Category: Minutes

Subject: Meeting Minutes of September 5, 2017

The monthly September meeting was called to order by President John KA9CAR at 7:01 p.m. on September 5, 2017 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

K9RUF led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

President John asked if any visitors were present and Dean, WD9FOO from Algonquin and Warren, KC9IL from Buffalo Grove were introduced to the group.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-eight people were in attendance for the meeting.

President John encouraged all to join the club Yahoo reflector, K9RN. Jerry N9AVY is the newsletter editor, who has announced his retirement from publishing in December. A replacement editor is being sought.

The minutes from the August meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Dave, NT9E moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Kent, K9KMD. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $4575.72 in the club treasury, including $272.29 paid on field day expenses. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 90 at the beginning of the meeting. Jim, N7US made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Mike ND9G. The motion passed by voice vote.

Jeff, KC9WSJ, custodian of the club library, reported that the new books donated last month by K9JKM will be inventoried and made available for loan.

President John also reminded the group that a Program Chairman is still being sought, and encouraged members with program ideas to email them to a board member. Tom, W9NBG offered to co-chair if another member would assist.

The club constitution states that election of officers will be held at the September meeting. Jim, N7US is the appointed nominating committee chairman, and along with the 2 directors W9MU and K9EYE, comprise the nominating committee. Jim confirmed that a quorum of paid members were present to conduct elections. Jim presented a slate of candidates for the open positions: President WB8BZK, Vice-President ND9G, Secretary KD9AHQ, Treasurer N9OK, and Director KF9D. Jim then invited nominations from the floor for the positions. KD9FML was nominated for President, but declined the nomination. Since no other nominations were made, a vote was taken on all candidates at once. The vote was unanimous and the officers were declared elected by acclimation.

A VE test session held on August 15th at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock yielded no licensees.

Dave, NT9E reported that the McHenry breakfast on the first Saturday of September at the Green Street Café was attended by 13 people.

The members were reminded of the weekly 6 meter net on Wednesday night at 7-9 pm on 50.180 MHz.

An upcoming contest summary was given by Mike, WB8BZK, with September being the unofficial start of the fall contest season. The major September contests include CQWW RTTY, WAE DX SSB, BARTG RTTY Sprint, State QSO Parties in 7 states, ARRL VHF 6 m and up, EME Weekend, ARRL 10 GHz and up, and the VHF Fall Sprints. See QST for full details.

President John reported that 3 QSLs for 6 meters Field Day contacts had been received for K9RN.

Former member Robert Tirk, KE9FG has donated a Kenwood TM221 2 meter radio and an Alinco DX70 HF radio to the club. President John suggested that the equipment be considered part of the library and be temporarily loaned out to members or new hams having a need for it.

Jack W9MU reminded members of the upcoming Contest University and DX University events to be held in conjunction with the W9DXCC Convention at the Schaumburg Hyatt Regency on Sept 15-16.

For Show and Tell, Paul W9DWP showed a Tytera dual band DMR radio. Paul also announced that the 2 meter VARA repeater has a new antenna and greatly improved coverage on 146.79 Mhz.

The club was reminded of upcoming hamfests at Belvedere on September 23rd and the Peoria Superfest on September 16-17.

Ed, K9TX has a Yaesu SWR and power meter and an MFJ 259 antenna analyzer as part of an estate sale.

Everyone was invited to enjoy pizza at the Cottage restaurant following the meeting.

A program is needed for next month. Following a suggestion from the members, Jack W9MU volunteered to do a program on RTTY and RTTY contesting.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by K9JK and seconded by K9KMD. The meeting was adjourned at 7:39 pm.

After a short break, the club heard a program on digital modes JT65 and FT8 from Dave NT9E and Gary KD9FML. Gary also gave a demonstration of the modes by operating his home station remotely and making several contacts.

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: Meeting Minutes of August 1, 2017

The monthly August meeting was called to order by President John KA9CAR at 7:00 p.m. on August 1, 2017 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

K9RUF led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

President John asked if any visitors were present and John, N9SPG from Spring Grove was introduced to the group.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty people were in attendance for the meeting.

President John encouraged all to join the club Yahoo reflector, K9RN. Jerry N9AVY is the newsletter editor, who has announced his retirement from publishing in December. A replacement editor is being sought.

