TaosARC October 13, 2021 Agenda at Miranda Location

TaosARC October 13, 2021 Agenda 6:00 PM, 2nd Wednesday Held at: 6 Miranda Rd Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557

Reporting there is a new, Aug 20, 2021 state health order to mandate indoor masks, with a $5,000 fine per violation, page 3, section 1 and page 4, section 6. https://www.kob.com/kobtvimages/repository/cs/files/081721%20PHO%20Masks.pdf

Optional potluck, 5:30 (List so far, Mike Pizza, Tim Pizza, other Mike Drinks, Gabe dessert)

6:00 Meeting Begins

1) Sign in

2) Approval of prior month minutes (published on web 9/10/2021)

3) Treasurer's Report

September balance ending is: $11,130.17_______ Income this month $0.00
Expenses this month: $5,869.63 3,349.90 Siegel Grant (Anytone Radios) 593.04 Lanl Foundation Grant books 96.75 SAM Maintenance Materials 80.40 SAM Maintenance Materials 1,273.39 Siegel Grant (Generator, KSP) 18.65 SAM Maintenance Materials? 391.05 LANL Grant - HamTestOnline 66.45 SAM Utilities

4) President’s remarks a) Noted buys from above and HamTestOnline discussion for Taos High School b) Submitted $16K grant for combo STEM/ARES trailer 9/13/2021. Award is Feb/2022. c) Public facing service hours report: 20 hours total - 2 hours at Taos High School, 18 hours at Taos Police Dept request Sgt Lloyd Garcia i. Parade report: KF5TTO, Greg Medina PIC, KI5IPS, KF5RKM, KF5OSA, KF5OSA, W5TAO, W5JHW, NM5MK, W5TNM d) ByLaws defined Annual Meeting i. Officer nominations & elections discussion, per bylaws

5) New Business a) Officer Nominations: Current is Tim Henson, Pres; Greg Medina, Vice Pres; Wayne Rivali, Secretary; Glen Romero Treasurer; Mike Kittredge, Board; Tom Trojnar, Board.  Election in November
b) ARES Report – State 3939 monthly, NB5R (POC support needed) c) Equipment Insurance – We will have equipment at 4 sites with no insurance. We have club liability insurance, but not product. ARRL insurance:  $1.40 per $100, $50 deductible. The club would make a list of equipment online and indicate replacement cost. So $20,000 worth of insurance will cost us $280 per year.

6) Repeater Report/Update – NB5R & W5JHW,

7) Net report – W5GWR & K5GEO

8) Old Business a) SAM Maintenance report i. Part 1 – Painting & Ground rod (8/28/2021, 8 x 4 hours = 32 hours) ii. Part 2 – Roof old shed (9/18/2021, KI5HKU, W5JHW, KI5QDH, W5TNM = 10 hours) 1) Return to new shed roof someday. GACO undercoat only iii. Electrical planning, outage, state inspector b) Noting many hours unrecorded for repeater maintenance from NB5R, N5TSV, W5JHW c) Richard B. Siegel Foundation Update – KF5RKM d) Update on Town of Taos old PD Shack - KF5RKM
e) LANL Foundation STEM Update (1st session 10/7/2021) – W5TNM, NM5MK

9) Other Business
a) Nets, 4th Wednesday 7PM, Picuris Mountain 147.120+, 67.0 analog, immediately afterwards DMR 442. 175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local) b) ARRL Tech and General test, 11/10/2021, 5:30 during the meeting. c) ARRL Test, 11/13/2021, 10am at the EOC, FRN required. (Expecting 3 or so)

10) Notice - Each club meeting is the 2nd Wednesday of the month, 6 PM, #6 Miranda, 87557, minimum agenda Treasures reports, New Business, Old Business, Closeout.

11) Business Meeting Close

12) DMR 101 Learning – NB5R

NET CONTACTS 9/22/2021:

Analog Net: - 16 K5TTO Greg, W5JHW John, NM5MK Mike, W5TNM Tim, W5TAO Gary, KI5WYG Phillip, AD5NM Dave, W5TAO Gary, KF5RKM Tom, KI5AXU Karen, KI5IPS Sheila, KI5HKM Craig, KE5CEJ Catherine, N5TSV Mickey, K5GEO George, W5GWR Wayne (Net Control)

DMR – 11 KF5TTO Greg, N5TSV Mickey, AD5NM Dave, W5JHW John, W5GWR Wayne, NM5MK Mike, W5TAO Gary, W5TNM Tim, KF5OSA Daniel, KF5OSB Glen, K5GEO George (Net Control)

ByLaws Election:

ANNUAL MEETING: An annual meeting of the members shall be held on the second Wednesday in the month of October in each year for the purpose of electing Officers and Directors for a one (1) year term and for the transaction of such other business as may come before the meeting.

Section 2.09 ELECTIONS (a) Officers and Directors shall be elected by a majority of votes duly cast by the voting members at the annual meeting of the Club, held in October of each year, if a quorum is not present, than at the next regular or special meeting called for the purpose, notice of any such meeting shall be made 15 days in advance of the meeting. (b) A newly elected Officer or Director shall take office on January 1st of the term for which elected, unless appointed to fill a vacancy, in which case he or she shall take office immediately upon his or her appointment. (c) REMOVAL OR RESIGNATION (i) Any Officer or Director may be removed from office by an affirmative vote of two thirds of the voting members present at a regular meeting. Any Officer or Director may resign by written notice to the Board.

Section 2.10 QUORUM (a) The members present at an annual, monthly, or special meeting of the membership shall constitute a quorum at such meeting. (b) A quorum for any business shall be the President or Vice President, two (2) members of the board of directors (cannot be the President if he is already filling the first requirement), and two (2) members at large of the organization. A 51% majority of such a quorum is required for any act of the Corporation. (c) Once a quorum is established, members deemed authorized to vote by this document and who are present at the annual meeting will be eligible to vote for the officer candidates.

TARC Minutes for 9-8-2021 Meeting

TAOS ARC SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 MINUTES OF THE MEETING

1) The meeting was called to order by Tim Henson at 6:00 pm by calling for self introductions by name and call sign of members of the 13 present. New member, Thurman Turner, K7TTX, and future Ham, Dan Battle were welcomed by the club.

2) The approval of minutes of the prior meeting was motioned for by Greg M. and second by Tom. Approval was unanimous.

3) Treasurer Glen R. reported a current club account balance of $16,999.80. Deposits in the amount of $194.50, and expenses of $543.11 primarily for SAM repeater upgrades. An additional $25.00 is available for future deposit from a new membership.

4) President's Remarks:

a) Tim announced a new learning program, starting with Brian to teach members about digital radio.

b) Forest Service Fee Schedule:

i) Attachment A - Annual $126,55 PIC and SAM vs commercial fees.

c) New grant opportunity due 09-15-21- Trailer application vote for purchase not to exceed $15,000, but recommended around $12,000 for the expense. Motion apply for the grant by Greg M. and second by Mike K. Vote was unanimous. No objections. Tim stated the club had, for IRS compliance, a maximum of $50,000 in revenue via donations, grants, and membership fees. As of today it is $4,000 in cashflow+ grants ( 12.8+5+12, all in K) = $31,800 for tax year to date.

