====================== IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ====================== For the time being, we will be using Zoom for our meetings. The following meeting link is persistent and will be used until we can resume our in-person meetings. This meeting/link is set to repeat monthly and so will not change every month. It starts early (at 7pm) and closes at 10pm. Zoom monthly meeting: Web URL, includes meeting ID and passcode: https://zoom.us/j/99863201285?pwd=cWUyQWxrRk81OEcwN1Q0dzF1UTBLUT09 On your mobile or with the Zoom app directly: Meeting ID: 998 6320 1285 Passcode: 955710 or call in from any phone: (312) 626-6799 (Chicago) (929) 205-6099 (New York) (301) 715-8592 (Germantown) (346) 248-7799 (Houston) (669) 900-6833 (San Jose) (253) 215-8782 (Tacoma) -------------------------- Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, Nov 2020 The November gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 7:42 PM, November 14, 2020 on Zoom by Curt Wilson (NK0T) There were 20 in attendance this evening, listed below. ELECTION -------- Current nominations from last month's meeting: President NK0T (new) Vice-President: KB0VGG (new) Secretary: N0ZYC (incumbent) Treasurer: KD0DK (incumbent) Director 2021: WB0MAR (incumbent from 2018) With no additional nominations heard, move to close nominations (N0TKC/W0GEN) As there is only one person running for each position, move to verbally elect as nominated (N8TW)/W0SJ) Verbal vote was unanimous. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: K0DV was not the one nominated to treasurer, it was KD0DK (the current treasurer) Balance to repeater fund was 1090.18 not 190.18 Report accepted with 2 adjustments (N0ZYC/N8TWO) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 in savings/repeater fund and $1,511.86 + $20 dues (total $1,531.86) in checking. Report accepted (KE0IWP/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 report) COMMITTEES ---------- Repeater Swap Committee (Jan/KE0RKO, John/WB0MAR, Curt/NK0T): (no report) Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ Stan (W0SJ): Continuing work on field day filters, just built a hi-pass 10M filter, 3.5DB attenuation - ready for use next field day. Mark (N8TWO) / Al (KB0VGG): continuing to work Parks On The Air. Last Sunday they went out to activate Herry Woods, one of only a few parks remaining in Iowa. Got a contact with an Edmund Fitzgerald station before the solar flare hit and took HF down hard. Last Thursday Brenda demonstrated that a female voice on the air attracts more responses, netting 17 contacts in one hour on 20, 40, and 75. Total contacts are close to 3,000, only 2 parks remain unactivated. (Kepler and Palacades) in SW Iowa, not an easy trip to make from these parts. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Curt (NK0T) and Stan (W0SJ) have been assisting Don Brown's widow clear out radio equipment - radios went to Patrick at the Readlyn Library for the station they are trying to get together. They also found someone to take down the tower, got it down in time for the sale. Along those same lines, inquiries are being made about the removal of Carol Cooper's tower. The terrain, location in general, and stability of the tower places the removal beyond a leisurely ham activity - probably going to require a professional removal crew. They appear to be under the impression that removing the tower will be a money-making endeavor, rather than an expense. Mark (N8TWO): discussed increased involvement with the scouts next year. They are interested in more than just doing one foxhunt a year. (during JOTA) Tossed around ideas of an event this spring in place of theirSpring Camporee which isn't likely to be held in 2021. Curt (NK0T) and Al (KB0VGG) have coax they could use, though we need something with ends (BNC) on them already, as soldering ends like that is probably a bit much for the scouts to take on. Nathan (N0ZYC): did a short demo of some new fox boxes and offset attenuators that will come in handy for future foxhunts. The new fox boxes are in rugged totes that will survive rough handling and searching by scouts etc. Al (KB0VGG) has been trying to get access to the Benton County repeater - physical access is proving a challenge. Codes were changed and no one seems to know who has the new number. Benton County Emergency Manager couldn't even get in immediately. The repeater will be down for awhile while access is getting sorted out. It's got very low power output - probably an antenna or coax issue. Will know more when they can get in and look it over. Stan (W0SJ) has been getting contacts on 160M into Europe overnight recently with good band openings on FT-8. Bill (W0GEN) reports 20m working well for him recently as well. Don (W9DRR) reports 40m has also been very active, doing digital modes, doing JS8, store-and-forward, relaying, QRP, magloops, etc. Motion to adjourn at 8:28 (N0ZYC/W0GEN) NO PRESENTATION TONIGHT UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- (TBD) 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 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 - 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 VE TESTING AND TRAINING ----------------------- contact Tom (AE0TB) for current information UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- (none) 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 ------------------ N0ZYC Nathan Fisher N8TWO Mark Colby NK0T Curt Wilson W0SJ Stan Johnson KA0DBC Lois Johnson W0GEN Bill Dedic W0ALO Chuck Angel K0DV Doug Vernier AE0TB Tom Bicket W0VJB Vicki Bicket K0CQH Dave Knittel W0DT Don Talaska N0TKC Taryn Colby WB0MAR John Humpal NC0N Cory Hill KB0VGG Al Jones KD0DK David Kelly KE0IWP Janice Fitkin KE0IWQ James Fitkin W9DRR Donald Russell 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: Curt Wilson (NK0T) - pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President: Al Jones (KB0VGG) - vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary: Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) - sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer: Dave Kelly (KD0DK) - treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2019: Stan Johnson (W0SJ) - dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2020: Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) - dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2021: John Humpal (WB0MAR) - dir1(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 Our meeting has been temporarily moved to Zoom due to covid-19, see announcement at the top of these minutes for meeting information. 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