Category: Minutes

MCWA Meeting Minutes of February 6^th 2024

 

 

President Dan Larson (KD9M) called the February 2024 hybrid meeting (in-person and by Zoom) to order at 7:01 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by Dave Holmgren (K9AT).

Board members present were:  Director – Glenn Otto (K9OK), Director – Kent Dulaney (K9KMD), Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW), Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD), Vice President – Wendell Smith (N9REP), President – Dan Larson (KD9M), and Past President – Ralph Iden (WB9ICF).

A total of 51 members were in attendance and 2 guests: Marcin (No Call) and Nick Marocchi (KD9ZLT).

 

Awards and license upgrades

None.

 

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the January 2024 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. John Kalenowsky (K9JK) moved to accept the minutes and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.

 

Membership and Financial Reports

Bob Temes (KD9IDD) presented the membership and financial reports for September. MCWA has a membership of 145 full members including 11 family members and 1 associate member.

 

Opening Balance	$10,910.57	2024-1-1
Deposits	$539.50	(Dues)
Expenditures	$14.03	(DigitalOcean, Wintrust)
Interest	$0.10	2024-1-31
Final Balance	$11,436.04	2024-1-31

 

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) moved to accept the treasurer’s report and Kent Dulaney (K9KMD) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the treasurer’s report was approved.

 

Old Business

Appointment being setup with Accountant.  Filing with the IRS will happen in September of this year.

 

New Business

Gathering numbers for the March 5^th Pizza Social.

Northern Illinois Winter Field Day was hosted by The 415.  Dan Larson (KD9M) shared pictures from the event.

 

New Updates from Membership

John Kalenowsky (K9JK) worked some stations during Winter Field Day mobile from his car in his drive way.  He made 34 contacts.

Kent Dulaney (K9KMD) participated in the 160m CW contest.  Roger (KF9D) also participated and said conditions were “okay”.  Roger also completed 3 SOTAs in the warm weather last month.

Dave Whaley (NT9E) participated in the VHF contest and said a lot of people were on.

Dave Holmgren (K9AT) setup a YSF room on his repeater.

 

Hamfests

Madison Hamfest Stoughton, WI	3/11/2024
Starved Rock Radio Club Hamfest Mendota, IL	6/2/2024
Midwest Superfest Milwaukee, WI	9/22-9/23/2024
Radio Expo Chillicothe, IL	9/21-9/22/2024

 

Contests and Activities

CQ WW RTTY WPX Contest	Feb 10-Feb 11
ARRL School Club Roundup	Feb 12-Feb 16
ARRL International DX Contest, CW	Feb 17-Feb 18
CQ 160-Meter Contest, SSB	Feb 23-Feb 25
North American QSO Party, RTTY	Feb 24-Feb 25

 

Wrap up

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, March 5th, 2024 at the Algonquin Township meeting room. Open “eyeball” QSOs start at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. Instead of a formal program, we will be hosting a Pizza Social for members to mix and get to know each other.

Tonight’s presentation is SOTA and his European trip by Sevim (WB8BHM)

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) motioned to adjourn, and Dave Whaley (NT9E) seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:24 PM.

 

Prepared by Andrew White (K9AJW), MCWA Secretary.

MCWA Meeting Minutes of January 2^nd 2024

 

President Dan Larson (KD9M) called the January 2024 hybrid meeting (in-person and by Zoom) to order at 6:59 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by Dave Holmgren (K9AT).

Board members present were:  Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW), Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD),  President – Dan Larson (KD9M),  Past President – Ralph Iden (WB9ICF).

A total of 42 members were in attendance and 4 guests:

Guests in attendance: Josh (No Call), Steve Jordan(No Call), and Gay Stomberg (No Call) and Ted London(No Call), Neil (New Member, No Call)

 

Awards and license upgrades

None.

 

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the December 2023 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. John Kalenowsky (K9JK) moved to accept the minutes and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.

