Historical Electronics Museum Amateur Radio Club
Minutes of the December 2003 Meeting


Historical Electronics Museum Amateur Radio Club

Minutes of the Meeting of December 11, 2003 

The meeting was called to order by President Ed Myerson AA3XY at 6:00 PM.

Present on the sign-in sheet were (20):
Jim N3ZPS, Jim KB3GSA, Jim N3GOO, Tom KB3GHC, Norm WA6ABD, Chip W4PBG,
Steve WA3ZWC, John AA3WI, Charles AA3FB, Bob K3FQP, Mike KB3CPV, Fred
AI3Z, Dan K2YWE, John K3DAZ, Ben (Potential Ham), Ed AA3XY, Gary W3DTN,
Alan N3IKI, Bill KB3JJS, Nick K3NY

Minutes
A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the October 9,
2003 meeting as distributed. The motion was approved by voice vote.
(Note: Since the November meeting was cancelled due to a power failure,
there are no November minutes.)

Treasurer's Report
Fred AI3Z reported that there is $711.13 in the bank with no outstanding
bills. The Treasurer's records indicate that there are 46 HEMARC members
for 2003.

Ed AA3XY observed that with 19 members in attendance and with 5 member
proxies, we could hold the election of officers for 2004.

Operations 
Nick K3NY reported that the Special Event Station was not on the air on
Saturday because the Museum was closed due to the snowstorm. The station
was on the air on Sunday from 8:15 AM until 5:30 PM and made 429
contacts. Most of these contacts were made on 20m and they included 47
states, 9 DX countries, several ships and submarines, and the Five
Sullivan Brothers Memorial Station. The log has been posted on the Web
site at http://www.qsl.net/w3gr. The certificate is being finalized. Nick
thanked Steve, Gary Ryan, Mike, Fred, Chip and Bill for operating during
the event.

FAR Report
Chip W4PBG said that the Foundation for Amateur Radio (FAR) will offer 58
scholarships this year. Diane Zimmerman AA3OF is chairing the scholarship
committee. AutoCall will become a quarterly publication with the first
quarterly issue appearing in February 2004. There is a January 1, 2004
deadline for articles to appear in the first issue. Articles are being
solicited. The officers for 2004 are the same as the officers for 2003
except no treasurer has been identified. Fall-Fest planning
continues. It will take place on September 11-12, 2004 with advanced
ticket prices of $10 for two days and at-the-door ticket prices of $6 per
day.

Nets
Bob K3FOP ran the Wednesday net this week. 4-5 stations checked in
including two in California and Chip and Gene. The net is on 14.270 MHz
at 2000 UTC every Wednesday. Chip encouraged more members to participate.

Training
The Extra Class finished on the third Tuesday in November. Two students
passed their tests.

QSLs
Nick K3NY said that that there is nothing new to report. He has a few
QSLs to process. The Club receives 3 or 4 QSLs per month. There have
been about 2,000 contacts for Special Events which result in 600-800 QSLs
with about half requesting certificates.

Call Sign Committee
Jim N3GOO said that it is difficult to obtain information about Charlie
Hartman. He said that the recommendation was that the Club use W3HEM for
events associated with the Historical Electronics Museum and W3GR for
local use or for events not associated with the Museum.

Old Business

Reimbursement for Nick
Nick K3NY said that he had not asked for reimbursement for Club related
expenses such as two sets of ink cartridges to print Special Event
certificates, postage, shipping charges for QSL cards, etc. He requested
permission to receive reimbursement since he did not have receipts for
certain expenses. A motion was made and seconded to approve the
reimbursement. The motion was approved by voice vote.

New Business

Fall-Fest Equipment Test Table
Chip asked if the Club wanted to sponsor the Equipment Test Table at the
2004 Fall-Fest. A motion was made and seconded to approve the Club
sponsoring the Equipment Test Table at the 2004 Fall-Fest. The motion was
approved by voice vote.

W3HEM Call Sign
Jim N3GOO made a motion to make W3HEM the primary call sign for the Club
contingent upon two-thirds of the membership approving the change in the
Club Rules and Regulations at or before the February meeting and upon
approval of the amended Rules and Regulations by the Museum. The motion
also stipulated that Mike KB3CPV will amend the Rules and Regulations and
that the members may vote electronically. The motion was seconded and
discussed in detail. It was approved by voice vote.

Standpipe
A motion was made to install a second 90 degree elbow on the 6" standpipe
on the roof of the Museum to prevent precipitation and wind from entering
the standpipe. The motion was approved by voice vote. Jim N3GOO will
investigate if NG will help with the installation. 

2004 Schedule of Events
Nick K3NY said that the activities on the 2004 schedule of events did not
vary greatly from last year, but the dates were a little different. Nick
suggested a third special event for the Club that would recognize Sir John
Fleming's thermionic valve (diode) as described in his 1904 patent. Nick
will determine the date for the event.

Joint Meeting with AMRAD
Chip W4PBG reminded the members that the meeting on January 8, 2004 would
be a joint meeting with AMRAD. HEMARC will have its business meeting from
6 to 7 and will then join AMRAD in Pioneer Hall for the joint meeting on
Broadband over Power Lines (BPL).
Chip suggested asking Alan Hale, the author of the Voice of America, to
speak at a Club meeting in February or March.

Bob Bennett W3WCQ, SK
Jim N3ZPS said that copies of Bob Bennett's obituary were on the
table. Bob passed away in his sleep on December 6, 2003.

Museum Closing Dates
Nick informed the members that the Museum would be closed from December
24, 2003 until January 5, 2004.

Election of 2004 Officers
Ed AA3XY determined that a sufficient number of members were present
(19) and proxies available (5) for the election to proceed. He reviewed
the slate of officers for 2004 and asked for additional nominations. A
motion was made and seconded to elect Jim N3GOO President, Fred AI3Z
Treasurer and Jim N3ZPS Secretary for 2004. The motion was approved by
voice vote. Norm WA6ABD expressed an interest in serving as the Executive
Vice President. A motion was made and seconded to elect Norm as the
Executive Vice President. The motion was approved by voice vote.

Two Towers in Storage
The Club has two 38'-40' Rohn towers and other items in storage. If the
Club is not going to use them, they could be sold to members at a
reasonable price or sold at a Hamfest or on Ebay. The towers probably
consist of three 10' sections and an 8' top section. The Club will decide
if one of the towers should be retained for Field Day use. Chip will
provide a copy of a previous inventory of Club property in storage and
Chuck will update it. Rol's advice will be requested.

Adjournment
A motion to adjourn was made and seconded. The motion was passed by voice
vote.

Technical Program
There was no Technical Program scheduled.

Respectfully submitted by Jim N3ZPS, Secretary
January 1, 2004

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