The meeting was held in the Kanata Room in Sobey's, at the SW corner of Hazeldean and Terry Fox Drive in Kanata.

The following people were present:

NameCall SignPositionMH GridRACWCARC
Bernie MadoreVA3BMZMemberFN15vzYesYes
Ken AsmusVA3KATreasurerFN15wgYesYes
Peter JagoVA3PJMemberFN25agYesYes
Stan MadoreVA3SMMMemberFN15vzYesYes
Bert ZauharVE2ZAZDirectorFN25bkYesYes
Clare FowlerVE3NPCMemberFN25YesYes
Glenn MacDonellVE3XRASecretaryFN15djYesYes
Al PenneyVO1NOPresidentFN24cwYesYes


Opening:
The meeting was opened by President Al Penney(VO1NO) at 19:35 hours.

Secretary's Report:
Secretary Glenn MacDonell (VE3XRA) introduced the minutes of the previous meeting. Moved by Glenn MacDonell (VE3XRA) that the previous minutes as published on the web pages, be approved. Seconded by Peter Jago (VA3PJ). Motion approved.

Treasurer's Report:
Treasurer Ken Asmus (VA3KA) reported that the club had 16 paid up members and 3 life members with $687.81 on hand. He reminded members that in planning for the year, we need to consider that most income arrives at the beginning of the year from membership renewals and the largest expense, to RAC for our liability insurance (~$260), comes at the end of the year. He also reported that he is continuing to look for ways to reduce bank charges, a significant cost for our small budget.

Old Business:
The issue of small attendance at recent meetings, noted by the Director, Bert (VE2ZAZ) at the previous meeting was discussed. This affected our slower than usual renewals this year because January marked the beginning of the club's new year. Frequent changes of meeting location may have affected this but we were now set in our regular meeting place until at least mid-summer. Bert suggested that e-mailing of meeting minutes and notice of the topic of upcoming presentations to the WCARC e-mail list may help bring upcoming meetings to the attention of members. The Secretary, Glenn (VE3XRA) agreed to target such information about 2 weeks before meetings.

New Business:
None

General Reports:

Beacons
Peter (VA3PJ), on behalf of Doug (VE3XK), who was unable attend this meeting, reported that the beacons continue to operate and their ventilation system has been changed from the winter to spring setting.

24 GHz Project
Bert (VE2ZAZ) reported success in adapting the surplus RF sections of 24GHz speed radars into wide band FM transceivers, including changing the mode from circular polarization to linear polarization. He will describe what he has done and the performance of the systems in a presentation at the meeting in May.

D-STAR
Ken (VA3KA) reported that the internet service provider appeared to be the cause of internet drop-outs of the VA3ODG repeater located in downtown Ottawa. The service provider is scheduled to be changed on April 20 and local D-STAR users hope this will solve the problem. Information on this and other repeaters and hotspots serving the Ottawa area can be found on the Ottawa Amateur Radio Digital Group website at https://va3odg.webqth.com.

The 1.2 GHz anntenna for the high speed data and voice D-STAR repeater, owned by the Almonte Amateur Radio Club, has been installed at about 180ft AGL on the antenna tower at the Union Hall building in Almonte. This required relocating the UHF antenna, significantly improving the D-STAR coverage across the region. More information can be found on the Almonte ARC website at http://www.almontearclub.ca.

Ottawa Antenna Consultation
Glenn (VE3XRA) reported that the Ottawa City Council had approved its new Municipal Concurrence and Public Consultation Process at their March 18 meeting. Representatives of the ad-hoc group of radio amateurs from across the Ottawa area, formed to respond to the City proposal, met with City staff in March and reached an agreement that met the City's concerns for encouraging antennas to be located in less visually intrusive locations, while also recognizing the requirements for adaequate antennas to serve radio amateurs needs. The City does not approve antennas but can influence the decisions of proponents by defining what size and location of antenna requires consultation with the city and possible approval by Industry Canda vs what can be installed immediately without consultation. The new process exempts all wire antennas and focuses on antenna supports. Consultation is required for lattice or guyed towers or ony structure higher than 15m if located in front of a house, on a lot less than 1 acre in size. These structures, and any others, can be installed without consultation if located behind the house and less than 18m high, if they meet required set back criteria. Structures up to 29m high can be installed on lots over 1 acre in size, depending on set back and location requirements, that change with lot size. The new Process takes effect 30 days after the City Council approval (April 27). City staff are now preparing their internal procedures and developing public information. Glenn's summary of the exemption criteria approved by the City Council can be found in the Presentations section of this website.

Presentation(s)/Activity:
Al (VO1NO) delivered a presentation on the DXpedition to Bon Portage Island, just off the coast of Nova Scotia, last June. The presentation can be found in this website's Presentations section.

Adjournment:
The President, Al Penney (VO1NO) stated that there being no further business, the meeting would be adjourned. The meeting was closed at 21:55 hours.