April 22, 1998 Meeting Minutes

Meeting called to order at 1842L in the CARC Shack, 401 Barton Hall.

Attendees:
Tom Schwabel, N2WLG
Steve Holland, N1RAO
Brad Ackerman, N1MNB
Cyrus Yunker, KB2URA
Jonah Probell, N1QLO
Mike Collins, KF6EXF
Madan Kunnavakkam, KB2CTI
Katie Whitman, KB1CIU
John Hill, KB2MTI

Business:
Cycling Club Race: Successful. Mike said he would provide some notes on the race to put on the web page. (below)
Inventory/Insurance: Tom read a list of unaccounted for items in the club inventory. Several items were added and will be submitted to risk management for inclusion in the club insurance policy, including the SAFC items purchased last year and the Collins amplifier.
Study Break: A study break has been planned for 3 PM Sunday, May 10. Pizza and refreshments will be served. Plans for next semester's club activities will be discussed.
Station Lock: The combination to the lock was changed and distributed at the meeting. To get the new combination you must see one of the club officers.
Elections: Club election results are below. One vote was received for Bill Gates. Also, Mike handed out business cards with his new title as president.

Old Business/Misc.:

1. John stated that he may be able to get the club a Force 12 C-4 HF yagi for the station at reduced cost. He may also be able to find a low pass filter for the HF station.
2. Thanks to John, the old refrigerator has been defrosted.
3. The FCC has issued the renewed club license. Please start using the club call again when operating at the station!

Activities: Still some interest in a club effort for Field Day (4th weekend of June). Contest schedule and other relevant event schedules can be found on the CARC web page.
Next Meeting: Early fall semester.

Bike Race Service Summary

The 147.03 repeater in Cortland covers most of the north end of the course.

A relay or portable repeater should be placed in a location that can be reached from anywhere on the course. The hill to the northwest of the intersection of Quail Hill Road and Harvey Hill Road has good coverage, except for the southern end of the western leg of the course. This hill is a bit rough, and should be approached with a 4WD or AWD vehicle, especially if it is wet. If you use a mobile as a manual relay and switch from VFO A to VFO B to cover both the repeater and simplex, it helps to have two handhelds to monitor both frequencies at all times.

Scouting out the course a few days ahead to check repeater coverage and simplex coverage is advisable, especially if the course is changed.

Having several magmount antennas is advisable. Each follow car should have an operator with an HT of reasonable power (2 watts) and a magmount antenna. Some operators may prefer to use their own vehicles as follow cars, especially if they already have antennas and mobile radios.

A few operators (at least 3) should be available at the start/finish area. One should be with EMS, one with the race marshal and one with the race organizers.

Every HT should have plenty of batteries or a DC adapter. High gain antenna for HTs (good rubber ducks or quarter wave verticals) can help quite a bit.

Plan to arrive in Dryden 45 minutes to an hour before the race start to have breakfast.

Be sure to keep track of expenses (vehicle mileage, disposable batteries) to bill the cycling club.

Having a basic electronic toolkit could be helpful also. Include pliers, wire cutter/stripper, screwdrivers, wire, solder and some matches or a butane soldering iron for real MacGyver voodoo. Tape has an infinite number of uses, be sure to include it.

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