Choctaw Amateur Radio Club Minutes from February 16, 2009


Members Present:
Richard Manlove    W1WFE
Walt Diehl         KA3AMK
Ron Earnest        W5RGT
Bill Crossland     N9SQV CARC President, CORA Alternate
Bill Wilburn       N5NUK CARC Secretary, CORA Officer/President
Don McDown         N5ENQ CARC Vice President, CORA Director
David Huntz        NH6SM CARC Treasurer, CORA Director 

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

New Member:
Richard W1WFE was welcomed into the CARC.

Approval of January 2009 minutes:
Don N5ENQ made a motion to approve the January minutes. Walt KA3AMK seconded the motion. Motion passed.

OLD BUSINESS:

Repeater Shack Report:
Ron W5RGT reported sending the problem radio back to Rad-Com, which they said had a loose connection in a plug on one of the DB9’s. The connection was corrected, the unit was okay as far as they were concerned, and it was sent back to us. The radio was re-installed but wouldn’t transmit. It was suspected the radio was connected to the wrong antenna, and it would be left for Don KB5KWV to inspect. The radio was still not working properly, and the issue will take more investigation. Shipping cost round trip was about $19. The door was put on the shack. The door was sanded, primed, and painted. There are two keys; a third needs to be acquired. The paperwork for the equipment is in the shack. 

CORA Report:
Bill N5NUK gave a report for Ham Holiday 2009. The flyer is being worked on. There still needs to be someone to handle the pre-registration and table sales. Details about the venue were disclosed. The date is set for July 24/25, 2009.

Tech Meeting:
Ron W5RGT had a presentation about constant current battery chargers. Everyone enjoyed it. The date for the March Tech Meeting will be March 5 and the topic will be Winlink/airmail presented by Don N5ENQ. 

NEW BUSINESS:

Picnic Outing:
The picnic idea was tabled at the request of Bill N9SQV.

Changes for the Controller:
The issue of the controller was tabled because Don KB5KWV was not present. Bill N9SQV talked to Larry K5VVD who still has the UHF radios that work to best of his knowledge. 

Membership Woes/Fundraising:
Bill N9SQV and Ron W5RGT discussed the idea of building kits during the Tech Meeting nights and then sell them in order to make some money for the club. Suggestions included: constant current battery charger modules to serve as a dual-purpose battery charger and power supply, wind generators that convert DC into AC for home use, and a kit for Tigertronics.

A phone call list to let members know about the meetings was suggested. 

Miscellaneous:
The club call sign had expired and someone wanted to get it. They were courteous enough to notify us about it, thus giving us the chance to re-new it. The paperwork was filled out to re-new it. Also, the status of the club was expired with the ARRL. Bill N9SQV said he would contact ARRL about re-newel.

A motion to adjourn was made, seconded, and passed.