MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – September 10, 2022
MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – September 10, 2022
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 9:33 AM by Joe KCØOIO.
Program:
Field-Expedient Antennas – Dave WØOXB et al.
Dave WØOXB facilitated an interesting discussion on the deployment of field/portable antennas. The overall theme was KISS (Keep it simple, stupid). Dave noted that the longer the better, but length is always dictated by location. Dave discussed the age-old quandary first uttered by William Shakespeare, “to tune or not to tune, that is the question.” That led us into the morass of automatic antenna tuners, internal vs. external tuners, manual tuners, and no tuners. Further discussion was had of deployment of basic antenna systems for portable/field use, and the use of radial and counterpoise systems.
Dave’s discussion was followed by a show-‘n-tell session of various antenna systems. Thanks to Bob WØGAF, Greg KØGW, Brian NØBJE, Brad VE3MXJ, Joe KCØOIO, and Brian KB9TBB for sharing their experiences and insight.
A run on Menards and Fleet Farm followed the meeting (you had to be there).
The program concluded at 10:44 AM.
Business Session:
Joe KCØOIO then called the Business Session to order at 10:51 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: Rich ADØSN
Beginning Total Balance: 05/01/2022 $17,894.36
- SARA
Balance: $6,137.02
Income:
Expenses:
Ending Balance: 8/31/2022 $5,819.82
- RBF
Balance: $11,757.34
Income: $400.00
Expenses: $60.00
Ending Balance: 8/31/2022 $12,097.34
Ending Total Balance: 8/31/2022 $17,917.16
Activities & Events
Tech Topic Thursdays
Tech Topic Thursdays will resume this fall, with the first topic to be learning CW, facilitated by Bob WØGAF and Greg KØGW.
Board Meetings
The Board meeting will take place Wednesday September 21, 2022, at 6:30 PM via Zoom. A link to the meeting is supplied in the SARA Broadcast for the upcoming week.
SARA’s Summer in the Park
The Summer in the Park gatherings have been a success. The final meeting will be this Thursday, September 15, at Valley View Park. The topic for this get-together will be System Fusion CF4M digital voice modes of Digital Narrow (DN) and high fidelity voice (VW) and gaining an understanding of our repeater and the Fusion radios’ use of Automatic Mode Select (AMS) to automatically select the mode (analog, FM, DN, or VW).
Beginning the following week on September 22, our Thursday night eyeballs will once again take place at the Stillwater Public Library conference room.
Special Events
Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event – The Edmund Fitzgerald special event is back for another year, to take place November 4 though 6, 2022 at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. A handout regarding the event was sent via email to all members in the past week. This year we will be also operating as a POTA and Lighthouses on the Air station. Let Dave WØOXB if you are interested, and you will be included on future emails regarding the event. This year, if you can not make it to Split Rock, you will also be able to participate from your home QTH with the call WØF. A SignUpGenius on-line sign-up sheet will be set up in a month for home QTH participants to pick operating times.
SARA POTA Challenge – The year-long SARA POTA (Parks On The Air) Challenge is well underway, and an update was provided of the standings via the SARA POTA Challenge leader board. Stats are available throughout the challenge on the SARA club website.
Bob and Brian KB9TBB are the primary data sources for the event. It will run though December 31, 2022. You should let Bob and/or Brian know by email if you are interested in participating, you will be added to the list. The list will be used by Brian to pull data off the POTA.org website: https://parksontheair.com, so hunters will not have to do anything but hunt. To participate you must set up an account on the POTA website. All are encouraged to take a look at the POTA resources website as well for more information.
Bob WØGAF reported that, in order to encourage participation by members who may feel it is too late to jump into the race due to the current leaders being out of reach, a “Legends” and a “Leaders” division have been created for POTA Challenge Awards. Legends includes any park hunter achieving 500 or more hunter QSOs, with all participants awarded a price for their legendary performances in the challenge at years end. Leaders are all participants with less than 500 park QSOs , who will only compete against other Leaders for prizes. The top three scores in the leaders Division will be awarded prizes at the end of the year. So with four months left in the Challenge, there is plenty of time for new participants to get into the money.
The Legends and Leaders Divisions only apply to park hunters; there are no equivalent divisions for park activators.
Education and Training
A fall 8-week General Class License Study Class has been formed and is to begin meeting on Thursday September 22, 2022, running from 6 to 8 PM at the Stillwater Public Library. It is currently scheduled to be an in-person study group, although virtual meetings could be scheduled if needed. Bob WØGAF reports that there are three folks signed up, all three from SARA’s Tech Class.
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 via non-contact or in person methods. 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. If you have any gear you would like to donate to the program, contact Brian NØBJE.
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
The 3YØJ DXpedition to Bouvet Island in January 2023 is still on the schedule. Bouvet Island is #2 on the most wanted DXCC entity.
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 reports that the remote bases are up and running. Pat WAØTDA has a compete report in the September SARA Signals Newsletter. In brief, a lightning strike at at the WØEQO remote Park Rapids, MN, Scout Camp site took out the camp’s internet in mid-season, so several pieces of the networking hardware had to be replaced, taking the station offline for a couple of weeks. None of SARA’s gear was damaged. However, once the new gear was in place, the remote site’s 40 meter RFI problem disappeared. So the site is up and running with no limitations.
Newsletter: Pat WAØTDA & Dave WØOXB
The September issue of the SARA Signals Newsletter is now available. The deadline for submittals for the October edition is September 30, 2022.
ARES and Public Service:
Joe KCØOIO thanked John KAØHYR, former Washington County EC, for continuing to man the ship while a new EC is sought. John reported that a Prairie Island drill will take place September 22, 2022.
Club Business:
Dues Reminder: Dues run from January 1 through December 31. Payment is $20 for full membership, $10 for associate membership, $30 for family of 2 membership ($10 for each additional). Payment can be made in person (cash or check), by mail (to NØDRX), or online by PayPal at the club website.
NHRG donation needed: Brian NØBJE noted that the Group has a recently donated Kenwood HF rig in need of a microphone. If anyone has an 8-pin Kenwood mic they could donate, please contact Brian.
Local Activities: The South East Metro Amateur Radio Club (SEMARC), our fellow amateur radio club in Washington County, MN, has a special event going today, September 10, 2022 – The U.S. Airmail Special Event Station KØA. It is operating at the Cottage Grove Fire Station No. 3, 7500 Langley Avenue South, Old Cottage Grove, MN. It is operating from 1500Z to 2200Z on 40, 20, and 15 meters. A certificate for stations contacting KØA will be available through September 30.
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.
New Business:
There was no new business.
50/50 Raffle:
The sale of raffle tickets brought in $37.00. The winner of the resulting $18.50 was Brian KB9TBB. Congrats Brian!
The business meeting was adjourned at 11:27 AM.
Meeting attendance: 20; Virtual: 4