Minutes of the Regular Meeting on October 1, 2013
The meeting was held in the main Meeting Room in Sobey's, on the NW corner of Hazeldean and Carp Rd, in Stittsville. This was an alternate location to our usual meeting place.
The following people were present:
| Name | Call Sign | Position | MH Grid | RAC | WCARC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bert Zauhar | VE2ZAZ | Director | FN25bk | Yes | Yes |
| Barney Baker | VA3BGB | Member | FN25ai | Yes | Yes |
| Rick Bandla | VE3CVG | Webmaster | FN25hm | Yes | Yes |
| Peter Jago | VA3PJ | Member | FN25ag | Yes | Yes |
| Dave Goodwin | VE3AAQ | Member | FN25dg | Yes | Yes |
| Graham Ide | VE3BYT | Member | FN25ch | Yes | Yes |
| Wayne Getchell | VE3CZO | Member | FN25bk | Yes | Yes |
| Andrew Hart | VE3NVK | Treasurer | FN25bh | Yes | Yes |
| Clayton Smith | VE3IRR | Acting President | FN25ai | Yes | Yes |
| Ying Hum | VA3YH | Member | FN25dk | Yes | Yes |
| Clare Fowler | VE3NPC | Member | FN25dj | Yes | Yes |
| Paul Boltwood | VE3PLE | Member | FN25bg | Yes | Yes |
| Doug Leach | VE3XK | Member | FN25bf | Yes | Yes |
| Kieran Shepherd | VA3KS | Life Member | FN25dj | Yes | Yes |
Meeting Opening
The meeting was opened at 19:30 by Acting President Clayton Smith (VE3IRR), referred to as the President in these minutes.
Visitors
There were no visitors present.
Secretary's Report
Glenn, VE3XRA, Secretary, was absent. The September meeting minutes were taken by Bert (VE2ZAZ), posted on the web site by Webmaster Rick (VE3CVG) and reviewed by Clayton (VE3IRR). Treasurer Andy (VE3NVK) indicated that the bank balance should be corrected to $455.51. There are a few typos that Rick (VE3CVG) will correct. Dave (VE3AAQ) moved to adopt the minutes as amended. Doug (VE3XK) seconded the motion. Motion adopted.
Treasurer's Report
Andy (VE3NVK) reported a total cash in bank of $662.00, including proceedings from the 2013 Carp Hamfest sales (items donated to the Club). Andy indicated that we will have upcoming disbursement to RAC for the insurance programme and the affiliation fee (combined) in the order of $225. We can also expect to start collecting membership fees for 2014 at the AGM in December (2013). Andy also corrected the minutes of the September meeting as noted above.
Rick (VE3CVG) requested that Andy verify if the proposed payment to him, to help cover his beacon expenses (903MHz and 1296MHz) had been made. Andy has confirmed that this was indeed completed and a receipt, signed by Rick, is on hand. {Rick's note: Thanks Andy and thanks to the club!}
President's/Vice President's Report
- The meeting room is booked for November and December 2013. Clayton (VE3IRR) will confirm availability with the Sobey's management, one week ahead of the meetings.
- Since Glenn (VE3XRA) is away, a net controller is required for the October 8th, 15th and 22nd SSB VHF net. If nobody volunteers, Clayton (VE3IRR) will try to fill in, with some help from Bert (VE2ZAZ).
Director's Report
Nothing to report.
Old Business
Clayton (VE3IRR) confirmed that the recommendation letter on the new amateur radio MF band was sent to Industry Canada on September 17th.
New Business
2014 Grid Expedition - We need to decide on whether to hold the event in 2014. This decision has to be made in light of the departure from the club of Al (VO1NO), who led the event for several years and provided much of the required equipment. Other points to discuss are possible reduction in size, and relocation to a site which is closer to the Ottawa area. This topic will be added to the November 2013 meeting agenda, for further discussion.
General Reports and Announcements
Beacons - Doug (VE3XK) reported that tower erection at the Diefenbunker is still being considered. As a result, the Club may get access to this new location for the beacons in the spring of 2014.
D-STAR - Rick (VE3CVG) reported that the D-STAR system was down for three days in September. The system is now back on the air, fully functional.
2304 MHz Transverter project - Bert (VE2ZAZ) will hand out the Harris drawers to the participating club members immediately after this meeting. A final check on the required components by participants will be made in the current week, with the objective of bulk purchasing the components by Bert (VE2ZAZ). He will incur the expenditure and will get paid back by the project participants.
Video Recording of WCARC Meetings - We discussed the possibility of video-recording the meetings' technical presentations. These could be posted on the web for everyone's benefit. Concerns were expressed on the usage of copyrighted material in the presentation material, and the fact that this would become public. It was felt that if proper credit is given to the source, then this would not be an issue. As a start, the audio could get captured. Bert (VE2ZAZ) proposed to record the audio of the next meeting as a trial.
Presentation
Rick (VE3CVG) gave a presentation on the newest WCARC Beacons on 33cm and on 23cm. He also gave us a talk on and demo of his new Apache Labs ANAN-10 SDR Transceiver. Links to the presentations may be found under the [Presentations] web page tab.
Adjournment
The President, Clayton (VE3IRR) stated that there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 21:40.