Minutes of the Napier Amateur Radio Club
Meeting on Wednesday 6 November 2019 at the Clubrooms 123 Latham Street
Chair: Dave ZL2MQ, the meeting started at 7:30pm.
Present: Wally ZL2MO, Errol ZL2IT, Mike ZL2VM, Dave ZL2DW, Blue ZL3TT, Revell ZL2SS, Stu ZL2XC, Rob ZL2AN, Martin ZL2MD, Karl ZL1TJ, Peter ZL2CD and Mike ZL2MY. Apologies: ZL2HB, ZL2ST. (2MO, 2MQ)
Minutes of the previous meeting: Read and confirmed to be correct: ZL3TT, ZL2XC.
Arising: Dave 2DW informed Warren 2AJ regarding the decision not to take up his offer to link HB repeaters to the proposed South Waikato network.
Correspondence: Inward: Yahoo groups moving from message board format to email platform, existing data may be downloaded for preservation. Mail from Simon Osborne ZL2TSO, active again, replied and cc’d to 2DW. From Mike 2VM: updated HB Hams list. From the Napier Citizen’s Advice Bureau, the NARC listing on their bulletin board, responded with corrections. From the Unison Consumers Trust advice regarding energy refund. From RSM, License fees of $100 due on 30 November.
Outward: To RSM, cancellation of two beacon licenses. To the Te Puke Radio Club: Thank you but no thank you to the proposal to link their extended repeater system to 725, received a brief acknowledgement to this. Various notices to members. Venue info to the Conference sub-committee.
Finance: Treasurers report attached.
General business: Karl: downloaded Yahoo bulletin board contents for future reference, for some unknown reason Branch 13 content came with it.
Dave 2DW: questioned the de-activation of the Club’s beacons. Responded to by Dave 2MQ: The beacon design, being software driven caused some interference to nearby stations. Both a rebuild or relocation of the beacons were considered but found to be not practicable. An alternative being looked into is using WSPR on HF, a future project.
The meeting closed at 7:45 pm and was followed by the AGM.
After the AGM the annual Home Brew contest took place. Two entries only: Errol ZL2IT presented two transmitters for the 630 m band. Both designed by himself. The more powerful one (250W) posing the greatest challenge as currents through the low impedance side of matching networks are substantial.
Revell ZL2SS, while searching for alternative sources of energy to do his bit to counter global warming experimented with an ancient bicycle generator. Equipped with led lights the demonstration proved that just minor input energy can in fact light up the room. (well, sort off).
The prize went to Erroll, with a pat on the back to Revell for an entertaining presentation.
Karl ZL1TJ