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MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 1 March 2017 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Dave ZL2MQ, the meeting started at 7:35 pm.

Present: Revell ZL2SS, Blue ZL3TT, Stan ZL2ST, Michael ZL2MY, Errol ZL2IT, Stu ZL2XC, Peter ZL2CD and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2MO, ZL2DW, ZL2HB and ZL2VM.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL2ST, ZL2TT.

Arising: Dave thanked all those (ZL2HB, 2MY, 2MQ, 2IT and 1TJ) donating time to the club on 23 February for the purpose of giving the the clubroom exterior it’s second coat of paint. Perfect conditions and five large paintbrushes made the job quick and easy and fun. Special thanks to Paul 2HB for doing the cleaning the day before.

Correspondence: Email the ELG’s Steve Fogerty about the 2m beacon frequency explaining the club’s view and requesting that another frequency is allocated. Email response (dated February 6th) from Steve promising to have another look at it.

Finance: The cheque signing authority for both the club and the AREC accounts has now been transferred from Laurie to Dave ZL2MQ. Karl 1TJ was also added as a reserve signatory.

General Business: Stan ZL2ST: this year’s Jock White Memorial Field day contest was participated in by the team consisting of himself, John ZL2QM, Peter ZL2LF, Paul ZL2HB and Sunday only Karl 1TJ. The usual Tangoio site was used, courtesy of owner Jim and antenna’s designed by John were pre-installed (and taken down again) by John and Stan on Friday. Propagation on the forty metre band was poor right throughout the contest, coupled with the early failure of the club’s FT1000 rig meant that the final 40 m score was much lower than usual.

Eighty meter did much better and the usual score of about 450 contacts was attained. Both Paul and Karl being either new or rusty at contesting were ‘instructed’ so the contest ended up being part training exercise. It was the usual adrenaline fueled but also fun weekend. Packing up after went smooth and took only one hour and a bit.

Karl: for future participation in the contest a 7MHz filter may be needed to suppress the second harmonic which can (and did) interfere with 40m reception especially when 80m CW was being transmitted. Dave to look into design and components needed.

Moved by Karl and seconded by Blue ZL3TT that the club reimburses Stan for the cost of fuel for the weekend which is in the region of $38. Passed unanimously.

Dave 2MQ: is the generator being maintained, oil changes etc.? Stan: yes, the oil is being monitored, some repairs were done to the generator 2 or three years ago. Perhaps a usage / maintenance log could be kept? Blue 3TT: the previously announced Taupo Club net has now been discontinued due to lack of local support.

The meeting closed at 8:20 pm.

The programme for the evening suggested a discussion with and about recently licenced amateur operators. The purpose being to investigate the possibility of the NARC offering a follow up to the Hasting’s club weekend (high pressure) licencing course. This follow up would cover subjects such as operating procedures, first antenna construction, assistance with procurement of equipment etc..

Also perhaps learning to operate CW, still a requirement for contesting and Dx-ing. The only recently licenced ham present was Stu ZL2XC, his antenna options were discussed at length.

The concept needs further consideration and perhaps some more preparation.

Karl ZL1TJ Sec. NARC.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 1February 2017 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Dave ZL2MQ, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Blue ZL3TT, Stan ZL2ST, Mike ZL2VM, Paul ZL2HB, Michael ZL2MY, Errol ZL2IT and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2MO, ZL2XC and ZL2US.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL2ST, ZL2MQ.

Arising: The RSM database has been amended with current information. Contacts are now the secretary and treasurer. ZL2MQ: the bank account signatories will be updated this Friday.

Correspondence: Via Dave ZL2DW, an email from David Travener who operates the VK4ICE website, offering to include any ZL events on the VK4ICE bulletin board. Email correspondence with Laurie regarding the 2m beacon frequency. The NZART ELG response to his request for a more suitable beacon frequency.

A comment from Laurie regarding an item in the minutes of the January 17 committee meeting: should the term ‘Amateur Radio operator’ be replaced with something like ‘Radio Scientist’?

Finance: Some further subscriptions paid. No other transactions to report.

General Business: The 2m beacon frequency saga: Dave 2MQ to delve into the ELG response sent to Laurie, decide on the next step and communication to be forwarded to ELG.

