Category: Minutes

Subject: Meeting Minutes of Nov. 3, 2015

The November meeting was called to order by President Jim, N7US at 7:00 p.m. on November 3, 2015 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

The Pledge of Allegiance kicked off the meeting, led by Jim, N7US.

President Jim thanked the outgoing officers for their service: Kent K9KMD, Dave KA9OZP, Dave N9ITE, and Roger KF9D. The newly elected officers presided over the November meeting.

President Jim extended a welcome and asked if there were visitors or guests present. Jeff KC9WSJ was introduced as a guest.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-five people were in attendance for the meeting. Jon, formerly KC9TCX, now has the call sign K5JRD.

Minutes from the October meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Jon, K5JRD moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Jerry, N9AVY. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Joe, N9OK reported a balance of $4547 in the treasury. John, K9JK made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Dave, NT9E. The motion passed by voice vote.

President Jim, N7US reported that the club roster is up to 83 members at this time.

Under the heading of announcements, Jim N7US announced that following up on last month’s meeting, the club continues to seek program ideas and presenters. Next month’s program will be presented by Tom, W9NBG on the topic of receivers.

No public service report was presented.

Jim, N7US commented that the fall contest season has started, see QST for full details.

Several good DX operations are currently in full swing, including V73D, C91B, and 3W3MD.

The 145.41 repeater is off the air for maintenance according to Cornel, KK9DX. Even with the interference present, the repeater has been mostly quite usable.

Dave, NT9E has been maintaining the club Facebook page and has been updating it with several news items.

Jim, N7US reminded the group that club badges are $10 and can be arranged through Ken KB9I.

John, N9DJ gave a progress update on his tower installation. He is finally past the permit stage and the concrete base was poured earlier in the day.

Jack, W9MU announced that the club members will again present a series of classes entitled “Introduction to Amateur Radio” through MCC. The classes will run for 5 weeks beginning February 18. All members should spread the word to anyone they think would be interested.

Jack, W9MU also said that he is donating a rotatable triband dipole to the club for use at Field Day. He also has other equipment for sale.

Following the business meeting, the group immediately began the program for evening, homebrew show and tell. Several members brought in and described homebrew projects they had previously done. The presentations were very good and generated a lot of interest. Those showing projects were: WB8BZK, KF9D, K9DMV, W9MU, N9OK, N9AVY, KC9Q, K9JK, K9EYE, KA9CAR, N7US, W9NBG, KA9NPT, and K9RUF.

Joe, N9OK made a motion to adjourn the meeting, seconded by Dave, NT9E. The meeting was adjourned at 8:41 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: McHenry County Wireless Association
Regular Meeting minutes – May 5th, 2015

The May meeting was called to order by President Kent, K9KMD, at 7:00 pm on May 5, 2015 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

The Pledge of Allegiance kicked off the meeting, led by John, K9JK.

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

Minutes from the April meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Mike, KC9Q, moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Larry, KB9DIP. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Dave, N9ITE, passed around a monthly treasurer’s report showing $130 deposits for the month and a balance of $5095.29. John, K9JK, made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Dave, NT9E. The motion passed by voice vote.

Dave, NT9E had nothing new to report on the website.

Jerry, N9AVY was not present for a newsletter report.

Under old business, it was reported that a VE testing session would be held in 2 weeks, May 19^th at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock. Following the summer, the testing sessions will resume in the month of September.

John, K9JK had tickets for sale for the 6 Meter Club hamfest to be held at the DuPage Co. Fairgrounds on June 21.

Dave, N9ITE, will be participating in a ham radio demonstration at the Westwood grade school on the morning of May 8, and hopes members will be available on 2 meter simplex and the local repeater for contacts.

Several members are reported to be planning to attend the Dayton Hamvention on May 15-17.

VP Dave, KA9OZP indicated that propagation had been down a bit hampering DX availability, but conditions seem to be improving.

A brief Field Day update was given by Chairman Roger, KF9D, along with the station chairmen, KA9CAR, N7US, W9MU, and WB8BZK.

