Author: w3ft67

A turnout of seven people at our Zoom meeting: Jon KC3PAN, Mike K2TPZ, Kyle K3KRG, Kevin P., Jim WB3DJU, Al WA3SFR, Neil W3ZQI.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI opened the meeting, read the prior monthly meeting minutes, and gave the treasury balance.

Old Business:
Hamfest: not discussed
Webpage and Facebook: both in operation; no issues.
Elections: not discussed.
Outdoor events: not discussed

New Business: Local ham Ricki VE6VBF (blind since birth) is seeking any equipment donations and set-up assistance.

REMINDER: New fiscal year began 10/01; dues are now being collected.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

If you or anyone you know is interested, here is the information for our upcoming, free, live General Class Licensing course on Zoom.  Please feel free to share the following announcement on line or at your club meetings. 

A free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio General Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, Nov 2, and will run through Thursday, January 11.    The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time.  These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum.  Prerequisite is to have or be studying for the Technician Class License.   Please publicize this with anyone you know that you think would be interested.  Those wishing to sign up should email Roland Anders, K3RA,  at roland.anders@comcast.net.

Thanks. 73, Rol Anders, K3RA

A turnout of seven people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Mike K2TPZ, Kyle K3KRG, Bill N3WD, Jim WB3DJU, Howard N3ARL, Neil W3ZQI.
Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting and gave the treasury balance.
Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Old Business:
Hamfest: Dave AB3TE: contact with host site will be about the first of the year. Vendors may get a heads-up e-mail via Mail Chimp in January.
Webpage and Facebook: both in operation; no issues.
Elections: VP, Treasurer, and two director positions are up for election. Dave AB3TE agreed to remain as Treasurer. Neil W3ZQI to contact the others.

Dave AB3TE and Bill N3WD to meet to do annual club filings.

Outdoor events: some light discussion. Jim WB3DJU to check on one possible site.

New Business: None.

REMINDER: New fiscal year began 10/01; dues are now being collected.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Technician Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, Sept  7, 2023 and will run through Thursday, October 19  (7 sessions).    The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time.  These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum.  Please publicize this with anyone you know that you think would be interested.  Those wishing to sign up should email me at roland.anders@comcast.net.

Thanks.

73,

Rol Anders, K3RA

A turnout of nine people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Bill N3WD, Kyle K3KRG, Bud W3LL, Stephan KC3ILL, Jim WB3DJU, Leo N3AEG, Russ N3YI, Neil W3ZQI.
Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.
Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.
Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance.
Old Business:
Hamfest: Dave AB3TE: Volunteer T-shirts to remain a color unique from non-volunteers; quotes requested. Neil W3ZQI:
Advertising emphasis will be to ham radio/electronics enthusiasts. Kyle K3KRG: asked about food vendor runners.
Webpage: no report
Facebook: Dave AB3TE reported doing well with Jim W3BBE.
Picnic: Bill N3WD led discussion; likely scrap for now due to high venue rates.
New Business:
Bud W3LL: How vigorous are our dues collections? Bill N3WD volunteered to track them. Perhaps N3FJP Ham Club Database.
Jim WB3DJU: Is a club roster available? Bill N3WD suggested a webpage facility to enable member access to member names, etc. Leo N3AEG cautioned to protect telephone numbers. Neil W3ZQI to investigate.
Jim WB3DJU: Fair Radio Sales in Ohio is closing.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of twelve people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Bill N3WD, Kyle K3KRG, Bud W3LL, Mike K2TPZ, John KD3H, Al WA3SFR, Stephan KC3ILL, Yuriy (first time attending), Jim WB3DJU, Chris KC3VIO, Neil W3ZQI.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance.

Old Business:

Hamfest: Dave AB3TE: The hamfest did well; many pleased attendees. Thank you to Kim for design of the hamfest banner and T-shirts. Motion to buy more T-Shirts passed. Jim WB3DJU moved (motion approved) that volunteer T-shirts remain a color unique from non-volunteers. Dave AB3TE to seek prices. Neil W3ZQI: MailChimp served us well. Dave AB3TE and Neil W3ZQI returned the hamfest supplies/tables/prize drum/etc. to storage. Discussion on adjusting published hours of the event. Kudos to Hamfest Chairman Dave AB3TE for a successful event!

Webpage: no report

Facebook: no report

New Business:

John N3VN: to report next month on possible use of Mastodon as alternative to Twitter.

Neil W3ZQI: The National Electronics Museum is now settling in at their new location in Hunt Valley although not yet re-opened. The museum ham radio club is restoring their amateur radio station at the museum.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of twelve people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, John K3VN, Kyle K3KRG, Christopher AB3WG, Bud W3LL, Mike K2TPZ, Robin AB3SB, John KD3H, Al WA3SFR, Gordon KC3LWO, John KD3H, Neil W3ZQI.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance. Hamfest working funds were procured.

