ORANGE PARK AMATEUR RADIO CLUB — SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 MEETING MINUTES
The Orange Park Amateur Radio Club monthly meeting was held on September 19, 2019 at the Orange Park High School, and was opened by Club President Don Ahlskog, K4EAE. Twenty-eight people were in attendance.
NEW ATTENDEES – One visiting attendees was in attendance.
SECRETARY’S REPORT – A motion was asked for to approve the minutes from the August 2019 meeting, as posted to the website, and the minutes were approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT – Treasurer Mark Fields, N4QLC, provided the Treasurer’s report as of June 30, 2019. A motion was made to approve the treasurer’s report and passed.
CLAY COUNTY AMATEUR RADIO SERVICE (Clay ARES) – Jim Winfrey, KJ4SBG, announced there was nothing to report..
Clay ARES meetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Pinewood Christian Academy, Middleburg, unless otherwise announced.
HAM TESTING: Rajesh Verma, K4SK, announced testing would be held October 2 (The Foundation Academy), October 26 (North Florida Free Flea, Terry Parker Baptist Church), November 5 (Memorial Hospital reviews them Auditorium), and November 16 (TIAA Bank Field).
Information on JaxLaurel ham testing can be found at: www.JaxLaurel.com or by contacting Rajesh Verma directly at rv49er@gmail.com.
NOMINATION COMMITTEE: The nominating committee will consist of the President and Vice President of the club (Mr. Ahlskog and Ted Jahn, W4YLK respectfully), and Frank Cates, who was nominated from the floor as a general member. There were no other nominations. The committee will take nominations during the October meeting, review them, and offer nominations during the November meeting. Results will be announced during the Christmas Dinner meeting in December.
GOTA EXERCISES – OPARC will start GOTA (Get On The Air) exercises, in which anyone can get on the air, as a prelude to the January 25, 2020, Winter Field Day. The location is to be determined.
BY-LAWS – The revised By-Laws are not ready to be presented and will require additional work.
CHRISTMAS DINNER – The annual Christmas dinner will take place the third Thursday of December (December 19) at Highpoint Christian Academy, 84 Knight Boxx Road, Middleburgh, Florida. There will be 75 tickets sold, first come first serve, and 5 extra tickets sold at the door. Dinner will be served, not pot luck, so that women in the club, or spouses, don’t feel put upon.
QRP & REPEATER ACTIVITIES – Mr. Jahn reviewed the format for the twice-monthly (2nd and last Saturday of each month), noting it was an informal gathering with “no rules, no agenda, no dues” and generally included a show-and-tell or presentation or working on projects. A soldering practice board is free for use, and you can learn to solder. Persons interested in being included on the QRP mailing list for meeting updates should contact Roy Ashkenaz, K2RMA.
Meetings are generally held at the Clay County Library in Fleming Island, starting at 1 p.m., and lasting approximately two hours, preceded by some participants having lunch at the Fleming Island Panera café, Due to the library having summer activities making the meeting facilities unavailable, the most recent meeting was held at the home workshop of Obe Reinhardt, KC4VZT, in Middleburg.
Mr. Jahn said the squelch sensitivity had to be reduced and that he would replace the necessary equipment. Gaylord Mangold, WH2AAT, first reported the power supply being gone. There were power fluctuations, possibly but the repeaters were in good shape; there were no voltage regulators on the machine.
Mark Fields, N4QLC, noticed that there was no trustee for the repeaters since January 2018. Mr. Jahn contacted Jim Iorie, who will accept the trusteeship for the two repeaters. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is not expected to take any action for this time period.
PRESENTATION – Mr. Jahn discussed plug ins and VNAs, noting VNAs can read Smith Charts, among other things. Previously $350, VNAs now sell for $50. Mr. Jahn suggested offering VNAs in lieu of cash for the 50 / 50 drawing but drew opposition in light of no prize being offered. Mr. Jahn will consider alternatives.
TOYS FOR TOTS – The President said Toys For Tots will be collected during the November meeting, and that a $20 donation could be given by persons not attending the meeting, with OPARC making purchases on behalf of the club.
The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. for socializing.