 

Membership and Financial Reports

Bob Temes (KD9IDD) presented the membership and financial reports for September. MCWA has a membership of 142 full members including 11 family members and no Associate members.

 

Opening Balance	$10,890.82	2023-12-1
Deposits	$219.70	(Dues)
Expenditures	$200.03	(DigitalOcean, Social)
Interest	$0.08	2023-12-30
Final Balance	$10,910.57	2023-12-31

 

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) moved to accept the treasurer’s report and Ken Lundgreen (KD9PPX) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the treasurer’s report was approved.

 

Old Business

The Board is setting a meeting with an accountant for advice and help on our investment options.  Meeting date TBD.

 

New Updates from Membership

Dan Larson (KD9M) has been playing with a new screwdriver antenna and is looing at ways to automate the screwdriver tuner.

Congrats to Bob Temes (KD9IDD) for his 3^rd place finish in Illinois for the yearlong VOTA contest.  He missed a clean sweep of the US by 4 entities.  His overall rank was 112 out of about 69,000 people.  He was 65^th in the US.

John Kalenowsky (K9JK) mentioned that he saw several club member calls among the VOTA leaderboard this year and wanted to thank the club for the high level of participation.  John also mentioned that we ranked 3^rd in the Illinois QSO party and that we hope to do better as a club next year.

Please reach out to John Cankar (W9JM) to schedule a time to operate on Winter Field Day.  His e-mail is pinned to the top of both The 415 and The MCWA reflectors.

 

Hamfests

WCRA 2024 Mid-Winter Hamfest Kane County Fair Grounds, St. Charles, IL	1/14/2024
Starved Rock Radio Club Hamfest Mendota, IL	6/2/2024
Midwest Superfest Milwaukee, WI	9/22-9/23/2024
Radio Expo Chillicothe, IL	9/21-9/22/2024

 

Contests and Activities

Kids Day	Jan 7
RTTY Roundup	Jan 7-8
North American QSO Party, CW	Jan 13-14
North American QSO Party, SSB	Jan 20-21
January VHF	Jan 21-23
CQ 160-Meter Contest, CW	Jan 26-28
BARTG RTTY Sprint	Jan 27-28
Winter Field Day	Jan 27-28

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) spoke up inviting everyone to Gary’s Farm on Jan 27^th and 28^th 1pm to 1pm for Winter Field Day.  Setup will be on Friday for anyone interested.  Everyone is invited whether you have a license or not.  They will have a CW and a Phone station in operation.  There will be lots of good food (Sloppy Joes and Chili). Glenn and Angelo will be there working satellites. Gary Dembski (W9GD) seconded Sam’s comments and invited everyone over to his farm to operate on Winter Field Day.

 

New Business

The Board proposes a Pizza Social on March 5^th, 2024, instead of a club program.  The Board estimates the cost up to $500 and asks the membership to approve a motion to set aside $500 for the Pizza Social.

John Kalenowsky (K9JK) made the motion and Sam Haldiman(KC9GPY) seconded. Upon hearing no objections, the motion was approved.

 

Wrap up

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, February 6, 2024 at the Algonquin Township meeting room. Open “eyeball” QSOs start at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. The program is Sevim Ablay (WB8BHN) will be presenting on SOTA and his European Trip.

Tonight’s presentation is An Introduction to Modulation by Mike Dusa (W9MJD)

Gary Kaatz (W9TD) motioned to adjourn, and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:28 PM.

 

Prepared by Andrew White (K9AJW), MCWA Secretary.

MCWA Meeting Minutes of December 5, 2023

 

President Dan Larson (KD9M) called the December 2023 hybrid meeting (in-person and by Zoom) to order at 7:01 PM. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by Dave Holmgren (K9AT).

