Category: NEWSLETTER

SEPTEMBER 2018 BAARC SECRETARY’S REPORT

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THURSDAY-SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 – 4:00 PM – BAARC BOARD MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE DEPARTMENT

President: Steve Mott NØCRM
Vice President: John Luce WØWY
Treasurer: Doug Bergsnev WØDWB
Secretary: Ron Finger KØGOP
Past Presidents: Charles Lane W5CCL, Al Doree WØRC
Director At Large: Lyle Amundson KØLFV
Director of Emergency Communications: Dave Schuldheisz KØISZ
Repeater Trustee: Mitch Ahrenstorff ADØHJ
Community & Special Events Coordinator: Mark Cross KEØLFQ

Attendees: Steve NØCRM, Doug WØDWB, John WØWY, Ron KØGOP, Al WØRC, Shirley KØDCW, Mitch ADØHJ, and Roger WØWUG. The President opened the Board Meeting at 4 PM.

Secretary’s Report: 

  • Membership roster: 74 members with 8 unpaid for 2018. The Club roster can be found on the Club website under the“Resources/Members Only”  Current paid members can request an individual password for access via the “Contact Us” form.
  • Minutes: The July 2018 meeting minutes were posted to the“Baarcer” area. There were no business meetings for August.
  • Correspondence: None.
  • Documents: Updated Club membership roster and Gmail contacts database.
  • Membership ID’s: 2 new Club ID’s.
  • Club Website: New banner graphic for October; Northland Arboretum’s Haunted Trail event.
  • Motion to accept: Al WØRC, SecondJohn WØWY,  

Treasurer’s Report: The President presented the Treasurer’s report that was forwarded to the board showing all month’s account transactions and balances to date.

  • Motion to accept: John WØWY, SecondAl WØRC, Passed

Membership Meeting Programs: 

  • The President reviewed recent and future Club programs and events. Al WØRC suggested a program on Software Defined Radio (SDR). Mitch ADØHJ said another member is exploring VHF/UHF “meteor scatter” which might be another possibility.
  • The Fire Department meeting location is unavailable for November and December. John will check into using the Brainerd Chamber of Commerce CTC meeting room for the November 29th and December 20th dates.

Upcoming Events: The following events were discussed:

Northland Arboretum’s Haunted Trail event

  • Friday October 19 – Saturday October 20, 2018, 6:00PM – 9:30 PM
  • Need Club operators to patrol “Scare Spots” over the 2-hour event
  • Meal provided; contact Ron KØGOP to sign up.

CQ WW DX SSB Contest

  • Saturday October 27-Sunday October 28, 2018

2019 BAARC Hamfest

  • Saturday, April 6, 2019
  • Al WØRC has secured the date with the Brainerd Armory.

Digital & Emergency Communications: 

ARES Connect Update:

  • John reported that we need to find someone to get our Club up to speed using WinLink, per ARES request for use with SKYWARN, etc.
  • Mitch ADØHJ volunteered to do this.
  • October 3rd ARES Test: Need to contact Doug Nelson or Jerry Groeneveld regarding our expected Club role.

New CWC EOC:

  • No updates on construction progress allowing reactivating our Club station there.

APRS:

  • Al WØRC reported that the APRS PC has been going offline recently, but seems to be holding a connection for now.

Old Business: 

Repeater Sites:

  • Gull Lake:
    • Mitch ADØHJ requested a work session with Al and Roger to connect the new Heliax.
  • Crosby:
    • No new items.
  • Crow Wing Power:
    • No new items.
  • Cross Lake:
    • No new items.
  • High-rise Site:
    • OCF-Dipole remote station antenna seems to work well, but will likely need resonance adjustments when placed in the final roof-top environment.

Storage Unit:

  • Lyle KØLFV ahs acquired some shelving.

New Business:

  • Upcoming elections for Club officers was discussed. Most agreed to be placed on the ballot to serve again with the exception of Vice President John Luce, who would prefer to see someone else take on that role. The Club membership will be encouraged to consider any of these roles if interested.
  • Mitch reported Lyle has purchased a Yaesu FTM-100 for $200 for Club use.

Motion for reimbursement: Ron KØGOP, Second Doug WØDWB, Passed. 

