Join us (next meeting is Saturday February 8 at 6pm) at the Waterloo Airport, or via Discord. Click this invitation link to add our server to your Discord app: https://discord.gg/Uyz4jeQKhW (2025) Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, January 2025 The January gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 6:02 PM January 11, 2025 at the Waterloo Airport by Al (KB0VGG). There were 17 members (15 ARRL) and 3 guest in attendance (locally and remotely) this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: Jan (KE0IWP) found a spelling mistake and misspelled callsign Report accepted with 2 adjustments ( KF0KDE / AE0TB ) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ activity and balances for period: 11/1/2024 - 11/30/2024: Savings (repeater fund) account: $2,705.26 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- NO CHANGES ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $2,705.26 ending balance checking (share-draft) account: $1,484.03 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- -$ 36.05 check to Mark (N8TWO) for Winter Field Day cabin +$ 20.09 membership via Stripe +$ 60.00 check from Tom/Marylin Taylor (WD0COO/K0INR) for dues and donation ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $1,528.07 ending balance activity and balances for period: 12/1/2024 - 12/31/2024: Savings (repeater fund) account: $2,705.26 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- NO CHANGES ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $2,705.26 ending balance checking (share-draft) account: $1,528.07 starting balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- +$ 80.36 club dues via Stripe ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $1,608.43 ending balance upcoming changes: there will be more dues via Stripe Report accepted ( N0ZYC / KF0JPR ) Please contact our treasurer Dave (KD0DK) if you would like to get your dues paid for the year. Club dues can be paid in person or online on our club website at https://www.w0mg.net/ REPEATERS --------- Al (KB0VGG): repeater works but still deaf (to the South?) W0MG DMR is doing great 94 is up and going Curt (NK0T): 220 is doing well in Cedar Falls Chuck (W0ALO): 82 is hanging in there, club remote is working fine 444.925 is running at the house COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ Al (KB0VGG): next month there will be a management meeting at Antique Acres, we'll remind them they still have our deposit and get reservations for Summer Field Day Following up on teaching ham classes at hawkeye, Al discussed with Srdjan Golub, the TechWorks building downtown has a room on 2nd floor, but the building gets locked at 6pm. So any class would have to start prior to that, or we'd need to have someone at the door letting participants in. NEW BUSINESS ------------ Barry Buelow (W0YI) gave a brief presentation of his running for Section Manager at ARRL Motion to adjourn at 6:31 pm ( NK0T / KF0KDE ) Tonight's presentation was by MARK (N8TWO) on Winter Field Day Rules have changed for this year, the event starts at 1600 UTC (10am Central) on Saturday, ending at 2159 UTC (3:59 pm Central) on Sunday. So three hours have been added onto the start AND the end, for a total of 30 hours of contact time. We have reserved the upper "Cedar View View" cabin, and will need people to help with early setup, and need a head-count for food. Mark (N8TWO) will try to be there for early setup on Friday night. Al (KB0VGG) will be on the grill. We will be trying for multipliers for Away From Home, Multi-Antenna, Bulletin Copy, Multi-Mode, and Alternative Power. Allowed bands are 160, 80, 40, 20, 15, 10, 6, 2, and 440. Allowed digital modes are PSK, RTTY, Olivia, packet, and JS8-call. (NO FT4/FT8 and no GOTA) 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, sodering, new director at FEMA, EOC? Contact Al (KB0VGG) if you'd be interested in giving a presentation. Tentative presentation schedule: FEB 8 : Winter Field Day summary MAR 8 : APR 12 : MAY 10 : JUNE 13 : JULY 11 : 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 or Al (KB0VGG) on class/test day at 319-243-8819 UPCOMING HAMFESTS AND EVENTS ---------------------------- Hiawatha Amateur Radio Club's Winter RF Fest in Perry IA February 22nd, 8am - noon, flyer: https://harciowa.org/winter-rf-fest ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- Randy (KF0JPR) has a pair of HyGain yagi new in box for sale, asking $100 ea Doug (K0DV) has a 6m beam new in box also that's looking for a new home W0DT has a number of radios for sale 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 and 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 KD0DK David Kelly N4HRL Harold Lucas N0TKC Taryn Colby AE0TB Tom Bicket W0VJB Vicki Bicket WB0MAR John Humpal KF0KDE Daniel Zilk N8TWO Mark Colby KF0JPR Randy Albright W3STS Scott West KB0RSW Randy McClain W0ALO Chuck Angel KE0JJE Richard Morgan KB0VGG Al Jones KE0IWQ Jim Fitkin KE0IWP Janice Fitkin Guests: NK0T Curtis Wilson KF0SJH Dave Powers W0IY Barry Buelow 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 Roberts (K9DCR) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir1(a)w0mg.net Director 2024 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2025 Randy Albright (JF0JPR) dir3(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