Join us (next meeting is Saturday May 13 at 6pm) in person at the Waterloo Airport, or via Zoom : - WWW URL: https://www.google.com/url?q=https://zoom.us/j/99863201285?pwd%3DcWUyQWxrRk81OEcwN1Q0dzF1UTBLUT09 - Zoom computer or mobile app: meeting ID 998 632 01285, passcode 955710 - Phone: (312) 626-6799 (Chicago number) Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, April 2023 The April gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 6:00 PM, Saturday April 8, 2023 by Dave Morrow (KD0DM) at the Waterloo Airport. There were 15 members (15 ARRL) and 5 guests in attendance locally and remotely this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: Treasurer's report, the reimbursement for winter field day was to Mark (N8TWO) Spelling mistake Tom Reese -> Tom Risse Report accepted with 2 adjustments (N8TWO/N0ZYC) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 (no change) in the savings/repeater fund and $2,292.48 + $20 in dues for a new balance of $2,312.48 in checking. A check was written to Antique Acres for $275 (200 for rental, 75 for deposit) which will appear on next month's report. A check was written to Grinelle Mutual for $239 (club insurance for the year, May to May) A report will be sent to the ARRL later this month with updated club information. Report accepted (N0ZYC/N8TWO) Please contact Dave if you would like to get your dues paid for the year. Our club membership form is also available on our club website at https://www.w0mg.net/ REPEATERS --------- Curt (NK0T): 224.9 is alive and well. Al (BK0VGG): 444.55 is running but weak due to trees. 94 and 82 are going fine. COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) Hamfest Committee: (Dave/K0CQH): Dave proposes we do a junk-in-the-trunk the morning before the August picnic, similar to what we did in 2021. Do we want to advertise? Facebook, web site? Al (KB0VGG): lineup will be testing, junk in the trunk, then meeting. If we meet at George Wyth it could also be a POTA activation. Last year we were at Pfeiffer Springs - that may be the best choice for our lineup. OLD BUSINESS ------------ Much discussion regarding the take-down and move of the 94 repeater. We've got a ~$2,000 antenna up there right now that we can probably continue to use. John (WB0MAR) emailed Mar, he's checking to see if T-mobile can assist us with the antenna/coax take-down while they're on the water tower taking down their gear. Motion to approve up to $400 to pay a climber to get our antenna and coax off the tower. (NK0T/N0ZYC) Al (KB0VGG): Antique Acres is set for summer field day. We can start setting up at 10am on Saturday, stay overnight if we want to, and take as long as we need on Sunday to clean up. We'll have an indoor room with AC, full kitchen, flush toilets, and an outdoor pavilion. Discussion of club property in member hands that we would like to start inventory tracking. Mark (N8TWO): - HF radio - another older donated radio that needs to be looked at - a couple field day coaxes (yellow jacket) - club laptops - projector - field day headset boxes - maintains the club's Facebook page (administrator login 0 Taryn is assistant admin) Bill (W0GEN): - 440 decibel antenna - Icom 7300 remote station - mini ATX computer for remote access - long wire and 9:1 un-un (the remaining coax and antennas are Bill's) Al (KB0VGG): - another decibel antenna - a club rotor - suspect used tower sections (may need to scrap, keeping for spare for now) Dave (KD0DK): - carol cooper's old radio Curt (NK0T): - club rotor and controller American Red Cross building - rotor and antenna are still there as well as a bit of tower Nathan (N0ZYC): - box of old club media Nathan (N0ZYC) is keeping the above list for now along with the Secretary files General discussion of changing meeting time or day. - 6pm and 7pm both have their pros and cons - consider a week-day instead of weekend - consider doing Sunday afternoon - consider doing the presentation before the meeting the board will discuss the options more before the next meeting Looking for updates regarding migration of the club web page. Cory (NC0N) is working on it, though we have no updates. NEW BUSINESS ------------ General discussion of adding a new regular meeting or other group event. Doug (K0DV): maybe reserve time before the regular meetings for new people to come in for workshop/elmer? Nathan (N0ZYC): we could just plan that to be ~2 hrs before every meeting? Motion to have the board look into additional meeting (NK0T/N0ZYC) Al (KB0VGG): we need some elmers to volunteer to assist new members. (KD0DK/N8TWO volunteered) Curt (NK0T) reported on the club's remote station. It's getting a lot of use. He's been maintaining and improving it. CW is now enabled on the