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July 2021 Secretary’s Report

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THURSDAY-JULY 29, 2021 – 5:00 PM – BAARC BOARD MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE STATION


President: Steve Mott NØCRM
Vice President: Terry May KIØFW
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: John Luce WØWY
Repeater Trustee: Jay Andolshek KAØDYN
Community & Special Events Coordinator: Mark Cross KEØLFQ


Attendees: Lyle KØLFV, Doug WØDWB, Terry KIØFW, Ron KØGOP, Al WØRC, Charles W5CCL, and Dave KØISZ. The Vice President opened the Board Meeting at 5:05 PM.

Secretary’s Report: 

  • Membership roster: 87 members with 65 paid for 2021 (as of membership meeting close).
  • Minutes: The June 2021 Club Minutes were distributed to the Board and posted to the Club website
  • Website: Web graphics updated for the BAARC Tailgate Hamfest 2021. July article for Bob WØZPE’s “All Things HF was posted.
  • Correspondence: N0TNJ Donation List Compiled 7/20/2021
  • BAARC Letter-Pat Williamson Donation Thank You 7/21/2021
  • BAARC Letter-John Luce Donation Thank You 7/21/2021
  • BAARC Letter-Aaron J Nielsen Donation Thank You 7/21/2021
  • BAARC Letter-Aaron J Nielsen Donation Used Prices Estimate 7/28/2021
  • BAARC Letter-Dave Chandler KØNRI Thank You 7/28/2021
  • Club membership roster and Gmail recipient list were updated to current status.

Treasurer’s Report:

  • The Treasurer’s report was distributed to the board and presented by the Treasurer, showing all month’s account transactions and balances to date. All bills are current and paid.

Membership Meeting Programs: 

  • The Vice President reviewed the possible Club programs for 2021. There will be no formal Club meetings in August in lieu of the Club picnic.

Digital and Emergency Communications:

  • CWC EOC: no report
  • ARRL: no report
  • SKYWARN: Al WØRC presented updated protocols for using the new NWS chat rooms. Alternate path to NWS-Duluth for severe weather reporting is through their toll free phone number.
  • ARES Central MN Regional Hospital Net: This VHF net occurs at 1PM on the first Wednesday of the month on the Saint Cloud 147.015 repeater. Al WØRC and other members installed a 440 crossband link at one the Hi-rise repeater sites for better local access to the St. Cloud repeater. It is working well and can be accessed for check-ins on 434.0 MHz simplex.

Upcoming BAARC Events

  • Club Storage Container workday: Saturday, July 31; signup sheet at July 29th Club meeting.
  • Tailgate Hamfest: This outdoor event has proved a good option to sustain Club income from sales of donated equipment. We will again plan to host this at the CWC Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 14, 9AM – 1PM.
  • BAARC Picnic: Lum Park, Brainerd, August 21, 11AM. Bring a lunch and beverage; no Fox Hunt this year.

Repeater Trustee & Technical Support

  • Jay KAØDYN has accepted the post of Club Repeater Trustee, and be the official point of contact for the Club repeaters. Jay is also included as a voting member of the Executive Board, per Club Bylaws and Constitution.
  • Interested members are also sought for re-establishing a Club Technology Committee to plan and manage current needs and plan for future technical development Lyle will ask former members for suggestions.

Old Business:

  • Generator purchase: Lyle KØLFV reported that the new Club generator is on order and should arrive August 4-5.
  • The Board will act as the nominations committee for the November, 2021 Club election. Interested members are invited to contact any Board member for consideration.

New Business:

  • Lyle suggested several areas to improve our Club’s appeal to visitors. Among these were the appointment of on or more members to serve as greeters to welcome and make visitors and new members feel welcome.
  • Al WØRC would like to find another Club member(s) to assume the role of Refreshment Coordinator, a job he and Shirley KØDCW has handled for several years. This would involve bringing coffee, soft drinks and cookies to the membership meetings to be reimbursed by the treasurer.
  • The board discussed the recent addition of a group recital of “The Pledge of Allegiance”. It was noted that some recent attendees and visitors expressed surprise that this had been added. After polling each board member, several opinions were considered as to whether this was a plus or minus for Club attendance and it’s appropriateness at a meeting for a diverse group of amateur radio hobbyists. Following a period of spirited discussion the Board voted not to continue this element for our monthly meeting openings.

