Category: Minutes

Meeting minutes

Meeting, 14 Feb 2011

  • Attendees: Bert, Alex, Will, Mark, Ben
  • Dues collected: Alex, Will (collected previously), Pete (collected previous semester). Still owe: Matt, Kar, Mark
  • Discussed Emergency Comm. and Marge Sidebottom: Marge to give $2500 for tower; 1 drill/year to coordinate with W4UVA group; Later on more participation anticipated
  • Tower project updates: waiting for order to happen!
  • Licensing milestones: Alex upgraded to General, Mark upgraded to Extra, Will missed upgrade to Extra by one question
  • Winterfest: Mark and Bert going on Sunday the 28th, others doubtful or TBD
  • Antenna projects: TV antenna/amp to come down from silo (work on Friday); Need to do replacement for repeater antenna; Install 6m/2m/70cm whip for general use, on cable support mast at shack; OCF to be replaced with 80m dipole
  • Attendees: Mark, Bert, Will, Alex, and Matt
  • Election held for Equipment Manager: Alex Olihovik elected. Duties primarily to be rapid-response for any "crisis" problems at the ham shack. Other duties TBD/up to Alex
  • Keys: Alex needs a shack key. New potential members Dale and Ben (not in attendence) to be emailed to see if possible to gather a group together for Paul's orientation
  • Frostfest: Mark and Alex interested in going, Will might go. Suggestion to contact VTARA to see if they might be willing to carpool with them (if going through C'ville).
  • Will to order the small list of items for shack and reimbursement for cable ties (from Bert)
  • New repeater net: to be Wednesday nights at 5:15 PM

(Last meeting, Fall 2010)

  • Appropriations for Spring, 2011 submitted that evening (Mark and Bert, Student Council Hearing)
  • Friday, 12/3 after 5 PM Bert conductedrig comparisons and demos of three HF rigs
  • Will: to check on paying internet ITC fee and spending the remainder of fall appropriations monies with the business office
  • Thoughts about spring: set up a demo (time/date TBD); Winter activities fair?? (no details yet from Student Council); Email to multiple lists of students for recruitment of members (not just EE)
  • Other: Tom Sielicki returned keys and Kenwood HT due to graduation; Bert and Mark continue work on tower procurement, with many promising developments concerning funding and support from faculty.
  • Foxhunt a huge success. Images (3) on website.
  • Appropriations/banking: Members need to complete the wishlist for Spring 2011 (see Mark's email for link); Will finished addendum to add GPS and power supply to our fall appropriations, awaiting approval (supposedly will be approved "ASAP") before doing order (probably after the Thanksgiving holiday). Internet fee also part of addendum and awaiting approval.
  • Tower project: Bert and Tom met with facilities last week, got detailed procedure on how to proceed. Bert is finishing proposal work and will be submitting soon.
  • ARRL Sweepstakes: This weekend (Saturday at 5 PM till Sunday late). All members encouraged to participate.
  • Recruitment: Spring 2011 recruitment efforts discussed. Matt suggests physics email list. Mark mentions idea for another demonstration outside of Thornton in spring.

Next Post

  • Router/internet: Bert put together equipment list for Benneche; sign posted on door warning of improper internet use/honor code violation; RF analysis done on rig and in building
  • Appropriations/banking: Will got BofA closed and direct deposit re-routed; money that remained in BofA was reimbursement to Will for chair purchases; GPS for HT and 2nd power supply still to be purchased pending download of form from @UVa
  • Foxhunt: Saturday between 11:30 and noon at Bodo's; checked out UVa fox and antennas (a 440 beam and 2m yagi both setup, second 2m yagi needs SO-239 to female SMA adapter for HTs), Icom battery charged up overnight; Mark's roommate likely to hide fox
  • Tower project: Tom and Bert spoke with Joseph Lahendro at facilities, but nothing heard back. Tom and Bert will try again Thursday 11/11. John Knight inquired about tower with William Thurneck (an associate dean in engineering)
  • History: Bert added more history to club website, including 1970s QSL cards (two more!), ARRL November Sweepstakes and Field Day scores for 1979 and 1980 W4UVA clubs. Alumni desire to meet us for a designated Alumni weekend, dates TBD.
  • Parts: Bert to request votes for reimbursement of RF chokes (to eliminate RF pickup on ethernet cable into PC) and postage stamps.

