Join us (next meeting is Saturday September 13 at 6pm) at the Waterloo Airport, or via Discord. Click this invitation link to add our server to your Discord app: https://discord.gg/Uyz4jeQKhW (2025) Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, August 2025 The August gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 1:05 PM August 9, 2025 at Fisher Shelter in Georege Wyth park. There were 14 members (13 ARRL) and 1 guests in attendance (locally and remotely) this evening, listed below. (there was no presentation in leu of Junk in the Trunk and picnic) MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: (none) Report accepted with no adjustments ( WB0MAR / KD0DK ) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ activity and balances for period: 7/1/2025 - 7/31/2025: Savings (repeater fund) account: $2,705.26 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- (no changes) ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $2,705.26 ending balance checking (share-draft) account: $1,922.87 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- +$ 10.00 donation at Field Day +$ 20.09 membership via stripe +$ 75.00 Antique Acres deposit -$ 30.00 ARRL testing fees -$ 200.00 check to Antique Acres for Field Day rental plus deposit ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $1,797.96 ending balance upcoming deposits and expenses: one outstanding check for $36.60 to reimburse Al (KB0VGG) for August picnic shelter rental Report accepted ( NOZYC / K0DV ) Please contact our treasurer Dave (KD0DK) if you would like to get your dues paid for the year. Club dues can be paid in person at the meeting or online on our club website at https://www.w0mg.net/ REPEATERS --------- Al (KB0VGG): no changes with the repeaters COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ (none) NEW BUSINESS ------------ Al (KB0VGG): Black Hawk Emergency Management reached out to us, met with Dave (K9DCR) Spoke with Dwayne Arnold, the nuke plant is coming back online and should be fully upgraded in around 2 years. (Google is helping fund the reactivation and plans to have facilities in Cedar Rapids) They're anticipating using 90% of the power from the plant. They want to review evacuation plans in case of an emergency at the nuke plant, specifically having a communications contact at each evacuation point to hand non-emergency traffic. Al (KB0VGG) and Dave (KD0DM) are to be their liaisons, and will be signing an agreement for us to get reimbursed for expenses related to assisting with emergency response. When we receive the reimbursement contract it will be forwarded to the board for review/approval. They will be having a drill. (Benton County has already held a drill) The "Ready Room" in the EOC office will be made available for us to use. Geiger counters will also be on-hand to use to check personelle for contamination. Nathan (N0ZYC) has a uranium sample he might bring to see how their equipment performs during the drill. Mark (N8TWO) and Al (KB0VGG) attended an EC meeting on July 26, they are pushing ARRL membership, active ECs, and ECs to all have proper training (ICS100,200,700,800) They got to meet many people, and associate faces to names and callsigns. The state emergency manager was very interested in getting everyone onboard and standardizing operating practices. Met with Colin Wheatley (W9UPK, the DEC for our area), he's very interested in ARRL membership. Also wants to see a resumption of repeater linking in the area, specifically linking over-the-air (not over the internet, as recent events have shown weakness in that area) He was interested to know about cell phone problems during Ragbrai, there were reports of cell towers crashing due to high traffic. Shellrock got hit with a storm last week and had a temporary loss of cellular service in the area. Nathan (N0ZYC): we will have a beam and rotor at the Red Cross, we should collect that before someone else takes it away. Al (KB0VGG): The AMC building is scheduled to be bulldozed, so maybe some of us can get together and collect our gear before then. Dave (K0CQH): what are our Christmas Dinner plans? Al (KB0VGG): Cedar Falls Family Restaurant is currently closed for renovations but should be open in a week or two. Taryn (N0TKC) has us reserved for Nov 8. Mark (N8TWO): still working with scouts on the upcoming JOTA event. Mark (N8TWO): we need to get a class going and schedule another test session or two. Al (KB0VGG) was asked on the 75M net if we were doing a test session today so there is interest. Motion to adjourn at 1:28 PM ( N0ZYC / KE0IWP ) 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, sodering, new director at FEMA, EOC? Contact Al (KB0VGG) if you'd be interested in giving a presentation. Tentative presentation schedule: SEPT 13 : OCT 11 : NOV 8 : (elections/dinner) DEC 13 : 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 or Al (KB0VGG) on class/test day at 319-243-8819 UPCOMING HAMFESTS AND EVENTS ---------------------------- (let me know) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- Randy (KF0JPR) has a pair of HyGain yagi new in box for sale, asking $100 ea Doug (K0DV) has a 6m beam new in box also that's looking for a new home W0DT has a number of radios for sale 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://w0mg.net/?page_id=1736 - additional club media and resources: https://vftp.net/N0ZYC/W0MG/index.html - Amateur Radio Practice Site (tests and code): https://www.aa9pw.com/ - Discord server (current invitation link at top of minutes) ATTENDANCE ---------- Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher KF0JPR Randy Albright WB0MAR John Humpal N8TWO Mark Colby N0TKC Taryn Colby KE0IWQ Jim Fitkin KE0IWP Janice Fitkin KE0IDF Brenda Kremer KD0DK David Kelly W3STS Scott West KE0JJE Richard Morgan K0CQH David Knittel KB0VGG Al Jones K0DV Doug Vernier Guests: N0RXB Wendell Wagner 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 Roberts (K9DCR) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2024 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2025 Randy Albright (KF0JPR) dir2(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