The Board Meeting was adjourned at 6:12 PM.

THURSDAY-JULY 29, 2021 – 7:00 PM – BAARC MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE STATION

Several door prizes were awarded.

18 members and guests enjoyed an interesting presentation by member Tom KDØMOM on his berry farm and a HAM’s efforts to use technology in his battle with hungry wildlife!

Members Colleen WØYIV and Gus WØYJC Christensen graciously volunteered to take on the role of both Club Greeters and Refreshment Coordinators.

—Respectfully submitted by Ron KØGOP, Secretary

All Things HF – September 2021

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September 09, 2021
All Things HF


Is the third time really a charm? Apparently not for the DXpedition team attempting to activate Bouvet Island. Their transportation via ship to their final destination, the MV Braveheart is being sold by its owner who has cancelled all future engagements. This very sought after ATNO has once again been pulled, disappointing the DX folks worldwide.
On the brighter side of the news, band conditions continue to improve as we move closer to the Autumnal Equinox with good worldwide DX, especially for those who are seeking first time DXCC. This is a good time for those of you seeking to work the world of DX to get going, as there are abundant opportunities on the ever-improving bands for all modes of HF radio communications.
Where were you on that awful day 9/11? I remember the day vividly as I was working a station in Argentina who informed me that his TV was showing a fire in the World Trade Center building–a vary large fire. We closed our QSO in order to get to the news of that tragic day. The world changed forever that infamous day…9/11
That’s all for now from my station in Huntersville to your station wherever it may be. Good HF conditions are returning, so sit down at your station and call CQ because someone somewhere is listening for your call. Don’t disappoint them.


Best 73 es gud DX
Bob WØZPE

All Things HF – August 2021

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August 1, 2021

Where did they go? We had sunspots, lots of them until the 3RD week of July then they went ’south’ taking with it the good solar index numbers. Good DX didn’t go away but it was a lot more difficult to work. I did answer a CQ portable from a station in Lugano, Switzerland. Going back to my home town of San Luis Obispo, California, there is a connection with Lugano and the central coast. In the late 1800’s there was an exodus from Lugano to SLO of dozens of dairy farmers starting a new life in the US. The town of Lugano’s official language is Italian.

The Swiss/Italian community in SLO no longer farms but they still speak their native language and have become shakers and movers in their adopted community. I visited Lugano in 1982…it’s a charming and beautiful part of the world. Isn’t it amazing what we as radio operators can do to make this world a nicer place by friendly communication with other Ham radio operators around the world? 

Keep looking ahead as the band conditions improve and perhaps you will make a connection as nice as mine. Keep on keeping on and remember to sit down at your station to call CQ because someone, somewhere, is listening for your call–don’t disappoint them. So long from my station in Huntersville to your station wherever it may be.   

Best 73 es gud DX,

Bob WØZPE

June 2021 Secretary’s Report

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THURSDAY-JUNE 24, 2021 – 5:00 PM – BAARC BOARD MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE STATION


President: Steve Mott NØCRM
Vice President: Terry May KIØFW
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: John Luce WØWY
Repeater Trustee: Jay Andolshek KAØDYN
Community & Special Events Coordinator: Mark Cross KEØLFQ


Attendees: Lyle KØLFV, Terry KIØFW, Ron KØGOP, John WØWY, Al WØRC, Charles W5CCL, and Dave KØISZ. The Vice President opened the Board Meeting at 5:05 PM.

