====================== IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ====================== Until January, we will be using .940 or Zoom for our meetings. Doesn't look like the Covid situation is getting any better, for September we will be utilizing Zoom for our meeting. As we get further into the year, this may change. ---------------------------- Next Meeting: URL: https://zoom.us/j/99837182587?pwd=V2hoUkhhZU4yZXBVVDgzNjV3cXBVZz09 Saturday October 10 at 7:30 PM Meeting ID: 998 3718 2587 Passcode: 113948 -------------------------- Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, Sept 2020 The September gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 7:31 PM, September 12, 2020 on Zoom by Harold Lucas (N4HRL). There were 13 in attendance this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: K0DV was the one that mentioned the virtual hamfests (not WB0MAR) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 in savings/repeater fund and $1,511.86 (after deposits) in share-draft. $25 of that was from W0DT's dues. (he overpaid $5, options for refunding were discussed) Report approved (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 http://www.w0mg.net/ REPEATERS --------- (no reports) COMMITTEES ---------- Repeater Swap Committee (Jan/KE0RKO, John/WB0MAR, Curt/NK0T): (no report) Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ Mark (N8TWO): JOTA is go for this year, we need helpers for operating and helping the scouts. Al (KB0VGG) will be helping Mark with antenna setup. JOTA will be held outside, we will have NO access to the buildings this year. They would like to limit the total number of people in any given group, this includes scouts, leader, AND hams at any given location. Since this will require the groups of scouts to be much smaller, there will be more groups, and thus we will need to set up several popup shelters in addition to the fixed outdoor structures at the camp. Radios will likely be positioned at the main picnic shelter as well as near the kitchen lodge. JOTA is on Oct 16-18 this year, with setup on Friday. We'll be operating on Saturday from 9am to dusk. (we may even do some evening operation) No operation on Sunday, though we may save teardown for then if we go late on Saturday. (teardown is much more challenging at night) NEW BUSINESS ------------ Mark (N8TWO): Do we want to change the (online) meeting time to 7pm? Discussed among the group, increasing average age of members makes sense for in-person to get people home earlier, but not much reason now with the online meetings? Bill (W0GEN): motion to keep it 7:30 for now (unanimous) Harold (N4HRL): discussion of waving W0GEN's dues since he's the club's remote station, motion (N0ZYC / N0TKC) Discussion of the online hamfests. They're being run by a group sanctioned by the ARRL, including big name sponsors like DX Engineering. (information is available on ARRL's website) They appear to be going for two events per year. Harold (N4HRL): do we want to do digital presentations here with Zoom? Bill (W0GEN): Zoom works well for screen sharing, it should be fine for doing presentations. Nathan (N0ZYC) it's ideal for sharing powerpoints and videos, since there's not even the need to get a projector and screen set up. Bill (W0GEN) is interested in doing a presentation (October meeting?) on Remote Hams and Intro to Flex Radio Doug (K0DV) presentations online would also allow other hams (or other clubs) to attend the presentations, of just download them. Mark (N8TWO) do we want to do a digital mode presentation as well? State ARES wants t see WinLink also. Bill (W0GEN): the additional flexibility Zoom has to offer may prove useful for attracting more interested people into the ham radio hobby. (as well as club membership for existing hams) We could easily record the presentations and upload them to someplace like YouTube. Mark (N8TWO): make sure to keep the file sizes reasonable for upload to Facebook. HyVee is reopening their dining areas, though they want to keep 6ft spacing. Nathan (N0ZYC): Our breakfast group alone could fill the entire downstairs area. Doesn't sound practical? (and it's not like we'll be the only ones there) Bill (W0GEN): How about we just do a Zoom "digital breakfast", same time as usual? (Mondays at 9am), motion (W0GEN / N0ZYC) We'll schedule the meeting for 8:45 - 12:30, reoccurring weekly. "W0MG VIRTUAL BREAKFAST MEETING" Nathan will email out the meeting URL when he gets it from Bill. Mark (N8TWO): there are a few hamfests coming up - southeast iowa hamfest in columbus junction, Sunday Oct 4. http://www.waarc.net/SEIAHamfest/index.html https://www.muscatinearc.org/se-ia-hamfest Tom (AE0TB): sounds like the west liberty hamfest, it's getting relocated to columbus junction Curt (NK0T): reminder to all, you need to register with Remote Hams (on their web site) and then we need to get you authorized to connect to the station. (contact Mark/N8TWO) The remote station has been moved from Bill's cottage to the shed, to get away from interference being generated (most likely) by the cameras on the same tower. This move has resulted in a HUGE reduction in receive noise. Mark (N8TWO): the next VE test is Saturday Sept 19, Hudson Park, by the water tower. Those wishing to test please schedule ahead. We are limited to a maximum of 6 tests at a time. Meeting adjourned at 8:43 PM (N8ZYC / N8TWO) UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- (temporarily suspended) REGULAR EVENTS -------------- - ARES net check-in is at 9pm every Sunday night, on 146.94/34 - Iowa Digital Net runs every Sunday night at 4pm, 3.5885 MHz USB / 1500 Hz WF (Olivia 8-500) (note new day and time as of Feb 2020) - DMR checkin 7:30 pm Sunday night on talk group 3119 - W0MG Virtual Breakfast, now meeting every Monday morning 8:45am – 12:45pm https://zoom.us/j/94876565904?pwd=RnlhMzBkMWhCaEkzRUc0YW4yaDMxUT09 or open the Zoom app and join with meeting ID 948 7656 5904 passcode 592204 temporarily suspended: - 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 VE TESTING AND TRAINING ----------------------- contact Tom (AE0TB) for current information UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- - OTHER EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------------------------ (NONE) W0MG/NIRAA LINKS ---------------- - Club Website: https://www.w0mg.net/ - Membership form: http://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/ MEETING ATTENDANCE ------------------ W0GEN Bill Dedic N0ZYC Nathan Fisher KB0VGG Al Jones N4HRL Harold Lucas NK0T Curt Wilson AE0TB Tom Bicket W0VJB Vicki Bicket WB0MAR John Humpal N0TKC Taryn Colby KD0DK David Kelly K0DV Doug Vernier K0CQH Dave Knittel N8TWO Mark Colby 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 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 Kelly (KD0DK) - treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2018: John Humpal (WB0MAR) - dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2019: Stan Johnson (W0SJ) - dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2020: Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) - dir3(a)w0mg.net NIRAA meets most months at Windcove (Western Home Communities) apartments at 300 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, 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