NPARC Executive
Committee Meeting Minutes
December
8, 2005
Present were the 2006 Officers-elect: President K2AL, Vice
President KB2FCV, Secretary-Treasurer KC2RLM & Activities Manager
WA2DKJ
 | 1. How are We Doing?
The Committee first discussed whether or not the club was
fulfilling its purpose. Were we successful in attracting and
retaining members? Were we offering topics and activities that
are in tune with present day amateur radio? It was the sense of
the committee that the diversity of club programs and special
events has made us a generally successful club. Club members are
invited to comment on this.
In particular, we feel we have benefited greatly from the
initiatives of outgoing Treasurer, Barry Cohen K2JV, who has
been the driving force behind several public activities that
demonstrate the vitality of the club, among them, the Salt Brook
School Club and ISS Contact Project; the school summer camp ham
demonstrations; the Liberty Science Center demonstration; the
upcoming Technician level licensing classes targeted at
grade-school students; and outreach activities to local
emergency response officials.
To help make sure we attract and retain members, te Committee
further resolved to greet all quests and inquirers at club
meetings and make them feel welcome. We will ask all club
members to help with this goal. (We may try to designate someone
to serve as the official club greeter). We also may attempt a
poll of the membership by email to ask what the club is doing
right (and wrong) and what programs and activities they would
like to see .
|
| 2. Meeting Programs
 | January: WA2DKJ, KB2FCV and
perhaps other club members will present a program on
regenerative receivers. The program will be a good
introduction for the regen receiver kits that many club
members have said they would like to build at project
meetings on the fourth Mondays this winter.
|
| Other potential topics for the
following months are:
 | Transmission lines |
| Radio direction finding |
| The upcoming ISS school contact
(Spring) |
| History of the club |
| Logging Programs (might be a good
pre-Field Day subject) |
| Antenna short takes: K0LBY’s FM
antenna conversion, W2ZKE’s loop antenna, and one other
(WA2DKJ may have something if no one else in the club
does) (Note: This became the Feb. 2006 program) |
| Software Defined Radios |
| “CQ” Magazine speaker |
| Power Night: power supplies,
generators, and 12 volt connectors |
| Cell Phone Technology |
| FM: what is it; measuring
deviation
|
|
| WA2DKJ, with help from the
committee, will work on lining up presenters. The
committee is also interested in hearing topic ideas from
club members. If they can speak on the topic themselves,
so much the better!
|
|
| 3. Special Event Schedule for
2006 - will roughly parallel that of 2005:
| We will set up a January
“Kids Day” station in Berkeley Heights on January
8th, but because of low turnout on past Kid’s Days,
we will re-evaluate in the Spring whether we will
host a station for the June “Kids Day” and beyond.
|
| We will hold the Tech
licensing class for students on Tuesday afternoons
in January, February, and March. We hope members who
are available at that time of day will volunteer to
help instruct. Contact K2JV
|
| We will support the Salt
Brook School “Statics” club, especially as the club
approaches its actual ISS contact, tentatively set
for April 2006.
|
| The NPARC auction is
tentatively scheduled for Friday April 7th.(Since
confirmed.) KC2RLM will initiate ARRL and online
publicity as soon as the date is fixed.In the coming
months, we will ask for club members to work on an auction
committee. One issue to be resolved is the need for a
portable Public Address system for the auctioneer (Addendum:
W2YEZ has a solution for this.)
|
| Several members are planning
to go to the Dayton Hamfest in May and have already
reserved their hotel rooms (including K2JV, KB2FCV,
K2AL). Other members wishing to join that group for
travel or accommodations are urged to contact them
as soon as possible.
|
| The club will again march in
the New Providence Memorial Day parade, if we can
get enough volunteers to make a good showing. We
have a new club banner that can be used for that
purpose. Regardless, we will also provide radio
communication services for parade officials.
|
| We will again be
participating in Field Day on the last weekend in
June. In the Spring, we will ask for volunteers for
a Field Day Planning Committee. One issue for the
committee is a concern about adequately staffing
two separate stations (regular and Class F).
|
| If asked, we will setup radio
stations for the Berkeley Heights and New Providence
summer recreation camps.
|
| We will continue to hold our
Holiday Luncheon in December. "When" and "where" will be
decided in the Fall. O’Connor’s is closing, so it
can’t be there.
|
| We will explore setting up
one Field Trip. WA2DKJ suggested a visit to the
historical Armstrong tower in Alpine NJ, perhaps in
the late Spring or early Fall when the weather is
nice.
|
|
| 4.
Administrative Items
| Spark Gaps – We need to
find a volunteer to be the newsletter publisher.
The committee felt it was important to continue
sending out a regular notice of club activities.
At minimum, that could be a short and simple
email, although it is desirable to retain the
professional look the newsletter now has.
|
| Publicity –We could use a
volunteer to handle publicity for the club. That
would include taking or getting pictures and
writing press releases, particularly for special
events, such as the lead-up to the ISS contact.
For that event we hope to have significant news
coverage, as well as visits by local, and
perhaps, state dignitaries.
|
| Membership and Dues –
WB2EDO has kindly volunteered to handle
Membership for 2006. That includes dues notices
and follow-ups; maintaining the roster (and
email addresses!); and having membership info
available at club meetings for any guests or
inquirers. The 2006 dues notice will go out
shortly. There will be an option for members to
pay their 2007 dues at the same time. This would
save both the member and the Membership
coordinator some effort next year. Pre-payment
of dues will not, however, be discounted (we
need the money).
|
| Email Reflector – KC2RLM
will again invite and encourage members who are
not yet participating in the reflector to join.
The reflector is a simple way for club officers
to send out notices without having to obtain the
latest list of email addresses.
|
| KC2RLM also asked for and
received permission to send a donation of $25.00
in 2006 to QTH.net which hosts the reflector.
|
| Website – KC2RLM asked
for and got permission to renew the contract
with ISQ Solutions to host the club website for
$72 a year (payable in May). Previously,
the site was hosted on QSL.Net at no charge, but
QSL service had been poor (no service, slow
service). Also, KC2RLM reiterated that he
remains ready to cede webmaster responsibilities
to any member who would like to try a hand at
it.
|
| Constitution and Bylaws –
Some aspects of the Club’s Constitution and
Bylaws may be “out of synch” with current club
practices. The Exec. Committee will review those
documents and discuss this concern at the next
Executive Committee meeting.
|
|
The Next Committee meeting
is targeted for early Spring.
Submitted by KC2RLM
2006 Secretary/Treasurer
<-- Return to the
NPARC Home Page |
