MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – November 11, 2017
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
1618 Pine Street West
Stillwater, Minnesota 55082
President: Joe KCØOIO
The meeting was called to order at 9:06 AM.
Secretary’s Report: Steve KAØOBI
The general meeting minutes from the October 14, 2017 meeting are posted on the website. Please report any corrections to: Secretary@radioham.org
Treasurer’s Report: John N5JLZ
Beginning Balance: 10/1/2017 $2,676.72
Income: $132.00
Expenses: $25.00
Ending Balance: 10/31/2017 $2,783.72 (Not including RBP income/expenses)
$16,865.57 (Including RBP income/expenses)
Education and Training: Bob WØGAF
The fall classes for the General license have just wrapped up. Three students were able to upgrade their licenses. Looking forward to spring planning for SkyWarn and Tech classes.
Activities & Events: Dave WØOXB
Thursday Night Eyeball Sessions – held every Thursday at 6 PM at the Stillwater Public Library.
Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald – The Split Rock Lighthouse event was just completed last weekend. This was our 13th consecutive year of operating to commemorate the event. Roughly 24 to 25 members attended this year. There were two stations operating in the Trail Center and our new trailer was parked in the parking lot set up as a third station doing a ‘shake-out’ demo. We made about 900 contacts – mostly North America with some European stations. Nearly 80% of the contacts were on the 20 meter band with the remaining split between 40 and 75 meters.
The eQSL’s will be sent in the next couple weeks. Thanks to Bob’s wife, Connie for preparing the Saturday afternoon meal and thanks to Dave KEØAIF for transporting the trailer to Split Rock and back again. Reservations have already been made for 2018 on Nov 2, 3, 4.
Ice Station WØJH – will be held on President’s Day weekend 2018 (Feb 17, 18, 19) at Lake Elmo at KEØAIF’s QTH.
M.A.P. (Membership Assistance Program) – There has been a lot of activity over the summer and fall erecting antennas. Some additional education was provided on the proper operation of tuners. Since we now have the crimping equipment it will be possible to make up PL259 jumpers. The cost will be minimal – $2 per connector. Unfortunately, the supplier shipped us the wrong connectors.
Newsletter & Website: Pat WAØTDA
The next issue of the newsletter will have a deadline of the week following Thanksgiving. We are always seeking new contributors for the newsletter.
SARA Nets & Ragchews:
SARA Tuesday Round Robin Ragchew – on 12 meters at 24.955 MHz at 7PM.
SARA Monday morning Round Robin Ragchew – will be meeting on 75 meters at 3.856 +/- MHz at a new time of 0900.
SARA Digi Net – will be on Sunday at 3.581.15 MHz. Look for us on the waterfall centered on 500-1000 Hz. This Sunday is PSK 63.
SARA 160 meter Top Band Ragchew – is on 1.966 MHz every night at 8PM except Tuesday & Thursday. We have consistently had 10 regular participants as the band is quieting now.
Old Business:
The SARA Oval Sticker/Decals are on sale for $1 each from John N5JLZ.
The SARA Coffee Mugs are on sale for $3 each from Keith AGØH.
New Business:
2018 club officer nominations plus one director slot are coming soon.
Good of Association:
SEMARC meeting will be held Nov 28th at 7PM at the Zion Lutheran Church, 8500 Hillside Trail, Cottage Grove. They are starting a Saturday breakfast that will be held regularly every 3rd Saturday at the Perkins located at 80th and Hwy 61.
They have a regular VE Session scheduled on the 3rd Saturday of each month at the Zion Lutheran Church.
50/50: We took in $47 and the payout pot was $23.50.
Program: ARISS at the John Glenn Middle School (Maplewood, MN) – John KØJDD
John gave us a detailed account of how the school was able to apply for and be accepted as one of the 8 schools in the U.S. that are selected every six months to make contact with the International Space Station via Amateur Radio. This contact took place Feb 22, 2017 at 1845 UTC and consisted of 14 students asking 16 questions.
This is a very unique opportunity since there have only been about 1100 to 1200 contacts made. The purpose is all about education and finding a way to excite the school kids about STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). The amount of preparation and planning is not something that most of us were aware of. The radio and audio equipment that is needed has to be located, approved, and borrowed. The testing, expert staffing, and backup required to pull off such an event is impressive.
The radios used were ICOM 706 Mk IIG as primary and Yaesu FT897D as secondary. They used up to 600 watts ERP. For antennas they utilized a 10×10 polarity switchable yagi for primary and a K50E omnidirectional egg beater for secondary. The upload frequencies are not shared with the public to prevent unwanted interference during the contact. There was an ARISS mentor from NASA that gave the school the names of some equipment owners nearby that they could contact.
The actual contact was made with Astronaut Mike Fincke. The questions that will be asked by the students are emailed to the ISS beforehand to avoid asking for repeats or in case there is a reception issue on receive at the ISS.
The program and meeting concluded at 11:08 AM.
Meeting attendance: 31