PVRCNC Digest, Vol 248, Issue 2
Marc Sullivan W4MPS
w4mps at nc.rr.com
Sat Sep 7 09:48:42 EDT 2024
Hi All
Bill asked for feedback re meetings.
Since covid, I haven’t participated in many meetings, just a couple of zoom checkins. Manchesters was a hike from Clayton but I tried to attend whenever I could. In addition to camaraderie, what motivated me was education. PVRC has some incredibly knowledgable members, and I always came away with some valuable tidbit. Hearing about operating successes, dxpeditions and event plans fascinated me. I’m a casual contester at best: QSO parties, sweeps, QRP sprints, etc. so the roundtable reports always were a bit intimidating, as my reports were boring compared to what some of the other guys accomplished that month. Who wants to hear about my latest POTA achievements - HI. Although some of the NCQP adventures I listened to at the meetings were priceless.
I agree with Nate’s comments about hybrid zoom meetings. Tough to administer. Perhaps alternating between in person meetings and zoom only meetings might work better. Occasional presentations would also be valuable IMO. I’ll never forget Nate’s TI7W presentation for example. I made sure I brought my video camera to that meeting. Hard to believe that was 6 years ago. Age is another issue. I’m closing in on 78 and although the brain is still in its 30’s, the body always reminds me of reality. So zoom meetings tend to be more appealing these days.
Just my two cents.
Vy 73
Marc, W4MPS
> On Sep 6, 2024, at 3:56 PM, pvrcnc-request at mailman.qth.net wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Re: Chapter Meetings (Nathan Moreschi)
> 2. Re: Hi Bill -meeting (Hank)
> 3. Re: Chapter Meetings (James Jordan)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2024 17:50:13 +0000 (UTC)
> From: Nathan Moreschi <n4ydu at yahoo.com>
> To: PVRC NC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net>, Bill Axelrod <bill at axelrods.org>
> Subject: Re: [PVRCNC] Chapter Meetings
> Message-ID: <392462131.2529220.1725645013260 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> Hi Bill,
> Hickory Tavern is kind of a pain to get to from the Wake Forest/Youngsville area and that typically results in me not wanting to attend the meetings.? I'm not a huge fan of the room we meet in - the layout makes it a little difficult to run the hybrid meeting. I see the appeal to the hybrid meeting but I prefer in-person only. I find the zoom-stuff to be a little distracting (audio issues, mic being passed around, general QRM). However, it is nice to see folks who can't physically make it to the meetings.
> My thoughts on reviving attendance would be the following:
> - Find a better location - Milton's in Raleigh comes to mind or even revisit Manchesters. Manchesters did not close, they had staffing issues and that led to them not wanting to mess with the meeting room (if I remember correctly).
> - Offer some sort of activity at the meetings - we used to do paper contests - those were fun but also require someone to put one together each month. Show and tell?
> - Do not do the around the table conversation when there is a program. We did that at one point in the past.
> - Keep the meetings on a monthly schedule
> - Encourage presentations - maybe give the presenter a free beer or something.?
>
> 73,
>
> Nate/N4YDU
> On Friday, September 6, 2024 at 10:32:20 AM EDT, Bill Axelrod via PVRCNC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
> Folks,
>
> ? ? Recently, we have seen a s steady decline in the number of us
> attending our monthly meetings in person.? Last night there were only four
> of us in the room - and that raised a good discussion and a series of
> questions about our monthly meetings.
>
> ? ? In this fairly lengthy email I would like to lay out that discussion,
> the questions raised during the meeting, and some of the ideas suggested
> and solicit your thought, inputs, and sugestions
>
> ? ? I ask that you all read the following and share us your thoughts,
> ideas, etc about how our chapter should proceed.? I especially would like
> to hear from those of you who live in the area but do not regularly attend
> our meetings in person.
>
> ? ? First a bit of history.? Pre-COVID we met monthly up at Manchester's.
> We usually had 12 - 15 members attend those meetings.? Once COVID hit,
> Manchester's closed as did all other meeting places and we switched to Zoom
> meetings which were also well attended.
>
> ? ? After the COVID pandemic ended many of us started clamoring for
> re-starting in-person meetings.? And so we did.? Manchester's re-opened but
> steadfastly decided to not host meetings like ours.? We went on a search
> for a new venue.? Eric, NR4O, recommended the Hickory Tavern in Cary.? They
> were a good choice.? And so we restarted in-person meetings with a hybrid
> Zoom meeting to include those of us who live too far away to reasonably
> come to our in-person meetings.? These meetings work well.? But...
>
> ? ? We're not getting much attendance.? Aside from that being very
> disappointing, it is patently unfair to the folks at the Hickory Tavern.
