Compiled by S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA
ARRL News Editor
k1sfa@arrl.org

This feature -- including convenient Web links to useful information -- is a concise monthly update of some of the things ARRL is doing on behalf of its members. This installment covers the month of July.

The ARRL Board of Directors met in Connecticut for its 2012 Second Meeting. The Minutes from that meeting are now available.

At its 2012 Second Meeting, the ARRL Board of Directors honored four radio amateurs with annual awards and named a former ARRL Director as Director Emeritus.

The ARRL launched the integration of its Logbook of the World program with CQ’s WPX Award.

The ARRL reassured amateurs that an Executive Order -- streamlining emergency communications at the federal level -- poses no risk to the Amateur Radio Service.

The ARRL hosted a webinar, presenting information about the 2012 hurricane season and the Amateur Radio response

Additional tools and reports are now available for those radio amateurs seeking to earn the ARRL Diamond DXCC Award.

NASA Astronaut Don Pettit, KD5MDT, sat down with ARRL News Editor S. Khrystyne Keane, K1SFA, on Thursday, July 12, for a one-on-one interview about ham radio and life on the International Space Station.

The 2011 ARRL DXCC Yearbook is now available to all ARRL members as a supplement in the digital edition of the August issue of QST. A printed copy of the Yearbook is also available for purchase in the ARRL Online Store.

Vic Poor, W5SMM, of Melbourne, Florida, was awarded the ARRL President’s Award for his involvement with the development of many hardware and software innovations that are used both in Amateur Radio and in industry.

After a brief hiatus, the W1AW EchoLink Conference Server W1AWBDCT and W1AW's IRLP Node 4292 are back in service.

The ARRL’s Maxim Society -- comprised of radio amateurs who have made financial commitments to the ARRL exceeding $10,000 in lifetime contributions -- now has 108 members.

DXCC News: The DXCC Desk approved three operations for DXCC credit: The 9X0PY (Rwanda) operation (December 24, 2011-January 7, 2012), the S21YD (Bangladesh) operation (1994, 1995, 1998 and 1999) and the 2012 H44UD operation (Solomon Islands).

A new QuickStats poll was made available on the ARRL website.

The winner of the July QST Cover Plaque award is Carl Luetzelschwab, K9LA, for his article “Our Recent Solar Minimum and Sunspot Cycle 24 Progress.”

The September print issue of QST was released to the printer and the digital edition was released to the digital publisher. The August digital edition of QST was made available to members.

Official Observer Desk: ARRL Field and Regulatory Correspondent Chuck Skolaut, K0BOG, handled complaints concerning commercial RTTY signals on 20 meters, interference to a 75 meter net in Idaho, continuing interference on 14.313 MHz and a steady carrier on 3.906 MHz.

Member Contact: ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, attended the Radio Society of Great Britain’s annual meeting. ARRL Regulatory Information Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, attended the Central States VHF Conference in Cedar Raids, Iowa.