ARROW/RedCross Agenda for January 22nd, 2008



Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 19:37:12 -0500 (EST)
From: Jay Nugent 
Reply-To: ARROW-General-List@yahoogroups.com
To: ARROW-General-List@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [ARROW-General-List] Changes regarding ARROW/Red-Cross & Meeting Tuesday @7pm

Greetings,
   I am sending this to a WIDE audience so that everyone will be informed,
not just the Red Cross list or the ARROW-Board list.

   As many of you already know, Tom Snoblen N8AMX has submitted his
resignation to the ARROW Board that he no longer has the time (due to his
new job) to continue acting as the Red Cross "Technical Coordinator".
This job assignment was to coordinate all activities betweeen the ARROW
and the Red Cross.  Lately that involved the creation of a Communications
Center in the Red Cross Chapter as well as the installation of antennas
and feedlines on their tower, and began the formation of a Statement of
Understanding (SOU) between the ARROW and the Red Cross.

   We all thank Tom for the work he has accomplished to date, and wish him
well in his future endeavors and his new job.  Thanks Tom!

   This leaves the Red Cross Technical Coordinator job open, and will need
to be filled soon.  I have verbally agreed to keep the ball rolling until
a new appointment can be made by the ARROW Board.  And I *may* decide to
throw my hat into the ring for consideration.

   So.... as for the ARROW/Red-Cross meeting scheduled for tomorrow,
Tuesday January 22nd from 7pm-9pm... I am willing to go ahead with that
meeting as scheduled (unless the ARROW BoD states otherwise).


   The proposed agenda is as follows:

   1) Acknowledge N8AMX resignation

   2) WB8TKL willing to be 'acting TC' while the search for a replacement
      is performed by the ARROW BoD

   3) Continue work on the SOU/MOU (Statement of Understanding /
      Memorandum of Understanding) between the ARROW and the Red Cross.

       a) Corey Nygaard (Director, Emergency Services) has provided us
          with an SOU that appears complete and to the Red Cross's liking.

       b) Will the 'original' "ARROW/Red-Cross Station Manager Overview"
          document still be needed?  Should it be rolled into the provided
          SOU/MOU as an adendum?  And if so, how?

       c) A couple paragraphs need to be written that describe the
          "Organization of the ARROW Communications Association".  Mark
          W8FSA has agreed to write that description.

       d) It needs to be clarified that the ARROW will work together
          *with* the Red Cross but maintain our autonomy as the "ARROW"
          and/or "Hams" and/or "ARES/NTS", in all respects.  NO reference
          to RACES will be in the document as agreed to by the BoD and by
          previous general consensus.

       e) Section 7, paragraph 14:
          Clarification that when the Red Cross requests Health & Welfare
          traffic be sent by the ARROW/Hams/ARES/NTS that we "follow
          current ARC-2079H format", that that format actually is
          transmittable over existing NTS networks inside of established
          FSD-3 "RadioGram" forms.
          We will need to see ARC-2079H format and determine if this is
          indeed do-able.

   4) What is the status of the 800 MHz trunking radio?
       - Who will be providing it?
       - Who will be operating it?
       - Where will it need to be located?

   5) Begin recruitment of "Station Manager" and "Assistant Station
      Managers" for consideration by the ARROW BoD

   6) Determine who will have Card-Key access to the building and the lock
      combination to the Communications Center.

   7) Develop and publish an activation "callout tree", or roster, and add
      it to the SOU/MOU as an adendum.

   8) Finish 2-meter "Packet" antenna feedline.  The 4-element beam has
      already been hung on the tower and all other equipment is in the
      shack.  The feedline needs an "N" connector placed on the end of
      the coax coming down from the antenna.

      NOTE: The DRG is verifying "ownership" of the Packet equipment as it
            is believed that the rig and TNC were purchased under a
            Michigan State grant managed by the QMN.  The QMN has
            recently passed "ownership and control" of these assets over
            to the DRG and the DAPR (Downtown Amateur Packet Radio group
            of Grand Rapids) to manage.

   9) Fix the 75-meter dipole.
      One end has fallen down and the other needs to be moved to a lamp
      post, if possible.

  10) Determine an efficient layout for the equipment in the shack

  11) The grounding of the antenna panel in the shack need to be checked.
      N8AMX: I do not remember if I ever got the right size cable
             bolts to attach the ground wire.

  12) Aquire from N8AMX:
      a) Antenna box key (at the base of the tower)
      b) PC and Monitor that was donated to the Arrow for Red Cross use
      c) Red Cross radio or two waiting to be programmed and
         installed. N8AMX will continue to hold for the Red Cross.



   Thank You,
      --- Jay Nugent  WB8TKL