5) New Business:

a) August 14 Test Report: Examiners John Wheatley, W5JHW, W5GWR, Wayne Rivali, and Tim Henson, W5TNM were present. No examinees attended for any tests.

b) ARES Interest Level- Tim mentioned Wayne signed up, Gary had an interest, and Greg had discussed signing up with Tim. Brian, NB5R, pointed out the fact that this area is not prone to hurricanes, tornados, floods, earthquakes, etc. and most ARES missions in the area are by far, search and rescue.

Brian further stated for those interested, there are a variety of training sources online for free citing ICS by name and is based on equipment limitations adding that an emergency trailer is a great asset, as he used Los Alamos as an example.

Operators would rotate out, preferably two at a time. Logs would need to be taken by operators. HF is also a source for emergency nets. Wayne mentioned the NM ARES net held on the first Sunday of the month on 3.939 80 meters.

  • Brian is the official District Emergency Coordinator for the Taos area. Gary, W5TAO, added Winlink as potential emergency services which can be sent as a sort of email. Dale, KB5NFT, who has considerable credentials in emergency services, including ARES, RACES, WINLINK, Red Cross, MRC, CERT, Storm Spotter and more spoke about helping the club by talking more in depth about these services in future meetings. Dale went on to explain more about Winlink emergency services citing several examples of various actual events and exercises.

    c) Honda EU3000iS generator purchase ($2,456 budget), 8 ea AT-D878UVII Plus Digital HT radios @ $299.99 ea ($2,399.99), 2 ea AT-D578UV Triband DMR Mobile radios ($800.00). The club receives a 10% affiliate (via KF5RKM) rebate of approximately $300.00 on the radio purchases. A lengthy discussion ensued on the need for one or two generators on the purchase. Consensus was one generator for now. Motion by Brian, second by Mike followed by unanimous approval from members. The radio purchase was motioned for by Glen and second by Tom. Also, a unanimous approval by members present.

    *) Non agenda discussion- Tom on new Taos ARC club location approval by Town of Taos to use the old police station: According to Tom and verified by Brian it appears that Taos ARC will granted the use of the "back room" known as the dispatch room by the town. It appears Taos ARC can use the fifty-foot mast for antenna use along with backup power sources. Leak repairs and storage removal of town items will be necessary. A projected date of Oct 1st is the targeted date for move in but is subject to change. Taos ARC could participate in town events by posting members with radios in various locations in exchange for stipends. Brian announced that he would donate a triband antenna. Dale reported new progress on Philmont. Still working with Taos Pueblo.

6) Repeater report:

a) 220 frequency working fine.

b) Brian reported a frequency change at SAM to avoid interference with neighboring repeater was successful. The new receive frequency is 146.780, transmit is 146.180, and color code is 5.

c) Tim is eyeing this weekend to replace the roof on the SAM old shack. The replacement planned for two weekends ago was postponed due a an emergency surgery needed by the chief carpenter. No update on the electrical agenda to replace the old power box which is still functional, but very, very old.

7) Net report – W5GWR & K5GEO NET CONTACTS 8/25/2021: Analog Net: 1 K5TTO Greg 2 NB5R Brian 3 KI5OSA Dan 4 KI6KGC Mike B 5 NM5MK Mike K 6 KI5IPS Sheila 7 KI5HKU Craig 8 KI5IPT Dan 9 KI5OSB Glen 10 KB5NFT Dale (Echholink) 11 K5GEO George 12 N5TSV Mickey 13 KE5CEJ Catherine (Echolink) 14 N6SIK David 15 WB5CSO Gabe 16 AD5NM Dave 17 W5GWR Wayne (Net Control) Completed at 19:22 DMR KF5TTO,Greg AD5NM, Dave NM5MK, Mike W5GWR, Wayne KF5OSB,Glen K5GEO, George (Net Control) Completed 19:42

8) Old Business a) SAM Maintenance report i. Part 1 – Painting & Ground rod (Daniel THANKS) ii. Part 2 – Roof old shed iii. Vent for new shed, heat? -NB5R iv. New Shed roof right behind v. Electrical planning b) Siegel Foundation Update – KF5RKM c) Update on Town of Taos activities - KF5RKM d) LANL Foundation STEM Update – W5TNM e) Monthly Tempo meeting notification appears automatic f) VLA Tour, 10/15, Hamfest 10/16?

9) Other Business

a) Nets, 4th Wednesday 7PM, Picuris Mountain 147.120+, 67.0 analog, immediately afterwards DMR 442. 175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local) b) Other Nets of interest: a) Bravo Net - 7.215 Sunday 9:30, b) Freewheelers 3916, 7PM nightly C) https://www.legion.org/hamradio/monthly-net-schedule, d) http://www.warc1.org/ since 1932, e) http://www.arrl-nm.org/wp/nets-around-new-mexico c) ARRL Test, 11/13/2021, 10am at the EOC, FRN required.

Wichita Amateur Radio Club – since 1932


TALARC Net Schedule | The American Legion

HF NETS

10) Business Meeting Close a) Motion for adjournment called for by Mike, second by Greg. No objections. Meeting officially adjourned at 6:52 pm.

Side note: After the meeting, Brian had a very effective 101 level tutorial on DMR radio lasting about 40 minutes.

TaosARC September 8, 2021 Agenda

6:00 PM, 2nd Wednesday Held at: 6 Miranda Rd Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557 WebPosting 9/6/2021

Reporting there is a new, Aug 20, 2021 state health order to mandate indoor masks, with a $5,000 fine per violation, page 3, section 1 and page 4, section 6. https://www.kob.com/kobtvimages/repository/cs/files/081721%20PHO%20Masks.pdf

Optional potluck, 5:30

6:00 Meeting Begins

1) Sign in

2) Approval of prior month minutes

3) Treasurer's Report

Balance is: __ Income this month ___ Expenses this month __

4) President’s remarks a) Agenda additions for 30 minute learning, demo, programming radios, (DMR 101) etc… b) US Forest Service Fee schedule, Attachment A – Annual $126.55 PIC and SAM vs commercial fees c) New Grant Opportunity, Due 9/15/2021 – Trailer application vote, max $15K, recommend $12K i. $50K IRS max for us, $4K cashflow + Grants(12.8+5+12) = $31.8K for tax year

5) New Business a) Aug 14 ARRL Test Report - W5JHW, W5GWR, W5TNM b) ARES Interest Level – NB5R c) Honda EU3000iS generator purchase ($2,456 budget) & radios 8 HT purchase AT-D878UVII Plus $299.99 each, (2,399.99), 2 AT-D578UV Triband DMR mobile (800.00) (10% affiliate) – KF5RKM

6) Repeater Report – NB5R & W5JHW, a) 220 - W5TNM

7) Net report – W5GWR & K5GEO

8) Old Business a) SAM Maintenance report i. Part 1 – Painting & Ground rod (Daniel THANKS) ii. Part 2 – Roof old shed iii. Vent for new shed, heat? -NB5R iv. New Shed roof right behind v. Electrical planning b) Siegel Foundation Update – KF5RKM c) Update on Town of Taos activities - KF5RKM
d) LANL Foundation STEM Update – W5TNM e) Monthly Tempo meeting notification appears automatic f) VLA Tour, 10/15, Hamfest 10/16?

