MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – April 13, 2024
MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – April 13, 2024
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
The Membership Meeting took place at Boutwells Landing, Stillwater, MN, and was streamed via Zoom for virtual attendees.
President: Joe KCØOIO
The meeting was called to order at 9:30 AM by Joe KCØOIO.
Program:
Radio Journey in the Parks by Pat Gearty WØYES
Pat began by announcing that he is a POTA-holic. “Hi Pat” was the response from the crowd. Pat noted that he has been to 150 National park units prior to his participation in POTA, so it fit right into his and his wife’s interest in visiting parks.
His first activity with park activations was the ARRL-sponsored National Parks on the Air event in 2016. While there are 483 designated National Park units, there are well over 10,000 POTA parks in the system, with more every day. POTA was an outgrowth of the Worldwide Flora and Fauna Program in Amateur Radio (WWFF), which followed NPOTA.
Pat listed his statistics as far as parks activated (615), activations (1942), and QSOs (42,735). Pat has activated all but two of the parks in Minnesota (until they added more recently), one of which is located in the BWCAW (Insula), the other in Lake of the Woods. He has activated many parks in North Dakota (120 out of 159), and has put a dent into Iowa, Wisconsin, and South Dakota. He has been the first to activate (ATNO) 230 parks.
Pat showed slides of his equipment and his portable antenna setups. His impressive RV equipped with a fold-over screwdriver antenna is favored for its quick set-up.
Pat concluded his presentation with an interesting discussion of the Pavek Museum located at 3517 Raleigh Ave.
St. Louis Park, MN. It is open Wednesday through Saturday 11:00AM through 5:00 PM. It has been recently renovated, with more exhibition space. All are encouraged to schedule a visit to this wonderful resource.
The program concluded at 10:34 AM.
Business Session:
The Business meeting got underway at 10:41 AM.
Secretary’s Report: Dave N9JNQ
The general minutes from the Membership and Board meetings are posted on the SARA website. Please report any corrections or additions to: Secretary@radioham.org.
Treasurer’s Report: Dave KØAIF
Beginning Total Balance: 03/01/2024 $17,894.63
- SARA
Balance: $6,555.56
Income:
Expenses:
Ending Balance: 03/31/2024 $6,592.07
- RBF
Balance: $10,998.55
Income: $0.00
Expenses: $414.00
Ending Balance: 03/31/2024 $10,584.55
Ending Total Balance: 03/31/2024 $17,176.62
The expense in the Remote Base Fund account represents the annual cost sharing for electricity and internet at the WØJH remote site as approved by the Board.
Activities & Events
Board Meetings
The Board meeting will take place Wednesday April 17, 2024, at 6:30 PM via Zoom. All members may virtually attend; only the Board members may vote.
Tech Topic Thursdays/Eyeballs
The Eyeball QSOs are generally taking place at the Stillwater Public Library through April and early May. Beginning May 16 through September 12 (except for July 4), all Eyeballs will take place outside in the form of Radios in the Park Summer. We have booked Valley View Park in Oak Park Heights, MN for six Thursdays. The remainder of the Thursday Eyeballs will take place at other parks around the area; those parks are to be determined later. May 16 will be “New Ham Night” at Valley View Park. June 6 will also take place at Valley View and will be a site planning night in preparation for Field Day, which will take place at the park. June 27, July 18, and August 8 and 29 Eyeballs will also take place at Valley View.
Special Events
Father Metcalf WØJH Special Event – Dave WØOXB reported that the club is still planning for a special event to take place at the Belwin Conservancy in Afton, MN. Buck KA9CWM and Jim KIØB have agreed to help with the planning for the event. Further discussions with the Conservancy staff are forthcoming.
White Rock Special Event – Dave reports that the club may hold a White Rock SD Special Event this year, most likely in September. We will need to firm plans up around three months before the event in order to get the information into QST and on the ARRL website.
Field Day 2024 – Ray KFØEKD and Tim KFØJEL are co-chairs of the event. Ray reported that Field Day will take place June 22 & 23 at Valley View Park in Oak Park Heights, MN. Early planning is taking place in order on improving operations for this year, such as finding better antenna orientations. We plan to leave the antennas up over night on the 22nd, although all other equipment will be removed for the night. Reach out to Ray or Tim to let them know whether you are planning to attend the event so we can get a handle on attendance.
SARA POTA Challenge – The year-long SARA POTA (Parks On The Air) Challenge for calendar year 2024 is underway and going strong. Brian KB9TBB reported the standings for March 2024.
Shel NØDRX has taken the lead in the hunter category, with 2247 contacts in the phone mode. Bob WØGAF leads in the CW mode with 1507 contacts. Pat WAØTDA leads in the digital category with 514 contacts. Dale NØVXH has 33 activations to his credit, with Bob WØGAF leading with 25 parks activated. Dave WØOXB leads with 1742 activator QSOs.
With 56 members participating in the event, the year-to-date hunter QSOs are 10,693, with 255 qualified activations, 160 parks activated, and 8,263 activator QSOs. We are on track to break last year’s totals through all the categories.
MN POTA Day – Minnesota POTA Day will take place June 8, 2024, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM CDT, coinciding with the Minnesota Free State Parks Day, so all activators are encouraged to activate from a Minnesota state park, although any qualifying park is fine. If you are looking for an activation to work, check 40 and 80 meters early and late in the event when local contacts are more probable. Remember that this is not a contest, no logbooks will be collected or numbers tallied (some states do have contests, but not Minnesota).