  • The possibility of working with the Emily Fire Department on a possible northern repeater location was discussed. Other options were explored to add coverage for SKYWARN as well as the Mid-MN 150 Sled Dog Race event. A repeater setup could exceed $2500 with hardware, antenna and Heliax, so possible state and county funding should be explored as well as local business and foundation grants. Steve and Mitch will reach out to Becky KDØHBH for her offer of assistance in pursuing these proposals. John will inquire about state / county aid, and Al will check with Emily FD on their new tower timetable.
  • An acquaintance of Dave KEØIUZ has generously offered to donate 100 Cotton LED lighted hats to our Club. They will come in Black and Khaki and we will likely use them as a fundraiser. https://www.panthervision.com/product/powercap-25-10-structured-cotton-led-lighted-hats/

The Board Meeting was adjourned at 5:02 PM.

THURSDAY-SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 – 7:00 PM – BAARC MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE DEPARTMENT

Pat WØOPW gave a presentation on Off-Center Fed (OCF) dipole antenna design. Mitch ADØHJ gave a presentation on the SSTV digital mode.

–Respectfully submitted by Ron KØGOP, Secretary

BAARC Presents Plaque to Brainerd Fire Department

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On Thursday, July 27, 2018, Chief Holmes accepted a plaque from Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club (BAARC). Past President Al Doree presented the plaque in appreciation for the use of the Brainerd Fire Station as a venue to promote and participate in Amateur Radio Service for the Crow Wing County Area. The plaque reads, “the fire department’s support greatly aids our volunteer efforts in the areas of Public Safety, Emergency Communications, and Technical Education in the community”. — with Tim Holmes and Al Doree WØRC.
A similar plaque was also presented to the Crow Wing County Fair Board in appreciation for the use of the fairground location for many Club events including ARRL Field Day and the Free Tailgate Hamfest. Lyle Amundsen KØLFV made the presentation to the Board during their July meeting.
Special thanks to Tom KTØMMY for creating the laser-engraved plaques.

All Things HF: September 2018

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I cannot say that the month of September was without its incidents. I awoke at 4:00AM one morning on the floor where I had fallen. My next recollection was an ambulance ride to St. Josephs Hospital in Park Rapids then to the emergency room when I blacked out again. The following morning I awoke to find tubes, wires and bags of colored liquid hanging from a stand next to my bed. A Doctor was taking my blood pressure while explaining that I had Pneumonia.

Hot diggity dog and all that good stuff as I asked when I could go home…there was a chuckle then he was gone. Okay, 3 days later I was on my way home to recuperate while playing HF radio.

So, here I am doing just that. There has been spotty DX into Europe along with plenty of operators in the US looking for a good signal to talk to. Since returning from my hospital experience there’s been plenty of rag chew opportunities mostly on 20-meters. Most of my QSO’s were generated by stations answering my CQ as I stood bye for a call. If you’re like me you keep an eye open to one of the many DX spotting sites on the internet so you might jump on a call in Europe to work SSB or perhaps a signal working CW. I might add that there have been some good openings to Central America on both phone along with some on CW.

I’ve made some changes (additions) to my operating table by adding a pull out flat desk top making it easier to write on. My CW paddle is now easier to access plus its no longer crowded with paper and writing materials. Tomorrow is the first day of fall as I prepare to stay busy on HF all the way from fall to the end of winter so I am looking forward to some good HF experiences. A bit of advice::::getting old is not for sissies so hang in there and don’t forget to sit down at your station and call CQ because someone somewhere is listening for your call.

Best 73 es gud DX from Bob/WØZPE

Forestview Middle School Balloon Launch SUCCESS!

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On May 16th, 2018 Jim Reed and Cory Olson, Forestview Middle School teachers, finally were able to get a flight path prediction for their long awaited balloon launch. They selected a small ball field in Cushing, MN as launch site and as it turned out, it was the perfect site to use. The balloon was a 3000 gram balloon, which means it was bigger than the other balloons they launched, usually 1200 grams.

The balloon launched at 4:50 PM and headed southeast as expected. The balloon burst at 6:19 PM at an altitude of 111,003 ft. We started tracking as soon as it was launched, but did not hurry as everyone was tracking it either by APRS or an APRS app on their smart phones. Jim and Cory positioned us near where it looked like it would land and they were not far off.

Ron, KØGOP was on the 147.225 repeater assisting with tracking information on aprs.fi. As it turned out, it landed in an open farmers field near Lastrup, MN. The home owner, an elderly lady, was sure surprised when she saw 8 or 10 cars coming up her driveway. One of her sons was still there so he helped recover the balloon with his ATV.

The other coincidence was that one of her daughters is also the Managing Editor of the Morrison Co Record. She arrived in a little while and Jim, Cory and the HAB club will get some well deserved publicity from the Record.

All in all it turned out be be a very good flight. This makes 100% recovery for the club.

73′ Al Doree WØRC

Attached is an APRS map showing the balloon flight in RED and the tracking crew path in GREEN.