President's Comments

There are so many good things happening with the club. At the July meeting we
had the biggest new business agenda in a long time. We had our first monthly
technical session/meeting in July. I considered it a big success. We are
having the next technical meeting and VE session on the 25thof August at the
clubhouse. These meetings are a great way to learn from other club members
about new modes, antennas, and other things we do not have time to cover at
our business meetings. On Saturday the 11 of August several club members
participated in the annual multi club picnic. It is a great way to meet
people from the surrounding area. The schedule for next years picnic is
August 11th with a start time of 9 AM. The remote receive site receivers are
installed and the Leonore site is working. Over the next several weeks there
will be some test sites on the air to exercise the new receivers and the
voter. We are discussing linking our repeater with both the Princeton and
Joliet clubs. There is an APRS/packet station operational at the clubhouse,
for the first time, with a decent computer behind it.

This year at the picnic we met Terry (WA9AWO) the trustee from the Joliet
repeater W9OFR (146.820). He gave us permission to try our linking scheme on
his repeater. We have also been talking to the Princeton Club about linking
to their repeater. It will be at least two months before the Princeton club
will decide. This gives us the opportunity to test the concept much earlier.

Jamboree On The Air is a scouting event on the 20th & 21st of October the
club will be participating in. We will set up in Shabbona Park at 9 AM field
day style to give the scouts a chance to get on the air and talk to other
scouts. Any help setting up, operating, or tearing down will be appreciated!

I am looking for a chairperson for the Membership Committee. Duties will
include updating the New Member Booklet, keeping the roster current, and
helping to recruit new members. If you are interested let me know.

73 for now. This is K9ZQ and I will be listening!
Mark Gebhardt

Monthly Equipment Chairman Report

First, I would like to thank Kurt (KB9RKU) for all of the hours he has put in
at the clubhouse over the past month upgrading and perfecting the SRRC packet
station.  In addition, thanks to Joe (KB9EZZ) for donating a set of table
cubicles to be used as a packet workstation, and also for use by VE examinees
at future VE sessions to be held at the SRRC.  Your work is greatly
appreciated by all!

Second, as was reported several weeks ago, I filed a theft report with the La
Salle County Sheriff's Department on the 25th of July, concerning the Icom
IC-740 HF radio.  The radio disappeared from the clubhouse sometime between
the June 2001 monthly business meeting and the Wednesday prior to Field Day.
The radio is now officially stolen property, but is not likely to be
recovered.  As a result, the Board of Directors has mandated that a yearly
audit of all club equipment be performed, and that this audit be presented to
the Board of Directors at their yearly meeting in July.  I am obliged to
comply with this policy, so I will probably begin a gradual, incremented
equipment audit sometime this fall or winter.  As a reminder, if you borrow
any club equipment, inform us at the meeting if at all possible.  In
addition, please write your name and call sign on the dry erase board at the
club, including what equipment was borrowed!

If you know of anyone that has a color printer (not dot matrix) that can be
donated to the club, please let either Kurt or I know ASAP, as we need one
for the packet station.

Otherwise, all equipment is operating properly.  The antenna party in June
appears to have been a success, as all antennas are transmitting properly.

Meeting Happenings

CLUB APPROVES TRIAL OF REPEATER LINKING
    The Club approved a trial of the proposal to link our repeater to the RCB
Princeton repeater.  The trial will begin within 2 months of the time linking
is accepted by the Red Covered Bridge Club, and last no more than 3 months.
When the link is active, any traffic on the SRRC repeater will also be
repeated on the 146.955 Princeton repeater, and vice-versa.   Our President
has already spoken to the RCB Club at their meeting last week, and the
reaction was generally favorable, but no definite action has been taken yet.
The cost will be in the $200 to $300 range - mostly by the SRRC.  I can
supply the technical details to anyone interested.

    The Hamfest Committee has agreed with the Bureau County Fair on a $75.00
increase in rental.  They should have the contract in hand shortly.

    The Club, under the leadership of the VP KB9TMA, will begin an equipment
inventory.  If anyone has Club property in their possession, they should
inform Jesse (especially if it happens to be an ICOM 740)

    The Club would like to know if anyone has a color ink-jet printer they
would be willing to donate/sell cheap to the Club.

    The operating/Tech session was a success in the opinion of those who
attended.   We wished for more members, but we swapped a lot of info and got
a few things fixed and working.  This was true especially for KB9RKU.
Kurt has the BBS perking in good shape, has upgraded the two radio room
computers and done lots of software work.   The comment was made that this
kind of meeting is the heart of ham radio.    Keep the 25th of this month
marked on your schedule for the next meeting.

    Mark announced that work on the back room will resume this Fall.  It
looks more and more like any Deals with Tabor are dead, and in any event we
can't just keep waiting.

    The "All Club"  picnic at Starved Rock State Park was discussed.  It
seems the organizers of this thing haven't done a great job of publicizing
it, or organizing it.   The idea is great, but the execution of it is poor.

    We did not approve a proposal to re-install the club telephone.   We felt
the monthly $16.50 could be better spent.  We did approve the budget as
proposed.

    In case you haven't heard, we have an APRS station on the air.  W9MKS-10
is at Joe Elzer's house (K9PHW)   Thanks to Joe, and the other Joe, KB9EZZ,
as well as KB9RKU and WB9IDG who donated equipment.    Anybody having a
recent model TNC gathering dust?  We could use it to upgrade the APRS
operation.