The SARA POTA Day is run on the same weekend, so there will be SARA-specific activities underway as well. We plan on meeting in the morning for breakfast at Perkins in Stillwater, MN, as it is our usual second Saturday get-together.
The Minnesota POTA Day website is up and running (mnpota.com). You can post on the website your activation if who are interested in being a mentor to new POTA folks, we will be publishing a list for interested folks to use to visit you out in the field.
Education and Training
Technician License Class – A spring Technician License Class is winding up this Thursday, April 18, at the Stillwater Public Library. The VE test session will take place on April 25 at Town Hall, Boutwells Landing, beginning at 6:00 PM, with doors opening at 5:30 PM.
Amateur Extra License Study Group – The Amateur Extra License Study Group is also wrapping up at the Stillwater Public Library this Thursday, April 18.
Member Support/Assistance Initiatives: M.A.P. & New Ham Resource Group (NHRG) & More
•M.A.P is readily available for antenna projects and member-to-member assistance. Keep in mind that M.A.P. is available for more than just antenna raisings, contact Dave WØOXB with any issues you may have.
•New Ham Resource Group, found at newhamhelp@radioham.org, is SARA’s outreach & mentoring program providing technical support and loaner equipment. Remember that the NHRG is available to all members, not just new hams. You can contact Brian KØPU or Mark KEØQQN with any inquiries. Remember gear is available for loan for those without a means to get on the air.
Brian noted that Shane WØNKA has had to step down from his role in the New Ham Resource Group with his move to Texas (although Shane is still an active member of the club and was attending via the stream). Brian expressed his thanks to Shane on behalf of SARA for the work he has done for the New Ham group.
The loaner gear is currently in the possession of Collin KEØIYN and will be transferred to Brian in the near future. With only Mark and Brian steering the Group, and with Brian often out of town, anyone who would be interested in taking a roll in the group as the equipment manager is encouraged to contact Brian.
Groups.io – Remember that the SARA email reflector group is now online at https://groups.io/g/StillwaterMNAmateurRadioAssoc. This reflector is available to SARA members only, so you should apply at the groups.io site and you will be given access by the site moderator.
SARA Discord Server – The “Stillwater Amateur Radio Association” Discord server is available exclusively for SARA members. The admin team is Brian KB9TBB and Collin KEØIYN. To join, click on this link: https://discord.gg/Z9A8NsCCXh
DX News: Mike NØODK
Get the latest DX news by subscribing to the ARRL DX News www.arrl.org/contest. Also check out www.ng3k.com for DX. For contests try the WA7BNM Contest Calendar contestcalendar.com, it always current.
Remote Stations: Pat WAØTDA
Joe KCØOIO reported that remote stations are up and running. Discussions are underway to do some work at WØJH, such as installing some RFI filtering and coax cables, in order to get the station up and running on 160 meters.
SARA Signals Newsletter:
The question has been asked, will the SARA Signals Newsletter be revived? The long-range goal is to get the newsletter up and running by the beginning of our Fall 2024 Membership Meetings. What we need to get that done is an Editor-in-Chief, as well as contributors. We need a volunteer to take the Editor role. Collin KEØIYN has already done background work in order to publish the newsletter online on our SARA website. The Editor would be the one to organize and post articles provided by contributors. Please consider taking on this role.
ARES and Public Service:
Joe KCØOIO noted that, while there is no Washington County ARES Emergency Coordinator (EC) position at the moment, the duties are being helmed by the assistant coordinators. Check http://www.mnwashcoares.net/ for the latest information on Washington County ARES.
Upcoming events include the May 16 Hands-on Training for the Radiological Emergency Plan Reception Center Drill, which will take place June 26 at the Park High School in Cottage Grove, MN.
Program Committee:
The May program will be a virtual presentation by Adrian Ciuperca KO8SCA, a noted DXpedition participant. Adrian was one of the members of the recent Bouvet Island DXpedition.
The committee is now considering fall programs. If you have any ideas or suggestions, you can contact committee members Dave N9JNQ, Zack AAØU, or Mike N9MA.
Club Business:
There is a need for a new Membership Meeting audio-visual producer, a role that has opened up with WØNKA Shane’s move to Texas. Please contact Joe KCØOIO if you have interest in this role.
Local Activities:
- The South East Metro Amateur Radio Club (SEMARC), our fellow amateur radio club in Washington County, MN, is holding its next meeting on April 30, 2024 at the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, 7000 Hinton Avenue South, Cottage Grove, 55016. See the SEMARC website for more information on the club and its activities.
- The Brainerd Area Hamfest will take place Saturday April 27 from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM. It takes place at the Brainerd National Guard Armory, 1115 Wright St., Brainerd, MN.
- The Arrowhead RAC Hamfest ’24 will take place in Superior, WI from 9:00 AM until 1:00 PM, located at 4700 Tower Avenue, Superior, WI. SARA will have a SARA/MNPOTA table at this hamfest.
- Joe KCØOIO reported the club had a table at the recent Midwinter Madness Hamfest in Buffalo, MN, and we gained for new members from the appearance.
Wearables:
Do not forget that SARA-labeled hats, shirts, jackets, and other wearables are available from www.hamthreads.com. SARA members will receive a discount on all orders. There is a link to the preferred hat, shirt, and jacket design in the Weekly Bulletin.
Introductions:
All members introduced themselves to the crowd.
50/50 Raffle:
The sale of raffle tickets brought in $57.00. The winner of $28.50 was Dale NØVXH.
On the motion of Greg KØGW, seconded by Brian KØPU, the Business Meeting was adjourned at 11:20 AM.
Meeting attendance: 32; Virtual: 7