Board members present were: Director – Glenn Otto (K9OK), Director – Kent Dulaney (K9KMD), Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW), Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD), Vice President – Wendell Smith (N9REP), President – Dan Larson (KD9M), Past-President – Ralph Iden (WB9ICF)

A total of 46 members were in attendance and 4 guests:

Jon Cook (WB9MEB), John Dendor (K9OPE), Neil Joslun (No Call) and Dave Yelk (KD9ZER)

 

Awards and license upgrades

Ryan Broussard (KD9WPY) upgraded to his General

Doug Tucker (KD9PQI) upgraded to his Extra

Jeff (KD9LNH) upgraded to his Extra

Kevin Potter (KD9YYO) upgraded to his General

 

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the November 2023 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. Dave Whaley (NT9E) moved to accept the minutes and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.

 

Membership and Financial Reports

Bob Temes (KD9IDD) presented the membership and financial reports for September. MCWA has a membership of 141 full members including 11 family members and no Associate members.

 

Opening Balance	$10,837.26	2023-11-01
Deposits	$60	($40 Dues, $20 donations)
Expenditures	$6.53	(DigitalOcean, PO Box)
Interest	$0.09	2023-11-2
Final Balance	$10,890.82	2023-11-30

 

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) moved to accept the treasurer’s report and Ron Rogers (KC0ZN) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the treasurer’s report was approved.

 

Old Business

Board Discussion on EIN, Tax Status, and Investment

The board met to discuss the motion from the previous meeting.  The board decided that we need a committee to take this on.  If interested, please contact the board to lead this effort.  The committee will need to hire a CPA/Accountant to research the details of club investments.

 

New Updates from Membership

 Wendell Smith (N9REP) spoke about November Sweepstakes.  He had 3 special event callsigns to honor former MCWA club member and former President Terry Garrett SK (K9HA).

Gary Kaatz (W9TD) operated the FT Roundup this past weekend and did quite well with an antenna in his attic.

Keith Schreiter (N9QDS) says starting tomorrow the Battleship Iowa Amateur Radio association will be operating.  All information is on the ARRL Website.  His grandfather served as a radioman on the Iowa.

Andrew (N7IDE) has been playing with the VarAC modem from the Winlink days.

 

Future Events

None

  

Hamfests

 Starved Rock Radio Club Hamfest – Mendota, IL – 6/2/2024

Midwest Superfest – Milwaukee – 9/22/2024-9/23/2024

Radio Expo – Chillicothe, IL – 9/20/2024-9/22/2024

 

Contests and Activities

Pearl Harbor Day Commemoration	Dec 1-11
ARRL 10M	Dec 9-10
Rookie Roundup CW	Dec 17
Olivia Digital Winter 2024 QSO Party	Dec 24
Straight Key Night	Jan 1
Kids Day	Jan 7
RTTY Roundup	Jan 7-8
Jan VHF	Jan 21-23
Winter Field Day	Jan 27-28
160M Contest	Jan 27-28

Glenn Otto (K9OK) mentioned that you can sign up on line for a Santa Net on 3.916.  Several members mentioned that they’ve done this with their kids/grandkids.

 

New Business

Ralph Iden (WB9ICF) mentioned that work is underway to schedule our future programs.  There is a sheet in the back that members can identify types of programs that they would be interested in.  He’s also going to send out a Google Survey to the membership to gauge interest on different types of programs.

Dan Larson (KD9M) asked the membership to consider volunteering for the program chair position so that we can take a little bit of work off of the President.

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) invited everyone over to Gary’s farm for Winter Field Day.  All are encouraged to attend.

 

Wrap up

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, January 2, 2024 at the Algonquin Township meeting room. Open “eyeball” QSOs start at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. The program is to be determined.

Tonight we will have a social event instead of a formal program.  Enjoy socializing with your fellow MCWA members!

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) motioned to adjourn and Roger Scott (KF9D) seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:32 PM.

 

Prepared by Andrew White (K9AJW), MCWA Secretary.

