Choctaw Amateur Radio Club Minutes from January 19, 2009
 
Members Present:
Don Clark         KB5KWV
Bill Wilburn      N5NUK CARC Secretary, CORA Officer/President
Ron Earnest       W5RGT
Don McDown        N5ENQ CARC Vice President, CORA Director
Bill Crossland    N9SQV CARC President, CORA Alternate
David Huntz       NH6SM CARC Treasurer, CORA Director
Larry Brewer      K5VVD
Norman Wilson     W5FLO

Visitor:
Tom Webb          WA9AFM

Treasurer’s Report:
David NH6SM gave the Treasurer’s Report.

Approval of November 2008 minutes:
A motion to approve the minutes was moved by Don N5ENQ and was passed.

OKC Memorial Marathon
Tom WA9AFM made a presentation to recruit volunteers for the Marathon to be held on April 26. Tom also extended an invitation to CARC members to join OCAPA for a tour of the Regional Emergency Operations Center on MLK the following night (January 20).

OLD BUSINESS:
Repeater Shack Report:

Discussion about the door revealed it was an old style interior door that had numerous layers of paint. However, the point was made that interior doors have not lasted too long against weather conditions. Hinges also need to be mounted in order to hang the door. Bill N9SQV and Ron W5RGT agreed to attempt to take care of the installation. There was also discussion as to the correct size of the door and the size needed to fit the frame.

Don KB5KWV reports there is no audio coming out of the radio although it is coming out of the controller. Don has an idea to temporarily remedy the situation until the radio can be repaired.

CORA Report:
Bill N5NUK gave the CORA report regarding Ham Holiday 2009. A new venue has been established for the event and the date has been changed. The location is the Moore/Norman Vo-Tech at SW 134th and S. Penn and the date is July 24/25.
 
Tech Meeting:
The Tech Meeting for February is scheduled for February 5th. Ron W5RGT will have a presentation on constant current battery chargers.
 
NEW BUSINESS 

Picnic Outing:
A motion to table the idea of a picnic outing until warmer weather was passed.
 
Changes for the Controller:
There was some discussion regarding a UHF link into the controller for repeater control in order to eliminate the phone line to save club funds. Don KB5KWV noted the need for an antenna. This will be further investigated.
 
Membership Woes/Fundraising:
Bill N9SQV asked for some brainstorming to get new members into the club. Don N5ENQ suggested calling former members from old rosters and inviting them back. The idea of kit building was also suggested.

There were a number of names from a roster mentioned; some have passed away or can’t drive at night, or have moved away from the area.

Another idea was to have a dinner meeting at a restaurant, and the idea of CARC merging with another club or CORA was discussed; the negatives of this was also brought to light.

Bill N9SQV mentioned the possibility of a tailgate session to sell some equipment; David NH6SM suggested doing this in conjunction with a picnic outing. There was also talk of selling donated equipment at Ham Holiday.
 
Miscellaneous:
Norm W5FLO announced he is leaving Oklahoma due to health issues. He will be living with his son in the Houston, TX area. Norm said he might come back for occasional visits. His planned departure date is the end of January. He will be missed but not forgotten.
 
There was no other business. A motion to adjourn was passed.