9) Other Business
a) Nets, 4th Wednesday 7PM, Picuris Mountain 147.120+, 67.0 analog, immediately afterwards DMR 442. 175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local) b) Other Nets of interest: a) Bravo Net - 7.215 Sunday 9:30, b) Freewheelers 3916, 7PM nightly C) https://www.legion.org/hamradio/monthly-net-schedule, d) http://www.warc1.org/ since 1932, e) http://www.arrl-nm.org/wp/nets-around-new-mexico c) ARRL Test, 11/13/2021, 10am at the EOC, FRN required.

10) Business Meeting Close

11) DMR 101 Learning – NB5R

NET CONTACTS 8/25/2021:

Analog Net: 1 K5TTO Greg 2 NB5R Brian 3 KI5OSA Dan 4 KI6KGC MikeB 5 NM5MK MikeK 6 KI5IPS Sheila 7 KI5HKU Craig 8 KI5IPT Dan 9 KI5OSB Glen 10 KB5NFT Dale 11 K5GEO George 12 N5TSV Mickey 13 KE5CEJ Catherine 14 N6SIK David 15 WB5CSO Gabe 16 AD5NM Dave 17 W5GWR Wayne (Net Control) Completed at 19:22

DMR KF5TTO,Greg AD5NM, Dave NM5MK, Mike W5GWR, Wayne KF5OSB,Glen K5GEO, George (Net Control) Completed 19:42

Attachment A – US Forest Service Fee Schedule -issue with pictures - will send in email before meeting-

Minutes Aug 11 2021

TAOS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB MINUTES OF AUGUST 11, 2021

President Tim Henson called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm.

  1. There were no special guests in attendance, however, club member Dale Finley KB5NFT made a special appearance via Zoom from Dallas, TX. 14 TARC members were present.

  2. Minutes from previous month was motioned for approval by John W5JHW, second by Mike NM5MK.

  3. Treasures report.

    a) Glen reported a club account current balance of $17,437.17.

  4. Presidents remarks:

    a) The original expected check amount of $6.87 from Kroger (Smith's) actually showed up as a check for a surprising $24.32.

    b) Tim made a clarification that ARRL family members of a primary ARRL member paying full membership dues need only pay $10:00 for membership.

  5. New Business:

    a) San Antonio Mountain (SAM) repeater site buildings need new roof and paint with TARC funds. Motion for approval by John W5JHW, second by Sheila KI5IPS.

    b) SAM repeater power box replacement was discussed. Proper legal procedure is as follows. 

    1. Proper hookup by licensed electrician. TARC member Larry KG5YKP was discussed as possible 
     qualified volunteer. Wayne W5GWR will discuss with Larry on Monday.

2. Approval of installation by state level inspector.

3. Hook up by Kit Carson Electric.

4. Determination was made that old power box was working at a satisfactory level, giving Larry or someone else to install wiring more time. Motion to delay power box switch to newer box by John W5JHW, second by Glen KF5OSB.

5. SAM maintenance recon 07-31-21 measure and material list discussed.

 6. Work 1/2 day on 08-28-21involving Tim, John, Greg B. Craig G. and George R. plus maybe a couple of more people with vehicles with good tires.

7. PSAs KTAO, KNCE and others advertised the Aug 14 test. Confirmed VEs are John W5JHW, Tim W5TNM, and Wayne W5GWR. Ad on Taos News Tempo missed by Friday noon cutoff.

    Sheila volunteered to help with radio ads.

    8. Repeater Report:

    a) John reported having installed TSV and hospital repeaters, but he believes there's a problem with the Angel fire repeater. Echolink ok. 

9. Net report:

   a) Wayne suggested publishing net reports on website.

    1. Old business:

      a) Still awaiting reports from Town of Taos on old police building. Priorities constantly changing.

      b) LANL Foundation STEM update. Cogent receipt?

      c) Dale, via Zoom, report on STEM: Dale reported making various contacts on VHF and Echolink. Most kids were between 6 and 9. Made contacts with Tom, Mike and Wayne. Children had a little contact trouble with using Echolink style transmit as far as coordination. Contact was made with Dales friends in North Carolina and Colorado. Kids and staff were very nice and very courteous. Rain posed a few problems, but overall, was quite successful.

      1. Other business:

        a) John WB5Q asked if hamfests were still on. Club input consensus was Albuquerque was a no-go but Socorro was a go. John WB5Q expressed favor in the Socorro hamfest, which can include a visit to the VLA.

Tim Interjection: Missed ISS SSTV under President's remarks:

Craig KI5HKU discussed slow scan tv using a Kenwood HT horizontal worked best. Can be used, via apps. MMMSTV is the app used.

12. Adjourn: Motion by Gabe WB5CSO, second by Glen KF5OSB, unanimous with no objections at 6:47 pm.

POST MEETING SUGGESTION: Start having a workshop or learning / doing session immediately after the regular meetings, for example DMR topics of programming, etc… getting radios programmed.

TaosARC August 11, 2021 Agenda

TARC Agenda for 8/11/2021 6:00 PM, 2nd Wednesday Held at: 6 Miranda Rd Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557

Watch for any changing Covid protocols. Keep a mask handy in case the county mandates.

Optional potluck, 5:30

6:00 Meeting Begins

1) Sign in

2) Reading of the minutes/approval

3) Treasurer's Report

Balance is: __

4) President’s remarks a) Smith’s noted increase, $6.87 to $24.32 check b) ARRL Note, family member $10 c) Other

5) New Business a) ISS SSTV – KI5HKU b) SAM work plans – old shed roof, paint, nail patrol  Recon 7/31/2021 measure & material list  Work ½ day 8/28? (W5JHW, W5TNM+1, KI5QDH, KI5HKU, K5GEO?), couple more perhaps with super good tires 1) Precut metal, underlayment, fasteners, 4 gallons paint for 2 shacks, magnetic nail finder (JW) 2) Backup date TBD 3) Electrical box c) Volunteer  PSAs KTAO, KCNE other, put in Aug 14 test. 1) Confirmed VE’s are W5JHW, W5TNM, W5GWR  Taos News Tempo missed, monthly – 2 weeks Friday noon cutoff d) Open topics

6) Repeater Report – NB5R & W5JHW

7) Net report – W5GWR & K5GEO

8) Old Business a) Siegel Foundation Update – KF5RKM b) Update on Town of Taos activities - KF5RKM
c) LANL Foundation STEM Update – W5TNM d) Pueblo STEM report follow-up – W5TNM for KB5NFT

9) Other Business
a) Nets, 4th Wednesday 7PM, Picuris Mountain 147.120+, 67.0 analog, DMR 442. 175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local) b) Next ARRL Test, 8/14/2021, 10am at the EOC, FRN required. c) ARRL Test, 11/13/2021, 10am at the EOC, FRN required. d) VLA Tour, 10/15, hamfest 10/16?

10) Adjourn / Close

NET CONTACTS 7/28/2021:

W5GWR - Wayne (Net Control) W5TNM - Tim NM5MK - Mike KI5AXU - Karen W5JHW - John NB5R - Brian KI5IPS - Shelia K5GEO - George KJ5ANE - Jane KI5IPT - Dan KI5HKU - Craig KE5CEJ - Catherine (KS) KI6KGC - Mike Berger (Angel Fire) Completed at 19:20

DMR K5GEO - George (Net Control) W5GWR - Wayne W5TNM - Tim NM5MK - Mike Completed 19:52

PSA, KTAO, KCNE FCC credentialed testing has returned to Taos for ham radio licensing. The Taos Amateur Radio Club will be giving tests to the public at the Taos County, Emergency Operations Center, Saturday, August 14, 10am. All levels can be tested. For more information call Tim, 575-770-1961.

