Legislative Action Program
The
ARRL maintains a Legislative Action Program for ARRL members to promote
and protect Amateur Radio through coordinated, legitimate
political action at the Federal government level.
- Mel Hughes K6SY - ARRL SWD Legislative Action Coordinator
- Dick Zalewski W7ZR - ARRL SWD Legislative Action Coordinator
Electronic
Services
The ARRL Website (http://www.arrl.org/)
is the beginning of many sources of ham services. All kinds of
information is available: membership recruitment/benefits, leadership,
representation, catalog/publications, upcoming events, youth support,
PR, government relations, call sign lookup, technical help, clubs,
testing, contest/award programs, Field Organization. educational
activities. regulations. QSL bureaus. personal/ club insurance,
licensing help (here and abroad), band plans, ARRL Foundation, etc. On
the home page you will find a weekly survey. Many
services can be found via the index or search engine including links to
other related sites such as the FCC. For example, forms necessary for
many of the various programs can be found this way on the League's Website.
The ARRL Website has news and feature articles
that you won't find anywhere else. Also, there is a product review
archive where you can obtain QST product reviews from as far back as
1980 as well as a search engine of QST/QEX indexes. There is a special
member data page where you can review and update your QST mailing
address. This is the place to go to have W1AW bulletins and The ARRL
Letter sent to you directly by e-mail. Finally, you can obtain a
forwarding e-mail address (<callsign>@ arrl.net). These
services are free for League members. Also, members can now vote for
their favorite monthly QST article (Cover Plaque Award).
Ham Audio
Services
The
weekly ARRL Audio News service is available via Blubrry.com . You can subscribe to the podcast via your IOS or Android mobile device using your favorite podcast app, or listen and download episodes direct from the Audio News page at Blubrry.
Another audio source of ham news is Newsline ( http://www.arnewsline.org
), originally produced locally by producer/editor Bill Pasternak,
WA6ITF (SK).
Antenna
Happenings
Many of the cities in our Division have been busy
changing or adding to their antenna regulations to address the growth in cellular
base towers. The impact to existing Amateur
Radio antenna regulations varies from none to substantial. Although
your ARRL headquarters staff or Division representatives have general
information and expertise, it's always best to check with City Hall
regarding current antenna regulations in your city. Contact the City
Clerk's office, or check your city's Website. An increasing number of
cities (and counties) are posting their zoning codes on the Web in a
searchable format.
QSL Bureaus
P.O. Box 970
Fairfax, CA., 94978-0970
Comments or questions on this bureau's operation
may be directed to kc6awx@arrl.net
See the W6 Bureau home page http://www.qslbureau.org
Willamette Valley DX Club Inc.
POB 555
Portland, OR 97207-0555
DX Century
Club Card Checking
There is a new enhanced DXCC Card Checker program that will save you the necessity of mafling QSL cards to ARRL
HQ but now only one local checker will be needed. Under the new
program, DXCC Card Checkers will be able to check cards for all DXCC
awards (except 160 meters), and all QSLs from any current DXCC Entity
(for contacts less than ten years old). This will apply to both new
awards and endorsements.
ARRL checkers are appointed by the DXCC desk at HQ
from nominations
by Section Managers and ARRL-affiliated DX specialty clubs with at
least 25 members. Currently, only one checker is appointed for each of
the above. The current DXCC Card Checkers in or involved with the SW
Division are:
For more information
on the DXCC program, including forms and rules, see the ARRL Web site (www.arrl.org/awards/dxcc).
Repeater
Coordinators
Local areas have long-established coordination
bodies that volunteer their time and effort. In Arizona,
In Southern California, there are three groups:
Amateur
Radio Councils
Local clubs form councils in order to better coordinate and promote activities important to the ham community. There
are councils in the following Sections within the Division.
Amateur
Radio Council of Arizona (ARCA).
Los
Angeles Area Council of Amateur Radio Clubs (LAACARC).
San
Diego County Amateur Radio Council (SANDARC).
ARRL
Southwestern Division Special Service Clubs (SSC)
These clubs have gone through a screening process
above and beyond other ARRL-affiliated clubs. They are expected to
provide local public relations, emergency communications, training,
technical advancement and other activities that further the goals of
the Amateur Radio Service. Many SSCs have Award Managers who can check
cards for some of the ARRL operating awards. The following are our
Special Service Clubs :
Arizona Section
Los Angeles Section
Orange Section
San Diego Section
Santa Barbara Section
Helpful
Toll-Free Numbers
- To renew ARRL membership and order ARRL
publications or find a dealer near you, call ARRL HQ at 888-277-5289.
- To find a ham club, classes or testing, in your
local area call 800-32NEWHAM.
- After you upgrade, consider becoming an ARRL
Volunteer Examiner. For information on VE certification, call
800-9ARRLVEC.
- To get information on the ARRL Insurance Plans (personal equipment or club liability), contact Risk Strategies at www.arrlinsurance.com
- For information directly from the FCC regarding
licensing, call the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Consumer
Assistance staff at 888-CALLFCC.
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