Location: OPD, 107 Civic Plaza Drive, Taos, NM 87571
Sign in. Meeting began at 6:08 pm
Guest and member introductions, 15 members & guests attending with 1 by Google Meet.
Approval of Prior Meeting Minutes held on 2/8/2023 and published on 2/24/2023. Motion for approval by John (W5JHW) and seconded by Don (K2WQ), vote was unanimous with no objections.
Treasurer's Report. Don reported the current balance was $13,426.93 with $8,206.53 remaining after accounting for obligations.
Tim (W5TNM) president's remarks & discussion topics: i. Tim noted the prior Saturday, March 4th ARRL testing was conducted with 4 new Tech licenses (Bill, Zach, Denise & Richard) and 1 upgrade to General (Darien – KI5YWK) and 3 new members). Tim noted the next testing session will be at Philmont on April 23th and looking for additional ARRL VE’s to support. ii. Tim spoke about club dates for concerts in the park and other events as requested. Donovan (K2AH) noted the Fiestas will be held at Kit Carson Park and the parade to be on the Salazar extension. As a follow-up Tim requested a count of the quality vests used and may need to purchase more. iii. Upcoming Tech Fest being held on March 18th and last sign-up dates. iv. The annual membership fees are due March 1, 2023. Tim asked the open question if there should be a cut-of date or grandfathered. Mike (NM5MK) spoke up about the reasoning for one date for everybody. Donovan noted that he will send out an email to those who have not paid by March 1 and those who have a PayPal subscription. v. The club discussed the RMHAM Sandia Crest tower failure due to ice and wind.
- New business:
a) Noted a future radio STEM Eclipse Project. Darien is on point and the link is on the agenda. Two upcoming eclipses, 10/14/23 and 4/8/24. b) Tim asked Keith (K5FS) to speak about the STEM portable project. Keith noted it will support from 160m to 70cm, all ham bands, will be housed in a 19”x19” box with handles. It will support solar, battery and plug-in power for demo purposes. Need to add some antennas and small misc items to make it complete. Tim asked for a motion to spend $4,176.45 on project. Motion for approval by Donovan and seconded by Don; vote was unanimous with no objections c) Discussed badges for ARES and the purchasing of supplies to print our own along with badge holders and lanyards. Don displayed several examples of badge designs for consideration. Tim asked for a motion to spend $200.00 on badge project. Motion for approval by Ananda ((KI5SNV) and seconded by Bill (now KJ5ABX); vote was unanimous with no objections. d) Wayne (W5GWR) asked to speak. Wayne went on to state that on behalf of American Legion Post 16, they are donating an American Flag to Taos ARC. Thank you from TARC! e) HF Net. Tim asked Wayne to discuss. Wayne went on to state earlier in the week he was having an 80M discussion with Gary (N5GDR) who is located in Cimarron. Wayne made a motion to setup an HF net on Sunday evenings, seconded by Donovan; vote was unanimous with no objections.
Old Business a) ARES update. Keep task books up to date. b) Cloudy weather, Tim noted the ongoing temporary shutdown of non-essential services until more consistent daytime sun. There appears to be some issues with Echolink and DStar. Wayne will contact Mick (KD5PX) regarding Echolink and Mike will contact Brian (NB5R) regarding other matters. c) Grants update, Tim asked Keith to provide an update. Keith discussed upcoming changes to LANL grant requirements and we decided not to pursue at 3rd LANL Foundation grand due to the new focus. d) OPD Shack facilities update. Nothing to report. e) PIC /SAM updates. Nothing to report.
Repeater report: Covered on previous discussions.
HF Report:
Net Report:
ARES Net: HF 3939, 1st Sunday; Wayne noted he and Gary attended the net.
Other Business: Mike (KI6KGC) noted the upcoming QSO party in April and will provide additional information.
Notice: Nothing to report.
Business Meeting Close. a) Motion by Don and seconded by Mike. Unanimous with no objections. Meeting adjourned at 7:12 pm