Technical goodie for the day: Improve the performance of your rubber duck with a rat tail Blog, Home Blog 0 Comments Hams often complain about the performance of the “rubber duck” antennas that come with their handhelds. There’s even a question in the Technician Class question pool about rubber duck antennas. Question T9A04 reads, “What is a disadvantage of the “rubber duck” antenna supplied with most handheld radio transceivers when compared to a full-sized quarter-wave antenna?” The answer is, “It does not transmit or receive as effectively.”

Usually, the solution is to buy a better antenna. Here at BTECH, we sell the Nagoya line of HT antennas (https://baofengtech.com/accessories). These antennas are fantastic accessories for our BTECH radios.

Another way to improve the efficiency of your handheld antenna is to add a counterpoise, also known as a “rat tail” or “tiger tail,” to your antenna. As shown in the figure at right, the rat tail is simply a short piece of wire that connects to the ground side of the antenna connector. In normal use, the radio’s whip antenna operates against whatever kind of ground it can find. It works, but isn’t very efficient. With a rat tail, however, the rubber duck becomes much more efficient, meaning that you’ll be able to get out farther and receive weaker signals.

They couldn’t be any easier to build. For a 2m rat tail, simply cut a 19.5-in. piece of hookup wire, strip one of the ends, then form a loop that will go over the antenna connector where the rubber duck screws in. You can solder the spot where the end of the wire forms the loop so that the loop stays intact. Another option is to use a crimp-on ring terminal at the radio end of the rat tail. Before crimping on the terminal, make sure that it will fit over the stud. Now, all you have to do is slide the loop or the terminal over the stud and screw in the antenna.

Keep in mind that the rat tail will be shorter on other bands. For the 1.25 m (220 MHz) band, the rat tail should be about 11.5 inches. For the 70 cm (440 MHz) band, the rat tail should be about 6.5 inches.

Finally, keep in mind that the rat tail makes whatever antenna you’re using more efficient. What this means is that you’ll get even more of a performance boost if you use a rat tail with a Nagoya antenna. This combination may be just what you need if you find that you’re only making a repeater marginally.

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TARC 4TH Wednesday Net, 7/28/2021, 7PM

All, the 4th Wednesday Net is 7/28/2021, PM.

We will be on the ever dependable Picuris repeater at 147.120+, 67.0. Please attend, make sure your equipment works, catch-up with your operator friends and our new members. Same as always for the regular analog net.

The DMR Net is very optional, as there are only about 8 DMR users at the club, there will be a 2nd net (DMR) immediately following on the Picuris DMR. It is Picuris DMR 442.175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local). It will be a time to test any new DMR programming and experiment, with one goal of not getting on other talk groups, like 719, CO NM or 700 Rocky Mountain wide. But if we never start, we never get there. So making an error is okay.

The next regular club meeting will be 2nd Wednesday, 6PM, August 11, 2021. The club meeting will be in person at the Taos County EOC. We also restarted out pot luck at 5:30.

Volunteer(s) Needed: 1) We need an outreach coordinator to get us back in the Taos News Tempo announcements. TH has done this pre-covid, I have simple scripts to share. You need to setup an account for the Tempo source, then 2 weeks before the meeting, Friday Noon is the cutoff to validate for a meeting listing the week of the meeting. You need to be available for last minute print cutoff around the Friday noon. For example for an August 18 meeting to be in the correct Tempo, you need to submit about Aug 2, then confirm with email, with a press deadline Aug 6, noon (last minute questions that day are fast).

2)Public Service Announcements (PSAs). The club has reaped rewards for membership from commercial broadcast announcements. I have put PSAs in for FCC testing. The radio stations are picky, so you must limit the cause and announcements. I have scripts for this too. I put PSAs on KTAO, KRZA and KNCE. Each will have a form to complete and auto email. This is a click and walk away. The next test is Aug 14, so it is time for a “FCC License PSA”.

Contact Tim s20thkbs@aol.com 575-770-1916 for details.

Discussion is we have many members taking advantage of the ½ percent Smith’s and Smile.Amazon donations. Thanks!

Minutes 7-14-2021 Meeting

TAOS AMATEUR RADIO CLUB MINUTES OF JULY 14, 2021

(Thank you for the minutes Wayne)

Newly elected President, Tim Henson (W5TNM), called the meeting to order precisely at 6:00pm.

1) Guests included Mike Reitz (W5EVT) from Cimmarron and Mike Berger (KI6KGC) from Angel Fire.

2) Reading of the minutes from previous meeting motioned to approve and forego by Tom Trojner, seconded by Mike Kittredge. Unanimously approved, with no objections.

3) Treasurer's Report:

a) As reported by Glen Romero, a current club account balance of $17,064.35. With $250.00 more in deposit transit.

b) A changing of bank signers by virtue of replaced officers took place on Friday, July 9th. Mike Kittredge, past president, was removed as signer and replaced as signer by Tim Henson, newly elected president. Tom Trojner, past secretary, was removed as signer and replaced by G. Wayne Rivali, newly elected secretary.

c) Operating expense summary:

TARC Expenses: Due Amount Note Monthly auto 708.00 SAM Kit Carson electric ($59 month 12) Nov 126.00 US Forest Service (SAM rent) Nov 126.00 US Forest Service (PIC rent) Nov 72.00 Square – Website Feb 76.00 PO Box Feb 10.00 NM State Corp Commission Apr 0.00 Taxes (Filing only) Jun8 200.00 Annual insurance Monthly auto 60.00 US Bank paper statements ($5 month 12) 1378.00 Approximate annual operating expenses Operating Income 1000.00 Estimated dues (40*25) 500.00 Civil Air Patrol 1500.00 Approximate ordinary income Net Operating Position 122.00 Uncommitted Cash Other Income 72.00 Amazon Smile ($18 quarter) 1930.00 Cyber Grants 0.00 Smith Grocery 0.00 Bridgecom Affiliate 2124.00 Total estimated annual uncommitted cash Committed Funds 5000.000 LANL Foundation Grant 12800.000 Richard P. Siegel Foundation NA Changes in Cash Position – Not Available to General Fund

4) President's remarks

a) Grant check received from The Richard Siegel Foundation in the amount of $12,800.00.

b) $200 donation by Abe, new club member.

c) Tom announced another $200.00 on the way.

d) Mickey offered a generator to the club.

e) New equipment location storage discussed

- Possible at old police station-pending.

  -EOC too full

 - $1200.00 spent on "silent key" equipment offered by his widow. Numerous discussions on what to do with it. Consensus was some to be loaned or donated, some kept for club use, and some sold to recoup the initial investment. This was unanimously approved by club officers.

