Category: Minutes

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

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

Subject: Meeting Minutes of March 7, 2017

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

NT9E led the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.

Jack W9MU introduced visitors Mike, K9AJ and XYL Sue, K9XYL to the group. Mike was the speaker for the evening presentation.

President John asked if there had been any license upgrades since last month, with no one responding. John mentioned that there were 2 new hams as a result of the recent testing session, although neither were present.

Pres. John reminded those in attendance that members not paying dues by the March meeting will be dropped from the roster. Treasurer Joe, N9OK was available to collect dues.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-five 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 February meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Jack, W9MU moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Ray, N9RWC. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $4995.80 in the club treasury. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 78 at the beginning of the meeting. John, K9JK made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Jim, N7US. The motion passed by voice vote.
Jeff, KC9WSJ is custodian of the club library and has several good books available to club members, including a new book on JT65 mode.

A short Field Day report was given by Chairman Dave, NT9E. President John said that a volunteer is being sought to run the meeting to be held at the FD location as well as coordinate the family picnic.

President John also asked for a volunteer to set up a winter dinner in early 2018.

Under the topic of general announcements, several contests scheduled for this month were mentioned. See the newsletter or QST for further details.

Dave NT9E announced that the Saturday breakfast held on March 4th at the Green St. Café in McHenry had 17 attendees.

It was announced that a ham radio breakfast will be held at the Golden Corral in Algonquin on March 25th at 8 A.M.

Under the topic of Hamfests, Paul W9DWP highlighted several upcoming hamfests in the extended area as well as advanced storm spotter training to be held at DuPage County on Saturday March 25th.

Webmaster Ken, KB9I asked members to notify him if items listed for sale have been sold so that he can remove the posting.

Several members had items for Show and Tell. President John showed a USB TV tuner that he has adapted to use as a Pan Adapter for his HF radio. Paul W9DWP showed a Tytera MD-380 DMR handheld that can be purchased for approximately $100. Mike KC9Q showed a pocket sized signal generator that covers 24 – 6000 Mhz that can be purchased on Amazon for $189.

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

A moment of silence was observed for Skip, K9SA who recently became a silent key.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:17 pm.

After a short break, the club was treated to a fantastic presentation by Mike K9AJ who was a member of the South Sandwich and South Georgia VP8 Dx-pedition team last year. The pictures and videos, along with Mike’s commentary were enjoyed by all.

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: Meeting Minutes of February 7, 2017

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

President John asked if any guests were present. Guests attending the meeting were James AC9PH and Gloria from Huntley along with Matt NM1S from Ingleside.

Mike KB9BIB had upgraded to Extra class since the last meeting. Members congratulated Mike.

Pres. John reminded those in attendance that the new constitution states that members not paying dues by the March meeting will be dropped from the roster. N7US was available to collect dues in the absence of Treasurer Joe, N9OK.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-four 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 January meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Mike, KC9Q moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Dave, NT9E. The motion passed by voice vote.

In Treasurer Joe’s N9OK absence, N7US reported a balance of $4865.42 in the club treasury. Paid membership for 2017 stood at 67 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 is custodian of the club library and has several good books available to club members.

President John informed those in attendance of the passing of former club member Bruce Raney, K9KYJ from Wauconda. Mike WB8BZK shared some memories of activities with Bruce.

Under the topic of general announcements, President John announced a VE test session to be held in February 21, 2017 at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock. Contact Steve KB9OLD at KB9OLD@arrl.net for further information.

Dave NT9E announced a Saturday breakfast on March 4th at the Green St. Café in McHenry.

VP Mike, WB8BZK updated the group on the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017 HR555 which has passed the US House and is on the way to the Senate for consideration.

Under the topic of Hamfests, Convention Reports and Announcements, Jim N7US discussed several contests coming up in February. See the newsletter and QST for further details.

Under the topic of old business, Dave NT9E the club Field Day chairman for 2017 reports working with John W9ZE on the possibility of combining efforts with the ARES/RACES group.
John, K9JK made a motion with a second from NT9E that the club approve up to a $500 expenditure for Field Day expenses. The motion carried by voice vote.

A brief review of the January 24th Board of Directors Meeting was given by President John. VP Mike is collecting and scanning past club information and hopes to give a presentation to the group on club history next year on the club’s 40th anniversary.

Of note from the BOD meeting is the fact that the regular July meeting would fall on the July 4th holiday. The board decided to forego the July meeting in favor of a gathering on Field Day Saturday June 24th.

Another item from the BOD meeting concerned reciting the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the club meeting. The club members discussed points for and against reciting the pledge. Following the discussion, Dave NT9E moved, with a second from K9RUF, to put the Pledge of Allegiance on the agenda for future meetings. The motion passed by a show of hands.

Jack, W9MU mentioned that the March program is scheduled to be Mike McGirr, K9AJ who was a member on the DX-pedition to two rare VP8 Islands in the Antarctic region. Mike is a well known DX-peditioner and the program promises to be very interesting.

Several members had items for Show and Tell. Dave K9RUF showed the new wireless headset from Apple. President John showed a loading coil he had made in order to bring a 43 foot vertical wire on 160 meters into tuning range for his auto tuner. Steve K9DCI demonstrated an oscilloscope app running on an 8 inch Android tablet. Steve also had an early HT220 for which he had built a synthesizer board. Mike KC9Q showed a 2 meter halo antenna, one of his latest offerings on his website.

Wendell N9REP announce that club members are being sought for the communications and SAG support for the Udder Century Bike Ride held on Sunday June 4th, starting at MCC.

Pierre, K9EYE reminded members of the 6 meter forum held each Wednesday night at 7 pm on 50.130 Mhz. Mike KC9Q commented that a total of 22 different stations have participated to date.
Tom W9NBG requested that if future meetings are changed, he would like to get a text message instead of other electronic notification.

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

The meeting was adjourned at 7:52 pm.

After a short break, an Electro Voice noise-cancelling dynamic microphone model 622 donated by Paul W9DWP was raffled off. The winner of the microphone was Dave, KD9ESL. Thanks to Paul for the donation.

After the raffle, Jack W9MU presented a program on propagation which included some theory on propagation along with very useful online and resident tools to predict HF paths to distant stations.

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary