Date

2017-11-18

Convened

09:36

Adjourned

11:06

Officers

• President: Paul Bilke (KF5WGJ) present
• Vice President: Mark Hnatiuk (KG5EYV) absent
• Secretary: Matthew Barry (KG5LYE) present
• Treasurer: Sly Kapchinski (N5GQB) present

Attendees (26)

• Ernie Pyle (KI5WG)
• Kathy Pyle (KB5QWS)
• James Worster (NV5S)
• Marty Nau (W5MHN)
• Joe Napoli (KG5SDF)
• Vic Pears (KX8V)
• Avery McIntosh (N7ALM)
• Jonathan Graham (KD5TEF)
• Kevin Phillips (W5TTY)
• Dick Zimmer (W5DZ)
• Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
• Tom Small (N1TOV)
• Brad Snyder (KG5SDE)
• Ralph Cobb (W5RYC)
• John “Pocat” Walpole (K5ZY)
• Marvin Lowman (KG5MCN)
• Clark Pennington (KC5BHM)
• Jim Laird (KF5YY)
• Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
• Jerry Golub (KF5HUY)
• Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
• Ron Hambric (N5SBN)
• Harold Turbyfill (KG5SDG)
• Dwayne Walters (KG5LYG)
• Mike Wisby (KA5HIA)
• Sly Kapchinski (N5GQB)

Officer Reports

President KF5WGJ

• Elections next month’s meeting
  • 2017-12-16

Nominations (N5ZKF)

• Not enough nominations, but here’s what we have so far:
• President
  • Mark Hnatiuk (KG5EYV)
• Vice-President
  • (no nominations)
• Secretary
  • Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
• Treasurer
  • Sly Kapchinski (N5GQB) (wishes to step down)

Vice President KG5EYV

• Excused for a wedding in Tennessee

Secretary KG5LYE

• Will not be able to make next meeting (retreat)

Approval of Minutes

• Amendent to change “voting at next meeting” to “December”
  • Motion by KG5LYE to amend as described
  • Seconded by N5ZKF
  • Passes unanimously
• Motion to accept as amended by N5ZKF
  • Seconded by KD5TEF
  • Passes Unanimously

Treasurer N5GQB

• Account Report
  • end september: $6316.93
    • 2 checks cleared
      • $69.99 – TLS certificate renewal
      • $28.42 – donut fund shortage
        • 67.93 spent
        • 39.51 in tip jar
  • end october: $6233.53
    • no deposits

• Bill Fisher (W5WMF) card

• W5BCS call sign renewal
  • 2018-02-28
  • ARRL handles renewals
• Elections
  • Only full members can vote (not associate or sub-members under family membership)
• Membership Renewals
  • Starting next meeting 2017-12-16
  • Online payment? (absorb PayPal fee or raise price)

New Business

Repeater Updates

• KD5DLW Repeater Frequency Change
  • New frequency: 443.425
  • Everything else (offset, PL tone) stays the same
  • Frequencies of other things on tower are same (as far as we know)
• W5BCS Repeater
  • Need new coax and antenna
  • Position on new tower will be at the top!
• Saltgrass Repeater languishing

Full Report W5DZ

• Current Club repeater info
  • Skyline Communications Tower (KD5DLW) at Texas Ave and Mitchell St
  • Current Height 200 ft on east side
• New Tower will be built next to current tower
  • our antenna will be at top (330 ft)
• Feedline requirements
  • 450 ft in length
  • 7/8 in Hardline Eupen ECS-50-A
  • Attenuation at 150 MHz is 0.429 dB / 100 ft (2 db loss for the whole line)
  • cost: $2.40 / ft
  • connectors: $30 ea
• Antenna requirements
  • Old antenna:
    • 29 yr old Decible Products DB224E
    • SWR looked okay, but intermittent short in phasing harness (unrepairable)
    • Decible Products now out of business
  • Need new (commercial-grade) antenna
    • Not cheap, but will last
    • Telewave, Inc. ANT140F2
      • Ham pricing: significant discount
      • $594, 5 yr warranty
      • Wide bandwidth, low SWR
      • 3.0 dBd
      • Radio Mobile program propagation coverage
        • 25 mi radius
• Approximate cost: $3834
  • $1080 – feedline
  • $60 – Connectors
  • $594 – Antenna
  • $1800 – Installation
  • $300 – Shipping
• Motion by W5VUI to allocate $4000 (not to exceed)
  • Seconded by N5ZKF
  • Passes

Christmas Parade (N5SBN)

• 2017-12-03 morning and afternoon
  • TAMU lots 50, 51 near Polo Rd (intersection of S College and University Dr)
  • Meet at 08:30
  • Breakfast at McDonalds at 07:30
• Lots of help needed! (esp. between 12:00 and 15:00)
  • Logistics and line-up preparation
  • Communications
    • Simplex 145.465 MHz FM
  • Putting up barricades and signs
  • Lining up floats at positions in lots
  • Floats dismiss at 14:00
• info meeting 2017-11-27 18:30 (Monday) at Red Cross on Boonville Rd
• Smaller parade this year (expecting 75 floats) than last year (had about 100 floats)

Closing

• Motion by N5ZKF to adjourn
  • seconded by W5VUI
  • passes unanimously