MCWA Meeting Minutes of November 7, 2023

 

Vice President Wendell Smith (N9REP) called the November 2023 hybrid meeting (in-person and by Zoom) to order at 7:05 PM. Wendell noted that the program may be recorded. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by Dave Holmgren (K9AT).

Board members present were: Director – Kent Dulaney (K9KMD), Director – Glenn Otto (K9OK), Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW), Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD), Vice President – Wendell Smith (N9REP).

Wendell Smith (N9REP) extended a warm welcome to new MCWA members Kelly Bochniak (KD9YHT) and Kevin Potter (KD9YYO).

A total of 40 members were in attendance and 7 guests: Matt Squire (NM1S), Ken Neilsen, John Kidis, Lance and Barb Lawrenz, Andrew Kodet and Neil Joslum

 

Wendell Smith (N9REP) regretfully shared the loss of two Silent Keys in October:

Terry L Garrett (K9HA) went Silent Key on October 20, 2023.

Dr. Don Brandeau (K9QID) went Silent Key on October 24, 2023.

 

 Awards and license upgrades

None.

 

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the October 2023 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) moved to accept the minutes and Dave Whaley (NT9E) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.

 

Membership and Financial Reports

Bob Temes (KD9IDD) presented the membership and financial reports for September. MCWA has a membership of 141 full members including 11 family members and no Associate members.

Opening Balance	$10,846.69	2023-09-30
Deposits	$130.00	( $40 Dues, $90 Donation)
Expenditures	$149.53	(DigitalOcean, PO Box)
Interest	$0.10	2023-10-31
Final Balance	$10,837.26	2023-10-31

Glenn Otto (K9OK) moved to accept the treasurer’s report and Angelo Fanzone (KD9QVW) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the treasurer’s report was approved.

 

Announcements

Wendel Smith (N9REP) reminded everyone that memberships run from January 1^st to December 31^st. Membership dues are $10 per year and can be prepaid for multiple years. Send $10 to MCWAPaypal@gmail.com & select “Sending to a friend” to avoid processing fees for the club. You can check your membership expiration year by visiting the MCWA membership roster and searching your name or call.

Dave Holmgren (K9AT) mentioned that we have a multi-club ham breakfast once a month and he encourages all to attend.

 

Club Member Updates

No updates given.

 

Board of Directors Meeting Recap

 Wendell Smith (N9REP) recapped the board of directors meeting that took place in October.

Club Health:

Membership is stable.  Had some SK’s and new members. Meeting attendance was lower during the pandemic but is rebounding. In-person is rebounding as people are returning to in-person meetings from Zoom. Finances are very strong due to revenue from equipment auctions and spending under budget.

Activities for 2023-2024:

• Dinner Social
• Pizza Party with Program (Spring and Fall)
• Ham Radio Boot Camp
• Other suggestions included: Fox Hunt, POTA, Radio in the Park and others

 

Proposed 2023-2024 Budget:

Item	Budgeted	Notes
Field Day	$750	Requires club ratification for over $300. May need to increase based on food and facility cost increases
Insurance	$200
Pizza Social	$300	Looking at December again for the social. Board decided to pay $300 for the pizza and to charge the membership $5-10 per person to attend.
Spring Social	$300	Family friendly, tickets sold to cover the balance of the cost.
Outreach	$500	Scouts, etc.
Zoom	$150
Website	$130	DigitalOcean, Google Domains and PO box
Meeting Room Enhancements	$500	Microphones for meetings to replace the ones on loan from Dan
Miscellaneous	$50	To cover unbudgeted expenses
Total	$2,880

 

 

Hamfests

 

Friendly Fest – Milwaukee                                                      11/4/2023

Keith Schreiter (N9QDS) mentioned that attendance was down this year.

Starved Rock Radio Club Hamfest – Mendota, IL    6/2/2024

Midwest Superfest – Milwaukee                                      9/22/2023-9/23/2023

Radio Expo – Chillicothe, IL                                                 9/21/2024-9/22/2024

 

November Contests and Activities

November Sweepstakes – CW                             Nov 4-6

Several members participated and made contacts.

