Join us (next meeting is Saturday December 9 at 6pm) in person at the Waterloo Airport, or via Discord. Click this invitation link to add our server to your Discord app: https://discord.gg/hSPGhWxtZE There was no presentation this evening in leu of the Christmas Dinner and club officer elections for 2024. Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur Association (NIRAA/W0MG) Meeting Minutes, November 2023 The November gathering of the Northeast Iowa Radio Amateur's Association (NIRAA) was called to order at 5:06 pm November 10, 2023 at the Waterloo Elk's Club by Al Jones (KB0VGG). There were 19 members (18 ARRL) and 6 guests in attendance (locally and remotely) this evening, listed below. MINUTES ------- Adjustments to last month's minutes: (none) Report accepted with no adjustments ( N0ZYC / N4HRL ) TREASURER'S REPORT ------------------ Our treasurer was especially busy this month, handing the Christmas dinner, donations, and the Christmas party. balances for period: 10/1/2023 - 10/31/2023: checking (share-draft) account: $1,099.22 beginning balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $ 555.35 christmas dinner collections $ 40.00 dues $ 35.00 partial refund on insurance premium $1,482.66 transfer from savings for repeater and hardline -$ 50.00 contribution toward Stripe payment service for www -$1,000.00 check to Bill (W0GEN) for repeater and duplexers ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $2,162.23 ending balance A check for $482.66 written to Chris (N0CF) for hardline has not yet cleared and will likely appear on next month's report. Bill (W0GEN) covered the other half of the $100 Stripe (payment processor) cost. savings (repeater fund) account: $3,042.92 beginning balance ---------- -------------------------------------------------- +$ 70.00 donation to Al (KB0VGG)'s matching fund -$1,000.00 transfer to checking for purchase of Bill (W0GEN)'s DMR repeater -$ 482.66 transfer to checking for purchase of hardline from Chris (N0CF) ---------- -------------------------------------------------- $1,630.26 ending balance Additional donations made toward Al (KB0VGG)'s matching pledge collected recently and at the Christmas dinner will also appear on next month's report. Dave (KD0DK) requested a motion for the club to cover the small processing fees for payments made online ( N0ZYC / N0TKC ) Report accepted ( KB0VGG / N0TKC ) Please contact Dave if you would like to get your dues paid for the year. Our club membership form is also available on our club website at https://www.w0mg.net/ REPEATERS --------- (no reports) COMMITTEES ---------- Presentation Committee (Curt/NK0T, John/WB0MAR): (no report) OLD BUSINESS ------------ Nathan (N0ZYC): we may want to schedule a board meeting to start the new year Al (KB0VGG): with Dave flying South for the winter, who can write checks? As discussed last month, our treasurer will be out-of-state for a few months this winter. He'll be able to take care of most duties remotely, but we need someone local that can write any checks we need cut during that time. Motion to add director John Humpal (WB0MAR) to the Veridian the account ( KE0IDF / N0TKC ) is approved. NEW BUSINESS ------------ 146.94 repeater is having problems, looks like a bad connector went over the edge during the migration. Curt (NK0T) will look into it, Nathan (N0ZYC) volunteers some quality N jumpers if we need them. Curt (NK0T): we should consider assembling a "hot spare" for the 94 repeater. The one on the water tower was so decrepit and unserviceable that we basically installed our newer spare at CFU, so we don't have a spare. The one at CFU now is working, but it's also pretty old. Ideally we'd like to put together a new repeater and remove what's there now and hold as the spare. Get things like voice and other modern features. Tom (AE0TB): raspberry pi's work well as controllers, they're flexible and can have lots of features such as echolink. So there's no need to buy an expensive dedicated repeater controller as has been the case in the past. Considering that, we can probably put together a new repeater for $500-600. Curt (NK0T): we've also upgraded the club's remote station with an LDG antenna tuner which is working much better. This is a loaner from Al (KB0VGG), we will eventually need to buy a tuner so we can return Al's, Curt is willing to donate $100 toward that purchase. There was some discussion of what the club's "repeater fund" is ear-marked for, Al (KB0VGG) clarified, it's for all repeaters AND the club's remote station. Al (KB0VGG): we got internet connected to the DMR at CFU yesterday, so DMR should be 100% up and running. We have added pictures of the installation to the club website. Curt (NK0T): CFU is also providing our DMR repeater with high speed internet, free of charge. ($57/mo. value) Mark (N8TWO): we've VE testing