 items.

"Based on feedback, I think it's safe to say -- to paraphrase Arnold Schwarzenegger -- we'll be back!" Jahnke said. During the bidding from October 23 until November 3, she reports, many participants e-mailed League Headquarters not just with questions but to share their excitement.

"This is too much fun -- I'm high bidder on two items! And just a beginner!" enthused one participant. "What a riot!" Another put it more succinctly: "Our hobby still rocks!"

Jahnke says most of those who wrote expressed the wish that the ARRL run and online auction every year -- or perhaps even more frequently, possibly all year long. She says that while the auction involved a lot of planning and preparation, ARRL Headquarters staffers also had a lot of fun.

"All staff members who worked on the project enjoyed it as much as the bidders as we saw the prices climb and bidding wars ensue," she said. "We also thoroughly enjoyed the one-on-one contact with bidders grateful for prompt responses to their questions and shared our excitement with the winners."

The 12-day event actually ran into overtime as a handful of bidders battled for the right to take home the coveted prizes that remained. In all 1300 bids were placed. A 1964 softcover edition of the ARRL's Radio Amateur's Handbook was the unlikely final item. Extended bidding -- a dollar or two at a pop and sometimes edging to within seconds of the gavel -- ultimately upped the price to $161. Other last-minute holdouts included a 1973 hardcover edition of the Radio Amateur's Handbook, which went for $52, and a white gold signet ring, which brought $334.

The generosity of many donors, Jahnke says, made it possible for the League's premier auction to offer a diverse list of items that also included transceivers, ARRL Lab-tested and reviewed equipment, exotic vacations, vintage gear, mystery "junque" boxes and an Eagles-autographed acoustic guitar donated by Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, that went for $3353.

Jahnke says the auction donors were as thrilled as the participants. "Quite a few of our advertisers who donated items called to tell us that their Web sales had spiked during and immediately after the auction," Jahnke remarked afterward.

Said ARRL COO Harold Kramer, WJ1B, after the last item had sold: "It was fun, it was exciting and, best of all, it raised money for a good cause."

Auction proceeds will help support ARRL educational activities including licensing newcomers, strengthening Amateur Radio's emergency service training, offering online continuing education courses and creating new instructional and educational materials.

Above extracted from November 2006 issue of The ARRL Letter/American Radio Relay League.

Notes from The Web

Given last month’s article concerning the Red Cross and Background Investigation (as well as this months article above), your NewsLetter Editor (me) thought that the following would be of general interest…

Red Cross announces management overhaul

American Red Cross, stung by criticism of how it handled Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 attacks, announced plans Monday for a major overhaul that would include slashing its 50-member board and reducing the influence of presidentially appointed overseers.

The reforms are intended to ease recurring friction between board members and Red Cross management, and to address complaints that the organization was at times too bureaucratic and unaccountable after Katrina and the attacks.

Some of the changes in the 60-year-old governance structure can be implemented unilaterally, but the main proposals will require approval from Congress for revisions in the organization's congressional charter.

A key senator who has pressed the Red Cross for reforms, Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, praised the proposals and expressed hope that Congress would swiftly approve them. "It's good news that the Red Cross' board recognized that a Band-Aid won't do," Grassley said.

The changes, approved without opposition by the existing board, result from an unprecedented six-month review by a panel of outside experts.

Highlights of the reforms that would need congressional approval include:

_Explicitly delegating responsibility for day-to-day operations to the Red Cross' full-time professional management, with the board focusing mainly on longer-term strategic oversight.

_Reducing the board of governors to between 12 and 20 members by March 31, 2012. An interim goal is to have no more than 25 members by 2009.

_Creating a single category of board members. Now, most are elected by local chapters, some are elected by the board, and others, including the chairman, are appointed by the U.S. president.

_Shifting seven of the presidentially appointed governors — all but the chairman — into a newly created Cabinet Council that will be merely advisory.

The board would also ask management to improve and expand awareness of the organization's whistleblower process among Red Cross employees and volunteers. Grassley, among others, had urged this step, saying the organization's instinct in the past was to play down internal problems instead of confronting them.

"This is a historic day for the American Red Cross," said the board's current chairwoman, Bonnie McElveen-Hunter. "We will succeed together to become the Red Cross the American people expect and deserve."

The 125-year-old charity was by far the biggest player in responding to Hurricane Katrina, raising $2 billion, mobilizing 235,000 volunteers and helping hundreds of thousands of displaced people. Yet it was sharply criticized for responding too slowly in some low-income, minority areas, for over-reliance on inexperienced staff, and for reluctance to work closely with other nonprofits.

The Red Cross itself, in a candid internal report, acknowledged that shortcomings included overwhelmed volunteers, inflexible attitudes and inadequate anti-fraud measures.

To address fraud and other issues of financial accountability, the board is trying to recruit a new chief audit executive with more authority than any predecessors.

The board also is searching for a new president. The position has been filled on an interim basis by Jack McGuire, a Red Cross veteran, since Marsha Evans resigned last December following friction with the board.

It was the second time in three years that such feuding led to a leadership change after a national disaster. The previous president, Dr. Bernadette Healy, said she was forced to resign partly because of disputes with the board over whether money received after the Sept. 11 attacks should be placed in a separate fund or a general disaster fund.

McGuire, explaining the need for a radical overhaul, noted that the charity's governance structure was last changed in 1946.

"We had a board that was designed and set up by guiding principles from a time that's no longer relevant," he said.

Paul Light, a New York University professor of public service who studies charities, said he was impressed by the recommendations.

"Everything on their list — they're all good things," he said. "The devil is in the details. ... but it's worth giving them the benefit of the doubt. It's a good, strong step forward."

Even as the board shrinks, Light said, Red Cross management needs to press ahead with administrative improvements — including requiring accurate, thorough financial statements from its more than 800 local chapters.

Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has been examining the Red Cross since its post-Sept. 11 controversy. He plans to meet with McElveen-Hunter on Nov. 15 to discuss the proposed changes. "Certain incidents have shaken public confidence in the Red Cross," Grassley said. "Getting the governance right is critical if a charity is going to succeed in its mission."

On the Net:
http://www.redcross.org/

And from the SARCOMM yahoogroup:

“I came across this recently and thought it would be of some interest.

The professional organization IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) has a short "podcast" about amateur radio in emergency communications.
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/radio?date=06.10.06&segStart=2M

<snip>

You can hear the podcast directly when you go to this URL, or you can download it (as an MP3 file within a 4.5meg ZIP archive) from the site.”

-- Andy.groups@gmail.com