American Radio Relay League
Non-profit organization | |
Purpose | Advocacy, Education |
---|---|
Headquarters | Newington, Connecticut FN31pr |
Region served | USA |
Membership | 120,000[1] |
President | Rick Roderick, K5UR[2] |
Main organ | Board of Directors[3] |
Affiliations | International Amateur Radio Union |
Budget | US$14,000,000[4] |
Staff | 120[5] |
Website | www |
The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of
The ARRL is the primary representative organization of amateur radio operators to the US government. It performs this function by lobbying the US Congress and the Federal Communications Commission. The ARRL is also the international secretariat of the International Amateur Radio Union, which performs a similar role internationally, advocating for amateur radio interests before the International Telecommunication Union and the World Administrative Radio Conferences.
The organization is governed by a member-elected, volunteer Board of Directors. Each director serves a three-year term and represents the members within their particular region of the country. The national headquarters facilities are located in Newington, Connecticut. Along with the administrative headquarters, the 7-acre (2.8 ha) site is home to amateur radio station W1AW. The ARRL Field Organization carries out local and regional activities across the United States.
Governance
The ARRL is governed by a member-elected, volunteer Board of Directors. The organization divides its membership into 15 Divisions, each representing a portion of the country. One Director and one Vice-Director are elected by the members of each Division to serve a three-year term. Director elections are staggered so that one-third of the Directors and Vice Directors are up for election each year. The Board of Directors manages policy direction for the organization as a whole.[3] The Board of Directors appoints an executive committee, led by the President and consisting of members of the ARRL Board of Directors, to make policy decisions between full Board meetings. ARRL's officers manage day-to-day administrative operation of the organization, led by the Chief Executive Officer. These paid officers hold their positions as long as the Board of Directors approve but have no vote on the Board.[2]
Local and regional operational activities of the American Radio Relay League are carried out through its Field Organization. The organization divides the 15 Divisions into 71 separate geographic regions called Sections. Each Section has a similar team of one elected, volunteer Section Manager and several volunteer positions. Section Managers are elected by the members living within the section for a two-year term. The Section Manager appoints a team of volunteers. A Section Manager may optionally appoint one or more Assistant Section Managers.[6]
An important function of the ARRL Field Organization is organizing
ARES has provided essential supplemental emergency communications innumerable times throughout the league's history. In 1989, hundreds of amateurs responded to the Loma Preita earthquake in the San Francisco Bay area putting in over 3000 volunteer hours in the first week. In 2005, ARES, with hundreds of volunteer amateur radio operators, provided key communications assistance to recovery organizations and officials coordinating Hurricane Katrina disaster relief.[7]
Over 2,000 Amateur Radio clubs are members of the ARRL Affiliated Club Program.[4]
History
1914–1920
In 1914,
Maxim was a member of the Radio Club of Hartford, and he presented a plan for the organization of an "American Radio Relay League" at its April 1914 meeting. The club agreed to sponsor the development of such an organization. Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska, the secretary of the Hartford Radio Club, developed application forms and sent them out to every amateur station they could think of. By September 1914 they had over 230 stations on the roster.
In early 1915, disagreements began to surface as to the role of the Hartford Radio Club in the new organization, and in February the ARRL split off from the club and incorporated under Connecticut law. Finances were shaky, and most of the income came from sales of booklets, maps and message blanks. By March 1915, there were 600 stations on the roster, and due to improvements in equipment and operating ability, some of the better stations were claiming communication ranges of up to a thousand miles. It was apparent that the ARRL now needed some kind of bulletin to stay in touch with its members. Maxim and Tuska agreed to personally finance it, and in December 1915 the first, 16-page issue of QST was sent free to all members. Further issues would be supplied through subscription at $1 per year.
In 1916, with ARRL membership nearing a thousand, Maxim set up six trunk lines of relay stations, both east–west and north–south, and individual managers were appointed. Messages were now being relayed over longer and longer distances, and in February 1917 a message was sent from New York to Los Angeles and an answer received in one hour and twenty minutes.
In 1917, the ARRL was reorganized to a more formal organization. A constitution was adopted, twelve directors and four officers were elected (including President Maxim and Secretary Tuska), and membership was opened to anyone interested in radio. No sooner had this happened than all amateurs received a letter from the
During the war the ARRL facilitated the recruitment of amateurs into communications positions with the armed services, but had little else to do since all civilian experimentation with radio equipment was prohibited. In November 1918 the Armistice was signed, but Congress introduced bills to put all radio operations in the United States under control of the Navy. The ARRL strongly opposed the bills. Maxim testified before Congressional committees and the League organized an effective grass roots campaign with thousands of individuals contacting their congressmen in opposition. The bills were defeated, and in April 1919 amateurs were permitted to put up antennas again, but only for receiving.
