MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – February 12, 2022

Stillwater Amateur Radio Association

The Membership Meeting took place virtually via Webex due to the COVID-19 concerns.

President:  Joe KCØOIO

The meeting was called to order at 9:06 AM. 

Joe KCØOIO welcomed all attending via Webex.

Program:

A Virtual Shack Tour – hosted by Dave WØOXB as our Tour Guide

As the days of actually being able to visit someone’s shack and get a tour seem far in the past, it was decided a virtual tour would be a good substitute.  The following shack’s were visited with photos and descriptions of equipment:

• KBØTXS Phil (SK)
• WØZSW – Pat WAØTDA gave a tour of the remote station found at his QTH, made up of a Icom 7300 and an OCF dipole.
• WAØTDA – Pat then walked us through his personal station, which is also available remotely.  It includes an Icom 7300 as well, along with an AL-80B amp.  Pat also has an Icom 706MKIIG set up in his office, along with an Icom 7200 for digital work.
• WØOXB – Dave’s shack includes an Icom 7610 and an Icom 728, along with three tuners.  Where’s the Kenwood rig?
• WØMCQ – Pat’s great shack includes a complete Collins setup.
• WØGAF – Bob’s tidy station includes an Icom 7300 (seems to be a theme here), an LDG tuner, and a Yaesu FTM100DR for fusion work.
• WØELC – Jimbo’s shack also contains an Icom 7300, along with an Icom 756ProIII.
• VE3MXJ – Brad’s shack has an international flair to it.  It includes an IMac and a PC, an Icom 7300, an Acom 1010 amp, an FT897D as a spare rig, and a Heil Pro 7 headset.  His second station is or Winlink/Portable/ARES/POTA use only.  The most important item in the shack is a framed photo of Grandson Samuel David Harris.
• N5JLZ (SK) – John’s condo shack included an Icom 746 with a Signalink for digital.  John also had a nice mobile HF setup.
• NØODK – Mike’s shack includes an Icom 7610, and Icom 7300, and an Icom 705.  Mike has four or five antennas, and has a dozen keys in his collection.  He is also an active QSL card collector.
• NØEBQ – John’s Springfield MN shack includes the inevitable Icom 7300 with an Icom 746 backup.
• NØBM – Brian’s shack also includes the Icom 7300, along with a Yaesu FT2000 and FT1000.  Brian also has a collection of keys, his favorite being the Lafayette “coffin” key.
• KT9C – Tenny’s shack has the Icom 7300 with the Icom 760.  A Yaesu FTM400 is used on the UHF/VHF bands.
• KIØB – Jim’s shack includes an Yaesu FT718 along with an ALS500 amp.  He also has a Yaesu FT817 in his collection, as well as an MFJ 20 meter QRP rig.
• KDØVKB – Randy gave a great tour of his extensive boat anchor collection.  More than can be listed here.  The “modern” shack includes an Icom 718 , a Palstar tuner, and a Heathkit SB200 amp.
• KDØEAP – Greg’s shack includes the venerable Icom 7300, with a Yaesu FT718 as a backup.  A tour of his garage projects to follow.
• KCØOIO – Joe’s shack contains an Icom 7300, an Icom 736 as backup, an Icom 705, and five (yes, five) HTs.  The club’s Yaesu FTM400 is also on display.
• KBØOBI –  Steve’s HF rig is an Icom 7600 that he runs at 25 watts or below, sitting next to his Bonsai plant.  Has a nice Begali Stradivarius key as well as a GHD straight key.
• KAØHYR – John’s shack includes an Icom 7300 and a Icom 746Pro.
• KØZZT – Ray has the big-boy Icom 7610, a nice Palstar autotuner, an Ameritron solid state amp, and a Yaesu FT991 for FM/digital activity.
• KØAIF et al. – Dave and family have an Icom 7300 and a Yaesu FTM400 on display.
• KØGW – Greg’s shack includes the Elecraft line, including the K3S, the KPA500 amp, and the matching Panadapter.
• AGØH – Keith’s shack includes an Icom 7610 and Icom 700, an AL-80A amp that he runs at 200 to 300 watts, and a Heil mic.
• ABØR – Dave is a Kenwood guy, his shack including a TS890 and a TS590.  The amp is an AL-80B.
• AAØU – And bringing up the rear, Zack’s HF rigs include an Apache Labs Anan 7000 and an Icom 7610.  Zack’s amp is an Icom IC-2KL, and he has nice Begali paddles for CW work.  Zack also gave a tour of the club WiresX setup located at his QTH.

Thanks Dave for the great tour!  Looks like Icom wins by affirmation.

The program concluded at 10:56 AM.

Business Session:

Joe KCØOIO then called the Business Session to order at 10:56 AM.

John Zuercher N5JLZ – Silent Key

Joe KCØOIO had the sad duty of announcing the passing of John Zuercher N5JLZ, an active member of SARA and former Treasurer of the club.  John was an active participant in club-sponsored special events and always available to aid in the education and training activities of the club.  The opinion across the board is that John was a kind and generous gentleman, and will be greatly missed.

