- date
- 2019-04-20
- convened
- 09:32
- adjourned
- 10:45
Officers
-
President:
Mark Hnatiuk (KG5EYV) present -
Vice President:
Phil Gates (N5ZKF) present -
Secretary:
Matthew Barry (KG5LYE) present -
Treasurer:
Sly Kapchinski (N5GQB) present
Officer Reports
President KG5EYV
- Raffle tickets available to start selling
- Club info sheet with prizes
- Raffle mechanics:
- Pick preferential prize order
- Rifle will be fully assembled;
- has to be picked up from federally licensed firearms dealer
- retired sheriff
- club absolved from respnosibility
- Multiple winnings?
- Prevent situation like last year where one individual walked away with most of the prizes
- Hasn’t happened before in the past
- Don’t change anything
- Raffle is primary income from club
- Setup
- antenna trailer
- ARES van
- sign-ins
- posters
- ticket sales (meal and raffle): thanks, KG5SDG
- Food Prep: W5VUI might not be available to do it
- catered by someone else
- need someone to pick up
- Buppy’s Catering: offers discounts to non-profits who help the community
- Operating 2A; need help to do the following:
- Copy ARRL bulletin
- Pass 5 messages: ARES will take care of this
- CW operators
- Digital modes (PSK31, RTTY, etc.)
- Solar power
- Spreadsheet from last year for assignments
- Prep one for this year: N5ZKF
Vice President N5ZKF
- Thanks, W5VUI for all the years of hosting
- Thanks, W5DPW for hosting this month’s meeting
- Probably won’t be able to meet at Salvation Army next month
- Need volunteer to make facility available
- Open recruiting for any members
- Alternate locations
- Fire department again? (too early)
- Bryan fire department?
- Library?
- American Red Cross? (will know before Tuesday net)
- Need volunteer to make facility available
- Probably won’t be able to meet at Salvation Army next month
- Repeaters have been quiet lately… Get on the repeaters!
- promotes the hobby
- hand out info cards
- don’t be shy
- VE Session
- 1 new Tech
- 2 upgrades to General
- Future Presentations
- Forego presentation at May meeting to dedicate more time to Field Day planning?
- Low-profile / stealth antennas
- Club construction project
- Dual-band twin-feed J-pole
- abandoned last year due to inability to reproduce results
- still have materials
- need volunteers to head up
- rescheduled for Fall (date TBD)
- Printed instructions for Mailing List
Secretary KG5LYE
- Approval of 2019-03-16 minutes
- motion to approve by K5ZY
- seconded by KA5HIA
- passes
Treasurer N5GQB
- March Statement
- Beginning balance: $4354.41
- Checks out: $494
- Check 1312: $94 – ARRL memberships from prior month
- Check 1313: $200 – Club insurance (reimburse KG5EYV)
- Check 1314: $200 – Pavilion rental
- $30 deposit (membership)
- Ending balance: $3860.41
- New members today from meeting and mail
- Slow to add online, but will get to it as soon as possible
- Radio in the Park cancelled last week due to bad weather
- Rescheduled for next weekend (2019-04-27 10:00 @ Tanglewood Park)
- Bring stuff to show off
- Weather looks like it’ll cooperate (for now)
- Still accepting club membership and ARRL memberships
- Belton Hamfest
- Average crowd
- Great weather Friday, but crummy weather Saturday
- After door prizes, people left in a hurry
- Sold very few leftover donated items for $2
- Tried to sell 7⁄8 hard-line coax from repeater
- 70’ brand new; no end connectors
- 100’ from when repeater was up at Kyle Field; with connectors
New Business
K5ZY
- Lunch social
- Golden Corral has meeting room
- BBQ at KD5DLW’s tower: KA5HIA
Jace from W5AC
- Replacing tower’s rotor
- Interest in weather balloons and fox hunting
- W5BCS has been trying to put together a fox hunt for a while
- Bring equipment to radio in the park for “training session”
N5SBN
- Amateur Radio services weren’t needed in Franklin, but we checked in nonetheless
- Kevin Bolton (N5KNB) has repeater in area 146.960 MHz FM, offset -0.600, PL 146.2
- never went off the air
- KH9AI helped with Salvation Army in area
- Kevin Bolton (N5KNB) has repeater in area 146.960 MHz FM, offset -0.600, PL 146.2
Good of the Order
- K5JWL now at Langford assisted living
- still up and around, but declining health
- wants help setting up DMR / D-STAR
- Benny doing okay: moved south of College Station
- Bob Aduddell (W5REA) hanging in there
- KG5EYV’s wife doing well
Closing
- Motion to adjourn by K5ZY
- Seconded by many
- passes
Next Meeting: 2018-05-18
Presentation by W5DZ: Antenna Tower Safety
- High risk activity: injury (mild & severe) and death
- Risk management:
- Tower collapse
- For new towers:
- Adhere to structural building codes
- Read the manuals!
- For existing towers
- Check for loose joints and corrosion
- Ensure tight guy wires and secure foundation (good concrete, a bit above the ground)
- For new towers:
- falling parts
- hard hat with chin strap
- tool bag attached to harness belt
- stay clear of drop zone: radius equal to tower working height
- electrocution
- Stay well away from energized power lines (2x height)
- never be on a tower with a lightning storm within 6 mi (30 sec between strike and sound)
- falling from tower
- Fall from 30’ or more is usually fatal
- 50’ fall impacts ground at 40 mph in 2 seconds
- equipment
- gloves (with fingertips cut off for dexterity)
- hard hat with chinstrap
- safety glasses
- full-body harness
- hard-soled boots
- Don’t go up by yourself; have someone on ground
- Tag line to bring up tools
- 100% tie off
- double-lanyard with shock absorption
- Inspect all equipment before starting work
- attach d-rings with openings away from tower
- scrapes and cuts
- put band-aids in tool pouch
- Tower collapse
- use gin pole to lift tower sections and antennas
- Read Antenna Towers for Radio Amateurs by Don Daso, K4ZA
- ARRL bookstore: https://www.arrl.org/shop