[PVRCNC] Minutes: 10/2/2003

[Jim Price]

I'll post these minutes to the main PVRC list in a few days to make them
official.  Please send any comments/changes to me before then.  WW4M

------------------------

PVRC/NC Meeting Minutes 
2 October 2003, Golden Corral, Dillard Drive, Cary 

Members in Attendance: WW4M, K3KO, NX9T, N4TL, K4QPL, K4WES, K2AV
Regrets: AE4EC, K4HA

Pre-meeting topics of discussion: Rush Limbaugh, LOTW, running cables
underground, DX

Member news:

WW4M - has been working with the NC State student club again this year. 
He also reported he has renewed the pvrcnc.org domain for $29.

K4WES - hopes to get his rotor this week and be on the air for CQWW
phone.

K4QPL - has been having fun w/ NAQP-CW and the recent CW Sprint (for
which he noted it's easier to find a freq on CW than in a phone Sprint).
His 40m wire beam cown down in Hurricane Isabel, but he'll have it back
up in time for SS.

N4TL - took both antennas off his tower for the hurricane, and used this
as an opportunity to recheck all of the hardware on his beams. Lately
he's been chasing band-countries.

K3KO - said he got off light in Isabel. He's been rebuilding some Hygain
traps before he puts his TH2 back up.  Worked a bit in each of WAE,
Sprint, and NAQP.

NX9T - no major antenna problems.  Plans to be on the air for CQP.

K2AV - his C31 was just spinning around the mast during the hurricane,
but luckily there was no cable damage. 

N4AF/NY4A (relayed by K2AV) - was on the western side of Isabel's path. 
Howie brought down all of his beams except the shorty-forty at 135 feet
(at which point it was too breezy), as well as the mast supporting The
Monster Quad � (http://www.qsl.net/n4af/Dsc01471-01.jpg).  Afterwards he
took two days to rebuild the XA before putting it back up.  The 2003-04
season also marks a switch at NY4A from TR to WriteLog (pause for
cheers, moans).

AE4EC - couldn't make it tonight, but writes that he plans to be on for
CQWW SSB.
 
Club Business:

K2AV reported on the tweaking of the circle to include the bulk of
Winston-Salem and at least fifty percent of the Triad counties.  He said
before the move was officially endorsed it was considered very carefully
so we would not lose anyone.  In addition to benefiting the folks to our
west (which Guy likes to point out is the largest population center in
NC), it will also help out the club by including hams in the Charleston,
WV area.  The gain in the west was accomplished by minimizing maritime
mobile coverage east of Delaware.

Adjusting the circle now makes possible additional growth in the
Winston-Salem area (which gained a few new members at their most recent
meeting), and as such a miosis-like division of the NC chapter into
NC-East and NC-West.  The people to our west say they would like to
maintain a relationship that is at least as close as it has been until
now, and perhaps we could hold joint meetings for our annual May awards
dinner and continue to share a website.  K2AV plans to announce a joint
East/West meeting during the next month, perhaps in Burlington, so
everyone can vote on this.  

K4QPL officially moved that, in the event the Triad group forms its own
chapter called PVRC/NC-West, that our name shall change to PVRC/NC-East.
The motion was seconded by WW4M.  We'll vote on that at the meeting.

K4QPL also reminded people that QTH.NET is an important resource, and he
encouraged members to give their support.

We closed w/ talk about the nature of K4JA's tower failure during
Hurricane Isabel and the role that twisting may have played, and its
implications for engineering towers to survive future storms.

73, Jim WW4M