On the ‘Amateur radio’ label: Laurie’s comment that the proposal has been discussed at various levels over the last 20 years or so, with no positive result, was discussed. Dave ZL2DW suggested it is brought up in general business at the forthcoming NZART conference. Branch 13 would most likely support this. Mike ZL2VM offered to contact Douglas Birt ZL1BFS, who triggered the discussion in an article in the Nov/Dec 2016 issue of Break-In magazine (p.30).

The VK4ICE notice board: Karl suggested a decision was made regarding a third Hawke’s Bay Hamfest. As a bi-annual project, this would need to be held April 2018. The proposal was supported by all present. A tentative listing on www.VK4ICE.com/hamfests to be made.

Clubrooms exterior upgrade: decided at the recent committee meeting, the second paint coat is now overdue. A joint effort by all available (un-employed) members is scheduled for Thursday February 23. Paul ZL2HB’s offer to give the weatherboards a wash with his water blaster the day before was gratefully accepted.

The tribander and mast project: No further communication received from engineer John Foote regarding the mast job. Dave ZL2MQ has an acquaintance who may be interested in doing this.

Blue ZL3TT has the use of welding facilities at his workplace and offered to take some measurements and check the availability of steel left-overs to make up the mast support pipe and wall bracket as designed by Laurie ZL2TC.

Other short general business items:

Dave 2MQ: do we need a history of club projects page in the NARC website?

Karl 1TJ: I am minimally maintaining the website by default. A dedicated web master is needed.

Mike 2VM: the Menz Shed next door is now open every Tuesday or Thursday, should we try having someone at the clubrooms at the same time to test possible interest? Mike to give this a go.

Dave 2MQ: the new beacons are now working power output 5mW, CW format.

Dave 2DW: from the Gipsland Radio Club (Aus) Newsletter: WIA seems to be in disarray.

Blue 3TT: Branch 13 and Branch 25 members are invited to visit his workplace ‘Weldwell’, Thames Street Ahuriri on March 22, Time 7:30 pm. Static display only. Sturdy footwear required.

Dave 2DW: A Branch 13 visit to the Avalon Rescue Control Centre and the Colonial Knob (Amateur) Radio site is scheduled for March 25.

Napier ARC members are welcome to join.

Blue 3TT: The Taupo Monday night net (8pm) is well supported. The Taupo 675 repeater covers parts of Rotorua and Waikato and is linked to our 725 repeater.

Dave 2DW: The local IRLP node on the 725 repeater is up and running again and working well.

Stan 2ST: the local contest group is considering taking part in the Jock White Field day contest to be held at Tait’s farm, Tongoio, on 25 and 26 February. All welcome to join or just have a peek at how it is done.

The meeting closed 8:35 pm

and was followed by Errol ZL2IT presenting an overview of his most recent projects.

An impressive collection of experimental and practical devices, mostly to do with antennas and antenna control.

All and any information can now be found on the Internet using the Google or similar search engine.

Also components, circuit boards etc. can be obtained from all over the world often for little money.

Several of Errol’s devices use the Picaxe micro controller, a one chip computer that can be programmed in the ‘good old’ Basic computer language which is simple and easy to learn.

The presentation by way of a power-point slideshow was professional and very interesting.

Karl ZL1TJ Sec. NARC.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 7 December 2016 at the Clubrooms

123 Latham Street

Chair: Dave ZL2MQ, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Laurie ZL2TC, Blue ZL3TT, Rob ZL2US, Peter ZL2CD, Stan ZL2ST, Mike ZL2VM, Paul ZL2HB, Stu ZL2XC, Wally ZL2MO and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2IT.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL2CD, ZL2MQ.

Arising: Dave ZL2DW reported the annual combined branches christmas dinner at the Taradale RSA was another success, and so was the annual ‘gold card’ bus excursion. The memory of SK ZL2BCE was toasted by all eight participants

Correspondence: Email to NZART Engineering, Licencing and Band planning Group (ELG) regarding the recently allocated beacon frequency of 144.270MHz. This frequency is too close to existing Waipuna beacon (144.271MHz) which operates at high power (100W). A new frequency (144.265) was requested by Laurie ZL2TC.

