Feed aggregator
Astronaut Janice Voss, KC5BTK (SK)
NASA astronaut Janice Voss, KC5BTK, of Houston, Texas, passed away on February 7 from cancer. She was 55. One of only six women who have flown in space five times, Voss’ career was highlighted by her work and dedication to scientific payloads and exploration. Voss participated in making ham radio contacts from space via the Space Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX), the precursor to the Am...
The 2012 ARRL International DX CW Contest Takes to the Air Next Weekend
CW DXing and contesting take center stage the weekend of February 18-19, as the 2012 ARRL International DX CW Contest takes to the airwaves. “After years of lackluster conditions on 15 and 10 meters, 2011 finally saw the propagation gods giving us a break,” said ARRL Contest Branch Manager Sean Kutzko, KX9X. “Since September 2011, the high bands have been in excellent shape, with worldwide open...
NOAA doubles Gulf of Maine winter flounder catch limits
NOAA announced today that it is doubling the amount of Gulf of Maine winter flounder commercial fishermen can catch from almost 510,000 pounds to more than 1.1 million pounds for the current fishing season, which ends April 30. New scientific information shows that overfishing is no longer occurring on this important fish stock.
An Important Update on Our Recoupment Process – Part Two
Posted By: Elizabeth Zimmerman, Deputy Associate Administrator, Office of Response and Recovery
As we mentioned in December, Congress passed a law providing FEMA discretion to waive certain debts for disaster survivors. Since December, we have been working diligently to finalize a process to implement this law, and to offer a fair resolution to survivors who received improper payments through no fault of their own. In order to be eligible for a waiver, the following requirements need to be met under the December law:
So once you receive a Waiver Notice from FEMA, what should you do?
You will have 60 days to respond to the Notice of Waiver you receive in the mail.
Your written letter request must provide certain information that explains:
This includes completing a form that provides a certification to FEMA of your household “Adjusted Gross Income” from your most recent federal tax return for either 2010 or 2011. This is a requirement under the new law.
As we work through this process, FEMA will not send any new debts to Treasury for collection so that survivors will have the opportunity to respond to the Notice of Waiver sent by FEMA.
It is important to note that Congress wrote this law to apply only to recoupment efforts for specific past disasters. In recent years, we have taken significant steps to put strong controls in place to cut down on the percentage of improper payments disbursed after disasters. We will continue to do everything we can to reduce the need for any potential recoupments for current and future disasters.
If you have questions about the process to request a waiver, you may visit www.fema.gov/debtwaiver or contact
FEMA’s Recoupment Helpline
1-800-816-1122
Monday through Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST,
If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 1-800-462-7585 directly.
If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-816-1122.
As we mentioned in December, Congress passed a law providing FEMA discretion to waive certain debts for disaster survivors. Since December, we have been working diligently to finalize a process to implement this law, and to offer a fair resolution to survivors who received improper payments through no fault of their own. In order to be eligible for a waiver, the following requirements need to be met under the December law:
- The improper payment was received from disasters declared between August 28, 2005 and the end of 2010. (NOTE: the law does not apply to recoupment efforts for disasters declared after Jan. 1, 2011);
- The improper payment was a result of an error solely on FEMA’s part – not on the part of a survivor;
- The improper payment cannot have involved fraud, presentation of false claim or misrepresentation;
- The survivor household’s adjusted gross income on their most recent Federal tax return was less than $90,000 (a survivor with an income of greater than $90,000 whose case meets the other qualifying criteria could be eligible for a partial waiver); and
- The collection of the debt would be against “equity and good conscience,” meaning that it would be unfair under the circumstances of the case to collect the debt.
So once you receive a Waiver Notice from FEMA, what should you do?
You will have 60 days to respond to the Notice of Waiver you receive in the mail.
Your written letter request must provide certain information that explains:
- Why collecting the debt would cause you serious financial hardship;
- What you have spent the money on and why you are unable to return funds to FEMA. If you happen to have any receipts showing the disaster-related expenses, please provide those to FEMA as well;
- Any other personal circumstances that would make collecting the debt burdensome and unfair.