    - Review revenue generation capability was discussed.
    ◦ Amazon Smile, .05% (Information provided below), +/- $18 quarterly?
    ◦ Smith’s grocery store .05% $6.87, 1 family (Information provided below)
    ◦ Bridgecom Affiliate link on web page, 10%, $0 to date
    ◦ DX Engineering has no program
    ◦ Other – LANL Cyber Grants, donations, s +/-$2,500
    ◦ Dues & Civil Air Patrol, more less $1,500 per year, core operating income

5) New business

a) Mike Kittredge automatically appointed to board by virtue of immediate past president. Tom Trojner also appointed to board by nomination from Mike, second by Greg Medina. Unanimous with no objections.

b) Mike motioned to implement new bylaws. Greg second

c) Tom motioned to change bylaws. Greg second.

d ) Final bylaws motion to approve by Mike, second by Greg As follows: Section 5.10 (c.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS (EXCEPT FOR GRANTS) (i.) The President or designee may spend up to: 1.) $500.00 (Five Hundred Dollars) without prior authorization. 2.) Between $501.00 (Five Hundred One Dollars) and $1499.00 (One Thousand Four Ninety-Nine Dollars) Board approval is required. 3.) $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Dollars) and above, the general voting membership must approve. 4.) Amounts above $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. (d.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS FOR GRANTS (ii.) All grants, earmarked and non-earmarked, must be accepted by club vote. Any submission prior to a regular club meeting must be presented at the next club meeting and have the majority of the officers approve a pre-submission. The club vote is the final decision for submission or withdrawal. (iii.) Upon grant funding, the President or designee or grantee may spend said funds as follows: 1.) Non-earmarked grants may be spent by club vote and in accordance with the spending authority and limits in the above (4) four conditions. except where the grantee provides guidance on grant purpose and said grant expenditures have been approved by club vote, he/she may spend up to $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) with board approval, of grant funds. Such expenditures must be reported in the next regular meeting. Amounts above $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. 2.) Earmarked grants, must be spent according to the grantor’s conditions. Spending for earmarked grants may be done by the president or designee or grantee with the approval of the majority of the club officers. Earmarked grant purchases must be reported to the club in the next regular meeting.

6) Repeater report

a) Brian is working on SAM repeater to reduce interference from neighboring repeaters. Old 2 meter box needs replacement. New repeater box needs professional hook-up and inspection followed by final connection by Kit Carson Electric. Larry Mapes, club member, proposed for hook-up (not present). SAM housing (Mouse House) repair/remodel needed. Postponed for future date.

7) Old business

a) Field day update- Thanks to use of Glen Romero ( member/treasurer) mountain property. Attendee report unanimously positive. Portions of the weekend had rain, but did not dampen spirits. Craig had best rain protection setup. Sheila toughed it out in a tent.

b) Tim will discuss fall events with THS principal upon return from summer vacation.

c) Dale Finley, club member from Dallas and assisting HAM instructor involved with Taos ARC Pueblo training, updated Cimmaron Chamber of Commerce HAM DEMONSTRATION field day. It started on July 4th and ran for 7 consecutive days. Dale logged 50 contacts on 20 meters, 4 on 2 meters, and 2 on Echolink. An article was published in the Taos News prior to the event. Dale met 8 HAMs at Philmont in the Cimmaron area during the event.

d) Dale updated the Taos Pueblo school demo and training. Dale contacted Marlee Espinoza after previous discussions with her by Tim, Mike and Wayne. Marlee is a coordinator with the school. Dale proposed minimal power-point kickoff with the youngest getting stronger and more involved as grade increased up to high school. Marlee recommended the opposite. She felt that older students getting first exposure would encourage youngers students to participate. Dale tossed out the idea of Morse code and even using drums as clickers.

8) Other business:

a) Tim discussed the official value of a volunteer was determined to be $28.54. This could be used for future grants, according to Tim.

b) Net reminder by Tim on 4th Wednesday of every month on Picuris at 7:00pm for analog. Upon finishing, switching to digital.

c) Next scheduled testing on August 14th, 2021

d) Tom asked of Fiestas activity. members chimed in about most activities being cancelled, including those that involved Taos ARC in the past.

e) On a humorous and jestful closing remark, Brian asked if anyone knew what the schematic on Tim's T shirt represented. 5 or so members raised hands, correctly answering it was a simple radio. Brian asked what was missing, and Mike correctly answered, a variable capacitor.

9) Call for adjournment by President Tim Henson

a) motion by Dale, second by Brian, unanimous with no objections. Meeting was terminated at 7:00pm.

Agenda - July 14, 2021 

TaosARC July 14, 2021 Agenda

6:00 PM, 2nd Wednesday Held at: 6 Miranda Rd Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557

Watch for any changing Covid protocols. Optional pot luck, 5:30

6:00 Meeting Begins

1) Sign in
2) Reading of the minutes/approval
3) Treasurer's Report

Bank signers changed Balance is: __

Operating Expense Summary

TARC Expenses:
Due Amount Note
Monthly auto 708.00 SAM Kit Carson electric ($59 month 12)
Nov 126.00 US Forest Service (SAM rent)
Nov 126.00 US Forest Service (PIC rent)
Nov 72.00 Square – Website
Feb 76.00 PO Box
Feb 10.00 NM State Corp Commission
Apr 0.00 Taxes (Filing only)
Jun8 200.00 Annual insurance
Monthly auto 60.00 US Bank paper statements ($5 month 12)

1378.00    Approximate annual operating expenses

Operating Income
1000.00 Estimated dues (40*25)
500.00 Civil Air Patrol
1500.00 Approximate ordinary income

Net Operating Position
122.00 Uncommitted Cash

Other Income
72.00 Amazon Smile ($18 quarter)
1930.00 Cyber Grants
0.00 Smith Grocery
0.00 Bridgecom Affiliate
2124.00 Total estimated annual uncommitted cash

Committed Funds
5000.000 LANL Foundation Grant
12800.000 Richard P. Siegel Foundation
NA Changes in Cash Position – Not Available to General Fund 

4) Presidents remarks
-TBD

5) New Business
    a) New Private Foundation Grant ($12.8K equipment) – Tom
        ▪ Equipment for alternative site
    b) Board – Immediate Past President – Mike NM5MK, +1,

(Club is members, 4 officers, 2 Board Members) c) SK Equipment Purchase $1,200.00 with unanimous board approval. Value $5K - Mike d) Review revenue generation capability ▪ Amazon Smile, .05% (Information provided below), +/- $18 quarterly? ▪ Smith’s grocery store .05% $6.87, 1 family (Information provided below) ▪ Bridgecom Affiliate link on web page, 10%, $0 to date ▪ DX Engineering has no program ▪ Other – LANL Cyber Grants, donations, s +/-$2,500
▪ Dues & Civil Air Patrol, more less $1,500 per year, core operating income
e) Discussion on ByLaws proposal updated for Grants, as distributed 7/21/2021 (30 day curation) 

6) Repeater Report – Brian & John

7) Old Business
    a) Field day update – Thanks you Romero’s
    b) Future agenda spot & physical spot for Siegel Foundation update - Tom     
    c) LANL Foundation Update - Tim
    d) Cimarron Chamber of Commerce Outreach (7/4 week) - Dale
    e) Pueblo School Update (7/19 week planned)  - Dale
    f) TBD                                                                                          

8) Other Business                                                           
    a) Nets, 4th Wednesday 7PM, Picuris Mountain 147.120+, 67.0 analog, DMR  442. 175 (+5 MHZ0 CC5 TS2 TG 715 local)
    b) Next ARRL Test, 8/14/2021, 10am at the EOC. 