Old Business:

Hamfest: Dave AB3TE: sign holders were completed. Neil W3ZQI: a third e-mail campaign is pending. Additional people have signed up for the list from our club webpage. Thank you to The Beacon for their informative posting. Dave AB3TE and Neil W3ZQI to retrieve hamfest supplies/tables/prize drum/etc. from storage. Hale N3NYC and Matt to again offer food shuttling for tailgaters at the hamfest.

Webpage: no report

Facebook: no report

New Business:

John N3VN: to report next month on possible use of Mastodon as alternative to Twitter.

Club announcement e-mails: feel free to send postings to Neil W3ZQI at the club W3FT@yahoo.com for inclusion.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of eleven people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Kyle K3KRG, Kurt WA3TOY, Christopher KC3VIO, Jon KC3PAN, Stephan KC3ILL, Jim W3BBE, Bud W3LL, Mike K2TPZ, Jim WB3DJU, Bill N3WD, Neil W3ZQI.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance. P.O. box expense was paid.

Old Business:

Hamfest: Dave AB3TE: picture of signs shown including the mounting apparatus. Big thank you to Dave for mounting apparatus and Al WA3SFR and wife Francine for creating the signs. Neil W3ZQI: second e-mail campaign was sent. To-date, a dozen people have signed up for the list from our club webpage. A third e-mailing will be done prior to the hamfest. Bill N3WD to take flyers to the Hagerstown and Philadelphia hamfests.

Webpage: Neil W3ZQI: nothing new

Facebook: Jim W3BBE: maintaining the Facebook account, seeking photos

New Business:

None discussed.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of sixteen people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Kyle K3KRG, Kurt WA3TOY, Gordon KC3LWO, Christopher KC3VIO, Jon KC3PAN, Stephan KC3ILL, Jim W3BBE, Bud W3LL, Mike K2TPZ, Al WA3SFR, Mathew KC3UDF, Jim WB3DJU, Lou WZ3J, Bill N3WD, Neil W3ZQI.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance. Internet host expense was paid.

Old Business:

Hamfest: Al WA3SFR: The new banner was created and flyers printed. Neil W3ZQI: a second MailChimp campaign e-mailing is soon. Jim W3BBE: updates done at our Facebook account for club and hamfest publicity. Neil: we are seeking someone familiar with Twitter; Mathew KC3UDF to investigate. Dave AB3TE collected names of volunteers for the hamfest.

New Business:

None discussed.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

We’re starting the Operating Classes again on March 30.

Free weekly 3-hour Zoom sessions providing info on a wide range of Amateur Radio Operating Activities will start on Thursday March 30, 2023 and run through June 15, 2023 at 6:30 PM Eastern time.  Each session is independent, so you can attend all or just selected evenings.  The presenters will be folks very experienced in the various subjects.

A detailed syllabus will be published before the classes begin.  Attend them all, or any that you like, but you must register for the classes.  To receive registration information, contact Rol Anders, K3RA, at roland.anders@comcast.net. 

Subjects will include:

All About Operating–A general Introduction

Amateur Radio Organizations—Local to International

Ham Radio Awards

DXing-History and Tips from the Experts

QSLing-How to get that needed card for DXCC or WAS

VHF/UHF Weak Signal Work and “Roving”

Image Operating—Slow Scan and Fast Scan TV

Remote Station control over internet

Learning CW in the no-code era

Digital Modes—From RTTY to FT8 and beyond

Contesting—How to get started, tips for the beginner and intermediated contester

Logging Software—What’s available, how to use

Propagation—A general intro to HF Propagation

Amateur Satellites—How to get started

Portable (backpacking) operation—Tips from an expert

Setting Up a Modern (or not so modern) HF Station

Lightning Protection and Grounding

Traffic Handling

Public Service, Emergency Communications      

Thanks,

Rol, K3RA

A turnout of seventeen people at our Zoom meeting: Dave AB3TE, Kyle K3KRG, Kurt WA3TOY, Gordon KC3LWO, Bob W3BMM, Christopher KC3VIO, Jon KC3PAN, Stephan KC3ILL, Jim W3BBE, Bud W3LL, Don N3FQC, John KD3H, Mike K2TPZ, Al WA3SFR, Robin AA3SB, Jim WB3DJU, Neil W3ZQI.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance. One hamfest expense was paid.

Old Business:

Hamfest: Al WA3SFR’s daughter Kim designed a new flyer and banner; design approvals are immanent. Neil W3ZQI’s first MailChimp campaign for the hamfest to past attendees was successful. Jim W3BBE to assist with club and hamfest publicity at our Facebook account.