server. (contact Curt for instructions on CW use) Going to order a winkeyer to allow use of key instead of sending text. Might have a CW translator also. There are currently no limits on the remote, operators are responsible for staying legal. Mark (N8TWO) suggests we send out a postcard to all licensed operators in the surrounding counties, inviting them to our field day. Nathan (N0ZYC): If we use John's list, that's going to be around 250 postcards. That's $120 in postage. We might be able to get staples to make us some post cards. It looks like $56 will get us 250 4x6 cards. Mark (N8TWO): with the loss of Bill's zoom access, we're looking at about $150/year for the club to continue the same zoom access. Another option is Google Meet at $120/yr, which also offers recording, youtube, and 2tb of storage. Discord is another option that offers very granular control and lots of features. Right now with zoom, only the owner can record, so we haven't been getting recordings of club meetings or presentations lately. Tabled further discussion for next meeting. Motion to adjourn at 7:25 PM (N0ZYC/KF0KDE) Tonight's presentation was replaced with Summer Field Day planning UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- presentation ideas: electronics history, radio bug-out bag, alternate power, solar power, spotting electronics scams, mag-loop antennas, broadband blocking filters, Denver/cf robotics club, new director at FEMA, EOC? Contact Al (KB0VGG) if you'd be interested in giving a presentation. Tentative presentation schedule: June 10 final field day planning July 8 mark/curt demo club remote? Aug 12 August picnic Sept 9 Oct 14 Nov 11 Election/dinner Dec 9 REGULAR EVENTS -------------- - ARES net check-in is at 9pm every Sunday night, on 146.94/34 - Iowa Digital Net runs every Tuesday night at 7pm, 3.5885 MHz USB / 1500 Hz WF (Olivia 8-500) - Iowa 75 Meter Evening Net runs Mon-Sat at 6:00 pm on 3.970 MHz / LSB Also meets at 12:30 pm on same. - Iowa 160 Meter Net runs Sunday night at 9:30 pm on 1.9745 MHz / LSB - DMR checkin 7:30 pm Sunday night on talk group 3119 - Ham Radio Fellowship / Breakfast every Wednesday morning at 9AM at the Wendy's at Love's Travel Stop in Waterloo. (3301 Greyhound Drive) VE TESTING AND TRAINING ----------------------- contact Mark (N8TWO) for current information at classes@w0mg.net UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- (let me know) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- - Dave (K0CQH) is selling his Icom 746 Pro, $600 firm W0MG/NIRAA LINKS ---------------- - Club Website: https://www.w0mg.net/ - Membership form: https://www.w0mg.net/contact/membershipform.pdf - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/waterloo.hams/community/ - Cedar Valley area repeaters list: https://www.w0mg.net/repeaters/ - additional club media: https://vftp.net/N0ZYC/W0MG/index.html - Amateur Radio Practice Site (tests and code): https://www.aa9pw.com/ ATTENDANCE ---------- Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher KD0DM David Morrow N4HRL Harold Lucas KF0KDE Dan Zilk KF0JPR Randy Albright N8TWO Mark Colby KB0VGG Al Jones KE0IWQ Jim Fitkin KE0IWP Janice Fitkin K0CQH Dave Knittel NK0T Curt Wilson KD0DK David Kelly N0TKC Taryn Colby KB0RSW Randy McClain N0RXB Wendell Wagner Guests: Mike Douglass Ken Taylor N0AJS Andrew Schneider K0DV Doug Vernier Richard Marsh Members wishing to pay club dues (or have paid and are not indicated above) please contact our Treasurer in person at our monthly meeting or by email at treas(a)w0mg.net Members of the board may be contacted over the air or via email: President Al Jones (KB0VGG) pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President David Morrow (KD0DM) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2021 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2022 Taryn Colby (N0TKC) dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir3(a)w0mg.net ABOUT ----- NIRAA meets most months on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 6:00 pm, at the Waterloo Airport, in the old restaurant. Parking is available at no cost in the short-term lot. (3 hr free limit) Our primary club repeater is on 146.94 mhz, negative offset, with a PL tone of 136.5 hz, with coverage centered in Black Hawk County. Many members are also monitoring channel 3119 on DMR. Our club website is at https://www.w0mg.net/ and the club's primary email contact is sec(a)w0mg.net You're receiving these meeting minutes because you have given the NIRAA club your email address for minutes and announcements. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply requesting removal from one or both distribution lists. - Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) Secretary, W0MG