MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – February 13, 2016
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
1618 Pine Street West
Stillwater, Minnesota 55082
President: Joe KCØOIO
The meeting was called to order at 9:11 AM.
Secretary’s Report: Steve KAØOBI
The general meeting minutes from the January 9, 2016 meeting are posted on the website. Please report any corrections to: Secretary@radioham.org
Treasurer’s Report: John N5JLZ
Beginning Balance: 1/1/2016 $3,155.85
Income: $184.00
Expenses: $350.00
Ending Balance: 1/31/2016 $2,989.85
Education and Training: Bob WØGAF (Not present, at Lake Elmo event)
February 27, 2016 – the Metro SKYWARN training class will be held in the Stillwater Library.
March 03, 2016 – the Technician Class and the Extra Class Study Group is from 6 to 8 PM in the Stillwater Library.
Activities & Events: Dave WØOXB (Not present, at Lake Elmo event)
Thursday Night Eye Ball Sessions – are held at Stillwater Public Library from 6 to 8 PM.
February 25, 2016 will be an FLDIGI setup session – bring your personal laptop.
Ice Station WØJH – will be held Feb 13-14-15, 2016 on Lake Elmo near the QTH of Dave KEØAIF – 2641 Lake Elmo Avenue North.
Hams-in-the-Park – will be held in Brekke Park, Oak Park Heights on Saturday, June 11th. Reservations have already been made for the location.
MAP – Dave WØOXB (Not present, at Lake Elmo event)
Member Assistance Program – is currently on winter hiatus until there is a break in the weather.
However, we need to plan for the spring and also need volunteers to help put up antennas.
Handiham Equipment Liaison Program (HELP)
WØEQO and WØZSW both have CW coverage now.
Both remote stations are up and running and available to SARA members. The stations can be accessed via remotehams.com using RCForbClient (accessible via Windows and Android only).
The St Paul Radio Club Auction was held on January 30th and resulted in about $700 from equipment sales. Most of everything we brought to the auction was sold.
A partial equipment list will soon be available and SARA members will have first choice to purchase items.
The next public sale will be March 3rd at the Eau Claire Auction.
Washington County ARES: John KAØHYR
The quarterly meeting is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Monday, March 7th at the Woodwinds.
The ARES net meets on the 1st and 15th of each month on 146.985 on the SEMARC repeater.
The Mobile Go Kit & Show & Tell is scheduled for June 11th.
The Relocation Drill will be held June 20th. They need 16 ARES members to participate in this drill.
The Simulated Emergency Test will be scheduled in September 2016.
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 at 3.581.5 MHz is held every Sunday night at 7 PM CT. Use 3.581.15 – center up between 800 to 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 or 1.964 MHz They operate every night except Tuesday & Thursday at 8 PM CT.
Newsletter & Website: Pat WAØTDA & Dave WØOXB
Thanks to Pat and Dave for putting together the newsletter! Additional contributors are needed. The deadline for submissions for the March issue is the last Saturday of February – 27th.
DX News: Mike NØODK (not present)
7P8C Lesotho will be operating until February 17th with 5 strong stations.
VP5 out of Namibia is also a current strong station.
VKØEK on Heard Island will be operating from March 20th thru April 10th.
A lot more activity has been heard on 15 meters lately.
Get the latest DX news by subscribing to the ARRL DX News. Also check out www.ng3k.com for DX & Contest Calendar.
Program Schedule:
Mar: Joe KCØOIO – Sights & Sounds of Digital Modes
Apr: Dan WDØGUP – Fox Hunting
May: Jim KDØIPI – SOTA (Summits On The Air)
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 2016 – payable now.
New Business:
None
Good of Association:
SEMARC meeting will be held February 23rd.
Northland Antique Radio Club Workshop and outdoor mini-flea market,
Pavek Museum, St. Louis Park, MN – Feb 21, 2016
Eau Claire, WI – Annual Equipment Auction – Mar 5, 2016
Midwinter Madness, Buffalo, MN – Mar 12, 2016
Brainerd Area Hamfest, Brainerd, MN – April 16, 2016
Duluth – Superior ARAC Hamfest, Superior, WI – May 7, 2016
Hamboree 2016 & ARRL Convention, Boone, IA – May 14, 2016
RADIO DAZE 2016, St. Louis Park, MN
Vintage radio auction and swap meet May 20 – 21, 2016
MAGIC Tailgater, Roseville, MN – July 9, 2016
Show Us Your Shack:
No shack photos were submitted, so several photos of the Woodbury storage site were shown.
50/50 Drawing:
The winner of the drawing donated it back to the club, so the meeting total of $42 was added to the treasury.
The business part of the meeting adjourned at 9:58 AM.
Program: SSTV: Analog to Digital by Keith AGØH and Mike WAØKKE
Mike gave a presentation on MMSSTV which is the analog slow scan TV. SSTV started in 1957 using some surplus radar displays. It provides a means of transmitting and receiving still photos on HF, VHF, and UHF bands. SSTV provides a way of seeing who you are talking to.
Keith gave a presentation on the digital SSTV which utilizes EasyPal software. SSTV provides a way of seeing who you are talking to. Common frequencies used are: 3.845, 3.857, 7.171, 14.230 (analog) and 14.233 (digital).
The equipment needed is minimal, particularly if you have a more recent transceiver with a built in interface. The software is free and very easy to use.
Mike & Keith also provided live demos of both analog and digital SSTV to show the whole process using the free software.
Additional info can be found on websites:
SSTV.ccome.at/mmsstv.html
GØHWC.com
www.qsl.net/WAØKKE
Meeting was adjourned at 11:22 AM.
Meeting attendance: 25