New Business:

None discussed.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of fourteen people: Dave AB3TE, Kyle K3KRG, Jerry AI0K, Gordon KC3LWO, Bob W3BMM, Christopher KC3VIO, Chris AB3WG, Jon KC3PAN, Kurt WA3TOY, Stephan KC3ILL, Jim W3BBE, Bud W3LL, Al WA3SFR, Neil W3ZQI. Meetings have resumed in Zoom format only.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance, modest increase.

Old Business:

Welcome to new attendees: Chris AB3WG, Christopher KC3VIO, Jerry AI0K, Bob W3BMM.

Hamfest: Tickets and tailgating stubs have been constructed by Neil W3ZQI; reimbursement for those supplies was approved. Yes to Arcadia for our hamfest for 2023. Signs: Al WA3SFR volunteered to construct the three signs.

Meeting Site: Investigation continues for an in-person meeting site. Zoom access will still be remained.

W3FT Repeater System: Maintenance was mentioned.

New Business:

SKYWARN: Jerry AI0K reported that SKYWARN is seeking a SKYWARN coordinator to replace Jerome N3VBJ (SK). A presentation on SKYWARN is offered for an upcoming meeting–by Zoom.

Club Property: Jon KC3PAN requested creation of “Property Of” notices for inclusion with the club property in storage. Neil W3ZQI will handle the printing.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

A turnout of fourteen people (and two family members): Dave AB3TE (Z), Bill N3WD (Z), Jon KC3PAN (Z), Kurt WA3TOY (Z), Stephan KC3ILL (Z), Don N3FQC (Z), Jim WB3DJU, Hale N3NYC, Doug N3VEJ, Mike K2TPZ (Z), Jim W3BBE, Bud W3LL (Z), Al WA3SFR (Z), Neil W3ZQI. (“Z” is for by Zoom)

Treasurer Dave AB3TE opened the meeting.

Secretary Neil W3ZQI read the prior monthly meeting minutes.

Treasurer Dave AB3TE gave the treasury balance. Essentially the same

Old Business:

W3FT Repeater System: Maintenance was discussed.

Meeting Site: This meeting at the Greene Turtle-Hunt Valley did not meet our in-person count required by the venue. In-person meetings had been requested by the club membership. The February meeting will mark return to Zoom-only meetings. Another pay-for meeting site in Hunt Valley was proposed; investigation continues.

The Envision 3: Bill N3WD spoke well of this amazing laptop in the December meeting; all gone. They went quickly.

New Business:

Kurt WA3TOY is a proud grandfather of new “harmonic”, Andy on Christmas day. Pictures are available at the BARC groups.io site.

Bud W3LL announced the recent passing of world-class ham Fred Laun K3ZO. Most area hams interacted with him in DXCC/WAS qsl card checking, hamfest visibility, PVRC meetings, and 1st-tier contesting activities. He was the head of the 3-call area ARRL Incoming QSL Card Bureau and a card sorter.

— Neil W3ZQI Secretary

Please pass this along to anyone you think might be interested.

A free, weekly, live, Amateur Radio Extra Class Licensing course on Zoom will begin on Thursday, January 12, 2023, and will run through Thursday, March 23.  There will be 11 sessions.  The three-hour sessions will start at 6:30 PM Eastern Time.  Sessions will be recorded.  Those attending should hold (or be studying for) the General Class Amateur Radio License.  These are the classes that we have been holding for years sponsored by the National Electronics Museum.  Please publicize this with anyone that you think would be interested.  Those wishing to sign up should email roland.anders@comcast.net.

Thanks.

73, Rol, K3RA

Resources:

Extra Class License Manual –

https://www.arrl.org/extra-class-license-manual

Exam Review –

https://arrlexamreview.appspot.com/

ARRL Extra Class License Manual, 12th edition – 

https://www.arrl.org/extra-class-license-manual

See the Updates / Corrections to 12th edition Manual and Extra Q&A 5th edition (as of 12/8/2021) –

http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=356

2020-2024 Extra Class Pool 2nd Errata issued March 5, 2020 –

http://www.ncvec.org/page.php?id=356

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Extra Class License Manual, Chapters:

  Chapter 1 – ECLM Introduction

  Chapter 2 – Operating Practices

  Chapter 3 – Rules and Regulations

  Chapters 4 & 5 – Electronic Principles, Components and Building Blocks

  Chapters 6, 7 & 8 – Circuits, Radio Signals & Modes and Equipment

  Chapters 9 & 10 – Antennas, Feed Lines, & Topics in Radio Propagation

  Chapter 11 – Safety