[nrv-hams] Minutes - March meeting

[Edward Lener]

Hope everyone is enjoying World Amateur Radio Day
<http://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day>!

Below are the minutes of our March meeting. Please send me any additions or
corrections. Given that it was a big decision for the club I tried to
include more detail than usual on the purchase of a new radio. Hopefully I
captured the main points of that discussion accurately but if I got
something wrong just let me know.

Our next meeting will be Monday, April 26th.  We will be talking about
Field Day preparations but please send me any other items for the agenda

73

Ed Lener, AK4IS

*****************************************************

Minutes

3/22/2021



New River Valley Amateur Radio Club

Meeting was held over the air on club repeaters due to COVID-19 concerns.
In addition, a simultaneous Zoom session was held.



Meeting called to order at 7:00 PM



Welcome and brief instructions from Cam Coble as President



Check-in of officers



First round of check-ins of members and other listeners





*Reports*

Secretary’s Report – Edward Lener

Full report sent to club reflector on March 11th. Corrected version resent
following day with updated info about our next meeting date.



Treasurer’s Report – Cam Coble and Steve Allen

Club is in good standing financially. Should have sufficient funds for what
the club needs to do.  One more renewal was received. Have not yet received
March bank statement but will reconcile everything at that time.  The
club’s insurance policy is due for renewal soon. Will review list of
equipment and send payment.  Also due is the $25 annual fee to the State
Corporation Commission.



Second round of check-ins of members and other listeners

{Danny and Mike not in first round of check-ins but both did so here}



WinLink Update – Danny Wylam

Both gateways were tested earlier today and are working.



Repeater Update – Mike Herring

Repeaters are working normally. Please pass along information on any
problems to him.



*Old Business*

Audit Committee – Cam Coble

Haven’t had a chance to meet yet but plan to do so soon and will have a
report for the April meeting.



Third and final call for check-ins.



*New Business*

Primary Station for Club Use – Cam Coble

On March 16th, Cam Coble sent a message to the reflector about wanting to
add a third operating station for Field Day by purchasing a new club
transceiver.  This could also be used for other club events.  Currently the
club owns two older rigs that are used for Field Day.



Suggested requirements included:

-                  Modern/waterfall/easy to use

-                  Works well in a contest

-                  100 Watts HF

-                  VHF/UHF capabilities

-                  Field portable



Based on those criteria he proposed adding a new Yaesu FT-991A using club
funds. Gigaparts had the radio listed for $1,150 but noted it may be
possible to find a better deal elsewhere.



There was then considerable discussion during the meeting about purchasing
a new radio for the club.  Some highlights follow:



Len Sutphin asked whether the radio includes an auto-tuner. Cam reported
the radio does include a built-in auto-tuner for HF but that a manual tuner
may offer better control and flexibility.



Jim Hassell asked whether or not we had a quorum and suggested it might be
better to wait for an in-person meeting. Ed checked the constitution and
bylaws, which indicate a quorum is seven members. Cam responded that it may
be some time yet before regular in-person meetings can resume. Others added
that even if these meetings do resume, they personally may not be
comfortable attending yet.



Josh Ramsey asked about what capabilities where most important and whether
alternatives had been considered. Cam reviewed the criteria that had
factored into his recommendation.



Ed Lener asked if Cam or any other club members had direct experience with
that model. Cam reported his assessment was based on the specifications and
favorable reviews. James Pascoe reported that he owned a Yaesu FT-991A and
was favorably impressed with its capabilities and ease of use. Eric
Marshall gave a favorable signal report on James’s transmissions.



Pete Burkey asked about the club’s finances. Cam and Steve reported they
were in good shape. Both Pete and Ben Williams recommended waiting for an
in-person meeting to hold a vote.



Len Sutphin made a motion that the club purchase the Yaesu FT-991A radio
together with a suitable manual tuner ($300 cap for tuner).  The motion was
seconded by Bill Turner.  A roll call vote was held for all 16 members
present.  There were 12 votes in favor (including all 4 officers), 2 votes
against, and 2 abstentions so the motion carried.



ARRL VA Section Convention – Cam Coble

Cam reminded everyone about the upcoming ARRL VA Section Convention on
April 24. There is free admission to numerous webinars. A raffle is
available for an ICOM 7300 and other prizes. More details at
http://bit.ly/VaSecConvSchedule



SERA – Len Sutphin

Len asked if the club had maintained its membership in the Southeastern
Repeater Association (https://sera.org/). He previously paid this from his
own funds. Club officers will investigate and report back at the next
meeting.



Blings n’ Things - Cam Coble

This month’s discussion theme was “Just Flexin' – members were asked to
send pictures in advance of the meeting of their ham shack, rig, or
anything else radio related. These were posted on the club website at
https://www.n4nrv.org/just-flexin/





Meeting adjourned at approximately 8:25 PM

There were a total of 15 check-ins (all members) plus net control.