MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – December 10, 2016
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
1618 Pine Street West
Stillwater, Minnesota 55082
President: Joe KCØOIO
The meeting was called to order at 9:07 AM.
Secretary’s Report: Steve KAØOBI
The general meeting minutes from the November 12, 2016 meeting are posted on the website. Please report any corrections to: Secretary@radioham.org
Treasurer’s Report: John N5JLZ
Beginning Balance: 11/1/2016 $3,416.12
Income: $324.50
Expenses: $468.71
Ending Balance: 11/30/2016 $3,271.91 (Not including HELP income/expenses)
$14,739.05 (Including HELP income/expenses)
Education and Training: Bob WØGAF
February 25, 2017 will be the Skywarn training.
The Technician Class training will begin March 2, 2017.
Contact Bob if you are interested in participating in an Extra Class Study Group that will run at the same time as the 2017 Technician classes.
Activities & Events: Dave WØOXB
Thursday Night Eye Ball Sessions – are held at Stillwater Public Library from 6 to 8 PM CDT.
On January 5, 2017 we will be discussing and operating antenna analyzers. Please bring one to the meeting to help others learn about their benefits and uses.
Ice Station WØJH – the 4th annual event will be held February 18, 19, 20, 2017 (Presidents Day weekend). KØAIF has agreed to host the event for the 2nd year on the east side of Lake Elmo.
M.A.P. – Dave WØOXB
An extensive discussion of the MAP projects was held on 12/1. These projects are not just for new antennas and repairs of existing ones; however, that does represent the majority of scheduled projects. A list of projects and volunteers was compiled onto a spreadsheet to help establish a plan. See Dave or Joe KCØOIO if you would like to volunteer.
A center isolator for the center fed Zepp antenna has been designed and fabricated out of 3/8” blocks of Delrin.
Handiham Equipment Liaison Program (HELP)
Both remote stations are currently up and running and available to SARA members.
We are still looking for a home for WØZSW which is a 200W station and works on 160M. If you can help you just need to provide electricity and internet access, everything else will be provided and set up for you.
A Remote Base Technical Team has been established. It consists of: Pat WAØTDA, Bill NØCIC, Keith AGØH, Bill KDØOTB, and Henry KØHAS is the technical advisor.
Washington County ARES: John KAØHYR (not present)
There will be no ARES nets until January 15, 2017 on 146.985 at 7 PM CT on the SEMARC repeater.
The date for the 2017 Prairie Island Drill is yet to be determined.
Check the web site www.mnwashcoares.org regularly for current events, net schedule, and other items of significance.
Digital Net: Joe KCØOIO
SARA DIGI Net will be held this Sunday (11th) at 7 PM CT on 3.581.15 centered on 800-1000.
Two meter ragchew is held every Wednesday night at 9 PM CT. You can find us at 147.060 MHz 114.8 Hz Tone.
160 meters SARA Top Band Ragchew is at 1.966 MHz. They operate every night except Tuesday & Thursday at 8 PM CT.
SARA 75 meter Round Robin RagChew – It has been operating on 3.816 MHz at 7:30 PM CT on Tuesday evenings. Due to propagation issues this net may be moved to 15 meter or 6 meter after testing for the best operating frequency.
SARA Monday morning Round Robin RagChew – It is operating at 3.856 MHz at 9 AM CT.
Newsletter & Website: Pat WAØTDA (not present) & Dave WØOXB
Thanks to Pat and Dave for putting together the newsletter! Additional contributors are needed. For 2017, blurbs regarding the club’s founding 25 years ago will be added to each issue.
DX News: Mike NØODK
Propagation has not been very favorable lately. Lots of J6 and other Caribbean stations heard.
The Bouvet Island DXpediton 2018 of 3YØZ has identified the best operating position on the island and is looking for donations. Follow them on their website for future press releases and updates. Check out www.ng3k.com for DX & Contest Calendar information.
Wearables
Hamthreads.com is currently working to update the SARA club logo to include the Stillwater Bridge graphic. When you order from them and get the SARA Logo Package you will receive the 20% club discount.
Program Schedule
Dec: Ask/Stump Elmer – Moderators – Bob WØGAF, Dave WØOXB, and Joe KCØOIO.
Jan: SWEEP
Feb: Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) – MNDMR enthusiast Trygee Svärd KDØPNQ
Mar: Working on Classic Radios – Randy Olson KDØVKB
Old Business:
SARA coffee mugs are on sale for $3 each – See Keith AGØH.
The SARA Oval Sticker/Decals are on sale for $1 each or you can get a free one when you renew your annual membership ($20) for 2017.
A Hallmark Thrifty Cargo Trailer 6’x12’x6’6” was purchased for SARA equipment storage and transport for $2,695. The trailer is new and not one of the hail-damaged trailers originally discussed. The trailer has a max gross weight of 2950# so it qualifies for a one time MN licensing. We still need to procure a spare tire, x lug wrench, and jack.
New Business:
Nomination of club officers was as follows:
President – Joe KCØOIO
Vice President – Keith AGØH
Secretary – Steve KAØOBI
Treasurer – John N5JLZ
Director (2017-2018 2 yr term) – Bill KDØOTB
Established the “Joe Simonet WØTBC Founder’s Award”. This award is to be given to a highly deserving member in recognition of their contributions to amateur radio and to the success of SARA. A Selection Committee has been established that consists of the President, Vice President, and Trustee of SARA. Written nominations will be submitted to the committee with details of the merits of the candidate. Nominations are now open for the first recipient of the award. The award does not have to be given every year.
Good of Association:
SEMARC Meeting – there will be no December meeting.
Show Us Your Shack: Shel NØDRX displayed a photo of his shack from 1987.
Program: Ask/Stump Elmer – Bob WØGAF was Lead Moderator
There was an audio recording made of the discussion.
Questions:
What is the difference between 120 & 240 volts?
How do you bring new ham gear into your house without the wife noticing?
What type of ground wire is best to use from the ground rods to the station gear?
How should these grounds be connected?
Does an antenna tuner actually tune an antenna?
What and how does it tune?
Where in the transmission line does an antenna tuner go?
Why is a person that helps a new ham called an Elmer?
How can I connect 3 transceivers to the same antenna system?
What is a ground loop?
How can it be eliminated?
Where is coax better to use than ladderline?
Where is ladderline better to use than coax?
How do I choose what mode to operate on?
When should I use SSB (USB or LSB), FM, AM, and other digital?
What is the shortest length for a center-fed Zepp that can tune 160 – 6 meters?
How do I properly adjust my transceiver’s ALC, compression/processing, and microphone gain?
Do digital programs (FLDigi, DigiPan, HRD, etc.) change settings?
Is there a 2 meter simplex frequency dedicated for SARA contacts?
If I drop my power output from 100W to 25W, what effect will it have on my signal?
The program and meeting concluded at 11:03 AM.
Meeting attendance: 27