9) Adjourn / Close

Attachments 1, 2, 3 below:

Attachment1: (as distributed 6/21/2021)

Pending ByLaw Changes - Discussion in the 7/14/2021 Meeting

June 21, 2021

Section 5.10 (c.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS (EXCEPT FOR GRANTS) (i.) The President or designee may spend up to: 1.) $500.00 (Five Hundred Dollars) without prior authorization. 2.) Between $501.00 (Five Hundred One Dollars) and $1499.00 (One Thousand Four Ninety-Nine Dollars) Board approval is required. 3.) $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Dollars) and above, the general voting membership must approve. 4.) Amounts above $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. (d.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS FOR GRANTS (ii.) All grants, earmarked and non-earmarked, must be accepted by club vote. Any submission prior to a regular club meeting must be presented at the next club meeting and have the majority of the officers approve a pre-submission. The club vote is the final decision for submission or withdrawal. (iii.) Upon grant funding, the President or designee or grantee may spend said funds as follows: 1.) Non-earmarked grants may be spent by club vote and in accordance with the spending authority and limits in the above (4) four conditions. except where the grantee provides guidance on grant purpose and said grant expenditures have been approved by club vote, he/she may spend up to $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) with board approval, of grant funds. Such expenditures must be reported in the next regular meeting. Amounts above $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. 2.) Earmarked grants, must be spent according to the grantor’s conditions. Spending for earmarked grants may be done by the president or designee or grantee with the approval of the majority of the club officers. Earmarked grant purchases must be reported to the club in the next regular meeting.

======================================================================= Attachment2: Amazon Smile

Subject: Re: Revision to Your AmazonSmile Charity Selection To select or change the charity you support, Log in to your Amazon account, go to My Account, then look under Other Programs, click "Change Your Amazon Smile Charity". Just do a search on Taos Amateur Radio Club.

Thanks, Brian

On Mon, Apr 27, 2020 at 8:30 PM 'Michael' via Taos ARC <taos data-preserve-html-node="true"-arc@googlegroups.com> wrote:

Look! If you have an Amazon account, you can list us as a charity. Amazon will donate a small amount to us for each of your purchases.

From: no-reply@amazon.com To: migueldetaos@aol.com Sent: 4/27/2020 8:26:46 PM Mountain Standard Time Subject: Revision to Your AmazonSmile Charity Selection

Your Account | Today's Deals | All Departments

Dear michael kittredge,

Thanks for visiting smile.amazon.com! Per your request, we have successfully changed the AmazonSmile charity you are supporting to Taos Amateur Radio Club.

Remember, if you want Amazon to donate to Taos Amateur Radio Club, you need to start each shopping session at the URL smile.amazon.com, and we will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible purchases. Visit Your AmazonSmile Impact to see donation information and learn more about your charity. AmazonSmile: You shop. Amazon gives.

smile.amazon.com

Attachment 3: Smith’s Grocery .05% https://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com
Your Quarterly Statement for PT507 - Taos Amateur Radio Club

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Your Quarterly Statement for PT507 - Taos Amateur Radio Club From: SmithsInspiringDonations@sfdc.com Sent: Thursday, June 24, 2021, 6:10 PM To: taosarc@live.com,ttrojnan@gmail.com CC:

Your Smith's Food & Drug Account Inspiring Donations Home Page

Dear Taos Amateur Radio Club (PT507),

The Kroger Co. Family of Stores is committed to bringing hope and help to the local neighborhoods we call home. Our stores are on a mission to go beyond being a part of the community to also helping create a stronger community. We recognize that every community is different and has unique causes that need support. Smith's Food & Drug launched Inspiring Donations, July 1st of this year, to give customers the opportunity to donate to local causes that matter to them.

Because your total quarterly contribution is less than $25, which is the minimum check amount, you will not be receiving a check at this time. This amount will be held and combined with your next quarter's contribution total until your contribution amount exceeds $25. At the time your total contribution reaches $25, or at the end of the current program year, (June 30th), whichever comes first, your organization will then receive a check. If you have any questions, please email SmithsInspiringDonations@sfdc.com or visit our website at http://www.smithsfoodanddrug.com/inspire .

As a reminder, Smith's Food & Drug donates .5% of every eligible purchase made by participants to the organization their rewards card is linked to. The amount outlined above is the first quarter of funds earned through Inspiring Donations and there is room to grow your donations! We encourage you to ask your supporters to link their rewards card to your organization. Inspiring Donations is easy to understand and easy to explain! The more your supporters shop with us, the more money your organization will earn!

Thank you for being such an important organization in our community,

Inspiring Donations Staff.

Pending ByLaw Changes - Discussion in the 7/14/2021 Meeting

Section 5.10 (c.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS (EXCEPT FOR GRANTS) (i.) The President or designee may spend up to: 1.) $500.00 (Five Hundred Dollars) without prior authorization. 2.) Between $501.00 (Five Hundred One Dollars) and $1499.00 (One Thousand Four Ninety-Nine Dollars) Board approval is required. 3.) $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Dollars) and above, the general voting membership must approve. 4.) Amounts above $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. (d.) SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS FOR GRANTS (ii.) All grants, earmarked and non-earmarked, must be accepted by club vote. Any submission prior to a regular club meeting must be presented at the next club meeting and have the majority of the officers approve a pre-submission. The club vote is the final decision for submission or withdrawal. (iii.) Upon grant funding, the President or designee or grantee may spend said funds as follows: 1.) Non-earmarked grants may be spent by club vote and in accordance with the spending authority and limits in the above (4) four conditions. except where the grantee provides guidance on grant purpose and said grant expenditures have been approved by club vote, he/she may spend up to $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) with board approval, of grant funds. Such expenditures must be reported in the next regular meeting. Amounts above $5,000 (Five Thousand Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting. 2.) Earmarked grants, must be spent according to the grantor’s conditions. Spending for earmarked grants may be done by the president or designee or grantee with the approval of the majority of the club officers. Earmarked grant purchases must be reported to the club in the next regular meeting.

TaosARC June 9, 2021 Agenda

1 Sigh in

2 Reading of the minutes/ approval

3 Treasurer's Report

4 Presidents remarks

5 New Business A. Election of Officers B. Ammendment of President's spending limit for Earmarked Grants Gifts 6 Old Business A. LANAL Grant progress report B. Field Day

  1. Other Business
  2. New President Vision/ Remarks 9 Close

May Minutes

Taos ARC Meeting EOC Minutes

5/12/2021

Vice President Tim Henson called the meeting to order at 6:20 PM

Larry Mapes made a motion to accept April 2021 minutes as posted, second by John Wheatley, passed unanimously.

Treasurers Report: Glen Romero reported that we have $8,376.42 as of 5/12/2021 which includes grant funds of $5,000.

Vice Presidents Message:

Tim told us that President Mike Kittredge will be back for the June meeting.

New Business:

Officer nominations:

Tom Trojnar nominated Tim Henson for President, seconded by Brian Williams. Tim accepted the nomination.

Tim Henson nominated greg Medina for Vice President, seconded by Glen Romero. Greg accepted the nomination.

