MINUTES OF LIDXA INC. MEETING— September 16, 2005

 

Location: Briarcliffe College, Bethpage, N.Y.

 

The LIDXA President, Marty, NN2C, called the meeting of September 16 to order at 8:15 PM.  Marty welcomed all members and guests back after the summer break.  Members present (per sign-in on the blackboard) included K2MFY, NN2C, KE2LJ, W2FGD, AG2A, N2ZN, KB2HK, W2GW and XYL KC2MAU, WB2QJ and YL KC2NOT, N2DXJ and XYL.

 

OLD BUSINESS

 

In terms of DX, specific activities were highlighted:

• The DXpedition to Kure Island as K7C is on route to the island from Hawaii.  The expected arrival date on Kure is September 22, with departure around October 5.
• The DXpedition to Peter 1st Island (3Y) is now scheduled in early February 2006.  A multi-national team of 20 operators, one explorer, and a professional photographer will be going on this Antarctic DXpedition.  Further details can be found on their Web site at www.peterone.com.
• Propagation conditions on the HF bands were reported as being very poor for the past few weeks.  No DX has been heard on 10 meters and spotted openings on 15 meters.  The best bands appear to be 20 and 17 meters during the day, with good openings on 30, 40 and 80 meters in the evenings.  It was hoped that with the Fall equinox approaching, the higher bands might open up to DX.  The current sunspot cycle, which is on a decline, will reach minimum around the Fall of 2006.

 

Starting the business portion of tonight’s meeting was the approval of the June 17 meeting minutes.  These minutes were accepted as presented.  In addition, the minutes were prepared in advance by the club’s secretary, Ed, K2MFY, and sent out to the membership with the club’s September meeting notice.  Thanks to the efforts of KE2LJ, Pat, the minutes appear in the LIDXA web site at: http://www.qsl.net/lidxa.

 

Club Treasurer, John, W2GW gave a Treasurer’s report.  There were no expenses for the present reporting period.

 

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

                It was mentioned that Ed (W2SN) and his XYL, Virginia (WA2HQA), were hosting a reception in their house in Brooklyn on the evening of September 22 for re-known DXers Tom (VP6TC) and Betty Christian (VP6YL) from Pitcairn Island.  The Christians would be giving a brief presentation about life on Pitcairn Island and will then be available for questions.  Some of the handicrafts of the island will be shown and available for purchase.  A buffet dinner will be served.  Those desiring to attend should contact W2SN ASAP.  A few members said they would be going.

 

                A new Web site for DX alerts was reported at www.dxwatch.com.  This site features selected filtering capabilities.

 

Ed, K2MFY, passed around a picture of the first operation in mid-June from Rockall Island off the coast of Scotland.  The callsign used was MSØIRC/p.  Initially, this was the last inactivated island in Europe.  An IOTA number of EU-189 has been assigned.  Only a limited number of QSOs were made from the island—just enough to qualify it as a new IOTA.  Also with respect to new IOTAs, K9AJ and KD6WW just completed a brief operation as /VYØ from Nunavut (Kitikmeot Region)—new IOTA NA-227.

 

Several members reported viewing some news clips that featured our member in Florida, Dan, W2NDP.  Dan gave a short presentation on a local Tampa news program of the role of amateur radio operators in assisting in the relief, health and welfare operations from Hurricane Katrina.

 

Pat mentioned that he had recently attended a kick-off planning meeting on 2006 Ham Radio University (HRU).  HRU 2006 is scheduled for Sunday, January 8, 2006 at the Briarcliffe College in Bethpage.  A link, with full details on HRU 2006, can be found on the Web at http://www.hudson.arrl.org/nli/.  Once again, the club has offered to present our ever-popular “DX Program.”

 

A video was then shown on the October 2000 multi-national DXpedition to Kingman Reef (as K5K).  The 15 operators amassed over 70,000 contacts from the reef.

 

This meeting concluded around 9:20 PM, after all the scheduled business and entertainment had finished.  The next LIDXA meeting will be held on October 21, 2005.

 

 

                                                                                                ______________________________________

Ed Whitman, K2MFY

LIDXA Secretary