SCARC MEETING MINUTES
March 22, 2007
President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM.
There were two “pre-ham” visitors: John Miller and Frank Holt. Both later joined the Club as associate members.
The attendees introduce themselves and the sign-in role is attached to this document.
President Rod Scott reports:
An email from Mary Kinard asked for at least two volunteers to participate in a Shelter Drill to be conducted Tuesday March 27, 2007, starting at 0930. It is expected run for until after 1400, including a lesson-learned briefing. Lunch will be provided.
The old tower of a silent key has been offered to the Club by his XYL, but not all of the details have been confirmed. See Rod for more information.
A motion was made, seconded, and passed that the meeting be adjourned so that a program on Amateur radio operations during Hurricane Katrina, by Les Rayburn N1LF could be presented.
Attachments:
Membership attendance list
Secretary’s raw notes
By Bill Davidson, KW4J
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Katrina, Postal Inspectors, and Emergency Communications
Les Rayburn, N1LF, gave a riveting report of his 6 weeks on the Gulf coast during recovery from Hurricane's Katrina and Rita during 2005. Les and his wife Abby and their film company, High Noon Films, was tasked with following around a force of U.S. Postal Inspectors as they rescued the US Mail following the devastation caused by the two hurricanes.
Les is active in Navy MARS and SHARES and was able to relate many personal stories about the tasks they performed, and the people they met. The film, Postmark:KATRINA is the product of their time on the gulf coast, but their active participation in actual rescues ( passing Google Earth converted street addresses to Latitude and Longitude and passing that data to the Coast Guard) and eyewitness stories from below sea level in New Orleans are not to be missed.
Also not to be missed were the lessons learned: being flexible and creative in solving communications problems is just as important as having that dual band HT on your belt. Les pointed out that the best tools he had in his communications tool kit were his cell phones. This is not to say that Amateur Radio did not shine during this event. There were times when Amateur HF was the only communications in town, especially in Cameron, LA.
Another point Les made is that if we are going to be able to survive as Amateur Radio Emergency Service Communicators then we MUST get trained and credentialed in the required courses (ICS-100, NIMS-700, and NIMS-800). To be able to interact with emergency services and play a communications role with the future, we'll need to do some more work.
Great program ! Thanks again Les!
Rod, N1YZ
Monday, March 19, 2007
March 8, 2007 Meeting Minutes
Thanks again to Bill, KW4J for doing an outstanding job with our club meeting minutes!
Rod, N1YZ
=============================================================
SCARC MEETING MINUTES
March 8, 2007
President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and recognized the Repeater Committee Chairman Bert Put who announced his resignation. The attending members gave Bert their sincere thanks for all of the time and effort that he expended upon the clubs behalf.
John Miller was introduced as a visitor to the Club. He is a SWL listener fro Pelham and has decided to take the first steps to become an amateur radio operator.
The attendees introduce themselves and the sign-in role is attached to this document.
Vice President Mike Burns KE4DZU asked for suggestions for future programs and several topics were discussed. He also reported on the successful completion of the pandemic exercise which was conducted by the State Health Department. It involved the efficient transporting of vaccine across the state, and amateur radio operators were involved to assist in emergency communications.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the savings account currently has a balance of $3784.87 and that the checking account contains $76.89. There is an outstanding of $250.03 to Ken Caruso KS4NX for repeater work. Jack also reported that the Club has 44 members, of which 26 are currently paid up.
EC Howard Moss KC4QJA reports the two past emergency nets had a total of 10 check-ins passing storm information. Several other operators were monitoring in case they were needed. He reminded the Club of the Anniston Army/EMA exercise scheduled to be held March 14, 2007 starting at 08:00 hours.
President Rod Scott reports:
It is time for membership renewal. Discussion concerning a new membership roster ensued. Jack Evans will investigate.
There was a preliminary meeting with Shelby Baptist Hospital concerning a radio liaison and the hospital management wants to take a proactive role in establishing this link.
The Board discussed borrowing a repeater from Kelly Fowler and discussion of the details followed, including the borrowing of an antenna, duplex cans, and channel elements. A motion was made by Steven Moss KB4FKN that $200 be set aside for antenna mount manufacture and associated hardware. Further discussion prompted a motion by K3FP to allow the Board to decide on the expense of the antenna mount installation.
Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J:
Read the minutes of Feb 8, 2007.
