Field Day 2020 Planning

The days are getting longer, the groundhog didn’t see his shadow, the temperatures are rising,  and a young (at heart) ham’s fancy turns to thoughts of… Field Day!

This year’s ARRL Field Day is going to be held June 27–28, 2020, so it is time to start planning for MCWA’s Field Day activity. There is much to discuss including the selection of the site, equipment, antennas, modes, classification, number of stations and more. What do you want to get out of our Field Day?

Our Field Day chairperson, Mike Metroka, WB8BZK,  has scheduled bi-weekly planning meetings on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month from 6:30–7:30 pm.

2nd Tuesday of the month:  Panera , 6000 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake.

4th Tuesday of the month:  Panera, 730 Northwest Highway, Fox River Grove.

For more information, contact Mike.

Mike Metroka, WB8BZK
vhfrover@sbcglobal.net.
630-399-4192

Minutes – February 2020

Meeting Minutes of February 4, 2020

President Mike Metroka WB8BZK called the February 2020 meeting to order at 7:00 PM in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. The Pledge of Allegiance was led once again by Dave Holmgren K9AT.

Board members present were John Dewey KA9CAR, Gary Dembski W9GD, Dean Hettel WD9FOO, Ralph Iden WB9ICF, Dan Larson KD9M, Mike Metroka WB8BZK, and Mike Salak KC9Q.

A total of 44 people were in attendance including five guests, David Bryne KC9ZVD – Aurora, Michele Heaver KC8NAI – Arlington Heights, Robert Langsfeld WB9TZC – Hoffman Estates, Richard Quaas NQ9R – Sharon, WI and Robert Yeoman – Crystal Lake.

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the January 2020 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Mike Pecorini KD2RPE with a second by Dennis Ryan KA9PUC. The motion was approved by voice vote.

Membership and Financial Reports

Treasurer Dean Hettel WD9FOO presented the membership and financial reports. As of January 31, 2020. MCWA has a membership of 121 full members, 2 associate members, and 8 family members for a total of 131.

Opening Balance 6,973.98  
Deposits 179.53 Dues (less PayPal fees)
  10.00 New memberships
Expenditures 9.60 mcwa.org 1 yr. domain renewal
Interest 0.07  
Final Balance 7,153.98  

Kent Dulaney K9KMD motioned to approve the financial report and was seconded by John Kalenowsky K9JK. The motion was carried by voice vote.

Annual Membership Dues

Membership dues for the upcoming year are $10 and are now payable. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership, please contact our treasurer Dean Hettel WD9FOO to remit $10 using cash, check, or PayPal (as Friend).

Awards

John Kalenowsky K9JK finished first in the Central Division Limited Rover category in the June 2019 VHF contest and displayed the beautifully designed plaque that he received for his accomplishment.

Olaf Nurmepuu W9FY was in attendance and the club congratulated him for his recent Five Band DXCC and ARRL Triple Play WAS awards.

Congratulations to John and Olaf!

Announcements

Mike WB8BZK thanked Mike KD2RPE and Ralph WB9ICF for the 3D printed desk plates that reserve places at the head of the table for the club officers.

The members were reminded that if membership dues for this year are not paid on or before the March 3, 2020 meeting, you will be removed from the roster and will lose access to the Groups.io reflector and Facebook member page.

Hamfest/Conference Reports

A number of members went to the WCRA Mid-Winter Hamfest in St. Charles. It was reported that there were more pieces of equipment for sale including items from an estate. The attendence seemed larger than last year.

A few also attended the Winterfest 2020 in Collinsville, IL (near St. Louis). It was a great hamfest, about the size of Wheaton (WCRA). Lots of “good stuff” on tables along with dealers and vendors including Flex Radio. The ARRL Midwest Conference was held there along with many activities and presentations the day before and day of. Well worth the drive.

Upcoming hamfests:

Cabin Fever Hamfest 2020 sponsored by the La Porte County Amateur Radio Club, February 22nd at the La Porte Civic Auditorium, La Porte, IN.

Sterling Rock Falls 60th Annual Hamfest sponsored by the Sterling Rock Falls Amateur Radio Society, March 8th at the Rock Falls Community Center.

Winter Field Day 2020

Pierre Berube K9EYE and Ken Field KO9H participated in this year’s Winter Field Day with the Schaumburg Amateur Radio Club (SARC). It was estimated that between thirty and forty people participated at that event, which did not run overnight. 

Pierre then continued to operated from his home.

Upcoming MCWA Presentations

Our members have a wealth of knowledge and experience that other members are eager to receive. There are some great programs coming up the first part of the year. Would you consider sharing your knowledge and present a talk at an upcoming meeting later this year? 

    • March 3rd, 2020 – ARRL Update by Kermit Carlson W9XA
    • April 7th, 2020 – Show-and-Tell (tentative)
    • May 5th, 2020 – Building & Testing the SATNOGS Rotor by Mike Pecorini KD2RPE & Ralph Iden WB9ICF
    • June 2nd, 2020 – Inexpensive Test Equipment for Hams by Gary Kaatz W9TD
    • July 7th, 2020 – QSLing by John Cankar W9JM

Old Business

Website News

Ralph Iden WB9ICF and Mike Pecorini KD2RPE gave a status report regarding the update to the MCWA website. All outstanding technical tasks have been completed and the site is very close to being launched.

The prototype was shown to those present along with a timeline for the remaining work. The new website is planned for release in the first quarter of this year and is substantially ahead of schedule.

A final review will be made by the Board in the next couple of weeks and site maintenance procedures will be documented. Mike will be out of town for a period of time in February, but he and Ralph will be bringing Ken Farver KB9I up to speed with the new site.

Field Day 2020

Field Day chairperson Ken Field KO9H said that planning for the event has already started and some site scouting is occurring. He wants planning to be a group activity rather than one where everything is laid out for the participants. He is open to new ideas and suggestions for experimental station setups.

Ken asked if the people who would be participating in the MCWA Field Day activity to provide their call while he wrote them down. The exact count wasn’t immediately made available to the Secretary, but a substantial number of people in the room responded.

Planning meetings to discuss FD site, equipment, antennas, modes, classification, number of stations, etc. are going to be held from 6:00-7:30 PM on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Panera in Crystal Lake and the 4th Tuesday of the month at the Panera in Fox River Grove.

Watch the Groups.io reflector for more information.

New Business

There was no new business.

Wrap up

An invitation to interested parties to gather later at The Cottage to enjoy eyeball QSOs and 1/2 price pizza was offered.

The evening’s program, “Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network” presented by David Byrne KC9ZVD, Major Michele Heaver KC8NAI, and Robert Langsfeld WB9TZC will follow meeting adjournment.

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM.

A motion to adjourn was made by Dan Larson KD9M and seconded by Dean Hettel WD9FOO. The motion was approved by voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 7:45 PM.

Prepared by Ralph Iden WB9ICF, MCWA Secretary

Minutes – January 2020

Meeting Minutes of January 7, 2020

President Mike Metroka WB8BZK called the January 2020 meeting to order at 7:00 PM in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Dave Holmgren K9AT.

Board members present were John Dewey KA9CAR, Gary Dembski W9GD, Dean Hettel WD9FOO, Ralph Iden WB9ICF, Dan Larson KD9M, Mike Metroka WB8BZK, and Mike Salak KC9Q.

A total of 51 people were in attendance including four guests, Laura Dendor – McHenry, Mark Jordan K9MS – Twin Lakes, WI.,  Paul Philip AC9O – LITH, and Richard Quaas NQ9R – Sharon, WI.

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the December 2019 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. A motion to approve the minutes was made by Mike Pecorini KD2RPE with a second by Dave Whaley NT9E. The motion was approved by unanimous vote.

Membership and Financial Reports

Treasurer Dean Hettel WD9FOO presented the membership and financial reports as of December 31, 2019. MCWA has a membership of 120 full members and 10 family members for a total of 130.

Opening Balance 6,523.52  
Deposits 289.41 Dues
  10.00 New memberships
  150.00 Motorola Solutions donation (N9OK)
  1.00 PayPal fee reimbursement
Expenditures 0.00  
Interest 0.05  
Final Balance 6,973.98  

Doug Mather KD9PK motioned to approve the financial report and was seconded by Joe Robin N9OK. The motion was approved by voice vote.

Annual Membership Dues

Membership dues for the upcoming year are $10 and are now payable. If you haven’t yet renewed your membership, please contact our treasurer Dean Hettel WD9FOO to remit the $10 or send the $10 via PayPal. If you would like to pay via PayPal, contact Dean for the details.