tomorrow morning at 9am, followed by a fox-hunt from 12-4pm at George Wyth Park. Look for our new club signage for the fox-hunt. Curt (NK0T): we lost our last Waterloo APRS receiver that was on Newell, leaving Waterloo / Cedar Falls with little to no APRS coverage. We're looking for someone that's willing to host an APRS site. (digipeater or igate) Mark (N8TWO) might be able to host that, has a radio. Nathan (N0ZYC) has a few of the nooks that were going to be used for DMR still available also. Election for officers for 2024: No new nominations were made for positions, and all positions were running unopposed. Motion to re-elect all positions (including John/WB0MAR for director) ( N8TWO / N0ZYC ) Motion was unanimous. NIRAA 2024 officer election results: President Al Jones (KB0VGG) pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President David Morrow (KD0DM) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2022 Taryn Colby (N0TKC) dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2024 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir1(a)w0mg.net Motion to adjourn at 5:31 PM ( N0TKC / N8TWO ) UPCOMING PRESENTATIONS ---------------------- presentation ideas: electronics history, radio bug-out bag, alternate power, solar power, spotting electronics scams, mag-loop antennas, broadband blocking filters, Denver/cf robotics club, new director at FEMA, EOC? Contact Al (KB0VGG) if you'd be interested in giving a presentation. Tentative presentation schedule: Dec 9 Jan 13 Feb 10 Mar 9 Apr 13 May 11 REGULAR EVENTS -------------- - ARES net check-in is at 9pm every Sunday night, on 146.94/34 - Iowa Digital Net runs every Tuesday night at 7pm, 3.5885 MHz USB / 1500 Hz WF (Olivia 8-500) - Iowa 75 Meter Evening Net runs Mon-Sat at 6:00 pm on 3.970 MHz / LSB Also meets at 12:30 pm on same. - Iowa 160 Meter Net runs Sunday night at 9:30 pm on 1.9745 MHz / LSB - DMR checkin 7:30 pm Sunday night on talk group 3119 - Ham Radio Fellowship / Breakfast every Wednesday morning at 9AM at the Wendy's at Love's Travel Stop in Waterloo. (3301 Greyhound Drive) VE TESTING AND TRAINING ----------------------- contact Mark (N8TWO) for current information at classes@w0mg.net UPCOMING HAMFESTS ----------------- (let me know) ANNOUNCEMENTS ------------- Don (KD0WGB) has a dual band vertical and a alpha delta dx-dd 80/40m trapped dipole. The dipole is center fed with just an SO-239, you will need a tuner. Total length is 82ft. Both are free to a good home. (they're spares he's not using) W0MG/NIRAA LINKS ---------------- - Club Website: https://www.w0mg.net/ - Membership form: https://www.w0mg.net/contact/membershipform.pdf - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/waterloo.hams/community/ - Cedar Valley area repeaters list: https://www.w0mg.net/repeaters/ - additional club resources: https://vftp.net/N0ZYC/W0MG/index.html - Amateur Radio Practice Site (tests and code): https://www.aa9pw.com/ - Discord server (current invitation link at top of minutes) ATTENDANCE ---------- Members: N0ZYC Nathan Fisher KD0DM David Morrow KD0DK David Kelly KE0IWP Janice Fitkin KE0IWQ Jim Fitkin N4HRL Harold Lucas NK0T Curtis Wilson WB0MAR John Humpal KF0KDE Danael Zilk W0VJB Vicki Bicket AE0TB Tom Bicket N0TKC Taryn Colby N8TWO Mark Colby KE0IDF Brenda Kremer KB0VGG Al Jones K9DCR David Roberts KF0JPR Randy Albright N0HHF Judi Nelson W0HHF Dick Nelson Guests: Mrs Morrow Mrs Kelly KF0CBJ Peter Schuster KF0CBI Janet Schuster Amy KF0ITW Ronald Roberts Members wishing to pay club dues (or have paid and are not indicated above) please contact our Treasurer in person at our monthly meeting or by email at treas(a)w0mg.net Members of the board may be contacted over the air or via email: President Al Jones (KB0VGG) pres(a)w0mg.net Vice President David Morrow (KD0DM) vp(a)w0mg.net Secretary Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) sec(a)w0mg.net Treasurer Dave Kelly (KD0DK) treas(a)w0mg.net Director 2022 Taryn Colby (N0TKC) dir2(a)w0mg.net Director 2023 Jan Fitkin (KE0IWP) dir3(a)w0mg.net Director 2024 John Humpal (WB0MAR) dir1(a)w0mg.net ABOUT ----- NIRAA meets most months on the 2nd Saturday of the month at 6:00 pm, at the Waterloo Airport, in the old restaurant. Parking is available at no cost in the short-term lot. (3 hr free limit) Our primary club repeater is on 146.94 mhz, negative offset, with a PL tone of 136.5 hz, with coverage centered in Black Hawk County. Many members are also monitoring channel 3119 on DMR. Our club website is at https://www.w0mg.net/ and the club's primary email contact is sec(a)w0mg.net You're receiving these meeting minutes because you have given the NIRAA club your email address for minutes and announcements. If you no longer wish to receive these emails, please reply requesting removal from one or both distribution lists. - Nathan Fisher (N0ZYC) Secretary, W0MG