Finance: Stan reported receipt of the annual refund from lines company Unison ($150). Some subs have been paid. The MBIE database needs to be updated with new addresses etc. Signatories for the club’s bank account need to be amended. Moved by Stan ZL2ST and seconded by Mike ZL2VM that club president Dave ZL2MQ and secretary Karl ZL1TJ are to be empowered to operate the club’s bank account in addition to treasurer Stan ZL2ST. Cheques to require two signatures. Carried.

General Business: Laurie moved that the club apply to ELG for a beacon frequency of 144.265MHz, reasons: see correspondence above. Seconded by Dave ZL2MQ. Carried.

Stan reminded the meeting of the recent passing of ZL2CZ who was AREC section leader of NARC for many years. Dave 2MQ mentioned the International Space Station passing over on 9.12, possibly transmitting live pictures on ham frequencies. Check it out on the web. Also, the 6m band has been open recently. Stan 2ST reported successful participation of the local ZM4T contest group in the latest CQ WW CW contest. Held at Holger’s QTH and supported by himself, 2IB, 2MY, 4YL in ‘multi one’ mode. A respectable score was achieved.

Dave ZL2MQ thanked Laurie ZL2TC, who is soon moving back to his home town Whanganui, for all the work he did for the club during his 12 years as club president and before. We all wished Laurie well for the future and as he now is a life member look forward to his visits to the club.

The meeting closed at 8 pm and was followed by Revell ZL2SS presenting ‘The History of Radio’.

As the title implies, this was about the beginning of radio technology, not just Ham radio.

Illustrated with an excellent slideshow Revell expressed the view that, although patents were granted to individuals, much of the actual work was done by a large number of people before.

These were the people originally investigating such things as magnetism, static electricity, lightning and the storage of electrical energy in batteries. It was only when Marconi (and others) put the available (mostly telegraph by wire) bits together with a (sparking) source of RF energy that wireless transmission was born. Marconi is credited with the addition of functional antennas.

A most interesting talk which must have taken considerable time to prepare.

Karl ZL1TJ Sec. NARC.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 2 November 2016 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Wally ZL2MO, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Laurie ZL2TC, Bert ZL2OC, Blue ZL3TT, Michael ZL2MY, Rob ZL2US, Dave ZL2MQ, Peter ZL2CD, Stan ZL2ST, Mike ZL2VM, Errol ZL2IT, Stu McLeod and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2HB, ZL2DC, ZL2CZE.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL3ST, ZL2OC.

Arising: Dave ZL2DW: The switch to the 670 repeater of the combined branches Sunday morning net has been proven to be a good move, participation is up. The old 3615 frequency was monitored for several weeks. The proposed cancellation of several repeater licences has now been actioned.

Laurie: The wording of the proposed NZART remit was slightly altered, it should appear in the next Break-In magazine.

Correspondence: Received: Annual accounts for 1) Club rooms ground rental from the Napier City Council and 2) licence fees from Radio Spectrum Management.

Outwards: The proposed remit for the 2017 conference to NZART and various emails pertaining to the Club’s AGM.

Finance: To be discussed as part of the AGM following the monthly meeting.

General Business: Laurie reported that, as application has been made for new beacon frequencies, the existing beacon licences have been cancelled. The ‘old’ beacons must now be switched off.

Rob ZL2US reminded all of both the planned combined branches Christmas dinner at the Taradale RSA and the annual Gold Card Codgers Free Bus Trip with lunch at the Napier RSA. Some anecdotes of the inaugural bus trip ‘regaled’ potential participants.

Dave ZL2MQ reported some recent spectacular DX on 6 meters.

The meeting closed at 7:45pm and was followed by the AGM which was followed by the

Annual PAN-PAC construction contest:

Entries were as follows:

Stu McLeod: 75 Watt transformerless valve driven amplifier and Electrostatic Loudspeaker.

Dave ZL2DW: 1) upgrade to the ‘Postage Stamp’ (section) square loop antenna (see next Break-In) and 2) a redesigned common mode choke for the (farm) cross gully long wire antenna.

Laury ZL2TC: own design 2 band (2m and 70cm) J pole antenna with balun.

Dave ZL2MQ: 23 cm Transverter with various refinements.