Meanwhile, the League needed reorganization. A financing plan consisting of selling bonds to members was adopted and about $7500 was raised. QST was purchased from its owner, Clarence Tuska. ARRL continued to lobby Congress for the resumption of transmitting privileges, and after a number of protests and appeals, amateur radio was fully restored in November 1919.
1920–1964
The 1920s saw tremendous technical growth in radio. Pushed both by wartime demands and by the growing commercialization of radio, equipment rapidly improved. The use of
With government uncertainty as to how to allocate both commercial and amateur frequencies, the ARRL kept discipline in amateur ranks so that spectrum was not unnecessarily occupied. They worked with Washington and the result was that amateurs received the orderly series of harmonic frequency bands that they largely hold today (originally 1.8, 3.5, 7, 14, 28, and 56 MHz; other bands have since been added and the 56 MHz allocation was changed to 50 MHz).
Other activities during this time included transcontinental relays to quickly move messages across the United States, communications assistance in several emergencies, and encouragement for an amateur radio operator on an Arctic expedition of
In the 1930s the
During
The 1950s saw the continued development of amateur radio and consequent growth of the ARRL. New civil defense systems and procedures were developed by the League, including regular communications between isolated service members and their families. Equipment rapidly improved, although there was some trouble with television interference. The ARRL and many of its members cooperated with scientists during the
A controversial idea was originated in 1961 when the League encouraged "incentive licensing", which sought reversion to the principle that higher levels of license privileges should require higher levels of demonstrated knowledge and
1965–present
Presidential terms
Sixteen radio amateurs have led the ARRL as president.[11]
Name | Call Sign | Years |
---|---|---|
H.P. Maxim | W1AW | 1914–1936 |
E.C. Woodruff | W8CMP | 1936–1940 |
G.W. Bailey | W2KH | 1940–1952 |
G.L. Dosland | WØTSN | 1952–1962 |
H. Hoover, Jr. | W6ZH | 1962–1966 |
R.W. Denniston | WØDX | 1966–1972 |
H.J. Dannals | W2TUK/W2HD | 1972–1982 |
V.C. Clark | W4KFC | 1982–1983 |
C.L. Smith | WØBWJ | 1983–1984 |
L.E. Price | W4RA | 1984–1992 |
George Wilson | W4OYI | 1992–1995 |
Rod Stafford | W6ROD | 1995–2000 |
Jim Haynie | W5JBP | 2000–2006 |
Joel Harrison | W5ZN | 2006–2010 |
Kay Craigie | N3KN | 2010–2016 |
Rick Roderick | K5UR | 2016–present |
Regulatory advocacy
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (February 2008) |
The ARRL has opposed regulatory support for
Services
The American Radio Relay League offers several services to members that support their on-air operations. For members with an interest in
Publications
The ARRL provides dozens of publications and journals to both members and non-members. QST is the organization's monthly membership journal, named after a Morse code
Contests
The ARRL sponsors numerous amateur radio contests throughout the year with the biggest of these being November Sweepstakes and the International DX Contest. Other contests and sponsored operating events include Straight Key Night, VHF Sweepstakes, UHF Contest, and 10 GHz and Up Contest. The ARRL also participates as a Headquarters station for the IARU HF World Championship. Field Day is an annual event organized by the ARRL that includes both a competitive element as well as an emphasis on emergency communications readiness and the promotion of amateur radio.
Controversy
Criticisms of ARRL have included its support for less strict licensing requirements in the 2000s, which opponents consider a "
Other critics have cited ARRL's support for segmentation of the HF amateur bands in the U.S. by
Many Amateur Radio operators who are seeking to develop and experiment with new technology see the ARRL as backing down too quickly on the regulation by bandwidth issue. Recent[update] FCC rulings on the new soundcard mode called ROS point to the need to drop regulations that hinder experimentation and impede the development of narrowband techniques on the bands where they are most needed[16]
An ARRL decision on November 14, 2017 to censure a member of its board of directors[17] drew strong criticism from many Amateur Radio operators.[18][19] Numerous operators expressed concern that this decision profoundly undermines the principles of representational democracy and of openness and transparency. A December 2017 white paper critical of the ARRL's actions was published online by CQ.[20] This censure was rescinded by the ARRL Board of Directors at its next board meeting, in July 2019.[21]
Elser-Mathes Cup
The Elser-Mathes Cup was created in 1928 by U.S. Amateurs Fred Johnson Elser (W6FB/W7OX) and Stanley M. Mathes (7OE/K1CY) to be awarded for the "First Amateur Two-Way Communication Earth & Mars". The cup is a Philippine
Organization
In the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and the Radio Amateurs of Canada (RAC), the Section Manager is an elected volunteer who implements and manages programs in the section. The Section Manager is elected by the members of the organization who reside in the section and holds office for a two-year term. There are no term limits.
