ATTENTION! The March presentation at KWWL has been CANCELLED. The club will meet this weekend at the Waterloo Airport. Join us (next meeting is Saturday March 9 at 6pm) in person at the Waterloo Airport, or via Discord. Click this invitation link to add our server to your Discord app: https://discord.gg/hSPGhWxtZE (there was no presentation this evening) Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, February 2024 The February gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 6:03 pm February 10, 2024 at the Waterloo Airport by Al Jones (KB0VGG). There were 17 members (14 ARRL) and 4 guests in attendance (locally and remotely) this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: Jan (KE0IWP) notified Nathan by email that Tom Risse and Pete Lilja's last names were misspelled. Report accepted with 2 adjustments ( N0ZYC / N0RWY ) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ balances for period: 12/1/2023 - 1/31/2024: (2 months) checking (share-draft) account starting balance was $1,161.78. Received numerous deposits for memberships, ending balance was $1,574.15. savings (repeater fund) account was unchanged at $2,705.26 Report accepted 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): my 444.55 repeater is still dead due to pine trees. DMR and club repeaters are CFU are up. 444.975 at ingawanis is going great. Chuck (W0ALO): 146.82 is clicking along. 90 repeater still up and running. UHF analog/P25 is mostly running. Curt (NK0T): 224.9 is working great COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): no report OLD BUSINESS ------------ Al (KB0VGG): our last foxhunt worked well, we had good attendance from outside the area too. Would like to hold at least four events in 2024. John (WB0MAR): the last foxhunt was fun, can we do an antenna building activity at the same time? Mark (N8TWO): will work with Nate getting the next event scheduled. Al (KB0VGG): We'll be doing a ham test here (at the airport) next week. Mark (N8TWO): testing will also be done on April 13 and on Field Day (June 22) as well as September 14. Do we want to do test question review sessions before the tests? Bill (W0GEN): those test dates aren't on the club website calendar. Mark (N8TWO) will move those from his personal calendar to the club's calendar so they show up on the website. Al (KB0VGG): the next ham class is waiting on hearing from people interested in attending a class. John (WB0MAR): next month's meeting will be held at the KWWL station in Waterloo, where we'll get a tour of their facilities. We'll meet there at the usual time (6pm). Wifi will be available. Others may want to attend our meeting to get in on the tour - suggest contacting people that call nets so they can make an announcement. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Al (KB0VGG) started a discussion of new club activities. - if someone needs an antenna, we can either recommend a kit, or come up with a parts list and help with assembly if needed - help with coax jumpers and power cords - do we want to reserve a shelter at a park somewhere to do this as a coordinated activity? - we could do a park activation at the same time? - schedule it maybe sometime in May? Mark (N8TWO): maybe a foxhunt too? or is that going to be too much going on at once? Al (KB0VGG): (summer) Field Day is coming up, do we want to do Antique Acres again? They still have our deposit from last year, we can just let that ride. It won't be on the same day as Sturgis Falls like it was last year, Al will look into scheduling. Al (KB0VGG): presentation idea - ham shack set-up and operation. Is anyone interested in doing a quick demo? Al (KB0VGG): Looking farther ahead to te August meeting, I assume we'll be doing another Junk-in-the-Trunk to go along with the picnic? Pfeiffer Springs Park? Al (KB0VGG) would like to see someone do a presentation on solar power. Bill (W0GEN)'s setup in Texas is now fully off-grid capable, and Nathan (N0ZYC) also knows a lot about solar and portable operation. Maybe you two can work together to do a presentation together? Something like that might be easier to do when we're meeting outside like at a Field Day. Nathan (N0ZYC): Since the club wasn't doing Winter Field Day this year, I want up to Clear Lake and lended a hand with my solar. We operated at the local gun range in their heated building. Both their generator and their solar were a no-show, so my solar really came in handy, though they didn't do a lot of operating, with only two stations and no overnight work. Nathan (NZYC): for those that didn't hear about it, John Peacock (W0JFP) passed away in October. Curt (NK0T) has been taking care of the club's remote station. It's an Icom 7300 on a 9:1 un-un longwire. At first it wouldn't cover 80/160m but he was able to get it to tune 80 and 160 using a log tuner he found on eBay late last year. Requesting reimbursement for $165, the cost of the tuner. ( N0ZYC / WB0MAR ) Al (KB0VGG): reminder to contact Al, Curt, or Mark if you would like to use the remote station, they'll get you set you up. (must be a club member) Dave (KD0DK): David (KD0DM)'s step-daughter passed away recently, flowers were sent on behalf of the club, requesting reimbursement of $74.89. ( KD0DK / KF0KDE ) Al (KB0VGG): now that we have an online payment option for club dues (and other things like dinners), do we want to discontinue the option to mail in checks for club dues? Motion made ( KF0KDE / N0ZYC ) Motion to adjourn ( W0AL0 / KD0DM ) 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: Mar 9 : Apr 13 : May 11 : June 8 : 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 ----------------------- Feb 17: testing at the Waterloo airport Apr 13: testing at the Waterloo airport June 22: testing at Field Day Sept 14: testing at the Waterloo airport contact Mark (N8TWO) for current information at classes@w0mg.net UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- (let me know) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- Don (KD0WGB) has a dual band vertical and a alpha delta dx-dd 80/40m trapped dipole. The dipole is center fed with just an SO-239, you will need a tuner. Total length is 82ft. Both are free to a good home. (they're spares he's not using) 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 resources: https://vftp.net/N0ZYC/W0MG/index.html - Amateur Radio Practice Site (tests and code): https://www.aa9pw.com/ - Discord server (current invitation link at top of minutes) ATTENDANCE ---------- Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher WB0MAR John Humpal KD0DM David Morrow KF0EGO Donald Utley N4HRL Harold Lucas W0ALO Chuck Angel KF0HRF Richard Marsh NK0T Curtis Wilson KB0RSW Randy McClain KF0JPR Randy Albright KF0NDD Miguel Chavez N0RWY Dennis Orona KF0KDE Danael Zilk N8TWO Mark Colby KB0VGG Al Jones KD0DK David Kelly N0TKC Taryn Colby Guests: Chris Reynolds KF0LNE Erik Mordt Amy Kass Frank Bahit 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 David Morrow (KD0DM) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2022 Taryn Colby (N0TKC) dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2024 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir1(a)w0mg.net ABOUT ----- NIRAA meets most months on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 6:00 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