MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
Meeting on Wednesday 1 July 2015 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street
Chair: Laurie ZL2TC, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.
Apologies: ZL2IT, ZL2VM, ZL2ST, ZL2DC.
Present: Wally ZL2MO, Revell ZL2SS, Peter ZL2CD, Dave ZL2DW, Blue ZL3TT, Mike ZL2MY, Dave ZL2MQ, Rob ZL2US, Bert ZL2OC, Jan ZL2CZE, and Karl ZL1TJ.
A brief moment of contemplation was observed to mark the passing of Lee Jennings ZL2AL and also the passing of Allen Chong ZL2AVC.
Minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed correct: ZL2OC, ZL3TT.
Arising: Laurie anounced that Dave ZL2MQ has stepped forward to take Lee’s place
as NZART examination supervisor. Also available, in a standby position, is Ray Barlow ZL2RB.
Correspondence: acknowledgement and receipt from Branch 88 for our $100.00 contribution.
Emails from and to Dave ZL2DW, Peter ZL2VF and NZART regarding the Examination Supervisor position.
Finance: No financial transactions were reported.
General business: Laurie brought up the need to maintain and update the club’s Website.
Set up and run by Lee ZL2AL since it’s beginning it has become an important connection with the wider world of Ham Radio. Also discussed was the future of Lee’s own website which could well be considered to be a memorial to the life of a remarkable man and should be preserved in some form or other. Jan ZL2CZE was asked and agreed to look after the club’s website and also consider ways of preserving Lee’s.
Laurie proposed the club organise another Hawke’s Bay Hamfest along the lines of the one held in 2014 and asked for suggestions for content, topics and presenters. To be followed up.
Also discussed were presentations and topics for the next few club meetings. Both the August and September planned presentations are somewhat uncertain due to presenters being away.
Jan ZL2CZE offered to demonstrate fibre optic splicing and cable joining.
Rob ZL2US and Dave ZL2DW (Branch 13) are organising a Gold Card Club bus tour from Hastings to Napier and back. This is to be modelled on the ‘Last of the Summer Wine’ concept only with handheld transceivers instead of cigars and wineglasses. To be held when the fruit trees are blossoming, only Gold Card holders are eligible, book with Rob or Dave.
The meeting closed at 8pm.
And was followed by a ‘Show And Tell’ session in which Dave ZL2DW elaborated further on his experimentation with long wire across farm gully style antenna systems, Laurie showing and explaining his latest acquisition, a ‘Tigertronics’ digital computer/radio interface, which uses a USB port and comes with the necessary cable and plugs for whatever rig you have ($180), and Karl presenting his latest toy which is a $15 Arduino mini computer board which can be programmed to do all sorts of control tasks both in amateur radio as in the wider world.
Most stayed on for a cup of tea and a chat, no doubt the club’s very effective space heater contributed to that.
Karl ZL1TJ, Secretary NARC .