When put to the vote, Stu’s Electrostatic speaker won with a one point margin over Laurie’s antenna. The evening was rounded off with the usual cup of tea and a chat.

Karl Matthys ZL1TJ, Secretary NARC.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 5 October 2016 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Wally ZL2MO, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Laurie ZL2TC, Bert ZL2OC, Blue ZL3TT, Michael ZL2MY, Rob ZL2US, Dave ZL2MQ, Peter ZL2CD, Stan ZL2ST, Stu McLeod and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2HB, ZL2DC, ZL2VM, ZL2IT.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL3TT, ZL2MQ.

Arising: Stan reported discussions with both Contact Energy and the Unison lines company. The Radio Club remains classified as Commercial (by Unison). Next step: shop around for the best deal.

Correspondence: Received from Branch 13, proposal to reduce the number of repeaters in the area.

Finance: Account for beacon licence application presented by Laurie.

General Business: Laurie tabled a proposed remit for the 2017 NZART Conference: “That any contacts made via a terrestial VHF or UHF repeater shall not count for the NZART “Worked All Districts” and “VHF Century Club” awards, and any such contacts shall be invalid for the purposes of these awards. After discussion it was moved by Laurie ZL2TC and seconded by Karl ZL1TJ that the remit is submitted to NZART for consideration. For: 7, against: 1, carried.

Dave ZL2DW explained the outcome of the discussion regarding repeaters (usage, maintenance and costs) held at the most recent Branch 13 meeting. It is proposed that licences for 870 Te Mata, 605 Te Mata and 9175 Clifton are not renewed. Other licences for repeaters which are used by a few ‘special interest’ operators such as APRS, IRLP, D-Star and beacon licences are to be maintained for the present but may also become ‘debatable’ eventually depending on future MED licence fees.

The proposal is that Branch 13 and Branch 25 pay for 4 licences each thereby ending the long standing sharing arrangement. After an in depth discussion the proposal was agreed to unanimously.

Dave also reported the Branch 13 proposal to move the combined branches weekly net from the present frequencies (3615 and the 9175 repeater) to the 670 repeater. There were no objections.

Rob ZL2US announced the combined branches annual dinner: 25 November at the Taradale RSA.

Also, the next Branch 13 meeting and meal will be at Waipawa on the 26th of October, bookings for the meal to Rob or Dave 2DW. Blue ZL3TT is to organise a visit to his workplace, Weldwell, probably March next year.

Wally ZL2MO announced his resignation as President of the NARC at the next AGM. Work pressure and doing night shifts are making meeting attendance increasingly difficult.

The meeting closed at 8:20pm.

Followed by The annual Quiz and Sticky Buns event. Organised by Laurie, the questions (10 general knowledge and 9 radio technology) were ‘medium difficulty’, good questions with the odd trap for the unwary. Won by Dave ZL2MQ with only one wrong answer, second place to the undersigned and third place shared by ZL2DW and ZL2ST. Thanks Laurie for a fun exercise.

Karl Matthys ZL1TJ, Secretary NARC.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 3rd August at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Wally ZL2MO, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Laurie ZL2TC, Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Paul ZL2HB, Bert ZL2OC, Blue ZL3TT, Stan ZL2ST, Michael ZL2MY, Rob ZL2US, Peter ZL2HM, Dave ZL2MQ, Stu McLeod and Karl ZL1TJ

Apologies: ZL2CD, ZL2DC, ZL2VM, ZL2IT, ZL2LF.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct ZL3TT, ZL2MY.

Arising: Our new neighbours, the ‘Men’s Shed’ are ‘de facto’ represented by Rob ZL2US who is a Men’s Shed member. Rob will investigate the possibility of future cooperation. Dave ZL2DW reminded us that BreakOut articles are needed from Napier ARC members. Closeoff date: the 14th.

Correspondence: Email exchanges with 2DW and 2TC regarding beacon and repeater trustee status. To be discussed in General Business.

Finance: No major transactions reported by treasurer Stan.

General Business: Laurie announced his resignation as Trustee for the Club’s ZL2MHB beacons and the three repeaters: 147.250 Taraponui , 434.050 Taraponui, and 434.850 Mt Erin. Dave ZL2MQ was asked and agreed to take on this responsibility. He was duly appointed, NZART and Call Book compiler Peter Mulhare to be informed of the change without delay.

