Meeting Minutes December 2, 2008

The meeting was called to order by President Steve Schulze (N9UDO), at 7:30pm. Although there was no formal meeting in November, due to a lack of a quorum, and therefore no formal minutes, the informal notes were distributed. No corrections or additions were made. Treasurer Don Evenson (K9JYX) reported that our account balance is $xxxx.66. There are no outstanding bills. Correspondence: 1. YTARC received a certificate of participation from the National Weather Service in Sullivan. 2. We received a packet of weather information from NOAA which was passed around the table and will be kept in the YTARC files. 3. Gary Sorensen (W9ULK), presented possible guidelines for accepting weather spotter reports from local fire departments and county Sheriff's offices. 4. Skywarn held an on-the-air spotter recognition day on Saturday, December 12, 2008. 5. Emergency Manager Conference power points are available at www.wema.gov. 6. The Wisconsin Non-profit forms were signed by the YTARC board members, and a check for $10.00 will be included and mailed by Steve (N9UDO). Old Business/New Business: 1. Several holiday party location options were presented and a vote was taken. By majority vote, the party will be at Steve's (N9UDO) home on January 10, 2009. Watch for details to follow by mail. 2. Discussions continued for a repeater linking project with Richland Center and Vernon County ARES/RACES. This linkage would potentially be available as need for disaster coverage, weather events, or other needs as they are identified. At this time, the discussion included a UHF system to link the VHF repeaters, equipment options (already available and needed), costs, and feasibility studies. Stay tuned for further discussions and updates. 3. D-Star discussions continued. Steve (N9UDO) is continuing to search for equipment, and will be re-applying for the VHF digital repeater frequencies. At this time it appears that the YTARC digital system will stand alone, with a gateway to follow somewhat later. Mike Kaufman (WB9SLI), from Richland Center, shared his DV-dongle experience with us.   4. The subject of 2009 meeting dates and times was brought to the table. Don Evenson (K9JYX) made a motion to continue with first Tuesday of the month at 7:30pm. The motion was seconded by Jane Steinweg (N9JAS). The vote passed unanimously. 5. The 13th annual YTARC swap fest will be August 8, 2009. Details regarding location, posters, and other specifics will be announced in the months to come. A motion to adjourn was made by Don (K9JYX), and seconded by Bob (W9MZ). The vote was unanimous.   Our next meeting will be Tuesday, January 6, 2009 at 7:30pm. In attendance: N9UDO - Steve Schulze, President K9JYX - Don Evenson, Treasurer N9JAS - Jane Steinweg, Secretary KB9CSW - Dave Spearing, member-at-large KC9CVD - Bill Stehling KA9PSL - Mike Hoier W9MZ - Bob Naegele WB9SLI - Mike Kaufman KC9NJP - Tom Yager