October 2007 RRRC Meeting Minutes
The regular monthly meeting of the Rock River Radio Club was called to order on Tuesday, October 2,2007, by President Ryan Klavekoske, KB9OWD, at 7:04 PM.
Treasurer’s Report: Submitted by Treasurer Jerry Arndt, NO9U, as printed in the newsletter. He reported that nothing has changed since the newsletter was published.
Motion was made by Connie DePover, K9CID, to accept the Treasurer’s Report as printed in the newsletter with second by Bettie Norbury, K9GJC. Motion passed.
Secretary’s Report: Submitted by Secretary Dennis Weigel, KC9ICA, as printed in the newsletter.
Motion was presented to accept the Secretary’s Report as printed in the newsletter by Connie DePover, K9CID, with second by Bettie Norbury, K9GJC. Motion passed.
Committee Reports
Repeater Committee and ARES: Dale Marks, WB9ADB, had nothing new to report on the repeater. He received an email from the ARES weatherman stating that the number of weather nets this year has been down considerably from this time last year. The email also expressed their appreciation for the help and participation when weather nets have been necessary. Also, there are some disaster drills coming up in Beaver Dam, which will be in cooperation with the Beaver Dam Hospital. In December, there will be a drill cutting off all outside communication and have the Ham Operators handle the emergency station in the hospital as well as a remote command post for the event. They will try to get some people in who are familiar with Winlink 2000 to show the hospital, as well as some of the RRRC members, what the capabilities of this system are. This system was used at several locations around the state during the recent heavy rains and flooding. There will be more information at upcoming meetings and in the newsletter. Also upcoming in about a week is a non-radio related HASMAT drill that is looking for some volunteers. Anyone interested in participating should contact Dale for more information.
Jerry Arndt, NO9U, reported that he has 2 MCOM classes in progress, Level 1 and Level 2, which should be completed in December. The ARRL is not funding the classes, although Jerry said that they are giving him $15 per month for the work he does. They are planning an upcoming class in digital communications, but no date has yet been set.
Old Business
Ground Hog Party: Connie DePover, K9CID, reminded everyone that there will be a Chile Supper at their home on Sunday, October 7, at 1:00 PM. All are invited and asked to bring a dish to pass. Decorations will be made for the Groundhog Party and also decorations will be sorted out for the Christmas Party. Bettie Norbury, K9GJC, reported that everything is all set for the Groundhog Party. It will be held at the Watertown Moose Lodge on Saturday, October 13, with the doors opening at 12:00 noon. The meal will be served at around 1:30. This is earlier than in the past so no one will need to travel home after dark. The meal will consist of Swiss steak, mashed potatoes, vegetable, rolls, coffee, and dessert. The cost is $12.00 per person and the RSVP deadline is the 6th of October. Jerry Arndt, NO9U, reported that the SPAM award for this year is all ready to go and that the recipient has been selected.
Christmas Party: The starting time has been moved ahead to 2:00 this year , also to help get people home before dark. Connie DePover, K9CID, will contact the Bayside Supper Club to verify the times. Decorations will be sorted on Sunday at the Chile Supper at the DePover’s to get started on preparations.
Portage Disaster Drill: Jerry Arndt, NO9U, was able to report that he attended and worked in the communications vehicle. The drill scenario consisted of a pickup truck parked on the tracks being struck by the train, six cars were derailed, the engineer and conductor were both killed, and a car containing ammonia was punctured causing a leak. A search was also conducted to apprehend the person responsible for parking the truck on the tracks. The event was attended by a large number of people from Police, Fire, and Ambulance Departments. The drill went extremely well and concluded at about 11:00 AM.
Shop-With-A-Cop: At last month’s meeting, the RRRC voted to again participate in the Beaver Dam Police Department’s Shop-With-A-Cop program to benefit children from less fortunate families. Connie DePover, K9CID, raised the question of when the Club needs to give the check to Ryan, KB9OWD, for this event. Ryan stated that the Officers in full uniform take the kids shopping on the first Saturday of December. A shopping list is made ahead of time so they can get gifts for their parents, brothers, and sisters. He will contact the Beaver Dam Citizen to have a picture included as has been done in the past. The amount will be decided at the November meeting and the check will be given to Ryan to pass on to the Police Department.
Elections of Club Officers: The general election for RRRC officers is scheduled for the November meeting as provided for in the Club Bylaws. The election is overseen by an election committee and volunteers were solicited to be members of this group. Those volunteering were Jerry Arndt, NO9U, Dennis Weigel, KC9ICA, Duane Haas, W9BCV, and Tim Norbury, W9LUB. The election will be held between the business meeting and the program. Connie Depover, K9CID, raised the question of voting to extend the current terms of the present officers if they were willing. The bylaws require that any action needs to be done at the November meeting and it was noted that we have some vacant committee positions that need to be filled as well and some of the terms of office vary from one to three years in length. These issues will be addressed at that time.
RRRC Club Coffee Pot: A new home needs to be found for the Club coffee pot. A motion was presented by Connie DePover, K9CID, to donate and keep the coffee pot in the kitchen area of the room in the Dodge County Building where our club meetings are held. It would then be available to any group needing to use it. The motion was seconded by Bettie Norbury, K9GJC. A vote was taken and the motion carried.
Sullivan Weather Bureau: Jerry Arndt, NO9U, announced that the Sullivan Weather Bureau is in need of volunteers for their branch of the Milwaukee Weather Bureau. These would be for 6-hour shifts when severe weather conditions exist. A schedule will be worked out taking into account when people would be available. It is a very interesting program and anyone interested should contact Jerry. Ryan Klavekoske, KB9OWD, also noted that the weather bureau is implementing a new warning system that will divide the counties into sections. This will allow the severe weather warnings to be more specific and issued by section instead of the current method of issuing a warning to an entire county when the threat may be isolated in a small area.
Ham Of The Year Award: A secret vote was taken with Jerry Arndt, NO9U, and Duane Haas, W9BCV counting the ballots. There can be no tie, so voting must be redone until there is a winner. A winner was determined and recorded in the first round of voting. The award will be presented at the Christmas Party in December.
Business was concluded and a motion to adjourn was made by Ralph Hasler, N9WBL, and seconded by Tim Norbury, W9LUB. Motion carried and the meeting was adjourned at 7:35 PM.
Respectfully Submitted,
Dennis Weigel, KC9ICA
Secretary, Rock River Radio Club