Glen Romero nominated Wayne Rivali for secretary, seconded by Tom Trojnar. Wayne accepted the nomination.

Tim Henson nominated Glen Romero for treasurer, seconded by Greg Medina. Glen accepted the nomination.

Tim also put out a request for a webmaster and someone to run the monthly nets as he will have his hands full with other club matters.

Tim Henson nominated Mike Kittredge and Tom Trojnar as Board Members, seconded by John Wheatley. Tom accepted and also accepted for Mike in absentia.

Voting for new officers will be at the June 9, 2021 meeting to be held at the Taos County EOC.

Tom reported that he is working on obtaining funding for equipment through a private grant in the proposed amount of $10,000+-.

Brian Williams reported that Mitch Miller may be able to provide a donation of an enclosed trailer from the town of Taos for our mobile operations.

NM QSO party grading will be Saturday 5/23 at the EOC. Club members will meet with Brian Mileshosky of the Rocky Mountain Ham Club. We need 2 or 3 members to attend.

Annual Field Day will be 6/26 and 6/27 this year. Brian suggested a Carson Forest campout. Glen Romero offered his Penasco land for the event. Consensus was leaning toward Penasco which has power and is easy to access. Larry Mapes moved to select Glen’s property as the Field Day spot. Seconded by Sheila. Unanimously approved. Details to be hashed out at the June meeting.

Tim Henson reported that the LANL grant has been funded. Mike had earlier suggested that we amend the bylaws to provide for more streamlined spending options for grants than what we currently have. Tabled for further discussion.

Larry Mapes moved that we approve the LANL grant earmarked equipment of 21 handheld Anytone 868UV radios @ a cost of $3,569.97. 2nd by Greg Medina. Unanimously approved.

Tim related that he and Mike talked with CJ, the Taos High principal. She told them her dad was a Ham operator and that she was introduced to it at an early age. That interest led to Tim’s idea to apply for the LANL grant. We are now seeing that dream become a reality.

Brian Williams reported that he will be going to the Picuris repeater site to analyze repeater bands/interference and try to resolve some of the issues we are having. He also reminded us that he has a UHF repeater donated by a Texas county through Dale that we need to locate and install. He also told us the Brandmeister Digital repeater is operational on 146.78 MHz and that is tied into a New Mexico statewide talk group and a local talk group.

Tim reminded us that the Digital Net will follow the Analog Net on 5/26 at 7PM.

Brian Williams made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by Greg Medina and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at ~6:45PM.

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TARC 5/12/2021 Agenda

Taos Amateur Radio Club 5/12/2021 6:00 PM, 2nd Wednesday Held at: 6 Miranda Rd Ranchos De Taos, NM 87557 Taos County still requires masks for meetings on their premises

1) Roll Call / Attendance Signin

2) 4/14/2021 meeting minutes vote

3) Treasurer's Report, >$8,467.07 - Glen Note, Grants are earmarked for spending requirements.

4) VP's Remarks

5)New Business

Officer Nominations President Vice President Secretary Treasurer Board Member 1 at large Board Member 2 at large

Election will be 6/9/2021.

New Grant proposal for TARC equipment – Private Foundation

QSO Grading 5/23/2021, 10am at the EOC – Brian Mileshosky, RMHC – New Mexico Have 3, need 2 more volunteers, about 2 hours work

Field Day 6/26-27/2021 outdoor suggestions.

Future ByLaws change discussion: Ignores Grants are typically earmarked contracts. Section 5.10 (c)SPENDING AUTHORITY AND LIMITS(i)The President or designee may spend up to: 1)$500.00 (Five Hundred Dollars) without prior authorization. 2)Between $501.00 (Five Hundred One Dollars) and $1499.00 (One Thousand Four Ninety-Nine Dollars) Board approval is required. 3)$1500.00 (One Thousand Five Dollars) and above, the general voting membership must approve. 4)Amounts above $1500.00 (One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars) require formal written proposals and be submitted to the membership in writing via email and voted upon at the next regular meeting.

Future consideration amendment to By-Laws: 5)Earmarked grants that are spending and performance contracts must abide by the terms of the grant. The Grantee and majority of club officers may approve spending within the budget of the grant, then report expenditures in the next club meeting.

Other?

5) Old Business

Repeater status – Brian W.

Taos High School, CJ discussion summary: Mike to buy ARRL books upon return

Evaluating 3 DMR radios (21 needed), Btech 6x2 ($195) = $4,095, Bridgecom ($169.99) = $3,569.79 Anytone 868UV, DX Engineering (184.95) = 3,883.95 Alinco DJ-MD5XTG VHF/UHF, RMHC compatibility and durability IP54. • Grantee will ask club for approval to purchase Anytone 868UV for $3,569.79.

Open to individual purchase add-on.

Upcoming Testing: 05/15/2021, 10am at the EOC 08/14/2021, 10am at the EOC 11/13/2021, 10am at the EOC

Next Net – 05/26/2021 7pm, 4th Wednesday, immediately followed by the TG715 DMR Net

6) Closing

April 14, Meeting on the Air

Taos ARC On-Air Meeting Minutes

4/14/2021

President Mike K called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM

Presidents Message:

Mike told us that nominations for new officers will be in-person at the May 2021 meeting with voting at the June 2021 in-person meeting.

He reported that the NM QSO party went well with about 106 contacts made. Thanks to Mike Kittredge, Wayne Rivali, John Wheatly & Larry Mapes (and anyone else I forgot to mention) for manning the radios.

Brian Williams has activated a new digital repeater (temporarily from his shop) at 146.78. He has heard some traffic from around the state but no local traffic yet.

VP Tim Henson has two ARRL testing dates scheduled, one on August 14,2021 and one on November 13, 2021. Both at 10AM, walk-ins welcome. Neither date will conflict with Los Alamos ARC testing dates. We will be having W5YI testing in May for club members. Gary Ferguson will be testing for Extra and Larry Mapes for general. Contact Tom Trojnar if you would like to schedule to schedule.

Tim also advised us that the Los Alamos grant will be awarded before the end of April (if we get it) and the funds should be disbursed in May/June 2021. More to come on this!

Regarding QSO logging, Johnny MacArthur reminded that paper logs were only necessary if not scored electronically. Brian Mileshosky, N5ZGT will score the electronic versions and Taos ARC members will get together to score the few paper logs sometime in May. Brian Williams said using the recommended software (he sent link by email) will make the job pretty easy and he highly recommends it.

Mike K asked Brian W to look into getting us onto the Logbook of the World, since it requires certification/password.

Gary Ferguson and Larry <Mapes data-preserve-html-node="true" are not getting the TARC Google Groups emails. Tom T will look into it.

Tim introduced a guest from the Los Alamos ARC, George Rodriquez, K5GEO (formerly KK5GEO) He has a technician license and has lived in Los Alamos for 29 years. He enjoys digital radio/D- Star and met Mike Kittredge on analog. He says his handy-talkie in LA hits Picuris just fine. Welcome Geo!

Treasurer Glen Romero, checked in. No balance today but will have an up-to -date balance for the May meeting. He says he’s feeling well and will be back to work tomorrow (4/15). Best of luck Glen.

Mike K and Brian W both had contact with Mitch Miller. He is doing well but way too busy! He’s looking forward to participating when he retires!