ARL Letter Vo.6 No. 07 cautions that the various cellular telephone bill pose potential problems for amateur radio operators and should be watched closely.
Received an email from John Miller asking for assistance in getting started in ham radio. He later sent another thanking us for pointing him into the correct direction.
The Club received a letter on the results of the Alabama QSO Party, which was determined to be the best one yet. However, it should have been even better, so everyone is encouraged to be part of it next year.
An email from Bob Thomas KC4AF forwarded a document by Lee Aured KI4NMD expressing his reasons to support a second club repeater.
VE Testing Team Chairman Joe Ford K4NVJ was not present, but a report was made on the March VE event. There were approximately 12 total of tested and paper upgrades, including one who passed all three exams at one sitting.
Bert Put KG4BEC said that there is not much left to do on the main repeater back into service other than some audio balancing tests.
Bob Thomas KC4AF reports that the By-Laws Committee is close to completing the suggested revision to the Constitution and By-Laws and the documents should be ready for general membership comments shortly.
Ken Caruso KS4NX announced that two General Class Theory classes are scheduled to start shortly. One will be a three-week study starting March 24 and classes will be held between 0900 and 1300. The second class will start March 27 and will go for four weeks. Its hours will be 1800-2100. Both classes will study the same material.
Attachments:
SCARC Meeting Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 07
John Miller’s emails
KC4AF memo dated March 8, 2007 forward Lee Aured’s case for a second club repeater.
Jim Johnson KC4HW report on the Alabama QSO Party
Rod, N1YZ
=============================================================
SCARC MEETING MINUTES
March 8, 2007
President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM and recognized the Repeater Committee Chairman Bert Put who announced his resignation. The attending members gave Bert their sincere thanks for all of the time and effort that he expended upon the clubs behalf.
John Miller was introduced as a visitor to the Club. He is a SWL listener fro Pelham and has decided to take the first steps to become an amateur radio operator.
The attendees introduce themselves and the sign-in role is attached to this document.
Vice President Mike Burns KE4DZU asked for suggestions for future programs and several topics were discussed. He also reported on the successful completion of the pandemic exercise which was conducted by the State Health Department. It involved the efficient transporting of vaccine across the state, and amateur radio operators were involved to assist in emergency communications.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the savings account currently has a balance of $3784.87 and that the checking account contains $76.89. There is an outstanding of $250.03 to Ken Caruso KS4NX for repeater work. Jack also reported that the Club has 44 members, of which 26 are currently paid up.
EC Howard Moss KC4QJA reports the two past emergency nets had a total of 10 check-ins passing storm information. Several other operators were monitoring in case they were needed. He reminded the Club of the Anniston Army/EMA exercise scheduled to be held March 14, 2007 starting at 08:00 hours.
President Rod Scott reports:
It is time for membership renewal. Discussion concerning a new membership roster ensued. Jack Evans will investigate.
There was a preliminary meeting with Shelby Baptist Hospital concerning a radio liaison and the hospital management wants to take a proactive role in establishing this link.
The Board discussed borrowing a repeater from Kelly Fowler and discussion of the details followed, including the borrowing of an antenna, duplex cans, and channel elements. A motion was made by Steven Moss KB4FKN that $200 be set aside for antenna mount manufacture and associated hardware. Further discussion prompted a motion by K3FP to allow the Board to decide on the expense of the antenna mount installation.
Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J:
Read the minutes of Feb 8, 2007.
ARL Letter Vo.6 No. 07 cautions that the various cellular telephone bill pose potential problems for amateur radio operators and should be watched closely.
Received an email from John Miller asking for assistance in getting started in ham radio. He later sent another thanking us for pointing him into the correct direction.
The Club received a letter on the results of the Alabama QSO Party, which was determined to be the best one yet. However, it should have been even better, so everyone is encouraged to be part of it next year.
An email from Bob Thomas KC4AF forwarded a document by Lee Aured KI4NMD expressing his reasons to support a second club repeater.
VE Testing Team Chairman Joe Ford K4NVJ was not present, but a report was made on the March VE event. There were approximately 12 total of tested and paper upgrades, including one who passed all three exams at one sitting.
Bert Put KG4BEC said that there is not much left to do on the main repeater back into service other than some audio balancing tests.
Bob Thomas KC4AF reports that the By-Laws Committee is close to completing the suggested revision to the Constitution and By-Laws and the documents should be ready for general membership comments shortly.
