10-06 (June 9) Meeting Report

The NBARC June meeting was held Wednesday June 9, 2010. In attendance were VA3SPT, VA3BDR, VE3KAN, VE3ELD, VE3GMG, VE3YUI, VE3YYB, VA3DLJ, VE3YO, VA3PC, VE3XKB, VA3WAC, VE3LOR, John Barry, VE3MAF.
1) CANWARN. The CANWARN Training went well with close to standing room only.
2) Incorporation. NBARC was incorporation was re-activated as of May 4, 2010. The next step is to inform RAC so we can be covered under their liability insurance. While amateurs do not need to be RAC members they must be an NBARC member in good standing to be covered. RAC membership has two advantages; a) RAC members do get some personal liability coverage. b)NBARC costs are reduced for each club member that is also a RAC member. RAC is our national voice. If you are nor a RAC member you should consider it even only if for the liability coverage. Thanks to Paul and Bruce for their hard work.
3) Equipment. We received a note from Jean-Jacques Paquette VA3JJP. He has a complete station to donate to a new amateur. Bill will be getting more info and working out the details. As well Dorthy Taylor has donated all of Bob's VE3YS equipment to the club. We are also looking at donations to new amateurs. There is some incentive to get your ticket.
4) NETS. The 2M net is still running Mondays 0700-0800. Dave VE3GTM still has some interference but it is his location. Keep trying because he usually can get you after a few tries. 80M net is still running with 8-10 check-ins usually. Paul's new antenna gets out just great and hears noise very well. he is working on the hearing problem.
5) Repeaters. Both repeaters are working well. The VE3URU system has been updated. Take a look at VE3URU.com for more details.
6)Website. there was a small hiccup with the website. 'CRON' didn't want to do what it was requested to do. After Paul got it back on track it sent out some messages twice.
7) SK. It just came to our attention that Lorrain VE3LBF became a SK in February. Lorrain was well known on Manitoulin Island and surrounding areas. She had a phenomenal memory and could remember when she talked to you even if it had only been once.
8) ARES. There future training for EC's and AEC's. Bill will keep us informed.
9) Hamfests. The Dayton Hamvention was a great adventure. A great time was had by all. The Sudbury/Manitoulin groups are planning a Northern Ontario Hamfest at the Walden Arena in Lively. Date October 16, 2010 0900-1200. More to follow.
10) RAC News. The RAC bulletins get posted on the website. The main note is the special event call sign CF3NAVY for the Canadian Navy anniversary celebrations.
11) SITP. July 30,31 August 1. Summer In The Park has been scaled back this year and we will be scaling back as well. It is self contained around Lee Park. Memorial Drive will be closed between Queen and Judge only. We don't see a need for our trailer. Set-up and take down should be much quicker. Paul will have more later.
12) LORT. July 17th. Lost in the Rocks and Trees. Nothing new. There may be a few communication complications due to terrain and lack of hydro. More to follow.
13) Mattawa Canoe Race. July 24th. We are doing it again. Bill is looking for assistance. This is a great event (thunderstorms and torrential downpours excepted). Come out and have some fun. more to follow.
14) Triathlon. June 27th. This is coming up fast. The bike route is changed this year. Instead of coming back down Lees Rd they are going out Widdifield Stn Rd (past my place) and back in Hwy 63. We do need help. More to follow.
15) Field Day. We are not going to be participating as a club in Field Day this year. The conflict with the triathlon and the fact that we have a summer full of events leaves us short of people.
16) Bill got a call from the Ecology Centre. He is now playing voice mail tag to get more info.
17) Ham Course. Nothing new. Hopefully the students are getting somewhere. If you are stuck on something post a note on the website or drop Paul va3pc@ciinet.org Bruce brucer@vianet.ca or myself a_riddell@xplornet.ca a note and we'll see what we can do. Don't forget about the donated radio equipment.
18) Show and Tell. Gerry showed his compact APRS tracking set-up. He and Drew demonstrated simple text messaging using the APRS network.
Well that is it for right now. I will be attempting to keep you updated as the summer progresses.
REMEMBER NO July or August meeting. Our next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday September 8th, 2010. that is the Wednesday after Labour Day and the kids will be back at school.
Have a great safe summer. Drop out to coffee to keep in touch