Rob 2US reported that the Branch 13 recent junk sale was, though still financially helpful, somewhat ‘overdone’, too much junk and tight pockets. A different format may be needed.

A reminder from Laurie that the annual Hamilton Junk sale is on August 13th.

Paul ZL2HB expressed interest in taking part in the annual Fieldday contest, primarily to learn and experiment with temporary aerials and improvised conditions. Rob stated that a contest is normally entered into to win and as such there is little opportunity for experimentation. Antenna’s are usually prepared beforehand and installed in the hours before the actual contest. Both Stan 2ST and Michael 2MY, both seasoned contest operators, offered to include Paul in the next contest’s ‘setting up’.

The meeting closed at 8:15pm.

Followed by Dave ZL2DW’s discourse on repeaters and related topics.

Dave started by reminding us that signal reports involving repeater links are relatively subjective. The S meter will indicate repeater strength, not the input station’s strength. If a report is requested, ignore the meter and just evaluate the signal by ear. Laurie added that poor reception can just as easily be the result of inadequate receiving gear as the result of poor transmission. Of course!

After discussing basic repeater function Dave explained the more complex arrangements at the 9175 repeater and HF accessor site specifically to questions from Revell ZL2SS. The arrangement is used for the weekly Sunday morning combined branches net when both UHF 9175 and 3.615 HF can be used to participate. Next another look at the National System and how Hawke’s Bay is linked to this. Remember that the longer distances involve many ‘hops’, e.g. 8 to Dunedin, and it takes time to put the repeaters in transmit mode. Hence press the transmit button and wait a few seconds before speaking. The IRLP set up came next and the complex pathways involved. Again patience is a virtue for similar reasons.

Dave finished off by showing the original 670 repeater, locally constructed with the assistance of the Hamilton VHF group and active from 1976. Replaced with more interference proof commercial gear in 1993. Original cavity filters built by Erroll ZL2IT are still in use and have proved to be very stable. Laurie took over and showed the original 725 repeater installed 1981 and replaced with Tait gear in 1995. The extreme weather conditions at Taraponui are a problem as antennas and support structures suffer from both ice and wind and need regular fixing, usually under bad conditions.

Dave requested his epitaph to read: “Remember the icy storms I suffered for Hawke’s Bay Hams”. (…. ..)

Karl ZL1TJ, Secretary Branch 25.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 6 July at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Wally ZL2MO, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Laurie ZL2TC, Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Paul ZL2HB, Bert ZL2OC, Blue ZL3TT, Peter ZL2CD, Stan ZL2ST, Erroll ZL2IT, Mike ZL2MY, Tom ZL1TO and Karl ZL1TJ.

Apologies: ZL2US, ZL2DC, ZL2VM, ZL2MQ.

Wally welcomed visitor Tom McDonald ZL1TO, Secretary of the Franklin ARC.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct ZL2HB, ZL2MY.

Arising: no matters arising.

Correspondence: Annual information sheet to NZART. Email exchanges regarding shared Branch 13 and Branch 25 Examination Supervisors.

Finance: Laurie reported selling the Club’s 2KW linear amplifier for $700. Stan is still looking for a better deal with the Club’s power supplier. Wally made contact with our neighbours, ‘The Man Shed’. It would appear their monthly power account is in the region of S50, which is about half of ours. Wally to get further details.We now have a ‘Smart’ KWh meter, another meter reader un-employed. Lower cost should result in lower charges?

General Business: Dave ZL2DW reported on Branch 13’s ongoing antenna height discussion with the Hastings District Council. It would appear that Court action is to be avoided and a satisfactory agreement can be reached. The eventual positive outcome, achieved at some financial cost to Branch 13, may set a precedent for the next Napier City Council plan review resulting in a better outcome for Napier Amateurs. Tom ZL1TO mentioned the ongoing struggle in Auckland where combined clubs have raised some $6000 to fight height restrictions in the Auckland Unitary Plan.

Dave ZL2DW: news items and articles for Breakout are needed. The next Branch 13 meeting will feature the annual donated equipment auction.

The meeting closed at 8:10pm.

