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

• https://www.cqww.com/index.htm
• Need to find a location if we choose to do this.
• Will also need member help with tower setup/take down.

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