KB9ASC – SK

MCWA is sad to report the passing of Henry “Hank” Schumacher KB9ASC on January 2, 2020. Hank was a decorated Vietnam veteran, devoted family man, and long-time member. A moment of silence was offered in remembrance.

Donations

Mike Seedman AA6DY donated an Icom IC-R8500 receiver with power supply and an Icom IC-718 100 watt, all mode, 160m – 10m transceiver to the club. Thank you, Mike, for your generosity.

The Motorola Solutions Foundation, in recognition of the volunteer work performed by Joe Robin N9OK on behalf of the foundation, made a $150 donation to an organization of Joe’s choosing.

Harold Burt W9HB brought several CW keys and offered them free for the taking for anyone attending the meeting that night.

Awards

Congratulations to the following for receiving these recent awards:

      • Mike Metroka WB8BZK, DXCC Challenge award – 1000 band-points 
      • Olaf Nurmepuu W9FY, ARRL Triple Play WAS
      • Olaf Nurmepuu W9FY, Five Band DXCC
      • Joe Robin N9OK, 200th DXCC country

Announcements

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in December has formally adopted its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would remove the existing non-federal allocations in the 3.3-3.55 GHz band, which includes the entire amateur radio allocation. The FCC cited the need to make this spectrum available to support the next generation of wireless networks (5G). The loss of this allocation will be most felt by amateurs who have invested a great deal of money in equipment and antennas and wide-area mesh networks.

Youth Project

Building upon the success of the recent scouting activities, especially the Morse sending stations at last fall’s scout camporee, JoAnne Maenpaa K9JKM presented her thoughts on attracting youth to amateur radio. Amateur radio is competing for attention with other activities. Ways to present the hobby in an exciting and engaging manner will be required for success.

Observing the scouts engaged with the Morse CW sending station shows that presenting our hobby in a novel way will engage and hold their interest. Taking elements of technology already familiar (e.g., computer games, color graphics, mouse, etc.) and applying them in a low cost Amateur radio context could appeal to them.

JoAnne and other interested members will continue to explore and discuss this idea with the goal to developing follow-up activities for future scouting events.

Hamfest/Conference Reports

The WARAC Midwinter Swapfest was held on Saturday, January 4, 2020 in Waukesha, WI. Several members attended and reported that it was well attended but crowded and too many stairs. There was a nice selection of equipment for sale or trade.

WCRA will host their Mid-Winter Hamfest in St. Charles at the Kane County Fairgrounds Expo Center on Sunday, January 19, 2020.

Winterfest 2020 will be held on January 25, 2020 from 8 AM – 4 PM at the Gateway Convention Center, Collinsville, IL (near St. Louis). Reports are that this is a good hamfest and a few members may carpool or caravan to attend.

Upcoming MCWA Presentations

Our members have a wealth of knowledge and experience that other members are eager to receive. There are some great programs coming up the first part of the year. Would you consider sharing your knowledge and present a talk at an upcoming meeting later this year? 

  • February 4th, 2020 – Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network, by Robert Langsfeld WB9TZC
  • March 3rd, 2020 – ARRL Update by Kermit Carlson W9XA
  • April 7th, 2020 – Show-and-Tell (tentative)
  • May 5th, 2020 – Building & Testing the SATNOGS Rotor by Mike Pecorini KD2RPE & Ralph Iden WB9ICF
  • June 2nd, 2020 – Inexpensive Test Equipment for Hams by Gary Kaatz W9TD
  • July 7th, 2020 – QSLing by John Cankar W9JM

Old Business

Website News

Ralph Iden WB9ICF gave a brief report on the status of the MCWA website.

Ken Farver KB9I and Mike Ricketts ND9G have been serving as webmasters. Mike has been performing most of the day-to-day updates (announcements, posting of minutes, etc.) and he contacted the Board and said that he will be stepping down from that role due to other commitments.

Ralph expressed his thanks to Mike, explaining that maintaining a website is not easy and all present extended their appreciation by giving Mike a round of applause. For the interim, Ralph will be assuming the day-to-day updating of the website. Ken will remain in his role as webmaster.

Last month, Mike Pecorini KD2RPE raised the point that the website really could use an update. During the holiday break, Mike (KD2RPE) and Ralph developed a prototype of a new website that could replace the existing one. The new site, based on WordPress, would incorporate many elements that would be difficult and time-consuming to implement on the existing static HTML website.

Mike and Ralph presented the prototype to the Board for review on January 6th. It was favorabily received and a green light was given to continue work on the project. Several good suggestions were offered during the meeting and Mike is giving consideration to them during the development phase. The new website is planned for release in the first quarter of this year. More detailed information will be shared with the club at the February meeting.

New Business

Ken Field KO9H raised his concerns about the low number of people responding to last year’s call for Field Day participation and having two Field Day operations the past two years. When he asked where everyone was, someone said that they were “with the other group.”

He apologized for the tone of his remarks on the reflector explaining that he doesn’t like divisions in the club and would like to see everyone get along with each other. If someone is rubbing people the wrong way, life is too short for it to be the cause for a rift in the organization. Coming together will provide a fair chance for everyone.

In the discussion that followed, a member thought that this might be some type of misunderstanding and another thought it was more of a timing issue as the club started its FD preparations late. It was noted that in the Field Day recap, there were six (?) groups reporting, and all had a good experience. MCWA has performed very well the past two years finishing near the top even with a shorter operating window due to the bad weather last year.

It is generally agreed that the “other group” is not an exclusive secret society at odds with MCWA and everyone, regardless of where they operate FD (or not operate at all) is committed to the continued success of MCWA as an organization. A member who joined MCWA last year confirmed that this has been his experience.

The Board of Directors approved the formation of a Field Day committee with a budget contingent upon a chairperson stepping up. As of this meeting, no one has stepped up, but the request for a chairperson and volunteers for the other approved committees will be repeated at the February meeting.

Ken said that he would volunteer to be the Field Day chairperson if there was enough interest to form a committee. He asked for a showing of hands of those who would be interested in a MCWA Field Day and it was estimated that a third of those in room raised their hands. With a FD chairperson and a good showing of hands, Ken will be following up with planning.

The discussion concluded with President Mike Metroka WB8BZK saying that if there a disagreement or conflict between a member or members, reach out directly to them to discuss the issue. Often the conflict can be resolved by clearing up any misunderstandings and intent.

Wrap up

An invitation to interested parties to gather later at The Cottage to enjoy eyeball QSOs and 1/2 price pizza was offered.

Jack Hudson W9MU will be presenting “History of Electricity and Electrical Technology” following the adjournment of tonight’s meeting.

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, February 4th. 2020 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM.

A motion to adjourn was made by Doug Mather KD9PK and seconded by Joe Szczubelek K9DMV. The motion was approved by voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 8:03 PM.

Prepared by Ralph Iden WB9ICF, MCWA Secretary

Minutes – October 2019

Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2019

President Mike Metroka WB8BZK called the October 2019 meeting to order at 7:00 PM in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. The Pledge of Allegiance followed led by Dave Holmgren K9AT.

Board members present were John Dewey KA9CAR, Gary Dembski KD9FML, Dean Hettel WD9FOO, Ralph Iden WB9ICF, Dan Larson KD9M, Mike Metroka WB8BZK, and Mike Salak KC9Q.

A total of 38 people were in attendance including one guest, Bill Graf K9RR from Hoffman Estates. After the attendees introduced themselves, Mike WB8BZK asked if there were any recent license upgrades or awards. Steve Butski stated he was just issued the new vanity callsign WO0DEN (Whisky-Oscar-Zero-Delta-Echo-November) to replace his old call, KD9NMF.

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the September 2019 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. Doug Mather KD9PK motioned to approve the minutes with Fred Soop AC9RQ seconding the motion. The motion was approved by voice vote.

Membership and Financial Reports

Joe Robin N9OK presented the membership and financial reports as of September 30, 2019. MCWA has a membership of 115 full members and 9 family members for a total of 124.

Opening Balance 5,406.94  
Deposits 1,092.00 Auction proceeds
  1,296.00 Banquet reservations
  20.00 Dues (via Check)
  10.00 Dues (via PayPal)
Expenditures 0.00  
Interest 0.28  
Final Balance 7,825.22  

A motion to approve the financial report was made by Ed Finnegan K9ECF with a second by Joe Jaax W9JCS. The motion was approved by voice vote.

2019-2020 Officers and Board of Directors

The officers elected at the September 3rd, 2019 meeting were installed and the club thanked the Nominating Committee (Chairperson Kent Dulaney K9KMD and Directors-at-Large Gary Dembski KD9FML and Roger Scott KF9D) for their work selecting the nominees.

A round of thanks was given to the 2018-2019 Officers and Board of Directors:

Mike Metroka WB8BZK – President
Mike Ricketts ND9G – Vice President
Joe Robin N9OK – Treasurer
Dan Larson KD9M – Secretary
Roger Scott KF9D – Director
Gary Dembski KD9FML – Director
John Dewey KA9CAR – Director/Past President

The 2019-2020 Officers and Board of Directors were installed and welcomed:

Mike Metroka WB8BZK – President
Dan Larson KD9M – Vice President
Dean Hettel WD9FOO – Treasurer
Ralph Iden WB9ICF – Secretary
Mike Salak KC9Q – Director (two-year term)
Gary Dembski KD9FML – Director
John Dewey KA9CAR – Director/Past President

Announcements

There will be a meeting of the MCWA Board of Directors on October 22, 2019 at the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. The agenda will include discussion of the Board of Director Roles and Responsibilities and planning for 2020. The meeting is open to all members.

The MCWA Donated Equipment Auction was a success with $1,092 being raised.

MCWA VE Testing is held quarterly on the third Tuesday of the months of February, May, August, and November. Testing sessions are by appointment on those days between 7 PM and 8 PM at the Free Methodist Church, 934 N. Seminary, Woodstock, IL 60098. Contact Steve Maresso KB9OLD at 847-477-3518 to make an appointment. See the MCWA website for additional details.

The MCWA Dinner/Social will take the place of the November meeting and will be held at the Village Squire in Crystal Lake. There are a handful of seats left and members who are interested in attending should see Joe Robin N9OK as soon as possible.

The McHenry Monthly Ham Breakfast normally held on the first Saturday of the month at Kim & Patty’s Cafe, 731 Ridgeview Dr, McHenry has been rescheduled for October 12th for this month only due to the Scout Camporee that will be held on October 5th.

The fall Algonquin Ham Breakfast will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2019 at the Golden Corral located at 1591 S Randall Rd, Algonquin, Illinois. The event is open to all amateurs, their families, and anyone with an interest in radio. The breakfast starts at 8 AM.

Hamfest/Conference Reports

W9DXCC Convention was great, as usual. The new venue was good with a great speaker and many prizes. Attendance was estimated to be around 200.

CFMC’s Radio Expo in Belvidere was hampered by rain. Those who had indoor tables did well.

The HRO Superfest was “okay” with many of the same vendors.

Upcoming MCWA Presentations

Our members have a wealth of knowledge and experience that other members are eager to receive. Everyone has something to share that will benefit others. Would you consider sharing your knowledge and present a talk at an upcoming meeting?

November 5th, 2019 – MCWA Dinner/Social, program TBD
December 3rd, 2019 – Ham Radio in the mid-1950’s by Tom Pusateri W9NBG
January 7th, 2020 – Jack Hudson W9MU
February 4th, 2020 – TBD
March 3rd, 2020 – ARRL Update by Kermit Carlson W9XA

Old Business

Plans are in place for the Scout Camporee (Jurassic Luau) on Saturday, October 5th. SSB and FM stations as well as a CW sending activity area will be set up in the Crystal Lake Park District Nature Center. It is estimated that between 250-400 scouts between the ages of 6 to 18 years old, boys and girls will be at the Camporee. Nine MCWA members will be on-site and another eight to ten will be operating mobile or at home for the scouts to contact. Members are encouraged to check in and listen for scouts calling CQ. The frequencies in use will be 50.180 MHz USB and 146.415 MHz FM.

New Business

There was no new business.

Wrap up

An invitation to interested parties to gather later at The Cottage to enjoy eyeball QSOs and 1/2 price pizza was offered.

The attendees were reminded that there will not be a November meeting because of the MCWA dinner social. The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room. Doors open at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM.

Ralph Iden WB9ICF will be presenting “Arduino and ESP-8266 in the Ham Shack” following meeting adjournment.

A motion to adjourn was made by John Cankar N9GUU and seconded by Dennis Ryan, KA9PUC. The motion was carried by voice vote and the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 PM.

Prepared by Ralph Iden WB9ICF, MCWA Secretary