Followed by the annual Show and Tell event:

Dave ZL2DW: a handy arrangement of two small vices on a supporting stand: The Third Hand. Also a beautifully made 1:1 balun, (HF bands, 50 Ohms) and third item a KVE60C antenna analyser, pocket sized and the graphic colour displays shows all ‘dips’ simultaneously.

Laurie: The latest Wouxun 2 band hand held, Ham and commercial bands and broadcast FM. Robust, can be bought on eBay for below $100 (be sure shipping costs are not excessive). The enclosed programming software will not run on Windows 10, Laurie found the W10 software on the internet but had to pay seperately for this. All up still a great radio for a good price.

Erroll: two items constructed from low cost (eBay again) components. The first a wideband field strength meter using a logarithmic amplifier IC and a Picaxe processor to drive the digital display. The second a VHF / UHF Power and VWSR meter based on a low cost directional coupler. Again using a Picaxe to drive digital display. Errol, while claiming computer programming not to be one of his strengths, did write the programs for both applications.

Hi Tech Ham Radio.

Karl ZL1TJ, Secretary Branch 25.

MINUTES OF THE NAPIER AMATEUR RADIO CLUB

Meeting on Wednesday 1 June at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street

Chair: Wally ZL2MO, the meeting started at 7:30 pm.

Present: Laurie ZL2TC, Revell ZL2SS, Dave ZL2DW, Paul ZL2HB, Rob ZL2US, Blue ZL3TT, Peter ZL2CD, Stan ZL2ST, Erroll ZL2IT, Dave ZL2MQ, Mike ZL2MY and Karl ZL1TJ.

Late arrival: visitor Stuart McLeod.

Apologies: ZL2DC, ZL2VM.

Minutes of previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct ZL2HB, ZL2SS.

Arising: Hamfest raffle prizes were donated by Laurie and Dave ZL2MQ. Laurie found that the latest version of the constitution does in fact allow proxy voting at the discretion of the Chair.

Correspondence: email exchange with Dave ZL2DW regarding QSL card recipient info to be sent to distributor Tony Marr, ZL2AGY.

Finance: Accounts all in the black, Stan brought up the power account issue, has not as yet found a more reasonable alternative supplier but will request our classification be changed from non- domestic to domestic low user. The previously reported monthly charge of $100 actually covered 40 days so, although still high for the KWh used, is not as bad as first thought.

General Business: Dave ZL2DW mentioned the nice article about the Bay Hamfest published in the Papakura Radio Club’s April newsletter. A number of Club newsletters are published through NZART’s distribution list, available to all members. Dave: more clubs should be encouraged to submit their newsletter to NZART. Revell expressed appreciation of the Break-In magazine being available in the Napier Library. Tear off info tabs are being taken.

The question of the clubrooms power supply came up for discussion: Earlier concepts of becoming ‘stand alone’ e.g. disconnect from the grid and generate our own power from either solar panels, a (new lightweight) generator or both were brought up again. Wally had obtained current generator prices.

The following points were made: Dave 2MQ: Easier to stay with the grid supply, perhaps levy a small fee each meeting. Treasurer Stan 2ST: Subs are insufficient to meet annual costs but we can start using our savings to make ends meet. Paul 2HB: I have a modern inverter type generator, it is very noisy (electrically) and is not suitable for radio operation. Karl 1TJ: Have a solar power (pure sinewave) inverter which suffers from the same problem. Erroll 2IT: What is actually wrong with our present 2.5KW Honda generator? Stan 2ST: it is very heavy and very noisy (exhaust) but produces clean AC. and has performed well at field day contests. Many other comments were made. It was agreed that ‘stand alone’ would be an option of last resort only and that the committee has another look at it after Stan has approached the power company.

Paul ZL2HB: The club needs to look at the future more, we need future directions towards promoting Ham Radio to new generations, highlighting digital technology, D-Star radio etc..Something for the committee to consider and action.

The meeting closed at 8:35pm.

Followed by Dave ZL2MQ presenting a spirited discourse on EME (Earth Moon Earth) radio techniques. A fascinating facet of Ham Radio. No problems with poor conditions, when the Moon can be ‘seen’ by both stations it works.

Karl ZL1TJ, Secretary Branch 25.