The meeting was held over the internet via a Zoom video conference.

The following people were present:

Name Call Sign Position MH Grid WCARC RAC
Lawrence Dobranski VA3IQ Vice President FN25 Yes Yes
Bertrand Zauhar VE2ZAZ Secretary FN25bk Yes Yes
Mike Kennedy VA3TEC President FN25 Yes Yes
Norman Siemens VE3NPP Member FN25 Yes Yes
Robert Boyd VE3BE Director FN25 Yes Yes
Tom Zinck VA3NFA Member FN25 Yes Yes
Ray Perrin VE3FN Member FN25 Yes Yes
Clayton Smith VE3IRR Member EN82nh Yes Yes
Luc Pernot VE3JGL Member FN25ek Yes Yes
Ted Reinhardt VE3TD Member FN25 Yes Yes
Chris Schnobb - Visitor - No No

Opening

The meeting was opened by the President, Mike (VA3TEC), at 7:25 pm. There was one visitor attending the meeting.

Meeting Agenda

The meeting agenda was displayed prior to the meeting, and is reproduced below. Mike (VA3TEC) moved that the agenda be adopted as published. Bert (VE2ZAZ) seconded. A unanimous vote in favour of the motion took place, and the motion was carried.

Secretary’s Report

Bert posted a draft version of the March 2026 regular meeting minutes on the Club website prior to this meeting. Moved by him that the minutes be adopted as posted. The motion was seconded by Norman (VE3NPP). A unanimous vote in favour of the motion took place, and the motion was carried.

Treasurer’s Report

Glenn (VE3XRA), the Treasurer, was absent. Mike (VA3TEC), our President, is helping out with the Treasurer duties: Mike reported that Lawrence and him got signed up at Alterna. For unknown reasons, Mike is still not allowed to log into the Alterna account. He will sort this out soon.

Vice President’s Report

  • Lawrence thanked Mike (VA3TEC) for bringing in the speaker at this meeting.

  • May meeting: The main focus of the May meeting will be VHF contest preparation.

    Upcoming monthly meeting presentations:

    • Being planned (speakers shall provide a synopsis of their presentation to Lawrence):
      • Wayne (VE3CZO) - Selecting the right capacitor for an application.
      • Mike (VA3TEC) - IP400 Presentation.
      • Tom (VA3NFA) / Ted (VE3TD) / Lawrence (VA3IQ) - AREDN Status.
      • Lawrence (VA3IQ) - How to not brick AREDN nodes.
      • Lawrence (VA3IQ) - Logging software acting as Rover controller.

Director’s Report

  • Robert met with those who can set up the Diefenbunker for a Club meeting. The rental fee is $90 per hour. Due to this high rental fee, the Diefenbunker is no longer a viable meeting location.
  • The Club will be using the Bunker hill for its Microwave Activity Day on May 2nd. All is set up with the Bunker staff. Entrance will be open at 8:30am. Participants will meet for breakfast at Zak’s Diner prior to the event.

President’s Report

  • Mike thanked Chris Schnobb for presenting at this meeting.
  • Mike reported on a MeshCore/AREDN trial and “Show and Tell” they held using his trailer in the Diefenbunker parking lot.

Presentation(s)

Presentation: Chris Schnobb - MeshCore, LoRa, Mesh Networking, and Building a Connected Ottawa and Beyond.

Old Business

  • Update the Officer signatures (President and Vice-President signatures) on file at the Alterna bank: Both the President and the Vice President now have their signature on file at Alterna. Closed item.
  • Glenn (VE3XRA), Tuesday evening SSB net: Glenn suggested that the Club Officers discuss, in the upcoming months, whether to carry on with holding the net. Lawrence (VA3IQ) is considering taking over the duties once his antenna stack and mast are installed, which is currently happening. Shared net control duties is also considered. Open item.
  • Bert (VE2ZAZ) on the 2026 June VHF Contest:
    • The Corkery Community Centre will be available for our June VHF Contest outing. We were informed of our rental fee: $275 for 3 and one half days. As this is more than the $250 maximum expenditure that the Officers are allowed to authorize, we need a member’s vote. See the “Rental of Corkery Centre Vote” section below. Closed item
    • Bert contacted Ray Burrell about his availability during the contest weekend and about retrieving our VHF equipment for the contest. Ray will be available for setup and tear down, and will load up his trailer the day before, as he did last year. He will need help for that task. Clayton (VE3IRR) is assigned the action of dispatching the help. Bert will inquire again about who is going to help out loading the trailer at the May meeting. Open item.
  • Lawrence on summer activities: A big push on him having 5.8 GHz ready for the May MAD. There is some renewed interest for 5.8 GHz in the Toronto area. The 10 GHz band will also be active. More information to follow.

New Business

No new business.

Rental of Corkery Centre Vote

A members vote was held to approve a $275 expenditure to cover the Corkery Centre rental fee for our participation in the 2026 June VHF contest. Bert (VE2ZAZ) moved that the members approve the expenditure. Ted (VE3TD) seconded the motion. There was a unanimous vote in favor. The motion was thus carried. Mike (VA3TEC) will proceed with the payment to the Corkery Community Association in the next few weeks.

Show and tell / Round Table

No items were brought up.

Ask the Club

No questions were asked.

Adjournment

The President observed that there was no further business. Bert (VE2ZAZ) moved that the meeting be adjourned. Lawrence (VA3IQ) seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 8:53 pm.

WCARC Regular Members Meeting Agenda - April 20th, 2026

  1. Call to Order @ 7 pm (Recording Reminder)
  2. Opening Statements, Take attendance
  3. Approve Agenda
  4. Secretary’s Report
  5. Treasurer’s Financial Statement
  6. Vice President’s Report
  7. Director’s Report
  8. President’s Yearly Report
  9. Presentation: Chris Schnobb - MeshCore, LoRa, Mesh Networking, and Building a Connected Ottawa and Beyond
  10. Old Business
  11. New Business
  12. Rental of Corkery Centre Vote
  13. Show and Tell / Elmer Questions / Trade-Swap-Sell
  14. Closing - Final remarks