Wendell N9REP is looking for volunteers to provide communications and SAG support for the Udder Century Bike Ride on June 7^th beginning at Donley’s Wild West Museum. Contact him at N9REP@arrl.net if available to help. Additionally, the Woodstock Road Challenge is June 14 and volunteers are sought for this event also.

Jack, W9MU informs the group that the program for the June meeting will be on the topic of “How to” at Field Day.

Jack, W9MU lead a discussion centering on whether the club should consider repeating the MCC class on Introduction to Amateur Radio next February. The main discussion centered on how to better advertise the class to increase attendance. Consensus of the group seemed to be that the class was worthwhile repeating.

John, KA9TCX, stated that he writes a column for the Woodstock Independent and could aid in getting a field day article published.

The business meeting was adjourned at 7:93 pm. Following a break, Mike WB8BZK provided the club with an excellent program on amateur operation on the VHF/UHF and Microwave bands.

Respectfully Submitted,

Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: Meeting Minutes of Aug 4, 2015

The August meeting was called to order by President Kent, K9KMD, at 7:00 pm on August 4, 2015 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

The Pledge of Allegiance kicked off the meeting, led by Kent, K9KMD.

Introductions around the room followed. Twenty-seven people were in attendance for the meeting. George Hellmann announced he recently passed his technician class exam and is awaiting his new license and call sign.

Minutes from the July meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Dave, NT9E moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Mike, KC9Q. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Dave, N9ITE was not present at the meeting, but a balance of $5028.19 in the treasury was published in the club newsletter. Jerry, N9AVY made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Mike, KC9Q. The motion passed by voice vote.

President Kent, K9KMD informed the group that one of our active members Tom Schwar, WB9RFP, became a silent key on July 21. He was a member of MCWA, the VARA repeater group, and a former member of EARS. John, K9JK, moved that in Tom’s memory, a donation in the amount of $50 be made to the PKD (Polycyctic Kidney Disease) Foundation. The motion was seconded by John, KC9TCX and passed by voice vote.

VP Dave, KA9OZP was not present at the meeting for a report.

Secretary Roger, KF9D, reported sending a sympathy card to Tom’s family. Additionally, Roger reported sending a thank you to Bob, N9NIX for allowing us to use a tower at field day.

Webmaster Dave, NT9E will be revamping the club website after the first of next year.

Jerry, N9AVY, newsletter editor, had nothing new to report.

Jack, W9MU, informed the group that the club is again scheduled to present a 5 week class at MCC on Introduction to Amateur Radio beginning in February.

The VE test sessions are taking a summer break, but will resume in September.

Under new business, John, N9DJ, shared the frustrations of being the first person to attempt to get a tower permit under the new Unified Development Ordinance of McHenry County. Additional requirements and costs are being asked of him, after the initial application was placed.

Several area hamfests, upcoming contest activities, and special events stations were highlighted. See QST for details.

W9DXCC will be held on September 12, 2015 at the Hyatt Woodfield. It is preceded on Sept. 11 by Contest-U and DX-U at the same location. Google W9DXCC for details.

Mike, KC9Q, brought a lot of information on some of the intrusive things that are reportedly present in Windows 10. Jim, N7US will add links to the information on the club reflector.

The business meeting concluded at 7:38 pm.

After a short break, Dave K9RUF gave a very complete and enthusiastic presentation on the D-Star digital radio protocol found in Icom products.

Respectfully Submitted,

Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: McHenry County Wireless Association
Regular Meeting minutes – March 3, 2015

The March meeting was called to order by Vice-President Dave, KA9OZP, at 7:05 pm on March 3, 2015 in the Crystal Lake Bank building meeting room.

The Pledge of Allegiance kicked off the meeting, led by VP Dave.

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

Minutes from the February meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. Randy, KC9UTM, moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by John, KA9CAR. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Dave, N9ITE, reported an account balance of $4844.07. John, K9JK, made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by J-P, KD9JPC. The motion passed by voice vote.

A proposed change to the club constitution was prepared by Larry, KB9DIP, following the February meeting. A copy of the changes was distributed to the officers and the matter was referred to a board meeting for tweaking.

The subject of Field Day was raised, but will be covered in the program segment for the evening.