The minutes from the June meeting (no July meeting) were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Dave, KA9OZP moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Kent, K9KMD. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $4847.62 in the club treasury, after field day expenses. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 90 at the beginning of the meeting. John, K9JK made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Dave, NT9E. The motion passed by voice vote.

Jeff, KC9WSJ, custodian of the club library, was not present for a report. Mike WB8BZK will attempt to contact Jeff as he has been absent for several meetings.

President John also reminded the group that a Program Chairman is still being sought, and encouraged members with program ideas to email them to a board member.

Mike, WB8BZK gave a wrap-up on the club Field Day activity. The group made 1682 QSOs total on phone and cw from the 2 HF and one VHF stations. Along with 1160 bonus points, an entry claiming a score of 7050 points was submitted to the ARRL.

Election of Officers will be held at the September meeting. N7US is the chairman of the nominating committee, and one-third of the membership needs to be present at the September meeting to hold elections. See Jim if you are interested in holding an office for the upcoming year.

A VE test session will be held on August 15th at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock. See the club webpage for further details.

Dave, NT9E reminded members of the McHenry breakfast on the first Saturday of each month at the Green Street Café. The next breakfast will be held on August 5th.

The members were reminded of the weekly 6 meter net on Wednesday night at 7 pm on 50.180 MHz. (new frequency)

An upcoming contest summary was given by Mike, WB8BZK. The major August contests include the ARRL 222 and up contest, NAQP cw, WAE cw, 10 Ghz and up, NAQP SSB, Rookie RTTY Roundup, August 21st Solar Eclipse QSO Party, and the Fall Sprints. See QST for full details.

For Show and Tell, President John had a “Big Bertha” soldering iron to give away to the first taker, along with showing a trailer hitch antenna mount and push-on PL259 connectors. Dave, K9RUF showed a new Yaesu FT70 HT which covers System Fusion. Hank, KB9ASC has a 2 meter fixed antenna for sale. Mike, KC9Q showed a dual band J-pole antenna which he had constructed.

Mike ND9G announced that his tower has been erected with antennas to follow.

John, K9JK reported that he and WB8BZK had attended the Central States VHF Society Conference in Albuquerque.

Everyone was invited to enjoy pizza at the Cottage restaurant following the meeting.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by ND9G and seconded by K9JK. The meeting was adjourned at 7:48 pm.

After a short break, the club heard a program on Satellite Communication by JoAnne, K9JKM

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

No meeting this month due to Field Day.

Subject: Meeting Minutes of June 6, 2017

The monthly June meeting was called to order by President John KA9CAR at 7:00 p.m. on June 6, 2017 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

K9RUF led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

President John asked if any visitors were present and George, KC9ZRB, from Crystal Lake and Gary, K9GLA, from Lakemoor were introduced to the group.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-one people were in attendance for the meeting.

President John informed the group of the passing of former member Dennis Schulmeister, K9WMS, on May 22, 2017. A moment of silence for Dennis was observed.

President John encouraged all to join the club Yahoo reflector, K9RN. Jerry N9AVY is the newsletter editor, who has announced his retirement from publishing in December. A replacement editor is being sought.

The minutes from the May meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Dave, NT9E moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Pierre, K9EYE. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $5009.26 in the club treasury. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 85 at the beginning of the meeting. John, K9JK made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Mike, KC9Q. The motion passed by voice vote.

Jeff, KC9WSJ, custodian of the club library, was not present for a report.

President John reminded the club that the July regular meeting will be at noon of Field Day on June 24th. It will be a social with no business meeting. President John said that a volunteer is still being sought to coordinate the family picnic.

President John also reminded the group that a Program Chairman is still being sought as well as a volunteer to chair the Nominating Committee for the upcoming September election of officers.

Dave, NT9E gave a report on the McHenry breakfast on the first Saturday of June. There were 13 in attendance at the Green Street Café. The next breakfast will be held on July 1st.

The members were reminded of the weekly 6 meter net on Wednesday night at 7 pm on 50.180 MHz. (new frequency)
An upcoming contest summary was given by Mike, WB8BZK. The major June contests include the June VHF Contest, Stew Perry Contest, and Field Day. In July, the major events are IARU HF Contest and CQWW VHF Contest. See QST for full details.

The 6 Meter Club hamfest held at the DuPage County Fairgrounds will be held on Sunday June 18th. John, K9JK has advance tickets available for sale.

Several members shared their experiences at the new location for the Dayton Hamvention in Xenia, Ohio. The reports were generally favorable.

The planned program for August is Satellite Communications by JoAnne, K9JKM.

For Show and Tell, Dave K9RUF showed a new Kenwood tri-band HT with D-Star. Dave also showed a digital radio gateway/hotspot from SharkRF that supports all 3 digital modes.

Tom KD6KHK has a 17 meter beam from Force 12 available for sale.
Everyone was invited to enjoy pizza at the Cottage restaurant following the meeting.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by K9JK and seconded by ND9G. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 pm.

After a short break, the club heard a discussion of the Field Day plans from the station captains: cw station KA9CAR, phone station KD9FML, VHF station WB8BZK, and GOTA station K9EYE.

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: Meeting Minutes of May 2, 2017

The monthly May meeting was called to order by President John KA9CAR at 7:01 p.m. on May 2, 2017 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

NT9E led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

President John asked if any visitors were present and JoAnne K9JKM, who is actually a member but has been unable to attend meetings, was introduced to the group.

Introductions around the room followed. Twenty-nine people were in attendance for the meeting.

President John encouraged all to join the club Yahoo reflector, K9RN. Jerry N9AVY is the newsletter editor, and members with newsletter input should submit to Jerry.

The minutes from the April meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Jim, N7US moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Joe, K9DMV. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $4998.81 in the club treasury. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 83 at the beginning of the meeting. Olaf, W9FY made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Mike, ND9G. The motion passed by voice vote.

Jeff, KC9WSJ, custodian of the club library, was not present for a report.

President John reminded the club that the July regular meeting will be at Field Day on June 24th. President John said that a volunteer is still being sought to coordinate the meeting to be held at the FD location as well as coordinate the family picnic.

Dave, NT9E is Field Day Chairman and gave members an update. Screen tents have been purchased and additional FD banners are being ordered.

A replacement Program Director is being sought. Please send candidate ideas to President John.

Under the topic of general announcements, President John reminded members that a VE test session will be held on May 16th at the Woodstock Free Methodist Church. Contact Steve KB9OLD@arrl.net for details or see the club website. Equipment from former club member and silent key Tom, WB9RFP will be on sale May 19th and 20th at his former home in East Dundee according to a letter received from his XYL.

President John has been in contact with her and shared a list of available equipment with the group.

The DeKalb hamfest held at Sandwich, IL will be held on Sunday May 7th. Paul, W9DWP has tickets available for sale.

An update on the program at the Fermi Lab in Batavia sponsored by the Chicago Chapter of the IEEE-EMC Society on April 19th was given. The topic was “Man-made Noise and the Impact to Radio Communications – The Changing Environment”. Attendees described the program as a 2 pronged approach: defining what the problem is and how to control it through regulations, as well as how to control it from a technical viewpoint.

Dave NT9E announced that the Saturday breakfast will be held on May 6th at the Green St. Cafe in McHenry.

President John reminded the group that we are being allowed use of the field day site for no charge in exchange for providing communications for the Woodstock Challenge Run to be held on June 17th at 8 a.m. Dave NT9E will coordinate volunteers for the event.

Mike, WB8BZK informed the group on contests coming up in May. See the newsletter and QST for details. The group was reminded of the 6 meter net on Wednesday nights from 7-8 p.m. on 50.130 MHz.

Hank, KB9ASC requested help with LOTW from a club member.

Paul W9DWP attended the IL Repeater Association meeting in Champaign on April 22 and reported no big immediate changes occurring. In the future, the group plans to look into using RF modelling to assess frequency assignments in hopes that this may make more repeater pairs available for use.

Everyone was invited to enjoy pizza at the Cottage restaurant following the meeting.

A motion to adjourn the meeting was made by N7US and seconded by N9OK. The meeting was adjourned at 7:22 pm.

After a short break, the club saw a presentation by Mike, WB8BZK, entitled Introduction to Radio Sport, with an interesting tribute to “Gil” Gildersleeve, W1CJD and his classic cartoons featured in QST over the years.

Respectfully Submitted, Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary