FEBUARY MEETING: Join us in person at the Waterloo Airport, or via Zoom: - WWW 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 - Phone: (312) 626-6799 (Chicago number) Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, January 2022 The January gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 7:00 PM, Saturday January 9, 2022 via Zoom by Curt (NK0T). There were 12 members (11 ARRL) and 7 guests in attendance this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: (none)) Report accepted with no adjustments (N0TKC/WB0MAR) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 in savings/repeater fund and $1,727.86 in checking + $200 dues for an ending balance of $1,927.86 Report accepted (N0ZYC/KB0VGG) 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 --------- Al (KB0VGG): 444.975 is at Bill's being rebuilt. 444.55 is going fine. 146.94 is active but needs an "under the hood workover" - there are issues with audible PL tone and noise. Chuck's 82 is working great. When we get the 975 set up at Ingawanis we may be able to link it with the 94. Curt (NK0T): 220 is doing well also. COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) Field Day 2022 Committee (Harold/N4HRL): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ Mark (N8TWO): Winter Field Day is coming up at camp Ingawanis. We're mostly prepared but are stil looking for operators. Mark will be heading out Friday evening to do some setup. Will need reimbursement of $8.99 for the special winter field day version of the logging software. Al (KB0VGG) has a USB tine-sync dongle we can use, although FT-8 isn't an allowed mode for WFD. He also requests a sign-up sheet so he and Taryn can plan food arrangements. We have the cabin reserved for the entire weekend, so we can run overnight. There's plenty of bunk bed space for anyone that would like to stay the night. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Al (KB0VGG): Harold (N4HRL) submitted a great idea, an "evening rag-chew" to encourage new hams to exercise their licenses on the 94 repeater around 4-5 pm every evening. It also might prove a good way to help combat isolation some are experiencing due to covid, winter, or a combination of the two. Some new hams find nets a bit too formal and intimidating, this is intended to be very informal and encourage participation. Curt (NK0T): the Salvation Army fell very short of their goal this year, due to greatly reduced number of bell- ringers due to covid. The club didn't do any ringing for them this year either, mainly due to our main contact (Harold) being down recovering from Covid. Motion to donate $100 from the club to Salvation Army to help with their shortfall. (N0ZYC/AE0TB) Al (KB0VGG): Looking ahead to our next ham training classes, what levels are needed? Doesn't have to be a large group, Al is willing to train even small groups. How about a VE training session to get some new VEs? Several are interested, looks like we are Go for last Wednesday in Jan. (26th) Mark (N8TWO): our next regular test session is next Saturday at 6pm Harold (N4HRL): are we doing tests via Zoom or in person? Al (KB0VGG): Classes are in person, tests are via Zoom. We also have 12 test sets so we can test up to a dozen people at a time. John (WB0MAR) has done more work on the ham list, will resend it this evening. Harold (N4HRL): Field Day is June 25-26. We have access to the shelter for about 12 hours. Looking for people to commit to helping with setup. Dave (KD0DK) is scheduled for surgery, had to get it rescheduled due to covid, might miss next month's meeting if it's in person. Zoom should be no problem. Nathan (N0ZYC): if we're going to start regularly doing in-person-with-Zoom-option we should consider a better computer / camera / microphone to use at the club. Several members have laptops they can bring, but image and sound quality from a laptop could be improved upon. Maybe even use a projector to put the zoomers up for the rest of the group to see? Curt (NK0T): Next month's presentation will be on using nano-VNA, with emphasis on setup and calibration, use in common measurements, including antenna and coax. Bring your VNA to follow along. Motion to adjourn at 7:40 PM (N4HRL/KE0IWP) (no presentation this evening) UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- 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 W0VJB Vicki Bicket N0TKC Taryn Colby KD0DK David Kelly KE0IWP JAN Fitkin N8TWO Mark Colby AE0TB Tom Bicket K0LK Lowell Knapp NC0N Cory Hill KE0IWQ James Fitkin KB0VGG Al Jones KE0IDF Brenda Kremer Guests: N4HRL Harold Lucas NK0T Curt Wilson WB0MAR John Humpal N0AKF Larry Klodt W0SJ Stan Johnson KA0DBC Lois Johnson KE0TBZ David Mraz 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