This includes completing a form that provides a certification to FEMA of your household “Adjusted Gross Income” from your most recent federal tax return for either 2010 or 2011. This is a requirement under the new law.
As we work through this process, FEMA will not send any new debts to Treasury for collection so that survivors will have the opportunity to respond to the Notice of Waiver sent by FEMA.
It is important to note that Congress wrote this law to apply only to recoupment efforts for specific past disasters. In recent years, we have taken significant steps to put strong controls in place to cut down on the percentage of improper payments disbursed after disasters. We will continue to do everything we can to reduce the need for any potential recoupments for current and future disasters.
If you have questions about the process to request a waiver, you may visit www.fema.gov/debtwaiver or contact
FEMA’s Recoupment Helpline
1-800-816-1122
Monday through Friday
9:00 AM - 8:00 PM EST,
If you have a speech disability or hearing loss and use a TTY, call 1-800-462-7585 directly.
If you use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-816-1122.
Former ITU-R Director Dick Kirby, W0LCT/HB9BOA (SK)
Richard “Dick” Kirby, W0LCT/HB9BOA, passed away on January 26. He was 89. In 1974, Kirby -- an ARRL Life Member -- was elected Director of the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) International Radio Consultative Committee; he served as Director until his retirement in 1995. In 1992, under Kirby’s tenure as Director, the Committee became the ITU Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R). One o...
Agenda Item 1.23 Passes Committee, Moves to Plenary
On the afternoon of Tuesday, February 7 (Geneva time), Committee 4 of the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) approved Option 1 to satisfy Agenda Item 1.23, with minor editorial amendments to the text received from Working Group 4C. Option 1 calls for a worldwide secondary allocation to the Amateur Service at 472-479 kHz, with a power limit of 1 W EIRP, with a provision for admini...
Practice Makes Perfect: ShakeOut Today
Posted by: Michael Widomski, Public Affairs
Today at 10:15 a.m. CST (11:15 a.m. EST) -- millions of people across the U.S. will participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. The drill is the largest earthquake preparedness event in central U.S. history. And don’t worry, even if you don’t live in the central U.S. you can still participate. Earthquakes can strike without warning, and you will only have seconds to react - so it’s important that everyone participates in the drill to ensure you know what to do should an earthquake strike.
It only takes a couple of minutes to participate in the drill and practice these three simple steps:
Today at 10:15 a.m. CST (11:15 a.m. EST) -- millions of people across the U.S. will participate in the Great Central U.S. ShakeOut. The drill is the largest earthquake preparedness event in central U.S. history. And don’t worry, even if you don’t live in the central U.S. you can still participate. Earthquakes can strike without warning, and you will only have seconds to react - so it’s important that everyone participates in the drill to ensure you know what to do should an earthquake strike.
It only takes a couple of minutes to participate in the drill and practice these three simple steps:
- DROP to the ground
- Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
- HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops
Nobel Laureate Joe Taylor, K1JT, Addresses Plenary Session at WRC-12, Receives ITU Gold Medal
On Friday, February 3, delegates and attendees at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) had the pleasure of listening to Joe Taylor, K1JT, share his vision of the future of radiocommunication. Taylor -- an ARRL Member -- won the Nobel Prize in physics in 1993 for the discovery of a binary pulsar, a discovery which has opened up new possibilities for the study of gravitation. Aft...
A Challenge to All Businesses: ShakeOut on Tuesday
Posted by: Dan Stoneking, Director, Private Sector Division
I work with people from global corporations based in Chicago, to sole proprietorships based out of a home office. One thing they both have in common? Both of them -- and anyone in between -- can participate in The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill this Tuesday, February 7.
For a small investment of your time, you could learn, teach, and exercise life saving actions to take during an earthquake:
I am an earthquake survivor, I was in Haiti for a major “aftershock.” Having survived an earthquake, I can attest to the idea that practicing an earthquake drill is extremely critical in surviving these disasters. I have done this drill. I have trained. And I am still here.
Last year I conducted a surprise ShakeOut drill with my team, even though we “never” have earthquakes in the DC area. It was the first time that one member of the team learned about earthquake safety procedures. Five months later she was teleworking at home when an earthquake shook Virginia and was felt by many states to the north and south. She immediately responded with the correct actions; she dropped, covered, and held on. She is a survivor too. We are drilling again this Tuesday morning, and I ask you to join us by conducting your own drill.
