Join us (next meeting is Saturday September 10 at 7pm) 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, August 2022 The August gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 5:47 PM, Saturday August 13, 2022 by Nathan (N0ZYC) at Pfeiffer Springs Park. There were 12 members (10 ARRL) and 1 guests in attendance this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: Kenneth McFarland's email was recorded wrong and went to a different person, it has been removed Corrected name of CFU manager from "Tom Creese" to "Tom Risse" Report accepted with 2 adjustments (N8TWO/KD0DK) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Dave (KD0DK) reports we have $1,090.18 in the savings/repeater fund and $1,723.53 plus $20 from dues in checking. A $25 check for the recent shelter reservation will also be clearing on next month's balance. Report accepted (N0TWO/K0CQH) 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 --------- Mark (N8TWO): we need to schedule a quick check of the antenna and coax installation at Ingawanis to make sure everything is stable and weatherproof on the tower. Joe (AE5EI) has reported he can bring up the repeater, Mark says Charles City can too, so the repeater seems to be working well. COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): Mark (N8TWO) / Dave (K0CQH) requested Nathan do a presentation on Solar sometime soon due to recent interest by several members. John (WB0MAR) sent an email out regarding a presentation but hasn't received a reply as of yet, will try again. OLD BUSINESS ------------ (Railroad) Depots On The Air ("DOTA"): Mark (N8TWO): we recently activated the Gilbertville depot. The event lasts through the end of August, and we still have a few other depots we can activate. There's a former depot in Waverly (that's now a Subway restaurant), the Four Queens may have been a depot as well. Jerry Grear's photo studio in Waterloo was also a depot in the past? The club's remote station is having problems, one of the antennas was anchored on a dead tree that may have fell, will have to go check it out. We have a VE test session coming up on Sept 17. We were planning to hold a board meeting next month but several board members will not be able to attend, we should probably reschedule it. Dave (KD0DK): reminder we need to start looking for a replacement for our webmaster now that Tom is going to be retiring from the position. There don't appear to be any club members that are willing to take over the job - we may just need to "farm it out" to some service provider to migrate, set up, and maintain it. Maybe Cory would be interested? NEW BUSINESS ------------ Mark (N8TWO): discussed JOTA coming up on Oct 14-16. Looking for volunteers to assist in addition to the handful that have been the core group helping every year. (al/curt/nate) Specifically we need a few younger members to help Nate with the legwork involved with the fox-hunting event. John (WB0MAR): what events will the club be assisting with at JOTA? - station 1: HF radio - station 2: digital radio (will use a hotspot if the bands aren't cooperating) - station 3: DMR - station 4: fox-hunting - station 5: safety or build fox-hunting antennas? - alternate ideas: morse code demo / training? maybe teach the scouts their name in morse? Probably just one merit badge for the scouts to earn this year. Taryn (N0TKC) and Al (KD0DK) will be feeding the volunteers. We'd like to do a planning meeting for the volunteers soon - 26th or 27th? Taryn will take care of the "marketing" for the event. We're expecting around 50 scouts, last year we had 70-80. Taryn (N0TKC): the club's christmas party is approaching, we should start planning now. Do we want to do the Elk's Club again? Everyone seems to be satisfied with that choice. Al (KB0VGG) will take care of getting the reservations set up. We should collect meal payment in advance instead of trying to do a mad dash checkout like we ended up doing last year. Maybe Dave can collect payments and then cut a single check to the Elks? Will table this for further discussion at the next meeting when Al should be back. Motion to adjourn (N0TKC/WB0MAR) There was no presentation this evening in leu of the picnic dinner. UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- presentation ideas: electronics history, radio bug-out bag, alternate power, solar power, spotting electronics scams, mag-loop antennas, broadband blocking filters, denver/cf robotics club, new director at FEMA, EOC? Contact Al (KB0VGG) if you'd be interested in giving a presentation. Tentative presentation schedule: Sep 10 NK0T on Nano VNA (bring your Nano) Oct 8 N0ZYC on solar Nov 12 (Friday instead of Saturday) Christmas dinner / elections Dec 10 radio programming (bring your radio, programming cable, manual, laptop/software) Jan 14 KB0VGG on ham shack safety Feb 11 Tom Reese (CFU Field Engineer) from Sumner Mar 11 WB0MAR inviting robotics club? Apr 8 Field Day planning May 13 Field Day REGULAR EVENTS -------------- - ARES net check-in is at 9pm every Sunday night, on 146.94/34 - Iowa Digital Net runs every Tuesday night at 7pm, 3.5885 MHz USB / 1500 Hz WF (Olivia 8-500) - Iowa 75 Meter Evening Net runs Mon-Sat at 6:00 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 me know) OTHER EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------------------------ Dave (K0CQH) is selling his Icom 746 Pro, $600 firm 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/ - additional club media: https://vftp.net/N0ZYC/W0MG/index.html MEETING ATTENDANCE ------------------ Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher NC0N Cory Hill N8TWO Mark Colby K0CQH Dave Knittel KD0DK David Kelly WB0MAR John Humpal WA0QXF Clark Willoughby N0TKC Taryn Colby KE0IWP Janice Fitkin KE0IWQ James Fitkin N4HRL Harold Lucas KD0WGB Don Hesseling Guests: Dan Zilk 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 Members of the board 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