Dave, N9ITE, has prepared a revised MCWA club brochure, and several copies were distributed to the members.

Jerry, N9AVY had nothing new to report on the club newsletter.

Jack, W9MU gave an update on the MCC class “Introduction to Amateur Radio” being presented by club members. Nine people enrolled and eight remain in attendance with 3 sessions remaining. Classes conclude on March 19.

John, K9JK, announced the June 21st Hamfest sponsored by the Six Meter Club of Chicago, held at the DuPage County Fair Grounds in Wheaton. John has advanced tickets available to sell.

VP Dave reported fantastic band conditions with several good Dxpeditions currently in operation.

Other announcements included the AES Superfest in Milwaukee on March 21st and the Algonquin Ham Breakfast at the Golden Corral on Randall Road at 8 am on March 28th.

A VEC testing session will be held on March 17th a 7:00 pm at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock.

Under New Business, our regular meeting room will not be available for the April meeting, and we need to find an alternate site for next month only. W9RAK suggested that the Senior Center in McHenry might be a suitable site. Watch the reflector and newsletter for an announcement on the April meeting location.

VP Dave suggested that the club might hold a “junk night” at a future meeting where members bring in items to sell cheap or give away.

The business meeting was adjourned at 7:25 pm.

Following a break, Jack, W9MU, and Roger, KF9D, presented a short program on emergency operations. This led into a discussion on Field Day. A show of hands indicated significant interest in an MCWA 2015 Field Day. The club will investigate securing the Harvard Moose Lodge site again, as was used in 2014.

Respectfully Submitted,
Roger Scott KF9D, MCWA Secretary

Subject: Meeting Minutes of Sept 1, 2015

The September meeting was called to order by President Kent, K9KMD, at 7:00 pm on September 1, 2015 in the Crystal Lake Bank meeting room.

The Pledge of Allegiance kicked off the meeting, led by Mike KC9Q.

Introductions around the room followed. Thirty-five people were in attendance for the meeting, including several visitors and some members not present for a long time.

Ray, N9RWC announced that the monthly VE test sessions will resume on Sept. 15 at the Free Methodist Church in Woodstock at 7:00 pm. Contact Steve KB9OLD if you are interested in taking a test at the session.

Minutes from the August meeting were published for review on the club website by Secretary Roger, KF9D. John, KC9TCX moved to accept the minutes as published, seconded by Joe, N9OK. The motion passed by voice vote.

Treasurer Dave, N9ITE reported a balance of $4736.25 in the treasury. Dave, NT9E made a motion to accept the treasurer’s report, seconded by Mike, KC9Q. The motion passed by voice vote. Dave also reported sending a donation to the PKD Foundation in the amount of $50 in memory of MCWA member Tom Schwar, WB9RFP, who recently passed away. A Thank You note was received from Tom’s widow, which was passed around for the membership to read.

The President, Vice-President, Webmaster, and Newsletter Editor had nothing new to report to the group.

President Kent, K9KMD, informed the group that it is time to elect new officers. An executive committee meeting will be held to identify a slate of officers, which will be presented at the October meeting. Kent also invited anyone interested in running for an office to come forward. Erik, WA9JE, indicated that he would be interested in running for an office, perhaps Vice-President.

No old business or new business was brought before the membership. No Public Service activities were raised for discussion.

W9DXCC will be held on September 12, 2015 at the Hyatt Woodfield. It is preceded on Sept. 11 by Contest-U and DX-U at the same location. Google W9DXCC for details.

Upcoming hamfests highlighted include Belvidere on Sept. 12 and Peoria on Sept. 19. John, KA9CAR, asked if anyone was interested in having a club flea market table at Belvidere.

Kent reported that October’s program will tentatively be presented by our ARRL Section Manager Tom Ciciora, KA9QPN.

The business meeting concluded at 7:30 pm.

After a short break, Ed Picha, N9EP gave a presentation on a Maine state-wide communications system installation project that he had led for Motorola. Ed had great pictures and stories to give an insider’s view on what goes on behind the scenes.

Respectfully Submitted,

Roger Scott, KF9D, MCWA Secretary