Next Post

  • Plaques from ARRL for last year's participation in the Sweepstakes contest
  • Will: collected dues for deposit from Karolina Sarnowska; other action items from last week still apply
  • Foxhunt: Meet at Bodo's between 11:30 and noon on Nov. 14; No car-based hunt; Matt to possibly hide fox (or Mark's roommate/other 3rd party). Mark to coordinate with Mike from VTARA.
  • New Tower developments: Dr. Scott Barker is willing to assist the club in securing funds for labor costs of a tower install. Needs a plan and cost estimates from us in order to proceed. Bert and Tom to work this effort.
  • Ongoing internet investigations in reactor building: Mark and Bert working these issues. Carobotics leader expressed concern about ham frequencies and interference. IG and Mitch Rosen investigating Carobotics and rest of reactor building for rogue routers and wireless interference to WiFi internet. Detailed information about every transmitter, regardless of frequency or purpose, requested by ITC through Paul Benneche (Mark and Bert completing form). Mark and Bert to meet with adviser Dr. John Knight to assess situation on future courses of action.
  • Other: CQWW was great success vs. last year's contest results, with over 100 QSOs (vs. 34 last year); CQWW (CW) this weekend (Bert may operate some); repeater has controller problems where time/date memory keep getting erased (Mark to investigate, Bert may assist); Much more history added to our knowledge base thanks to 1970 alumni input! Peter Briggs (former W4UVA president from the '70s, avid local C'ville contester) to come to one of our meetings this fall.

Previous Post

  • CQ WorldWide SSB contest this weekend!
    • Starts Friday at 8 PM, lasts till Sunday 8 PM
    • Bert, Pete, Karolina to operate; any others are encouraged to stop by
  • Appropriations
    • Will: by sometime next week will submit form to request GPS unit for APRS HT, will also request extra power supply.
  • BofA stuff: Will to check on account not closed out! Also TaxID address
  • Internet: Pete to talk with someone about ITC fee
  • O-Hill/Tower: Both probably dead for now
  • Spring 2011 Appropriations: Be thinking about things you would like to order for club! We will make lists and discuss in November
  • Foxhunt: Coming soon (two weeks), Mark to coordinate with Mike from VTARA
  • Other (after meeting): Tektronix scope donated to W4UVA by robotics club; OCF dipole about 10 dB weaker than 40 m dipole according to multiple webSDR receivers around the world
  • School Club Roundup contest
    • Bert, Will, Karolina and Alex participated; over 120 QSOs in moderate operating
  • Appropriations
    • Polyphasers and grounding equipment all in
    • Will: Check on GPS unit for HT; check on ITC fee for internet; see if we can order additional power supply and possibly order USB receiver
  • BofA fiasco: Will to call them again; also, update tax ID info
  • Router issue
    • Router still desired for inspection; TBD on additional actions needed; Club officers and adviser in discussion
  • O-Hill repeater antenna
    • Looks unlikely from email from Ed Murphy; suggestion is Aerospace Research Lab up the hill from us (but likely little coverage boost)
  • Tower possibilities
    • No consensus on tower location (whether at shack, on hill, aero lab, etc). Paul Benneche suggests to locate near the fence post where our existing 2m/440 antenna is mounted. Paul also had given Bert some information on funding sources for project labor. No official talks with university as of yet. Mark votes to leave situation well enough alone for now (use existing wire antennas).
  • After meeting news: Alex now has callsign, KJ4YWP! Mark and Will's upgrade to General Class now official too. Alex has started building PSK-31 kit. CQWW contest coming next weekend.
  • O-Hill alternate for repeater
    • Tom says to contact facilities or astronomy department
    • Pete to follow up with calls to a "WiFi" person, etc
  • BofA fiasco: Bert will call them Thursday to resolve
  • Decided to let the repeater unlock code remain available for members to learn about the repeater
  • Will: Complete order for polyphaser on Friday; replace satellite dish polyphaser with model IS-50UX-C0 (HF polyphaser); check on what happened to Kenwood repeater software that we never received.
  • News: Repeater cabinet built; barstools purchased and built (Will and Bert); Pete, Will and Matt now have keys; Mark and Will upgraded to General class on Saturday, Alex became a ham and has a Technician class license (and W4UVA got many compliments from Albemarle club)
  • New projects:
    • Bert and Pete to investigate how to install grounding system
    • Bert to enlist Tom in revisiting tower installation options
  • Other: Discovered stash of old test equipment which appears headed for disposal in basement of reactor building — Bert has sent email asking Paul Benneche about it and if we can use; More discoveries on club history made and will soon be added to website by Bert; Bert sending QSLs to old W4UVA alumni to request more historical information, stories and hopefully artifacts