RSGB's Public Services Portfolio
Newsletter / Questionnaire (April 2008)

(Related documents linked as PDF's)

On 4th April the Society published a Newsletter/Questionnaire to all its affiliated clubs and RAYNET Groups. The key points of it were:

• Unification of RAYNET under the Network (This is a new statement which, naturally, we wholeheartedly support!)
• A continuation of support by RSGB to its affiliated RAYNET groups (which unfortunately will mean that the divisions within RAYNET are likely to continue).
• The creation of a new public services committee with a remit to oversee
  • Demonstration stations
  • Radio communication for community events (This is Society's term for the provision of communications assistance to the organisers of 4x4 groups, fun runs and the like, largely by amateur radio clubs based upon the RSGB's intention to discuss with Ofcom the broadening of the User Service licence definition to include any non-profit organisation.)
  • RAYNET activities

The Network made a detailed response on 31st March to the RSGB's Board. The principal concerns of the Committee of Management are:

• The apparent breach of the formal agreement the Network has with the Society (The Memorandum of Understanding signed on 18th April 2004).
• The lack of consultation amongst the RAYNET community of these proposals, especially concerning the recruitment of clubs into community events.
• The impact on amateur radio of RSGB's proposed broadening of the User Service definition to include any non-profit organisation.
• The creation of a new Public Services Committee, superficially similar to the old RSGB RAYNET Committee which was wound up in 1993.
• The creation of a new RSGB centric RAYNET representation structure when the existing system (based on government regions) has worked perfectly well for over 25 years.
• The statements that the Network and RSGB have made agreements regarding ID cards and the RAYNET Manual do not corresponded with our view of the situation.

Unfortunately the Board of RSGB decided to publish the Newsletter/Questionnaire in substantially unaltered form 4 days after they had acknowledged receipt of the Network's concerns. The President of the Society replied to the Network on 21st April, confirming that the newsletter had been discussed at length both before and during the RSGB Board meeting in March, and that the decision to circulate it had been unanimous. Unfortunately the President's reply has not done much to ease the apprehensions of the Network.

PUBLIC SERVICES COMMITTEE
RSGB Newsletter/Questionnaire, p1.

There are obvious similarities between the proposed Public Services Committee and the former RSGB RAYNET Committee. From other recent communication received from RSGB, reference was made 'to setting up an RSGB RAYNET Committee with a regional structure'. The Network is therefore somewhat apprehensive that the fundamental issues that gave rise to the governance problems the Society had with RAYNET since 1980's may not have been properly remembered and adequately addressed in these latest proposals. The Committee of Management are awaiting more detailed information about the proposed Public Service Committee and its proposed relationship with the Network before taking a final decision.

ID CARDS
RSGB Newsletter/Questionnaire, p4, Stop Press item 5.

"The RSGB have accepted an offer by the Network to produce a common ID Badge. This is hoped to aid co-operation by groups when on joint exercises/operations, making it easier for user services to recognise a unified organisation. There will be a small charge 'at cost' for this service."

For many years the Network has been trying to constructively engage with the Society. Back in 2002 when we were developing plans for the new plastic photo ID card we thought it could be an excellent joint venture which could potentially unite everyone within RAYNET. One of our Trustees made significant efforts during his three-year term of office on RSGB's Board to promote this, but unfortunately RSGB were reluctant to proceed at the time. Unfortunately our Trustee never reached the stage of discussing a 'heads of terms' document (i.e. an agreement on the principal items) for the necessary contract between the Network and the RSGB.

As a consequence the Network made the entire £5,000 investment itself and pressed ahead alone on the project. Our IS Team Leader, Jim Andrews spent some 18 months developing the system which not only prints out quality ID cards, but also fully integrates with the website database so allowing controllers and members to update details. The system is far superior to what can be purchased off the shelf and is much more than just an ID Card printer as it allows the same concurrent data to be made available to all those who need it.

The statement contained in the Newsletter/Questionnaire that the RSGB has agreed to the Network's proposals on ID cards fails to take account of many other aspects of the card and database system which have still to be discussed with the Society. It is therefore somewhat premature.

RAYNET MANUAL
RSGB Newsletter/Questionnaire, p4, Stop Press item 6.

"Similarly, the RSGB have accepted an offer by the Network to make available their detailed operation manual, in the interests of allowing differing groups to come together seamlessly by using identical voice procedures, etc."

The Network's Emergency Planning Team have been working on a new edition of the RAYNET Manual for some time now. The intention is to make it more user friendly and to group all the Network specific items into a separate part. This would enable the generic operating procedures to be made available separately for the benefit of the wider RAYNET Community. This would save many non-Network groups from having to re-invent the wheel and also help reduce the risks in any joint operations.

Several years ago we did start to discuss with the Society the possibility of the RSGB endorsing the Network's Manual so that it might gain wider acceptance. Since that time our Emergency Planning Team has pressed ahead with its drafting without any input from the Society so making 'joint badging' inappropriate.

It is our intention to make the operations section of the manual available electronically in the next few months and at a later stage in hard copy form through the Network's RAYNET Supplies Team.

We therefore feel the Society's statement is again premature and has prejudged some sensitive issues.

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

On Sunday 30th March 2008, it became apparent that the Society was about to circulate a newsletter regarding RAYNET and a draft of the proposed newsletter (See Appendix 3 below) was sent by e-mail to the Network's Chairman that evening.

The following day, the Network responded with a detailed letter of concern to the RSGB Board:

• Covering letter
• Appendix 1 The specific concerns of The Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network to the draft newsletter.
• Appendix 2 - A copy of the signed Memorandum of Understanding between the Radio Society of Great Britain and The Radio Amateurs' Emergency Network signed on 18th April 2004.
• Appendix 3 - The draft newsletter as received from the RSGB Board member.

The letter was acknowledged promptly on behalf of RSGB's Board by e-mail on Tuesday 1st April.

Despite the Network's specific request of the RSGB not to publish, our concerns were dismissed. The Newsletter/Questionnaire was circulated four days later by the RSGB HQ team on behalf of its Board to Society Members, affiliated clubs and RAYNET Groups in an e-mail dated Friday 4th April.

At the request of the Network's Trustees, the Chairman contacted the RSGB's President on Sunday 6th April with the intention of arranging a meeting as soon as possible to discuss the points raised in the newsletter. A date of 24th July was agreed as being the earliest mutually convenient date and replied to this effect on 17th April.

After verifying the genuine circulation of the Newsletter/Questionnaire, the Network sent a second letter to the Board of the RSGB on 15th April and a further letter when neither had been replied to. This third letter also indicated that the Network would have to inform its membership of the situation in the very near future.

The President of RSGB formally replied on 21st April. The Chairman of the Network published an open letter to members of the Network in the April 2008 edition of RAY~Link drawing members' attention to the actions of the Society.