Here’s a video from the Administrator encouraging citizens to participate in the Great Central ShakeOut:
Participation in the drill can take as little time as a couple minutes, or can be more involved and include exercising your earthquake preparedness to your emergency preparedness plan.
So if you haven’t done so already, register and join us now and explore the information and resources to make your drill great and improve your earthquake and overall preparedness. Also checkout FEMA’s Quakesmart Mitigation Toolkit for Businesses and visit Ready Business for important information on preparedness planning for your business.
I work with people from global corporations based in Chicago, to sole proprietorships based out of a home office. One thing they both have in common? Both of them -- and anyone in between -- can participate in The Great Central U.S. ShakeOut earthquake drill this Tuesday, February 7.
For a small investment of your time, you could learn, teach, and exercise life saving actions to take during an earthquake:
- DROP to the ground
- Take COVER by getting under a sturdy desk or table, and
- HOLD ON to it until the shaking stops
I am an earthquake survivor, I was in Haiti for a major “aftershock.” Having survived an earthquake, I can attest to the idea that practicing an earthquake drill is extremely critical in surviving these disasters. I have done this drill. I have trained. And I am still here.
Last year I conducted a surprise ShakeOut drill with my team, even though we “never” have earthquakes in the DC area. It was the first time that one member of the team learned about earthquake safety procedures. Five months later she was teleworking at home when an earthquake shook Virginia and was felt by many states to the north and south. She immediately responded with the correct actions; she dropped, covered, and held on. She is a survivor too. We are drilling again this Tuesday morning, and I ask you to join us by conducting your own drill.
Here’s a video from the Administrator encouraging citizens to participate in the Great Central ShakeOut:
Participation in the drill can take as little time as a couple minutes, or can be more involved and include exercising your earthquake preparedness to your emergency preparedness plan.
So if you haven’t done so already, register and join us now and explore the information and resources to make your drill great and improve your earthquake and overall preparedness. Also checkout FEMA’s Quakesmart Mitigation Toolkit for Businesses and visit Ready Business for important information on preparedness planning for your business.
New QuickStats Poll Now Available on ARRL Website
Four new poll questions have just been published on the QuickStats page on the ARRL website. Let your voice be heard!
Questions in this month’s QuickStats poll:
- How many radials have you installed at the base of your HF vertical antenna?
- Do you have antennas installed in your attic?
- What kind of ac power supply do you use at your home station?
- Do you check the activity on a DX Cluster before gett...
Be a Star! Deadline for Second Annual ARRL Video Contest is February 29
If you’ve ever wanted a way to show the world how exciting Amateur Radio can be, here’s your chance: The ARRL is sponsoring its Second Annual Video Contest! Here’s a chance to put that video camera to use: Shoot a ham radio-related video and send it our way. All videos must be postmarked by February 29, 2012. Burn your video to a CD or DVD using the appropriate software and mail it to ARRL Vide...
“Every Employee is an Emergency Manager” and FEMA’s Workforce Transformation
Posted by: Michael Widomski, Public Affairs
Last Thursday, February 1, Deputy Administrator Rich Serino announced the Employee Workforce Transformation -- a new disaster workforce-centric program aimed at ensuring we at FEMA, are the most prepared, well trained, informed, and engaged emergency management team possible.
Under the theme, every employee is an emergency manager, the re-organization aims to harness the dedication and expertise of every employee. Throughout 2012, FEMA will be placing significant emphasis on developing and implementing a number of key initiatives to improve and enhance the work experience of the total disaster workforce.
In his memo to staff, Deputy Administrator Serino noted:
FEMA’s fundamental goal, and the inspiration and motivation for many FEMA employees, is to serve the Nation by helping its people and first responders, especially when they are most in need. Employees from all parts of the agency have expressed a desire to provide support to our response and recovery activities during disasters.
