SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Due to rapidly rising Covid rates, this month's meeting will be held on Zoom, at the regular Saturday 7pm (feel free to join early, the room will be available before 7pm) Web 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 Or join us by phone: (312) 626-6799 (Chicago) Also FYI, the club UHF repeater is currently off the air. 94 and 82 are doing fine. Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, December 2021 The December gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 7:03 PM, Saturday December 11, 2021 at the Waterloo Airport by Curt (NK0T). There were 13 members (8 ARRL) and 3 guests in attendance this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: Last month's (christmas party) attendance list needed some adjustments. (only about half the attendees signed in, although most were listed, from the greetings) Attendance sheet handed to Nathan. Dave (K0CQH): the 75 meter evening net has moved to 5:30 pm, also meeting 12:30 pm daily except Sunday. The evening net time was changed due to DST, it will probably change twice a year. Report accepted with 2 adjustments (K0CQH/N0ZYC) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 in savings/repeater fund and $1,791.86 + $40 in dues - $104 paid to Harold (N4HRL) for shelter rental, ending balance is $1,727.86 in checking. Report accepted (N0ZYC/N0TKC) 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): 220 is alive and well. The club remove station is pretty active. Some changes have been made, including a low pass filter. Both preamps are now usable, even on 160m. 82 checkin is still receiving better than 94, it wasn't thoroughly tested just before install so it may have some issues. We're considering doing a spring preventative maintenance on it. Mark (N8TWO): we are GO to put in a repeater at Ingawanis on 444.975. We need to discuss the schedule. Scout office needs to be coordinated with for an istall. The frequency will also need coordination. That's a yearly $5 fee to be able to vote, which we usually do. Technically it's still classified as "experimental" so we don't REALLY need to coordinate yet but may as well. Mark's also going to look into internet service for the repeater. Tom (AE0TB): I've been in communication with the airport director, he only wants a week's notice now that he's seen how regularly we're using it. We also basically have the room for our regular Saturday meetings with no notice needed since we've been taking good care of the room. (yay!) The only issue we may run into is if flight schedules change, which may require us to adjust our time if the terminal starts closing earlier. COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) Field Day 2022 Committee (Harold/N4HRL): Jan will start narrowing things down, could use some help. OLD BUSINESS ------------ Taryn (N0TKC) reviewed the results of the election. (see below) Mark (N8TWO) was looking for feedback on the christmas party venue, everyone seemed very pleased with it. No one had any objections to going there next year. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Dave (KD0DK): the Lamoni Amateur group is doing an experimental relay on Saturday Dec 18 at 8am, trying to do message relay on VHF simplex from Lamoni to Waterloo. Anyone in between these cities that will be available that morning is asked to help. 146.550 Nathan please send out an email notice. OK Al (KB0VGG) discussed an Activity Committee. It'd be nice if we could do something "extra" about every other month - things that aren't already part of the club's regular activities. Suggestions welcome! We could also use a Repeater Committee, and get some of our younger members involved with training on how to maintain the repeaters. How about the yearly audit? Jan and Lois will coordinate on that. We're also short on VE's under age 50. It would be good to have some younger members involved with VE testing, it's a free, easy test to pass. Contact Al if interested. We're considering a VE training session just to get people motivated to put their hat in the ring. Is anyone interested in testing? Mark (N8TWO): we've received at least one query on Facebook. With the new members we could also use an "Elmer pool", to assist the new hams. John (WB0MAR): there's over 200 active hams in Waterloo/CF alone, 300+ in the area. Taryn (N0TKC): we've got over 150 email addresses, we could send out a flyer advertising the rocket presentation that looks pretty popular? Or advertise more on Facebook? Al:we could also send out 500 postcards for around $200. We had a resolution last year to grant new hams membership to end-of-year, would the club like to renew that for 2022? (KB0VGG/N0ZYC) passed unanimously Al (KB0VGG) more discussion on upcoming presentations. "Go Box" would be helpful. Maybe we need to send out a survey for presentation ideas? Harold (N4HRL) could use help with the field day committee, contact Harold if you'd like to help. Al (KB0VGG): Next month (January) is Winter Field Day. We have "Turkey Cabin" reserved, it sleeps 12 but not all areas will be available due to gear. It should be warm and cozy, though you'll want to bring an air-mattress or something else soft to sleep on. Mark (N8TWO) is looking ahead at the Spring Camporee, could use help with the scouts. Specifically hams that can do a fair amount of walking to keep up with them. (Nate's been mostly on his own recently with the fox-hunts and they're wearing him out!) We may be able to do a presentation on fox-hunting in March. The camporee this year is from April 30 to May 2. Al (KB0VGG) needs $50 reimbursed for the christmas dinner rental - how about $20 of that in his 2022 dues, $20 more for the wife, and the other $10 move into the club general fund? (N8TWO/N0ZYC) Motion to adjourn at 7:43 PM (N0ZYC/KB0VGG) Tonight's presentation was by Al (KB0VGG) on grounding UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- January: discuss upcoming Winter Field Day February: Curt (NK0T) on Nano VNA March: Nathan (N0ZYC) intro to Fox-hunting April: possible Rocket Club presentation - John (WB0MAR will look into it) May: discuss upcoming Field Day presentation ideas: electronics history, radio bug-out bag, fox-hunting, alternate power, solar power, spotting electronics scams, mag-loop antennas, broadband blocking filters 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) - Iowa 75 Meter Evening Net runs Mon-Sat at 5:30 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 us know) OTHER EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------------------------ W0MG Winter Field Day (January 29-30) Scouts Winter Camporee (April 30 - May 2) 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/ MEETING ATTENDANCE ------------------ Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher N0TKC Taryn Colby N8TWO Mark Colby AE0TB Tom Bicket W0VJB Vicki Bicket WA0QXF Clark Willoughby K0CQH Dave Knittel KD0DK David Kelly KD0DM David Morrow KF0CBI Janet Schuster KF0CBJ Peter Schuster KB0VGG Al Jones N0RXB Wendell Wagner N0ZYC Nathan Fisher Guests: NK0T Curt Wilson N4HRL Harold Lucas WB0MAR John Humpal 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: Al Jones (KB0VGG) - pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President: Curt Wilson (NK0T) - vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary: Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) - sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer: Dave Kelly (KD0DK) - treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2020: Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) - dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2021: John Humpal (WB0MAR) - dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2022: Taryn Colby (N0TKC) - dir2(a)w0mg.net NIRAA meets most months on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 7:00 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