Ken Caruso KS4NX announced that two General Class Theory classes are scheduled to start shortly. One will be a three-week study starting March 24 and classes will be held between 0900 and 1300. The second class will start March 27 and will go for four weeks. Its hours will be 1800-2100. Both classes will study the same material.
Attachments:
SCARC Meeting Roster
Secretary’s raw notes
ARRL Letter Vol. 26, No. 07
John Miller’s emails
KC4AF memo dated March 8, 2007 forward Lee Aured’s case for a second club repeater.
Jim Johnson KC4HW report on the Alabama QSO Party
February 18, 2007 Meeting Minutes
SCARC MEETING NOTES
Feb 22, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM and the attending members introduced themselves.
Les Rayburn was elected a regular member of SCARC by unanimous vote.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the club currently has $3884.89 in savings and $221.92 in checking.
By-Laws Chairman Bob Thomas announced a meeting March 4 at the Piccadilly Cafeteria at 2:00 PM.
John Wilder WB4CCQ suggested that the club look into purchasing QSL cards.
A motion was made and passed that the business portion of the program be dispensed with in order to have the evening’s program.
Attachments:
Raw notes
Attendance roster
Feb 22, 2007
The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM and the attending members introduced themselves.
Les Rayburn was elected a regular member of SCARC by unanimous vote.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the club currently has $3884.89 in savings and $221.92 in checking.
By-Laws Chairman Bob Thomas announced a meeting March 4 at the Piccadilly Cafeteria at 2:00 PM.
John Wilder WB4CCQ suggested that the club look into purchasing QSL cards.
A motion was made and passed that the business portion of the program be dispensed with in order to have the evening’s program.
Attachments:
Raw notes
Attendance roster
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Tuesday Night D-Star Net
The Tuesday night D-Star Net took place tonight at 8:30pm.
Meeting on the K4DSO repeater on 145.410 - Port C.
We had the following checkins:
KF4JLI - Mac, from Shelby County
W4MD - David, from Tuscaloosa County
N4FOP- Phillip, from St. Clair County
KI4QQM- Rick, from Montgomery County
N1YZ - Rod, from Shelby County
Thanks to all who checked in tonight. We hope to see more next week!
Friday, March 9, 2007
February Meeting Minutes
Thank you Bill for the gentle reminder about posting these minutes. I told you that due to my "sometimers disease" you'd have to hold my feet to the fire :)
SCARC MEETING NOTES
February 8, 2007
President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 7:00PM and asked for visitors to introduce themselves, and Adam Radson, who just passed his Tech license was present for his second consecutive meeting. Then the members introduced themselves.
Vic-President Mike Burns KE4DZU said that the March program will be a presentation by Les Rayburn NILF concerning amateur radio operation during some of the most recent disasters. He asked for ideas for the upcoming Feb 22 meeting, and later in the meeting it was suggested that this time be set aside for Kelly Fowler KE4ADV to make a presentation on the status and cost of the repeater that he wishes to sell to the Club.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the Club has
· Checking Balance $ 131.92
· Savings Balance $3453.97
EC Howard Moss KC4QJA informed the Club that a Storm Spotter Class is scheduled for 18:00 – 20:00 on Feb 12 at Columbiana EOC. Call Mindy at 699-3999 for more information.
Rod Scott reported the following:
· Dues are due now
· Fleagate will be at Joe Tucker Park Feb 17 07:00-12:00
· Time spent on the following projects
Red Cross 21 MH
Fire Tower Re-roof 31 MH
Antenna Install/ground 14 MH
· Red Cross background checks for workers including radio volunteers have major opposition. Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J read and excerpt from ARES E-Letter of Dec 20, 2006 which indicates that Florida hams may be contesting the issue on jurisdictional issues. The general consensus is that no one knows what the Alabama Red Cross will do.
· Rod will try to get a link from W4SHL.com to the President’s Blog
· Mickey KI4QXB, a new member, volunteers free graphic art services to the club. (Later discussion centered around using his services to re-publish the Alabama repeater map as a money-making device.)
· The Board recommended the sale of the GE Master repeater to Ron Arant N4PHP for an amount between $430 and $450. The Club voted unanimously to approve the sale. The Board presented Kelly’s offer to sell to the Club his repeater, which is reported to be in good operating condition.
Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J
· Read excerpts from the January 11, 2007 Minutes during which Barbara Brewer KB9TIV said the Shelby County Boy Scout Merit badge event of Jan 27 produced 27 successful scouts with 2 more almost complete and another event is scheduled in April and volunteers are needed.
· Summarized ARLB007, which states that no code-free upgrades will be available until Feb 23.
· Gave a weather report on possible icy conditions for the next few days.
Committee Reports:
· Lee Aured KI4NMD reports that the Pinnacle Point Upgrade Project is almost complete.
· Repeater Chairman Bert Put KG4BEC says that the only major portion of the repeater work is the installation of new transistors, which are now in his possession.
· Bob Thomas KC4AF, Chairman of the By-Laws Committee, says that the revisions of the By-laws and Constitution are over half-way completed. There will be a meeting of the Committee at the Piccadilly Cafeteria at Riverchase on Sunday Feb 11 at 14:00. All members are invited to attend and present ideas.
Unfinished Business:
· Rod Scott will take the Club’s HF filters to Ken Atkinson WB4FAY for tuning.
New Business:
· With D-Star and other new technology becoming available for amateur radio, especially UHF/VHF, Lee Aured suggested that the Club consider setting aside a special fund for purchase of radio equipment for such needs. (No motion or decision made)
A motion was made, seconded and successfully passed to adjourn this Club meeting.
Attachments:
Secretary’s raw notes
SCARC attendance sheet
ARES E-Letter dated December 20, 2006 (partial)
N1YZ e-mail to SCARC Officers dated Feb 6, 2007 08:11 EST
N1YZ e-mail to SCARC Officers dated Feb 6, 2007 08:11 EST
ARLB007 “No Code-Free Upgrades Available Until February 23”
ABC 33/40 E-WARN (Forwarded by N1YZ)
SCARC MEETING NOTES
February 8, 2007
President Rod Scott N1YZ called the meeting to order at 7:00PM and asked for visitors to introduce themselves, and Adam Radson, who just passed his Tech license was present for his second consecutive meeting. Then the members introduced themselves.
Vic-President Mike Burns KE4DZU said that the March program will be a presentation by Les Rayburn NILF concerning amateur radio operation during some of the most recent disasters. He asked for ideas for the upcoming Feb 22 meeting, and later in the meeting it was suggested that this time be set aside for Kelly Fowler KE4ADV to make a presentation on the status and cost of the repeater that he wishes to sell to the Club.
Treasurer Jack Evans KC4PZA reports that the Club has
· Checking Balance $ 131.92
· Savings Balance $3453.97
EC Howard Moss KC4QJA informed the Club that a Storm Spotter Class is scheduled for 18:00 – 20:00 on Feb 12 at Columbiana EOC. Call Mindy at 699-3999 for more information.
Rod Scott reported the following:
· Dues are due now
· Fleagate will be at Joe Tucker Park Feb 17 07:00-12:00
· Time spent on the following projects
Red Cross 21 MH
Fire Tower Re-roof 31 MH
Antenna Install/ground 14 MH
· Red Cross background checks for workers including radio volunteers have major opposition. Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J read and excerpt from ARES E-Letter of Dec 20, 2006 which indicates that Florida hams may be contesting the issue on jurisdictional issues. The general consensus is that no one knows what the Alabama Red Cross will do.
· Rod will try to get a link from W4SHL.com to the President’s Blog
· Mickey KI4QXB, a new member, volunteers free graphic art services to the club. (Later discussion centered around using his services to re-publish the Alabama repeater map as a money-making device.)
· The Board recommended the sale of the GE Master repeater to Ron Arant N4PHP for an amount between $430 and $450. The Club voted unanimously to approve the sale. The Board presented Kelly’s offer to sell to the Club his repeater, which is reported to be in good operating condition.
Secretary Bill Davidson KW4J
· Read excerpts from the January 11, 2007 Minutes during which Barbara Brewer KB9TIV said the Shelby County Boy Scout Merit badge event of Jan 27 produced 27 successful scouts with 2 more almost complete and another event is scheduled in April and volunteers are needed.
· Summarized ARLB007, which states that no code-free upgrades will be available until Feb 23.
· Gave a weather report on possible icy conditions for the next few days.
Committee Reports:
· Lee Aured KI4NMD reports that the Pinnacle Point Upgrade Project is almost complete.
· Repeater Chairman Bert Put KG4BEC says that the only major portion of the repeater work is the installation of new transistors, which are now in his possession.
· Bob Thomas KC4AF, Chairman of the By-Laws Committee, says that the revisions of the By-laws and Constitution are over half-way completed. There will be a meeting of the Committee at the Piccadilly Cafeteria at Riverchase on Sunday Feb 11 at 14:00. All members are invited to attend and present ideas.
Unfinished Business:
· Rod Scott will take the Club’s HF filters to Ken Atkinson WB4FAY for tuning.
New Business:
· With D-Star and other new technology becoming available for amateur radio, especially UHF/VHF, Lee Aured suggested that the Club consider setting aside a special fund for purchase of radio equipment for such needs. (No motion or decision made)
A motion was made, seconded and successfully passed to adjourn this Club meeting.
Attachments:
Secretary’s raw notes
SCARC attendance sheet
ARES E-Letter dated December 20, 2006 (partial)
N1YZ e-mail to SCARC Officers dated Feb 6, 2007 08:11 EST
N1YZ e-mail to SCARC Officers dated Feb 6, 2007 08:11 EST
ARLB007 “No Code-Free Upgrades Available Until February 23”
ABC 33/40 E-WARN (Forwarded by N1YZ)
March 1st Tornado Outbreak - Shelby County got hit with an EF1
Last night at the business meeting of the Shelby County Amateur Radio Club the March 1st storm related nets were discussed. Part of the discussion centered around the destruction along Shelby Co Hwy 17. Well, it is confirmed, that damage was caused by an EF1 tornado. To see links to all of the tornados in the BHM WFO warning area check out this link. http://www.srh.noaa.gov/bmx/significant_events/2007/03_01/index.php
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Roberts Rules on Proxy Voting
Recently the question was raised by several club members about the possibility of "Proxy Voting", that is, some one voting for someone else who is not physically at a meeting.
In chapter 13, Section 45 , page 408-409 lines 35-40; 1-2 we read in the Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised 10th Edition
" ABSENTEE VOTING. It is a fundamental principal of parliamentary law that the right to vote is limited to the members of an organization who are actually present at the time the vote is taken in a legal meeting, although it should be noted that a member need not be present when the question is put. Exceptions to this rule must be expressly stated in the by-laws."
We have no such exception in our by-laws so Proxy Voting as defined above is invalid.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Repeater Party - March 3rd
As can be seen, a lot goes into verifying that all of the components of the repeater system, including remote base, link transmitter, link receiver, etc. are all working in concert.
My thanks to the entire crew for letting me take pictures and notes. I kept my size 12 shoes out of their way (most of the time).
At the end of a very long day, there were some gremlins that still have to be defeated.
Stay tuned for the next episode:
"Pinnacle Peak or Bust - Or, Let Me Repeat Repeat Repeat That".
Rod, N1YZ
Repeater Party - March 3rd - Looking good at this point
Expected signal trace. This was seen shortly before some gremlins stepped in.
Repeater Party - March 3rd
Here is the hard working group: from l-r, 
Steven Moss KB4FKN, Bob Thomas KC4AF, Bert Put, KG4BEC, Jim George KI4QWX, Ken Caruso KS4NX. Thanks again to Bob Thomas for making the TLC Daycare available for the repeater party. Two others not in the photo are Ron Arant N4PHP and Lee Aured KI4NMD who were on stand by to install the voter on Pinnacle Point once all of the audio levels were set.
Steven Moss KB4FKN, Bob Thomas KC4AF, Bert Put, KG4BEC, Jim George KI4QWX, Ken Caruso KS4NX. Thanks again to Bob Thomas for making the TLC Daycare available for the repeater party. Two others not in the photo are Ron Arant N4PHP and Lee Aured KI4NMD who were on stand by to install the voter on Pinnacle Point once all of the audio levels were set.Thursday, March 1, 2007
Pandemic Vaccine Delivery Drill
While this picture is not terribly clear....it tells a story. This APRS map image shows WB4FAY on I-65 heading north today. KE4DZU was also on the same highway heading north in N1LF's vehicle to Birmingham from Montgomery. They are three of a bunch of Alabama hams who participated in the first Department of Homeland Security, State of Alabama EMA Pandemic Vaccine Delivery Drill. Next time you see them, be sure and ask them about it.
I'm proud of our local guys providing this service to the State of Alabama. In fact, the hams from ARRL District 7 http://n1yz.com/alabama%20arrl%20districts.jpg provided the majority of the APRS/HF/VHF/UHF support for this exercise. Be sure and thank them when you see them.
Rod, N1YZ
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