ARCARS
April 2011
Meeting Minutes
The meeting was called to order on April 3, 2010 with 14 members and guests present.
MOTION: To accept the March minutes by Russ (KD8FRE), seconded by Suzanne (KB8GFY), approved.
TREASURES REPORT: Suzanne (KB8GFY) reported our balance stands at $198.50
DISASTER REPORT: There were no events in the area that required a callout.
NET REPORT: Edgar (KC8VLV) reported that the net participation remains light on Tuesday evenings.
SPECIAL EVENTS: We have two sessions booked with the Poker House. We are still looking for member/volunteers for this event. We are required to have at least 4 members present at the events at all times. A chairman is required to be present at the event at all times. The chairmen are; Director Jeff Hadwin, Andrew Wagner, Russ Long, and Suzanne Gregowski. Each opportunity consists of four day/evening session scheduled from 5pm to (as late as) 2am. The events are scheduled for May 3rd through May 6th and May 31st through June 3rd. The funds generated at these events will be allocated to ARCARS for operating expenses and equipment purchases. Members are encouraged to come for a while even if they are unable to stay for complete sessions. We had a video presentation on the mechanics of the event.
May 6th the Sarnia Emergency Services Day event is held from 7am until about 6pm. Lunch is provided and we are looking for members to help represent ARCARS.
The Feast of the St Claire event is coming up. The event is to be held Memorial Day weekend. We will be helping out from 11pm to 6am during the event. The minimum level of participants has been met for this event, but we encourage other members to stop by and visit while it is in progress.
We are in the process of completing a schedule of planned events on docs.arcars.org. We are making plans for the Farm Museum tractor show in Aug. There are also some Museum Ships weekend events that will be disclosed in future meetings. We will be participating in Field Day at the end of June, as well as helping with the 4H fair are among other events we are planning to support.
CLUB STATION: The battery that powers the packet station needs to be replaced. It is hoped that our fundraising efforts will generate the monies needed for needed equipment. A replacement battery charger is needed for the packet station. The packet station at 144.010MHz will resume operation once it is replaced. There was discussion about utilizing an alternative power supply until the charger can be replaced. Paul (KG8OU) inquired about the feasibility of a link from 144 MHz to 220MHz packet. Russ donated a 12V computer to use at the repeater site or anywhere where power is inaccessible.
NEWSLETTER: Mark (N8EGJ) has replaced the link for local weather on the web page. This link offers information that is easier to access. The web pages are located at www.qsl.net/arcars and www.bandopening.com/arcars . There is a wealth of information available on the website including the RSS feed. The swap list link has been updated.
CLUB PROJECT: The tower rack project has been started. Paul, Terry, Edgar, Adam, Andrew, Amy and Jeri worked on the project. The unistrut was cut and about half of the rack was assembled. Another session was planned for April 3rd. The top shelf still needs to be installed. The tower sections will consume about 40” in width inside the trailer. There are also plans to install lighting over the radio desk in the truck. We also plan to get together and straighten out some of our antennas outside the Chapter House.
OLD BUSINESS: The call out list project is still in progress. We are compiling a list of willing volunteers that wish to be contacted to assist during local disasters.
Orders for ARCARS apparel are being processed by Russ (KD8FRE).
NEW BUSINESS: none covered
DX SPOTS/ SPECIAL EVENTS: nothing covered.
MOTION TO ADJOURN: by Angela (KD8HMS), seconded by Mark (N8EGJ), approved.
ANNOUNCEMENTS and other info:
The ARCARS & International Traders Net is held every Tuesday evening at 8pm on the 146.800 K8ARC repeater.
The International Friendship Net is held every Thursday at 9pm on the 145.370-VA3SAR repeater
The Thumb / Mid Michigan Nets are held Monday through Saturday at 9:30pm on the 147.300 repeater.
HF: The Great Lakes Emergency and Traffic Net is held nightly at 8pm on 3.932 kHz
Our scheduled events are located on the Google Doc’s system at docs.arcars.org and mail.arcars.org