Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, May 2019 The May gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 7:30 PM May 11, 2019 by Harold Lucas (N4HRL). There were 14 members (12 ARRL) and 1 guest in attendance this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: (none) Minutes accepted with no adjustments (N8TWO/N0TKC) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (K0CQH) reports we have $2,161.60 in the general fund and $1,090.18 in savings / repeater fund. Please contact Dave if you would like to get your dues paid for the year. we have one outstanding check for $10, and insurance was paid. Report accepted (N0TKC/N8TWO) REPEATERS --------- (no report) COMMITTEES ---------- Field Day (WA0ILD/W0VJB/N0TKC/etc) Harold will need a headcount for meals on field day. Next meeting is field day planning. We're just doing the one day this year, planning on tear-down around 8:30 pm on Saturday evening. IWARN will be at the truck stop for the duration, for those that would like to continue operating overnight or on Sunday. Stan (W0SJ): Antennas are ready for field day, including a 15 meter monoband ground plane. A 6m vertical would be easier to set up and take down than the beam, reducing manpower requirements. A sign-up sheet was again passed around. If you didn't get a chance to fill out the sign-up sheet, please reply with this following information: -Name -Callsign -Equipment you can bring -Help setting up -Help tearing down -Will you be working CW or voice -Hours you can work OLD BUSINESS ------------ W0SJ: Cedar Rapids "junk in the trunk" was good (though a little smaller than last year) N8TWO: Discussed our participation this year in the Spring Camporee, everyone liked our participation. Invited them to join us for JOTA. (have flyers) No new updates concerning Scout-o-Rama (it will be at Cattle Congress, Sept 29?) JOTA will be after that. Several members have photo/video from the Spring Camporee, maybe Tom can put them up on the web site. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Patrick Brodigan is the new director of the Readlyn Community Library, and attended our meeting to discuss starting a ham radio program at the library. He has applied for a grant (from Walmart) to get radio gear, and would like to put together a ham training program for high school kids. Looking for volunteer instructors to teach segments and to assist with license study and testing. Intends to use grant money (and donated equipment) to set up a ham radio station at the library that patrons can observe and even use when hams are available. Club suggestions for Patrick: ARRL has pamphlets and posters available at no cost. Once you get a station set up, you could schedule volunteers maybe once a week to stop by for a few hours where patrons can come observe and operate, as well as do Q&A. Even before you have antennas and radios, simply having a few desktop computers (and headphones) available would allow you to remote into a local ham's radio and receive. Harold (N4HRL) explored ideas for future programs, including tower safety (Tom and Mark have a video for that also), emergency power (Bill Dedic would probably be the most knowledgeable source for that), and Curt may be able to do a presentation on SWR in December. Traditionally the club president has been responsible for planning and scheduling of presentations, but this is hard for one person to do, we may want to form a more permanent committee for the development of presentations? (N8TW0/N0ZYC) (no committee was actually assembled, just the formation approved) Motion to adjourn at 8:05 pm (N4HRL/N8TWO) PRESENTATION ------------ Tonight’s presentation was by Curt (NK0T) on QRP UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- JUN: FIELD DAY PLANNING JUL: AE0TBB RED CROSS AUG: (FAMILY PICNIC) SEP: TOWER SAFETY, MARK HAS A 20 MIN VIDEO OCT: TBD (ALTERNATE/EMERGENCY POWER?) NOV: (XMAS PARTY) DEC: TBD (CURT ON SWR?) REGULAR EVENTS -------------- - ARES net check-in is at 9pm every Sunday night, on 146.94/34 - hams meet informally at 9am every Monday morning at HyVee on Ansborough Ave - hams meet informally at 12pm every Tuesday at Taco Johns on University Ave - Iowa Digital Net runs every Tuesday night at 7pm, 3.5885 MHz USB / 1500 Hz WF (Olivia 8-500) << NOTE! FREQENCY HAS CHANGED EFFECTIVE FEB 2018 >> - DMR checkin 7:30 pm Sunday night on talk group 3119 VE TESTING AND TRAINING ----------------------- - ongoing tech-to-general class usually meets at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Tuesdays at 6:00 pm contact is Al (KB0VGG) 319-243-8819 2ND FLOOR CF LIBRARY 10AM next class: (contact Al) - scheduled club testing for 2019 will be held at the Hudson Library, at 401 5th St in Hudson, from 9:45 am - 1:00 pm on the following dates: -Sept 21 additional testing dates may be added as needed UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- (none noted) OTHER EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------------------------ (none noted) W0MG/NIRAA LINKS ---------------- - Club Website: http://w0mg.net/ - 2019 membership form: http://www.w0mg.net/contact/membershipform2019.pdf - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/waterloo.hams/community/ - Cedar Valley area repeaters list: http://w0mg.net/repeaters/ MEETING ATTENDANCE ------------------ Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher N4HRL Harold Lucas W0VJB Vicki Bicket KE0IWP Janice Fitkin KA0DBC Lois Johnson W0SJ Stan Johnson N8TWO Mark Colby N0TKC Taryn Colby KE0IWQ James Fitkin WB0MAR John Humpal NK0T Curt Wilson W0ALO Chuck Angel AE0TB Tom Bicket KD0DK David Kelly Guests: KG5OQO Patrick Brodigan Members wishing to pay club dues (or have paid and are not indicated above) please contact Dave Knittel in person at our monthly meeting or by email at treas(a)w0mg.net Officers may be contacted over the air or via email: President, Harold Lucas (N4HRL) : pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President, Curtis Wilson (NK0T) : vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary, Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) : sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer, Dave Knittel (K0CQH) : treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2016, Taryn Colby (N0TKC) : dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2017, Stan Johnson (W0SJ) : dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2018, Dave Kelly (KD0DK) : dir3(a)w0mg.net NIRAA meets most months at Windcove (Western Home Communities) apartments at 5300 South Main St in Cedar Falls. We are meeting on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 7:30 pm, anyone interested in ham radio is welcome to attend. Our primary club repeater is on 146.94 mhz, negative offset, with a PL tone of 136.5 hz, coverage centered in Black Hawk County. Many members are also monitoring channel 3119 on DMR. Our club website is at http://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