A moment of silence was observed for John N5JLZ (SK).

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:  Rich ADØSN

Beginning Total Balance:   01/01/2022     $18,019.79

• SARA

Balance:                                                   $6,262.45

Income:                                                   $200.00

Expenses:                                                $100.00

Ending Balance:      1/31/2022         $6,262.45

• RBF

Balance:                                                 $11,757.34

Income:                                                  $0.00

Expenses:                                               $0.00

Ending Balance:    1/31/2022          $11,757.34

Ending Total Balance: 1231/2022       $18,119.79

The $200.00 income is from dues payments.  The $100.00 expenditure represents a donation to the POTA organization in recognition of SARA’s use of its database for the club’s SARA POTA Challenge.

Activities & Events

Thursday Eyeball Sessions

All of the club’s in-person activities have been suspended through the month of February due to COVID-19 concerns.  Thus, all eyeball sessions will instead be held virtually via Webex.  Tentatively, in-person eyeballs will resume beginning March 10, 2022.  Look for the SARA This Week Bulletin for details on upcoming Eyeballs.

Tech Topic Thursdays

Tech Topic Thursdays take place virtually via Webex on the first Thursdays of the month.  The topic for the May, 2022, session will be a presentation on coax presented by Tim Duffy K3LR of DX Engineering.  The March topic is yet to be determined.

Board Meetings

The Board meeting will take place this coming Thursday February 17, 2022, at 6:30 PM via Webex, with the Ice-olation Station warming house to follow.  Future board meetings will take place “as scheduled.”

March Monthly Meeting

Manhattan Project

A virtual Manhattan Project get-together is scheduled for Friday evening February 25, 2022.

The March Membership Meeting is scheduled for March 12, 2022, and is planned to be a combination in-person and Webex meeting emanating from Boutwells Landing.

Special Events

Ice Station WØJH Special Event – Ice Station WØJH Special Event will now be the “Ice-olation” Station WØJH Special Event, as it was last year, due to Covid concerns  That is, there will be no operations out on Lake Elmo in the small hut, but rather operations will take place from home stations.  The event will take place over Presidents Day weekend, February 19-21, 2022.  The club will use SignUpGenius to manage operation slots.  Check your recent SARA Broadcast for details on the event, including how to sign up for operation slots.  All members of the club can participate, but you do need to use a digital logging program that generates an ADIF that can be used by the club to generate a master list of contacts.

SARA POTA Challenge – Bob WØGAF reports that the year-long SARA POTA (Parks On The Air) Challenge is off and running.  Bob and Brian are the primary data sources for the event.  It will run though December 31, 2022.  You should let Bob and/or Brian KB9TBB know by email if you are interested in participating, you will be added to the list.  If you do not want to be included in the public list, but still participate, let Bob know.  The list will be used to pull data off the POTA.org website: https://parksontheair.com.  Thus, to participate you must set up an account on the POTA website.

Bob displayed the current leader board, which will be updated at the end of February.

Field Day 2022 – Joe KCØOIO reports that a permit has been obtained for the Autumn Hills Park Shelter in Oak Park Heights, MN, for this year’s Field Day scheduled for June 25-26, 2022.  A beverage permit has also been obtained.  Some rule changes were announced by the ARRL for this year’s session, including that the club aggregate score rule of last year will become permanent, and power will be limited to 100 watts PEP.  More on Field Day as the date approaches.

Member Support/Assistance Initiatives:  M.A.P. &  New Ham Resource Group (NHRG) & More

M.A.P. & NHRG –  Remember M.A.P. and NHRG are available to members:

•M.A.P is readily available for antenna projects and member-to-member assistance via non-contact or in person methods
•New Ham Resource Group, found at newhamhelp@radioham.org, is SARA’s outreach & mentoring program providing technical support and loaner equipment.

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.

DX News:  Mike NØODK

Mike NØODK reports that for the latest DX by checking out www.ng3k.com.  The ARRL will be having a International Digital Contest June 4 through 5, 2022.

Mike gave the heads up that there is DX to be had by calling CQDX on 160 meters between 10 and 11 PM, he personally has had some luck lately.

Remote Stations: Pat WAØTDA

Pat WAØTDA has a good discussion of the remote base situation in the current SARA Signals Newsletter.

Newsletter: Pat WAØTDA & Dave WØOXB

The February issue  of the SARA Signals Newsletter is available, and the deadline for the March edition is March 2, 2022.  Please consider submitting an article, or even just photos, for publication.

Club Business:

No new business to report.

Local Activities:  The South East Metro Amateur Radio Club (SEMARC), our fellow amateur radio club in Washington County, MN, has invited SARA members to join an upcoming SEMARC Virtual Meeting scheduled for February 22, 2022, at 7:00 PM.  Thanks to Dick Roberts NØUC for the invitation.

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.

The business meeting was adjourned at 11:20 AM on the motion of Bob WØGAF, seconded by Brad VE3MXJ, carried unanimously.

Virtual Meeting attendance: 24