- date
- 2021-08-21
- convened
- 09:43
- adjourned
- 10:37
Officers
- President: Phil Gates (N5ZKF) present
- Vice President: Rick Pfeil (W4RDP) absent
- Secretary: Matthew Barry (KG5LYE) present
- Treasurer: Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ) present
Attendees (26)
- Marty Nau (W5MHN)
- Lee Lance (KK5QO)
- Ron Hambric (N5SBN)
- Garrett Martin (W5HVS)
- Leslie Lutz
- Harold Turbyfill (KG5SDG)
- Jim Laird (KF5YY)
- Jim Hanks Jr. (W5CYN)
- Jace Nelson (KE0MXN)
- Alex Olah (KI5BVJ)
- Bill Preston (KZ3G)
- Dick Zimmer (W5DZ)
- Joe Napoli (KG5SDF)
- Murl Webster (K0GPJ)
- Lalana Webster (KE0AKL)
- Adam Keller
- Ginger Mikeska
- Lauren Mikeska
- Vic Pears (KX8V)
- Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
- Connor Farrell (WG1GEM)
- Wayne Pecena (N1WP)
- Don Hutchcraft (KE5ADX)
- Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
- Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
Officer Reports
President Phil Gates (N5ZKF)
- FCC has removed Amateur Radio service exemption for RF safety
- ARRL has made an online calculator to help with this
New Repeater Antenna
- New antenna has resolved the noise issue we were having
- Thanks to the very generous donations by WA5JOT and Dick Zimmer (W5DZ) to cover the new antenna, transportation, and installation
- CTCSS code has been enabled on output, but not currently not transmitting with CW ID on repeater
- IF you have tone squelch enabled on your receiver, then you won’t hear the CW ID
Club Build Kit
- ID timer “kit build” project demoed by Dick Zimmer (W5DZ)
- Doodle poll sent out; reply if you’re interested
Club History
- Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ) has been doing some historical research
- 1954-09-09 was original founding date of the club
Bryan 150th Celebration
- City is collecting stories and memorabilia
- Will be burying a time capsule
- Celebration in November at Bryan High School
- Could the Bryan Amateur Radio Club be a part?
- we’d like to put up a special event station
- special 1×1 callsign or use club callsign?
- club callsign seems more appropriate for affiliation with Bryan
- basically a lot like Field Day
- We can do multiple events (since this celebration will be an ongoing thing)
- maybe some local simplex HT or D-STAR operations; not full-blown HF
- Note: there will also be 9/11 special event stations
- special 1×1 callsign or use club callsign?
- organizer is interested, but are unfamiliar with Amateur Radio
- wants to list us as a “partner” on the website
- stay tuned for more details for events in the fall
- plans are still evolving
- we’d like to put up a special event station
Field Day Committee
- Please consider serving to help coordinate next Field Day
- If interested, please get in touch with us by November
- We want to establish the committee by December to give plenty of time for planning
Club Branding / Logos
- Thanks to all who submitted proposals
- Please put your callsign next to the ones you like (can have more than one)
Ham Club Online
- Officers have been evaluating this service
- Club membership administration tool
- allow members to manage profiles, dues payment, etc.
- Not a replacement for club website
- currently managed by Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
Club Website Capabilities
Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
- club WordPress website already has much of this functionality
- members are already able to log in and manage their own profile and contact info
- online dues payment through PayPal can also be added
- was planning to give presentation to demonstrate the site’s abilities prior to COVID lockdown
- schedule for after future meeting
Side-Note: Cybersecurity
Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
- Club logins have been targeted in the past and continue to be targeted
- additional security measures added after 2017-05-06 incident to report logins
- there were a record number of failed login attempts from Russia last month: >24,000
- successful logins actively monitored to make sure they come from TX
- any suspicious activity would be intercepted
- There have been some phishing attacks (emails) sent directly to club members
- The club will never ask you directly (through email) for money, credentials, or personal info!
Vice-President Rick Pfeil (W4RDP)
on the road today
Treasurer Lorna Flansburg (KI5FIZ)
Bank Account
- Starting balance $6,602.30
- Total income: $1,911.75
- membership dues
- Field Day refund from College Station
- donations for antenna replacement
- Disbursements: $1,696.75
- tower jack
- skyline communications
- Ending balance: $6,817.30
Reminders
- ARRL membership can be renewed through the club
- we make $2 per membership
Historical Research
- Lots of fascinating research
- All the way through 1965; some highlights:
- Field Day at Coulter Field
- Emergency Communications between Bryan and College Station
- 1961 OSCAR satellite launch
- Soliciting for paid operator help
- Note: paid use of amateur radio is very rare, usually not legal
- Written notes from Henry Menefee (W5RAS)
Secretary Matthew Barry (KG5LYE)
- Short on time; will forego reading minutes
- Last month’s minutes will be sent out with current month’s minutes
- if you have any corrections, please let me know
Other Business
VE Session This Morning
- 5 candidates
- all received Technician
- attempted General
- Next test session will be before October meeting
EMCOMM
- There are almost 700 amateur radio operators in the Brazos valley
- Pete Sessions would like
Health and Welfare / Good of the Order
- If anyone needs help with anything please reach out to the club. You can contact any of the officers at:
- officers@bryanarc.org
- Phil Gates directly: n5zkf@arrl.net
Closing
- Motion to adjourn by Gerald Golub (W5VUI)
- Seconded by Vic Pears (KX8V)
- passes unanimously
Presentation
Ron Hambric (N5SBN) on Winlink
August Meeting
Next Meeting: 2021-09-18 09:30, location TBD