November Sweepstakes – Phone                      Nov 18-20

Keith Schreiter (N9QDS) mentioned that we will have members setting up stations at Pioneer Tree Farm for November Sweeps and encourages all members to stop by.

EME 50 to 1296 MHz                                               Nov 25-26

 

 

Old Business

No old business.

 

New Business

 Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) spoke about Winter Field Day on Jan 27^th and 28^th out at Gary’s farm.  415 will have a nice setup and they encourage everyone to attend. The address for Gary’s farm is 3298 Bay Rd in Crystal Lake.

Ralph Iden (WB9ICF) mentioned that he participated in the Illinois QSO Party last month and thanked everyone that participated.

John Dewey (KA9CAR) wants us to register as a club for November Sweepstakes so that we can earn points for the club.

John Cankar (W9JM) made a motion that we instruct the board to look into whether or not we should put our additional money into a high interest vehicle to get a better return on our investment. Loren Burkett (K3RFC) seconded the motion and a decision will be made by the next regular meeting in December.

 

Wrap up

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, December 5, 2023 at the Algonquin Township meeting room. Open “eyeball” QSOs start at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. The program is to be determined.

Mike Dusa (W9MJD) will present our program tonight on antenna and radio communication – when it began.

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) motioned to adjourn and Glenn Otto (K9OK) seconded. The meeting was adjourned at 7:58 PM.

 

Prepared by Andrew White (K9AJW), MCWA Secretary.

MCWA Meeting Minutes of October 3, 2023

President Dan Larson (KD9M) called the October 2023 hybrid meeting (in-person and by Zoom) to order at 7:00 PM. Dan noted that the program may be recorded. The Pledge of Allegiance followed, led by Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY). Dan welcomed a new member to MCWA, Kevin Potter (KD9YYO).

Board members present were: Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW), Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD), Vice President – Wendell Smith (N9REP), President – Dan Larson (KD9M) and Past-President – Ralph Iden (WB9ICF).

Dan (KD9M) thanked the outgoing board for their hard work and dedication to MCWA. He also introduced the new board:

Vice President – Wendell Smith (N9REP)
President – Dan Larson (KD9M)
Secretary – Andrew White (K9AJW)
Treasurer – Bob Temes (KD9IDD)
Director – Glenn Otto (K9OK)
Director – Kent Dulaney (K9KMD)
Past-President – Ralph Iden (WB9ICF)

A total of 41 members were in attendance and 2 guests: Ken Neilsen and Kelly Bochniak (KD9YHT) (New Member).

Approval of Minutes

The meeting minutes from the September 2023 meeting were previously posted to the MCWA website for review. John Cankar (W9JM) moved to approve the minutes and David Whiteside (N9BSA) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the minutes were approved.

Membership and Financial Reports

Past-Treasurer Dean Hettel (WC9C) presented the membership and financial reports for September. MCWA has a membership of 140 full members including 11 family members and no Associate members.

Opening Balance	$11,483.86
Deposits	$135.00	(Dues)
Expenditures	$880.08-	($6.53 Digital Ocean, $661.77 Field Day, $61.88 4th Anniversary Expeneses, 149.90 Zoom Renewal)
Interest	$0.09
Final Balance	$10,738.69

Dean reminded the membership to pay their 2023 dues by PayPal, check or cash tonight at the meeting. John Dewey (KA9CAR) moved to accept the treasurer’s report and Roger Scott (KF9D) seconded the motion. Hearing no objections, the treasurer’s report was approved.

Announcements

The monthly McHenry Ham Breakfast is held the first Saturday of every month at Buddyz in McHenry at 8:00 AM. The next one will be October 7th. Contact Dave Holmgren (K9AT) for more information.

