Meeting Minutes - March 2, 2010

The meeting was called to order by President Steve Schulze (N9UDO) at 7:30 p.m. The minutes from the meeting on February 2, 2010 were distributed and reviewed. Rick Plouffe (N9ROY) motioned to accept the minutes, and Bob Garske (W9EWW) seconded this motion. A vote was taken, and the motion passed unanimously. Treasurer Don Evenson (K9JYX) reported that after expenses, our balance as of March 2, 2010 is $xx58.10. The bill for $28.60 has now been paid to Steve (N9UDO) for the annual newsletter mailing. We have not yet received the final bill for the D-Star combining project. YTARC has received an anonymous donation of $500.00 toward the D-Star combining project, and has requested a receipt for tax purposes. This has prompted a reenergized effort into completing the paperwork necessary to become a non-stock, not-for-profit 501(c)(3) corporation. Stay tuned for further developments. Sincere thanks to our very generous donor!!! Old Business: Our Circus City Swapfest is scheduled for August 28, 2010, and will be at the Elks' Club again. Rick (N9ROY) has donated another door prize: a dual-band base antenna. Thank you, Rick! Tom Yager (N9TRY) has been talking with Todd Sprinkmann (KC9BQA) from Adell, WI. Todd (KC9BQA) is a VHF-UHF weak signal enthusiast, and has been invited to share his adventures with us. Watch for more news. As was mentioned last month, Bob (W9EWW) has suggested that the club purchase an antenna analyzer. Discussion leaned toward handling this in a type of "library" concept. The model currently under consideration is an MFJ-269, for about $500.00. Rick (N9ROY) made a motion to go ahead with the purchase. Gary Sorensen (W9ULK) seconded this motion. After further discussion, Jane Steinweg (N9JAS) made a motion to table this issue until the D-Star and 501(c)(3) bills are paid. Tom Harrison (N9PQJ) seconded the motion to table. Being that the motion to table overrides the motion to purchase, a vote was taken. There were 8 votes in favor of, and 2 votes against, therefore, the issue is tabled. New Business: The D-Star combining issues have been resolved, and the system seems to be running well. Steve (N9UDO) wrote a letter to W.A.R., explaining the reasons for swapping the D-Star and EchoLink frequencies. W.A.R.'s response was one of displeasure, and not in keeping with their allocation goals. Both frequencies are currently considered to be uncoordinated, and will probably be changing. Watch your e-mail and our web site for any pertinent announcements. Don (K9JYX) has discovered a company that specializes in electronics recycling. Refer to http://www.helpinghandsrecycling.com for further information. This company has local drop-off locations scheduled in area communities several times each month. As landfill rules become more restrictive, this is one way to dispose of our unusables in a responsible manner. Zilch at Farm Kitchen is scheduled for: March 28, April 25, and May 23 (not Memorial weekend). The June 27 zilch will be at Owen Park as part of Field Day weekend. At 9:00 p.m., Rick (N9ROY) made a motion to adjourn the meeting, and it was seconded by Don (K9JYX). The vote was unanimous. Our next meeting will be April 6, 2010. See y'all then. Respectfully submitted, Jane Steinweg (N9JAS) Secretary, Yellow Thunder A.R.C. In attendance: Steve Schulz (N9UDO) Tom Harrison (N9PQJ) Don Evenson (K9JYX) Jane Steinweg (N9JAS) Dave Spearing (KB9CSW) Rick Plouffe (N9ROY) Gary Sorensen (W9ULK) Sandy Eberlein (W9SKE) Bob Garske (W9EWW) Tom Yager (N9TRY) Dates to keep in mind: 3-13-10: Idaho QSO Party, http://www.nx7tt.com 3-14-10: Wisconsin QSO Party, http://www.warac.org 3-14-10: TriCounty ARC Hamfest (Jefferson, WI) 4-09-10 to 4-10-10: AES Superfest, http://www.aesham.com/superfest.shtml 4-12-10: VHF Spring Sprints, http://www.tinyurl.com/springsprints 4-17-10: MARA Hamfest, http://www.qsl.net.mara/ 4-17-10: Ontario QSO Party, http://www.cco.ve3xd.com/oqp 4-18-10: ARRL Rookie Roundup, http://www.arrl.org/contests 4-24-10: Des Moines Radio Amateurs' Association, http://www.dmraa.com 5-01-10: Arrowhead Radio Amateur Club, http://www.thearac.org 5-14-10 to 5-16-10: Dayton Hamvention, http://www.hamvention.org 8-28-10: Circus City Swapfest (Baraboo, WI), http://www.yellowthunder.org