Whether you are a part-time, full-time, permanent or temporary employee, this Disaster Workforce Transformation will benefit the agency in many significant ways to include:
On behalf of FEMA leadership, I want to encourage all FEMA employees to participate, either in person or by conference call in the town hall meetings. Visit the Employee Information & Resource Center for more information about the town hall meetings and the Workforce Transformation initiative, as well as other employee-related updates.
Last Thursday, February 1, Deputy Administrator Rich Serino announced the Employee Workforce Transformation -- a new disaster workforce-centric program aimed at ensuring we at FEMA, are the most prepared, well trained, informed, and engaged emergency management team possible.
Under the theme, every employee is an emergency manager, the re-organization aims to harness the dedication and expertise of every employee. Throughout 2012, FEMA will be placing significant emphasis on developing and implementing a number of key initiatives to improve and enhance the work experience of the total disaster workforce.
In his memo to staff, Deputy Administrator Serino noted:
FEMA’s fundamental goal, and the inspiration and motivation for many FEMA employees, is to serve the Nation by helping its people and first responders, especially when they are most in need. Employees from all parts of the agency have expressed a desire to provide support to our response and recovery activities during disasters.
Whether you are a part-time, full-time, permanent or temporary employee, this Disaster Workforce Transformation will benefit the agency in many significant ways to include:
- Focusing on training and certifying the entire workforce for incident management and incident support positions in the field—to ensure we are all prepared to conduct and support FEMA’s emergency management missions;
- Preparing and planning for expected disaster work so that employees will be aware of their role and contribution when activated to assist field operations, headquarters or regional command centers;
- Ensuring that there is ongoing, two-way communication with all employees, including the reserve workforce, even when not deployed. This includes weekly email communication on agency activities and a dedicated employee focused web-site that is accessible to everyone; and
- Providing defined career paths within FEMA and fostering a talented, trained pool of emergency management professionals to meet our Nation’s needs for the future.
On behalf of FEMA leadership, I want to encourage all FEMA employees to participate, either in person or by conference call in the town hall meetings. Visit the Employee Information & Resource Center for more information about the town hall meetings and the Workforce Transformation initiative, as well as other employee-related updates.
Private Sector Representatives Keep Rolling In!
Posted by: Dan Stoneking, Director, Private Sector Division
I’m really excited about the momentum our program is gaining. Please join me welcoming Joseph Heckman, our new Private Sector Representative who will be helping us coordinate with the private sector during a 90-day stint here in Washington, D.C. Joe is an emergency preparedness and planning manager for Walmart Stores at their headquarters office in Bentonville, Ark. Like Hollis Stambaugh from System Planning Corporation, our current representative, Joe began his career in local government. At Western Illinois University, his alma mater, Joe participated in emergency exercises, and trained over 200 volunteers on campus. Hollis and Joe both “get it.”
While we look forward to Joe coming on board, I want to thank System Planning Corporation for all the great work Hollis has done during her tenure. While she has been with us, she has conducted research on the impact of disasters on small businesses as background for a targeted small business outreach effort. She has jump started development of a website which will be devoted to small businesses and represented their perspective in policy and program matters at FEMA.
So, what’s cool about this particular transition? We have small business. We have big business. And they are working together right now to give us an honest gut-check on how we can serve communities better. With each private sector representative we have gained different perspectives and broad input into our programs and policies. Hollis and Joe are helping us to connect the dots and build bridges between all levels of business in emergency management.
And since we are always looking ahead, we are excited to bring aboard candidates in new areas of interest. While we welcome any and all interested candidates, it would be particularly exciting to have individuals whose backgrounds include finance, cyber security, pharmaceuticals, transportation, or the food and beverage industry. If you or someone you know is interested in being a candidate, learn more about the program (PDF) (Text).
Meanwhile, look for a new small business section on our website soon. There we will be information and tips devoted to small business owners at the local level. Their resilience in times of disaster is critical to a community’s economic and emotional recovery.
I’m really excited about the momentum our program is gaining. Please join me welcoming Joseph Heckman, our new Private Sector Representative who will be helping us coordinate with the private sector during a 90-day stint here in Washington, D.C. Joe is an emergency preparedness and planning manager for Walmart Stores at their headquarters office in Bentonville, Ark. Like Hollis Stambaugh from System Planning Corporation, our current representative, Joe began his career in local government. At Western Illinois University, his alma mater, Joe participated in emergency exercises, and trained over 200 volunteers on campus. Hollis and Joe both “get it.”