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Hamfest and Event Update

 Past:

ORC Annual Regional Fall Swapfest: No reports.

Midwest Superfest: Sean Park (K9SJP) attended the fest and said it was well attended.

HRO Milwaukee Superfest and ARRL Central Division Convention: Dave Peterson (KD9VEJ) reported that there were many radio deals to be had.  He spoke about a “Ham Radio Bootcamp” and suggested that the club put on such a program for new hams.

Radio Expo: No reports.

Upcoming:

Friendly Fest, November 4th, Milwaukee, WI

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Contest Reports

ARRL September VHF: Wendell Smith (N9REP) had a 6m loop up in the air and a 2m vertical.  There was not much voice activity and he had a total of 12 contacts during the contest.

CQ Worldwide Teletype Contest: Gary Kaatz (W9TD) mentioned that he participated in this contest.

Route 66 on the Air Special Event: Gary Kaatz (W9TD) and Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) had clean sweeps during the special event.

ARRL EME – 2.3 GHz & Up: No reports.

WAE DX Contest – SSB: No reports.

ARRL 10 GHz & Up: John Kalenowsky (K9JK) made a 10GHz contact from the roof of the parking garage and had 100+ contacts in total.

Wisconsin Parks on the Air: No reports.

North American Sprint: No reports.

CQ WW DX Contest: No reports.

ARRL VOTA: Bob Temes (KD9IDD) is ranked 3rd in Illinois and asks for everyone’s help in making contacts to increase his score. You can contact him once per day and both parties will get points through the VOTA program. With help from MCWA, Bob hopes to break through into the top 2 in the state.

Upcoming:

ARRL/LIMARC October School Club Roundup, October 16-20

Illinois QSO Party, October 22: Roger Scott (KF9D) gave an overview of the upcoming Illinois QSO Party on October 22, 2023. More information can be found at https://w9awe.org/ilqp

International EME Contest, October 28-29

November CW Sweepstakes, November 4-6

November Phone Sweepstakes, November 18-20

VOTA, all year long

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Upcoming MCWA Presentations

November 7 – Pico Balloons and Youth in Ham Radio by the Northern Illinois  Bottlecap Balloon Brigade

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Awards and license upgrades

Gil Etheridge (KD9YUN)  received his vanity call, WW9GIL

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Old Business

No old business.

New Business

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) reminded everyone that Winter Field Day is Jan 27th and 28th and requests that everyone add to their calendar.  The 415 will be doing operations out at Gary Dembski’s (W9GD) farm and encourages everyone to stop by.

Keith Schreiter (N9QDS) discussed Canadian Trading Consortium’s proposed usage of the HF spectrum and the impact on Chicago area amateurs on the following frequencies: 7510, 10306, 14592, 16301, 18190, 18322, 19230, 20152, 23861. More info is available on www.eibispace.de. He suggests keeping an eye on these frequencies to make sure that the transmissions do not cause interference to local hams.  He also reminded us that the United States Emergency Alert System tests are scheduled to occur tomorrow at 1:20 PM Central.

John Dewey(KA9CAR) asks if there are other club members from Algonquin Township that can renew the room contract for next year in case he is not available to make the renewal. A few other members were identified as Algonquin Township residents that can renew the room, if needed.

Wrap up

The MCWA Annual Board Meeting will take place on October 12th at 6:30 PM at Nick’s Pizza in Crystal Lake.  Members are encouraged to attend, but should contact Dan Larson (KD9M) to let him know you are coming.

The next regular meeting will be Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at the Algonquin Township meeting room. Open “eyeball” QSOs start at 6:30 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. The program is “Pico Balloons and Youth in Ham Radio.”

Mike Metroka (WB8BZK) will present our program tonight on his Canadian VHF Adventures.

Sam Haldiman (KC9GPY) motioned to adjourn and the meeting was adjourned at 7:59 PM.

Prepared by Andrew White (K9AJW), MCWA Secretary.