> They give us use of their private room at no cost each month.? The room can
> fit 25 or more people and could be earning even more revenue for them.
> They dedicate a server to support us, even if we barely fill one small
> table.
>
> ? ? So, my first question to y'all is:? What should we do about it?? We
> could do nothing and? continue our present practice.? We could go back to
> Zoom only meetings.? We could hold in-person meetings once a quarter and do
> Zoom only the other two months?? What do you think?? Any and all ideas you
> may have are desired.? PLEASE!
>
> ? ? Another related question concerns our monthly guest speaker program
> and the length of our meetings.? A number of us have opined that our
> meetings have grown too long with both a guest speaker and our "around the
> table" chat.? Should we cut out the guest speakers?? Only have something
> scheduled (maye) four time a year?? What do you think?? Please comment on
> that also.
>
> ? ? Again, especially for those of you that don't routinely come to our
> in-person meetings, please share your thoughts, ideas, preferences, wild
> hairs, or other opinions and let's see how we can meet our wants and needs.
>
> QRV.
>
> Thanks and 73...? Bill K3WA
> ReplyForward
> Add reaction
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2024 13:55:13 -0400
> From: Hank <k3ydx at yahoo.com>
> To: Ted N9NB <tsrwvcomm at aol.com>
> Cc: pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net
> Subject: Re: [PVRCNC] Hi Bill -meeting
> Message-ID: <C4202A52-3B9D-4BFC-B28F-F0C514D1D70D at yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8
>
> Haven?t heard anyone complain about the food where we are now. Nor have I heard of anyone getting food poisoning there in the past year plus that we?ve been meeting there.
>
> I?m not looking for gourmet food in a social group meeting associated with a hobby interest. A simple burger or bowl of chili and salad are more than adequate.
>
> My vote is to go to quarterly meetings in person and have monthly zoom get togethers if you so desire.
>
> People have multiple demands on their free time and monthly travels of 25 or more miles isn?t a popular option for many.
>
> My 2 cents,
> 73
> Hank
>
>> On Sep 6, 2024, at 12:06 PM, Ted N9NB via PVRCNC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>> ?Hi Bill,
>>
>> I?ve been off the reflector due to work and email overload, but I recently heard there was low attendance at our PVRC NC meetings.
>>
>> I stopped going when the meetings moved away from Manchesters because the venue that was chosen had a very bad meeting room and food that was not so great. I had a fair and then a lousy meal, and that did it for me. I read later that the place had a long record of food poisoning.
>>
>> Life is too short to eat bad food and to have bad acoustics -:), and I found the hybrid remote/in person to be too challenging to attend and to hear everyone. I simply gave up.
>>
>> When the pipes burst at Manchesters, we all met once at a place on north raleigh which had a nice meeting room with monitors and good food (Italian, as I recall). They were very accommodating and I had told you or someone that we should consider that location. They were on the west side of the street - o forget the name but I recommended it at the time to you.
>>
>> Another good place with a meeting room ( I think it?s a meeting room) is Vics on Lake Boone Trail in West Raleigh but easy access on I-440.
>>
>> I think good acoustics and good food are top priorities for a meeting and I hope we find a venue with such as I would like to add this to my activities.
>>
>> 73,
>> Ted N9NB
>>
>>
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>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 6 Sep 2024 15:56:18 -0400
> From: James Jordan <k4qpl2 at gmail.com>
> To: Nathan Moreschi <n4ydu at yahoo.com>
> Cc: PVRC NC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net>, Bill Axelrod <bill at axelrods.org>
> Subject: Re: [PVRCNC] Chapter Meetings
> Message-ID:
> <CAMaWZH=KxRffY8S08qNyGuKzSyc8w6q20sBu6_VaF77OiNkNUw at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> Bill,
> Thanks for putting all this up for consideration. Being 25% of the live
> attendance last night, I stated my case that *something* needs to be done.
> Other than the cost of the toll road, it's pretty convenient for me going
> against the evening RTP traffic but I'll go anywhere that works
> for the gang. Food for a sports bar is good. Fish and chips rival what you
> get in England. One beer, entree and tip end up around $30 which isn't bad
> but I wouldn't object to fast food if we need to be more economical.
>
> Everything else, I also agree with Nate. Zoom meetings work OK for a small
> group or for a larger presentation. Maybe a program on lighting, audio and
> how to put your best foot forward in a virtual meeting would be useful. In
> any event, virtual meetings are a poor substitute for getting together in
> person, "mini-Dayton" fashion. Mike N4GU and I are driving up to the NR4M
> pig fest just to see our northern neighbors. Still have room....