While we look forward to Joe coming on board, I want to thank System Planning Corporation for all the great work Hollis has done during her tenure. While she has been with us, she has conducted research on the impact of disasters on small businesses as background for a targeted small business outreach effort. She has jump started development of a website which will be devoted to small businesses and represented their perspective in policy and program matters at FEMA.
So, what’s cool about this particular transition? We have small business. We have big business. And they are working together right now to give us an honest gut-check on how we can serve communities better. With each private sector representative we have gained different perspectives and broad input into our programs and policies. Hollis and Joe are helping us to connect the dots and build bridges between all levels of business in emergency management.
And since we are always looking ahead, we are excited to bring aboard candidates in new areas of interest. While we welcome any and all interested candidates, it would be particularly exciting to have individuals whose backgrounds include finance, cyber security, pharmaceuticals, transportation, or the food and beverage industry. If you or someone you know is interested in being a candidate, learn more about the program (PDF) (Text).
Meanwhile, look for a new small business section on our website soon. There we will be information and tips devoted to small business owners at the local level. Their resilience in times of disaster is critical to a community’s economic and emotional recovery.
Proposed Maritime Mobile Allocation Gets First Reading at WRC-12 Plenary Session
At the February 3 Plenary Session of the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12), delegates heard the first reading and approved a worldwide exclusive allocation to Maritime Mobile of 495-505 kHz. There will need to be a second reading to finalize the allocation. According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, discussion of this allocation to Maritime Mobile “has been in...
The K7RA Solar Update
Here are some yearly averages that we have neglected at the beginning of the year. These are the average daily sunspot numbers for whole calendar years, from 1994-2011: 48.1, 28.7, 13.2, 30.7, 88.7, 136.3, 173, 170.3, 176.7, 109.2, 68.6, 48.9, 26.1, 12.8, 4.7, 5.1, 25.5 and 29.9. You can see from these numbers that the minimum between Solar Cycles 22-23 -- centered around 1996 -- was over quic...
WRC Update: How Are Agenda Items Processed at a WRC?
By Rod Stafford, W6ROD
IARU Secretary
The procedures used by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) before and during a World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC) seem complicated. They are somewhat complicated, but they are understandable with a bit of background.
Each Agenda Item that will be decided at a WRC has been studied for at least three or four years leading up to a WRC. ITU Work...
Amateur Allocation at 472 kHz Moves a Step Closer to Acceptance
While two hurdles still remain to be cleared, the effort to gain a new amateur medium frequency (MF) allocation reached a major milestone on Thursday, February 2 at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-12) in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, a Sub Working Group dealing with Agenda Item 1.23: “To consider an allocation of about 15 kHz...
New Rules for 5 MHz (60 Meters) To Go Into Effect March 5
On November 18, the FCC released a Report and Order (R&O), defining new rules for the 60 meter (5 MHz) band. These rules are in response to a Petition for Rulemaking (PRM) filed by the ARRL more than five years ago and a June 2010 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). In the February 3 edition of the Federal Register, the FCC announced that these new rules will go into effect on March 5, 2012. ...
Surfin’: Wikipedia vs CIA
By Stan Horzepa, WA1LOU
Contributing Editor
This week, Surfin’ tries to determine the best place to just get the facts (Ma’am) about new countries.
Before Wikipedia, there was the Central Intelligence Agency. A decade ago, if I wanted to look up information about the new country I just worked on 10 meters, I would consult the online edition of the CIA’s The World Factbook. During the past 10 year...
WorldRadio Founder Armond Noble, N6WR (SK)
Armond Noble, N6WR -- the founder of WorldRadio magazine and its publisher for 37 years -- passed away February 1 in Sacramento, California after a short illness. He was 77. WorldRadio was published monthly from July 1971 until the end of 2008, when Noble sold the magazine to Hicksville, New York-based CQ Communications Inc. With its February 2009 edition, the publication was renamed WorldRadio...
