The meeting was held in the upstairs Kanata meeting room in Sobey's at the SW corner of Hazeldean and Terry Fox in Kanata.

The following people were present:

NameCall SignPositionMH GridRACWCARC
Peter JagoVA3PJMemberFN25agYesYes
Dean DenterVA3CDDMemberFN25wlYesYes
Ying HumVA3YHMemberFN25dkYesYes
Bertrand ZauharVE2ZAZMemberFN25bkYesYes
Dave GoodwinVE3AAQMemberFN25dhYesYes
Graham IdeVE3BYTMemberFN25chYesYes
Dick BonnycastleVE3FUAMemberFN25ciYes
Clayton SmithVE3IRRMemberFN25aiYesYes
Richard FerchVE3KIMemberFN25ceYesYes
Dave ConnVE3KLMemberFN25bgYesYes
Dave HarrisVE3KMVMemberFN25djYesYes
Clare FowlerVE3NPCMemberFN25djYesYes
Paul BoltwoodVE3PLEMemberFN25bgYesYes
Doug LeachVE3XKVice PresidentFN25bfYesYes
Glenn MacDonellVE3XRASecretaryFN25djYesYes


Opening:
The meeting was opened by President, Clayton Smith (VE3IRR) at 19:30 hours. He welcomed visitor, Dick Bonnycastle (VE3FUA) our guest speaker.

Secretary's Report:
The Secretary, Glenn MacDonell (VE3XRA), introduced the minutes of the April meeting. It was moved by the Secretary, that the minutes be approved. Seconded by Doug Leach (VE3XK). Carried.

Treasurer's Report:
In the absence of the Treasurer, the Secretary reported that the current bank balance was about $599 and the club has 17 paid up members.

Vice President's Report
The Vice Present, Doug Leach (VE3XK) reported that Greg Milley (VA3ITB) had donated a 30' tower to the club to go along with the 3 rotators that he had previously donated. This equipments will be used at the June VHF contest and other club activities. This prompted comments of appreciation from many members and led to the following motion by Dave Goodwin (VE9CB, VE3AAQ) that the Club express its gratitude to Greg Milley (VA3ITB) for his exceptional generosity by presenting him with a plaque of appreciation. Seconded by Richard Ferch (VE3KI). Carried.

Old Business:
Nil

New Business:
Nil.

Reports and Project Updates:

Beacons
Doug Leach reported that the 4 lower beacons would soon be installed on the tower of Richard Ferch (VE3KI). The cabinet containing the beacon electronics would be located indoors, a major advantage over the arrangement used previously as it solved both temperature control and access issues associated with the previous outdoor arrangement. The only additional equipment required for the installation would be surge suppressors. Doug made the following motion: That the club purchase appropriate surge protectors at a cost of about $125 (allowing for currency exchange variations). Seconded by Peter Jago (VA3PJ). Carried.

D-STAR
Ying Hum reported that the D-STAR network was operating well.

Broadband Hamnet
Clayton Smith (VE3IRR) reported further developments, in particular exploring the use of 5.8 GHz links for longer paths and to take advantage of lower interference levels on this band.

Ramsey Lasers
Bert Zauhar (VE2ZAZ) distributed the laser kits he had ordered on behalf of club members. He reported that he had no difficulty assembling and testing the transmitter and receiver modules and confirming their operation. He estimated that most should be able to complete this in about 2 hours.


Announcements:
Clayton Smith (VE3IRR) reminded members that the Raspberry Pi Boot Camp organized by Tyler Tidman (VE3DGN) would take place Saturday May 23 at Algonquin College.

Doug (VE3XK) invited suggestions from members for projects the club could undertake.

Presentation:
Dick Bonnycastle gave us a talk entitled "Using rechargeable Batteries for Ham Radio Applications" that summarized the characteristics of available technologies and discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each. His presentation is posted on the WCARC website.

Adjournment:
President, Clayton (VE3IRR) stated that there being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 21:30 hrs.