Metro DX Club Meeting Minutes
February 21, 2020
The meeting was called to order by our President Jim N9TK. In attendance, besides Jim were Bob K9CJ, John K9DRS, Mike K9LSH (pre meeting dinner), Mel NE9A, Matt K9BBQ and son, Phil N9LAH, Ron KD9FQP, Pat W9PDS, Jerry K9PY, John W9ILY, Lee WA9LEY
HEALTH AND WELFARE No news is good news
ANNOUNCEMENTS We have a new member, Todd KA9IUC.
OLD BUSINESS
The MINUTES of the previous meeting were approved.
TREASURER’S REPORT John W9ILY distributed a report of the Club income/expenses for the month. We came out even on our Winterfest income/expenses. Detailed Treasurer reports are filed on our groups.io site.
WUST One interested party had inquired about endorsements but has not followed up yet.
CLUB LOG We are reminded to upload our complete logs in ADIF form periodically, at least once per year, to stay active on their site. Lots of good info on Club Log to check out if you aren’t familiar already.
METRO MARATHON Tabled discussions about a repeat this year.
CQ DX MARATHON Metro member John K9EL runs this program for CQ. It’s a fun activity even for those who have “worked them all”. Now is the time to start working them all again for 2020. Last year’s results are expected to be announced in May.
LOCAL REPEATER NC9T 442.025 tone is 100hz, up 5 Mhz. Many members hang out here.
NEW BUSINESS BRIDGE TEEN CENTER RECAP Jim, John and Mel presented ham radio to a group of 7 enthusiastic kids. Their presentation started with an ARRL video, then each presenter gave a bio of their entry and interest in ham radio. 3 ham stations were set up and they broke out into groups to rotate through the 3 stations making contacts. John W9ILY demonstrated remote capability by connecting via the internet to make contacts from his home station. Some Metro members helped by making contacts with the group including K9CJ, W9KXT, WA9LEY and W9AEB (in Florida). There may have been others. Jim reports that he received positive feedback from Teen Center personnel. Mel has volunteered to hold a ham licensing class for those interested.
DUES John W9ILY reports we have 50 paid members. For those holdouts, dues of $15 can be paid in person at a Club meeting or sent via PayPal to W9TY. Make sure you submit using the friends and family option.
METRO PICNIC and W9C SPECIAL EVENT We are combining our picnic this year with a special event operation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of a major train derailment in Crescent City. If you Google Crescent City Fireball you’ll find details. We will be using the call W9C. Jerry WB9Z and Val NV9L have graciously offered to host the picnic again next year and are allowing us to use their superstation for our special event. We need tables and chairs and are looking into possible sources. More info to follow.
DX There has been lots of DX available to work. South Orkney Island just came on the air today. Swains Island DXpedition has been postponed. Check the reflectors for other active DX stations.
2020 FIELD DAY SITE Our old site in Tinley is not available. We are actively looking for an alternate site. Possible suggestions include Camp Sullivan, Oak Forest Hospital, toboggan slide area, and Bullfrog Lake. Bob K9CJ has volunteered to be Field Day chairman again this year.
The meeting was adjourned for refreshments
PROGRAM We had 3 presentations this month.
Jim N9TK discussed the Bridge Teen Center Event and showed some slides.
Pat W9PDS Gave us an update on his recent activity. Talked about building a homebrew XCVR, building a WSPR beacon and his interest in Flex. You can check YouTube under his callsign for more detail.
Lee WA9LEY Showed videos from 4 DXpeditions.
Submitted by Lee WA9LEY