Brian/Dale announced that the club got a 440 repeater donated by Cibola County. We might put it in Mora or wherever we can best increase our reach. Thanks Brian!

Larry Mapes relayed info that Holy Cross (https://www.holycrosshealth.org/health-and-wellness/coronavirus ) has extra vaccine shots. Johnny M said the Sagebrush is doing walk-in shots without an appt.(https://www.facebook.com/taosconnects/posts/266935675076643)

Gary Ferguson, W5TAO made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by Wayne Rivali,W5GWR and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 6:27PM.

--

Taos ARC On-Air Meeting Minutes

3/10/2021

President Mike K called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM

Presidents Message:

Mike reminded us that 2021 dues are payable now. It is important to renew, especially those of us that are ARRL members because we need to have a certain percentage of ARRL members to continue being an affiliated club (which comes with benefits for TARC) Paying by PayPal on the website is the preferred method due to ease of bookkeeping. BUT we will take cash, checks, chickens, or bitcoin.

He also mentioned that he had an email from Mitch Miller who is on our member list again. Finally, he gave us Matthew Conlan’s new call sign: KN8X

Treasurer’s Report:

We have $3,191.78 in the bank. We have been lucky to have donations to supplement our dues since our annual expenses are only about $300 less that our total dues.

New Business:

April 10, 2021 is the date for the New Mexico QSO party. Mike would like to have 4-5 generals with HF experience to man the EOC for the QSO party. If interested, contact Mike for arrangements. Optimally we would like to clean up the ham shack before then and replace the rotator (weather and equipment permitting)

Old Business:

Tim Henson told us he submitted his grant proposal to LANL on 2/21/2021, well ahead of thew deadline. This is the grant for STEM education at Taos High School. If awarded, we could be notified in April with funding in May. Tim is also working on covering the projected shortfall through smaller “cyber-grants” at LANL.

Mike also mentioned that we would still like to develop a ham station within the town of Taos. They have been a big help to us in the past and this could benefit us both.

More QSO party discussion followed: It would be good to have 8+ HF’ers working from home to handle the expected call volume. Rules, logs etc are available online at: http://www.newmexicoqsoparty.org/wp/

John Wheatly and John MacArthur told us that the QSO party is usually a big pile-up with HAM’s from around the country trying to make contact and check-in.

Tim made a motion to approve the February 2021 minutes, 2nd by Glen. Unanimously approved.

John Wheatly made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by John MacArthur and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 6:24PM.

--

Taos ARC On-Air Meeting Minutes

2/10/2021

President Mike K called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM

Check ins: 15+

Business:

Mike told us we have several new people who are working on studies and will soon become members. Shout-out to Zac Helmberger and Greg from Carson. Good luck on your studies! Welcome Hal Marshall (KI5LWE).

Treasurer’s Report:

We have $2,980.40 in the bank. REMINDER: 2021 dues are due. So do take a minute and do your duty. Jump on PayPal (preferred) and sent us some digital clams.

New Business:

April 10, 2021 is the date. TARC is sponsoring the New Mexico QSO party. This is an ARRL sanctioned event. We will be trying to make contacts in all 50 states. Greg Medina asked if we could work the party at the EOC. Mike thinks that is a good possibility and we have a few members who are willing to work our rig. Email us (taosarc@live.com) with your interest and preferred approximate time and he will try to plan a sharing schedule for our HF rig, optimally pairing seasoned operators with less experienced members, with consideration to current COVID restrictions. .

We now have 8 or 9 members with digital radios. With continued interest, we may do a digital net. Wayne, among others is interested in digital although Picuris seems to shut down periodically in cloudy weather. We may want to explore moving to our own spot at Picuris and getting more battery power to carry us through inclement weather. We only need to move the 220 and digital repeater about 50”. More info on this as weather improves.

Matthew Conlan (KI5MVL) has completed all his studies and testing online. He used Hamstudy.org (free) for study and W5YI for testing ($14 per test). He explained the testing procedure and camera requirements etc. With all VE’s on Zoom, he said the process was simple and painless. Congrats Matthew!.

Old Business:

Tim Henson told us he is ready to submit his grant proposal to LANL for STEM education at Taos High School. LANL has about $2.5 million in grant money for 7 New Mexico counties. We are seeking $5,000 for our program. At this funding level, we might have a $700-$900 short-fall, but we should be able to make that up out of our general funds. Tim is targeting 2/17/2021 or thereabout for submission.

Brian W made a motion to adjourn, 2nd by Greg M and unanimously approved. The meeting adjourned at 6:24PM.

NM QSO Contest

Remember the New Mexico Contest is coming uo April 10. See http://www.newmexicoqsoparty.org/wp/ for the latest update. I am Working on using the Club Station on that day for perhaps 5 operators. Pefer General and above with out a home station, so they have a chance to get on the air. If you have an HF ststion at home plan to get on the air for at least part of the day. You are sure to find some excitement and get a head start on your WAS Award.

From Wayne W5GWR

As a member and organizer of the newly established American Legion Post 16, I have been directed to employ the "Buddy Check" system enacted by legion commander Bill Oxford for local legion members. This system revolves mainly on helping members needing help with the Covid crisis but also extends to potential natural disasters of all kinds. As a member of Taos ARC, I feel it's my responsibility to advise all Taos ARC members of any potential warnings or advisements that I become aware of.

First of all, there is a major weather system that is affecting the United States at this very moment. Currently, it is hitting the north central United States, but is slowly moving southward. Eventually by next week, almost the entire country will be experiencing unseasonable and extreme cold temperatures along with heavy snowfall in many areas. Many southern states not used to getting snow may see record snow accumulations. The good news is that Taos is on the fringe according to forecasts, but we can't take too much comfort in that. The primary concern is that the burden on heating resources caused by people all over the country trying to keep warm could cause a collapse of utility companies, like the one that happened in Taos around ten years ago when we lost natural gas for several days.

It is advised to prepare for alternative forms of heat such as portable electric heaters, wood burning stoves, etc. Do not start fires in ornamental kiva fireplaces, as that was the number one call-out for our fire department ten years ago. If in doubt about a heating source, call the fire department. Other utilities could be at risk as well. Think about electricity loss, internet loss, phone loss, etc. Non-perishable foods should be on hand as well as potable water stores.

We are also coming into the time of year where we begin to replenish a very important antioxidant that is supplied by exposure to sunlight that has been diminished over the winter months. Many studies have also shown this nutrient to amplify the bodies immune system to fight Covid. It's called vitamin D3. The lack of sunlight in so much of the nation over the next week could put people at risk for Covid. As a health coach, I advise taking natural nutrient supplements including Vitamin D3, K2, C (preferably whole food C), minerals zinc, and selenium, and plant pigment quercetin for immune defense. Don't get the stuff from Wally. Go to Cid's or Taos Herb for the good stuff. They can also help you with dosages and any other questions you might have.

If anyone experiences difficulty if Taos experiences a problem, I am the point of contact for American Legion help. I am including a link to track weather weather systems. On the right column, you can select various activities and the bar at the bottom is a timeline forecast. Feel free to contact me if you have additional questions or need assistance of any kind. Due to Covid, Post 16 is not fully organized, but local members can still help as well as volunteers from other established posts. We hope and pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.

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G. Wayne Rivali W5GWR wrivali@yahoo.com