[SMCARA] SMCARA Meeting minutes of 4/28/11

[Walter Rupp]

Greetings all,
Please find below the SMCARA meeting  minutes of 4/28/11.
Our next SMCARA meeting at PRNAM is 5/26/11.
Emailed corrections welcome.
Hope to see all of you there!
SMCARA Secretary,
de W3GYT Walt


Minutes of the St. Mary’s Amateur Radio Club
April 28, 2011
 
The President, Pete Butt (WA3UMY), called the meeting to order at 1938 hours.  
The President polled all the amateurs present and asked them to state their name 
and their amateur call.  There were 14 members in attendance.  The minutes for 
the March 2011 meeting were amended and approved.
 
The Treasurer, Lee Jamieson (N8HTG), gave his report.  We have $2,226.88 in our 
account.  We paid for the repeater crystals and have supported the amateur radio 
classes being held by Tom Shelton (AB3MIK).  

 
The introductory amateur radio class meeting is planned for 7:30 p.m., May 5, 
2011.  The class will run from 14 May until the 4 June from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. 
at the Patuxent  River Air Museum.  Tom Shelton (AB3MIK) will conduct the class 
and Eric Heard (N3UH) will be the technician class examiner.  Duane Kincaid 
(WD8OYG) will provide a hand-held 2-meter transceiver to all successful exam 
participants. The new amateur class already has 9 students enrolled.  The cost 
of the class is $25.00 and it includes the technician class ARRL study guide.  
If the student already has a book, the class cost is $5.00.  The ARRL technician 
study book will have a new question pool later this summer. Field Day plans 
include continue licensing efforts.  There will be the availability of licensing 
upgrades and technician licensing.
 
Many volunteers are needed to participate in Field Day and make it a success.  
   Final Field Day coordination will be completed at our next radio club meeting 
on May 26.  On June 24 we will be setting up the Field Day radios in the Bingo 
Hall at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department just north of 
Hollywood/Leonardtown Rd. on Rt. 235.  The fee for rental of the Bingo Hall has 
been waived by the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department.  There is a possibility 
of having a Civil Air Patrol Display in the Bingo Hall.  The dates of Field Day 
are June 24 to set up and operation for twenty-four hours June 25 and 26.  
Because of the extra distance from the Bingo Hall to the Field Day antenna farm, 
we will need extra lengths of co-ax cable.  Four wireless logging computers will 
be available for Field Day operations.  Boz (KG3BOZ) is going to set up a 
10-meter station.  We also will have a PSK station set-up.  Special transmitting 
and receiving filters will be used during Field Day operations to reduce or 
eliminate interference between operating positions.  Pete (WA3UMY) and Walt 
(W3GYT) volunteered to obtain food for the Field Day gourmet trough for our 
Saturday evening meal.   Our Field Day frequencies of operation will be 80, 40, 
20, and 10 meters.  

 
We continue to work to complete the Emergency HF radio at the Patuxent  River 
Naval Air  Museum.  A tower-working party is required to install the antenna 
rotor and the antenna. Working party dates have yet to be determined.. 

 
Plans for the Museum amateur radio display were discussed.  Volunteers are 
needed to construct sections of the interactive amateur radio display.  

 
The repeater is operating fine business.  Interference between other repeaters 
on 04/64 has been virtually eliminated by the use of the 146.2 PL tone.  Pete 
(WA3UMY) offered to check the repeater antenna efficiency using a time domain 
reflectometer.  

 
At Pete’s (WA3UMY) request, the meeting concluded with all attendees giving a 
short talk about what they had done for amateur radio for the last month.  A 
50/50 raffle was held and was won by Gene Guazzo (KA3ZZF).  The meeting 
adjourned at 2044 hours.
 
Respectfully submitted,
Walter Rupp (W3GYT) Assisted by Jan  Rupp (KB3BAW)