Secretary’s Report: 

  • Membership roster: 86 members with 63 paid for 2021 (as of membership meeting close).
  • Minutes: The May 2021 Club Minutes were distributed to the Board and posted to the Club website
  • Website: Web graphics will be updated for the BAARC Tailgate Hamfest 2021. June article for Bob WØZPE’s “All Things HF was posted.
  • Correspondence: None.
  • Club membership roster and Gmail recipient list were updated to current status.

Treasurer’s Report:

  • The Treasurer’s report was distributed to the board by Charles W5CCL, showing all month’s account transactions and balances to date. All bills are current and paid.

Membership Meeting Programs: 

  • The Vice President reviewed the upcoming membership meetings for July 29, and August which will be our traditional Club picnic at Lum Park, Brainerd.

Digital and Emergency Communications:

  • CWC EOC: John WØWY reported nothing new regarding the new EOC facility. It is still in progress and our Club operating area should be arranged within the next month. Grant funds are available for antenna cabling when they are ready for our relocation at the new facility.
  • ARRL Emergency Coordinator, BAARC Director of Emergency Communications position: John WØWY prepared and distributed to the board a 4-page job description of his 2 former positions as an aide in the selection of interested candidates. The Board thanked him for this helpful guideline.
  • SKYWARN: Al WØRC will type up protocols for using the new NWS chat rooms. Alternate path to NWS-Duluth for severe weather reporting is through their toll free phone number.
  • ARES Central MN Regional Hospital Net: This VHF net occurs at 1PM on the first Wednesday of the month on the Saint Cloud 147.015 repeater. Some of our operators that previously checked in from home are no longer able to access this repeater. Al WØRC suggested we could install a 440 crossband link at one of our repeater sites for this purpose.

Upcoming BAARC Events

  • 2021 Field Day: Lyle KØLFV discussed Club Field Day activities at the CWC Fairgrounds this year. Since we were unable to find a new chairperson to oversee the weekend event onsite, we will participate individually from home or alternate field locations. Club member’s individual station logs can be submitted to the ARRL using each operator’s call sign, but under the BAARC affiliation.
  • Club Storage Container workday: Saturday, July 31; signup sheet at July 29th Club meeting.
  • Tailgate Hamfest: This outdoor event has proved a good option to sustain Club income from sales of donated equipment. We will again plan to host this at the CWC Fairgrounds on Saturday, August 14, 9AM – 1PM.
  • BAARC Picnic: Lum Park, Brainerd, August 21, 11AM. Bring a lunch and beverage; no Fox Hunt this year.

Repeater Trustee & Technical Support

  • Jay KAØDYN has offered to serve as Club Repeater Trustee, and be the official point of contact for the Club repeaters. John WØWY: Motion to appoint, Second: Terry KIØFW, PASSED.
  • Interested members are also sought for re-establishing a Club Technology Committee to plan and manage current needs and plan for future technical development Lyle will ask former members for suggestions.

Old Business:

  • Generator purchase: With the change in Field Day plans, there is not an immediate need. Lyle will check on availability and model updates.
  • The Board will act as the nominations committee for the November, 2021 Club election. Interested members are invited to contact any Board member for consideration.

New Business:

  • Ron KØGOP reported that Club member Bill Schaller NØPUJ successfully tested in Saint Cloud to earn his Extra Class license. Also testing was Bill’s 12 year-old grandson Aden, who passed his Technician Class License as new ham KFØFWB. The board welcomes Aden to the club with a complimentary membership for 2021.

The Board Meeting was adjourned at 5:50 PM.

THURSDAY-JUNE 24, 2021 – 7:00 PM – BAARC MEMBERSHIP MEETING MINUTES – BRAINERD FIRE STATION

Several 2021 ARRL Field Day T-Shirts were awarded in the door prizes.

17 members and guests enjoyed several interesting member presentations on their favorite Ham Radio shirt, and the story behind it.

Ron KØGOP gave a demonstration of the N3FJP Field Day Software that members can use from home or in the field.

—Respectfully submitted by Ron KØGOP, Secretary