>
> I confess my violations, but each of us in the round table report needs to
> get to the point and with a SHORT summary. Maybe the chairman should have a
> stop watch and a red light.? That also leaves more time for informal
> discussions.
>
> We've had some very good programs and I like those, but I think one per
> quarter would keep it fresh. Dispense with personal reports at those
> meetings.
>
> Having attended PVRC NC meetings for 25+ years, I look forward to the next
> 25!
> 73,
> Jim K4QPL
>
>
>> On Fri, Sep 6, 2024 at 1:50?PM Nathan Moreschi via PVRCNC <
>> pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>> Hi Bill,
>> Hickory Tavern is kind of a pain to get to from the Wake
>> Forest/Youngsville area and that typically results in me not wanting to
>> attend the meetings. I'm not a huge fan of the room we meet in - the
>> layout makes it a little difficult to run the hybrid meeting. I see the
>> appeal to the hybrid meeting but I prefer in-person only. I find the
>> zoom-stuff to be a little distracting (audio issues, mic being passed
>> around, general QRM). However, it is nice to see folks who can't physically
>> make it to the meetings.
>> My thoughts on reviving attendance would be the following:
>> - Find a better location - Milton's in Raleigh comes to mind or even
>> revisit Manchesters. Manchesters did not close, they had staffing issues
>> and that led to them not wanting to mess with the meeting room (if I
>> remember correctly).
>> - Offer some sort of activity at the meetings - we used to do paper
>> contests - those were fun but also require someone to put one together each
>> month. Show and tell?
>> - Do not do the around the table conversation when there is a program.
>> We did that at one point in the past.
>> - Keep the meetings on a monthly schedule
>> - Encourage presentations - maybe give the presenter a free beer or
>> something.
>>
>> 73,
>>
>> Nate/N4YDU
>> On Friday, September 6, 2024 at 10:32:20 AM EDT, Bill Axelrod via
>> PVRCNC <pvrcnc at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>>
>> Folks,
>>
>> Recently, we have seen a s steady decline in the number of us
>> attending our monthly meetings in person. Last night there were only four
>> of us in the room - and that raised a good discussion and a series of
>> questions about our monthly meetings.
>>
>> In this fairly lengthy email I would like to lay out that discussion,
>> the questions raised during the meeting, and some of the ideas suggested
>> and solicit your thought, inputs, and sugestions
>>
>> I ask that you all read the following and share us your thoughts,
>> ideas, etc about how our chapter should proceed. I especially would like
>> to hear from those of you who live in the area but do not regularly attend
>> our meetings in person.
>>
>> First a bit of history. Pre-COVID we met monthly up at Manchester's.
>> We usually had 12 - 15 members attend those meetings. Once COVID hit,
>> Manchester's closed as did all other meeting places and we switched to Zoom
>> meetings which were also well attended.
>>
>> After the COVID pandemic ended many of us started clamoring for
>> re-starting in-person meetings. And so we did. Manchester's re-opened but
>> steadfastly decided to not host meetings like ours. We went on a search
>> for a new venue. Eric, NR4O, recommended the Hickory Tavern in Cary. They
>> were a good choice. And so we restarted in-person meetings with a hybrid
>> Zoom meeting to include those of us who live too far away to reasonably
>> come to our in-person meetings. These meetings work well. But...
>>
>> We're not getting much attendance. Aside from that being very
>> disappointing, it is patently unfair to the folks at the Hickory Tavern.
>> They give us use of their private room at no cost each month. The room can
>> fit 25 or more people and could be earning even more revenue for them.
>> They dedicate a server to support us, even if we barely fill one small
>> table.
>>
>> So, my first question to y'all is: What should we do about it? We
>> could do nothing and continue our present practice. We could go back to
>> Zoom only meetings. We could hold in-person meetings once a quarter and do
>> Zoom only the other two months? What do you think? Any and all ideas you
>> may have are desired. PLEASE!
>>
>> Another related question concerns our monthly guest speaker program
>> and the length of our meetings. A number of us have opined that our
>> meetings have grown too long with both a guest speaker and our "around the
>> table" chat. Should we cut out the guest speakers? Only have something
>> scheduled (maye) four time a year? What do you think? Please comment on
>> that also.
>>
>> Again, especially for those of you that don't routinely come to our
>> in-person meetings, please share your thoughts, ideas, preferences, wild
>> hairs, or other opinions and let's see how we can meet our wants and needs.
>>
>> QRV.
>>
>> Thanks and 73... Bill K3WA
>> ReplyForward
>> Add reaction
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> PVRCNC mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/pvrcnc
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:PVRCNC at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> PVRCNC mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/pvrcnc
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:PVRCNC at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
>
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>
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>
> End of PVRCNC Digest, Vol 248, Issue 2
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