For each of the section's activities, the Section Manager appoints individuals to oversee the activities. These individuals are collectively referred to as the cabinet.
Cabinet positions include:
- Assistant Section Managers
- Affiliated Club Coordinator
- Bulletin Manager
- Official Observer Coordinator
- Public Information Coordinator
- Section Emergency Coordinator
- Section Traffic Manager
- Section Youth Coordinator
- State Government Liaison
- Technical Coordinator
The Section Manager also appoints volunteers to serve within these program areas. The volunteers in any given Section serve at the pleasure of the Section Manager. The Section Manager also assists members with questions, issues or problems dealing with the organization's products and services; maintains liaison with the frequency coordinating body in the jurisdiction; maintains a relationship with the local field office of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)(US only), and maintains communications with members in the section via email bulletins, web pages, and personal visits to Amateur Radio club meetings, hamfests and conventions.
There are currently 71 sections in the ARRL,[23] (United States) and 12 sections in the RAC[24] (Canada).
An Affiliated Club Coordinator is the assistant to the Section Manager for radio club matters. One ACC is appointed in each section by the Section Manager to encourage club affiliation with the national organization on a section-wide basis.
The Section Traffic Manager is appointed by the Section Manager to supervise and coordinate traffic handling efforts within the National Traffic System and the section.
The Section Emergency Coordinator is the assistant to the Section Manager for amateur radio emergency communications preparedness. The SEC is appointed by the Section Manager.
See also
- Amateur Radio Emergency Service
- ARRL International Humanitarian Award
- International Amateur Radio Union
- National Traffic System
- Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
- W1AW
- Radio Amateurs of Canada
References
- ^ a b "About ARRL". ARRL | The National Association for Amateur Radio. n.d. Archived from the original on 8 October 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
Founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim as The American Radio Relay League, ARRL is a noncommercial organization of radio amateurs.
- ^ a b American Radio Relay League (2010). "Officers of the ARRL". Feb. 23, 2010.
- ^ a b American Radio Relay League (2008). "ARRL Divisions". Jan. 29, 2008.
- ^ a b American Radio Relay League (2008). Annual Report. Dec. 31, 2008.
- ^ American Radio Relay League (2010). About the ARRL. Feb. 23, 2010.
- ^ American Radio Relay League (2008). "The ARRL Field Organization". Feb. 1, 2008.
- ^ Amateur Radio Emergency Service (2008). "Katrina: The Untold Story" Archived 2008-02-28 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- .
- ^ "FRC History Introduction".
- ^ "Fifty Years of A.R.R.L.", American Radio Relay League, 1965
- ^ "Officers". ARRL (arrl.org).
"Honorary officials". ARRL (arrl.org). - ^ Broache, Anne (April 28, 2008). "FCC dealt setback in broadband-over-power-lines push". CNET. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ Meier, Dave, N4NW ARRL Classic Publications, retrieved 7/26/2010
- ^ a b Moseson, Rich (April 2004). "They just want to make more money ..." Zero bias. CQ Amateur Radio (editorial). Archived from the original on 2007-11-06.
- ^ Moseson, Rich (November 2004). "Regulation by bandwidth". Zero bias. CQ Amateur Radio (editorial). Archived from the original on 2006-10-26.
- ^ "FCC reaffirms statement on ROS". ARRL (arrl.org). 4 March 2010.
- ^ "Minutes of special board meeting November 14, 2017, ARRL Board of Directors" (PDF). ARRL Board of Directors meetings. ARRL (arrl.org) (Press release) (published 30 November 2017). 14 November 2017.
- ^ "What the heck is the ARRL board thinking?". KB6NU's Ham Radio (blog).
- ^ "So, after all this talk, what do we do about the ARRL Board of Directors?". KB6NU's Ham Radio (blog).
- ^ CQ white paper on ARRL secrecy and censure. CQ (cqnewsroom) (blog). CQ Amateur Radio. December 2017.
- ^ "ARRL July 2019 Meeting minutes" (PDF). ARRL Board of Directors meetings. ARRL (arrl.org) (Press release). July 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
- ^ Fred Johnson Elser W6FB/W7OX (Dec 1969). "That Planet Mars QSO Cup". QST. American Radio Relay League: 98.
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: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ 'ARRL Sections'
- ^ "RAC Sections". Archived from the original on 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2012-12-29.
Further reading
- Bartlett, Richard A., The World of Ham Radio, 1901–1950, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2007.
- Jahnke, Debra A. and Katherine A. Fay, eds., From Spark to Space, a Pictorial Journey through 75 Years of Amateur Radio, Newington, CT: ARRL, 1989.
- Schumacher, Alice Clink, Hiram Percy Maxim, Father of Amateur Radio, Schumachers: Great Falls, MT, 1970.