There were a total of 70 members and visitors present. Paul, VE3SY, called the meeting to order at 7:30pm and started by announcing the results of the Amateur Examinations held over the past fiscal year, (September 97- August 98). Of the twenty-five people who participated, 22 were recorded as having passed.

Ben, VE3BNY, introduced the meeting's speaker, Gary Hammond, VE3XN. See the Last Meeting article on page 2 for details. A request was made by Adam, VE3JZS, for volunteers to provide communication back-up during the annual Oktoberfest cycle races on October 11th. Volunteers were sought to cover the six kilometer circuit beginning in Wilson Park between the hours 8:00-12:00am and 12:00-4:00pm. A sign-up sheet was provided for those interested in participating.

On behalf of an absent John Schreiter, VE3DOS, Ben made the following announcements:

Owing to a poor turnout, a second ARES training session at the Mutual Life building has been scheduled for Wednesday October 21st at 7:30pm. To avoid further confusion, members wishing to participate in training were requested to add their names to a sign-up sheet. A sheet was also provided for those wanting to take part in the Regional Waterloo Emergency Exercise scheduled for Friday November 20th. (details to follow)

Members broke for coffee at 9:15pm.

Meeting resumed with the business meeting at 9:30pm.

Secretary, John Holmans, VE3VRA moved that the minutes of the last meeting be adopted as printed in the bulletin. Eric, VE3VB, seconded the motion.

Greg Hollinger, VE3NXB moved that the Treasurer's report be adopted as printed. The motion was seconded by Gord, VE3NQK.

Paul, VE3SY, outlined a plan that would provide assistance to our less fortunate amateur colleagues living in Cuba. Greg, VE3NXB, a frequent visitor to the country, described to the members the difficulty Cuban Hams experience obtaining equipment and technical literature. It was suggested the club might contribute to improving the situation by sending "relief" packages of much needed equipment e.g., computers, radios, magazines etc. Paul explained that one idea might be to "twin" KWARC with one of the many clubs (Upwards of 50) on the island. It was proposed that a committee be formed to evaluate the possibility of such a move. The committee would then report their recommendations to the executive who would in turn present them to the membership. This proposal was met with an enthusiastic show of hands.

Gord, VE3EOS, invited all interested parties to attend the packet meeting at 7:30pm Tuesday, October 6th at the Ratz and Bechtel funeral home on the corner of King and Wellington in Kitchener.

Harold, VE3DWH, reported there was still time to register for the Quarter Century Wireless Association Fall Dinner meeting . With a hundred people already registered, Harold recommended the event as a good opportunity for anyone interested to find out what the QCWA was all about. The gathering is scheduled for October 17th.

The 50-50 raffle prize, amounting to $22.80, was won for the second month running by Norm Perault, VE3DEQ.

Ben, VE3BNY, announced that the subject of the next month's talk will be, "Mini-Satellite Dishes" presented by Phil Steckley.

The meeting closed at 9:50pm.

John Holmans VE3VRA
Secretary

Present:Dave VA4DGS, Paul VE3SY, Ben VE3BNY, John VE3DOS, Gord VE3EOS, Gord VE3NQK, Greg VE3NXB, Ed VE3TCK, John VE3VRA, Bill Riddell VE3WFR.

The meeting was called to order by Paul Cassel at 7:30pm. Paul thanked the executive members for their attendance and invited Gord, VE3NQK and Greg, VE3NXB to discuss their thinking with respect to the proposed "twinning" venture with a Cuban counterpart club.

Proposed Cuba Club Twin idea.
The following was decided:

1. Verify with the Cuban embassy that the proposal does not infringe upon Cuban law.
2. That contact be established with a reputable Cuban institution, possibly Santiago de Cuba University.
3. Establish reliable procedures for shipping equipment.
4. Find a means to ensure that donated equipment will not be turned into quick cash.

Paul Cassel suggested the club's FT101ZD transceiver, used only once a year, be donated. This would have to be put to the members. Paul requested the committee work toward completing their proposal for the December meeting.

Appointment of the Nominating Committee
Ideas for formulating a nominating committee were discussed. It was thought that an effort could be made to make the holding of an executive position more attractive to the members. Bill, VE3WFR reported that some members were unsure about the committee and its function. It was therefore suggested that members of the executive write a description of their responsibilities.

CANWARN report
Emergency Services Coordinator, Ed Spike VE3TCK, reported that he is currently on the look-out for a new CANWARN coordinator. Ed went on to say that the job is more administrative than hands-on. At least one member has already expressed an interest in the position. According to Ed there is also a shortage of Net Controllers for CANWARN. Any individuals interested in these positions or requiring additional information should contact him.

Ben, VE3BNY told the committee members that the Brantford group had again suggested associating itself with KWARC on the CANWARN front. It was generally felt that, based upon current weather patterns, an alliance between the Hamilton and Brantford groups might be more beneficial. John, VE3DOS, wanted to emphasize that KSR check-ins by members of the Brantford group would always be encouraged during a severe weather net. Paul added that the group would continue to be welcome to participate in any of the training sessions organized by the club.

Ed Spike suggested the club might want to invest in some kind of vehicle or trailer to act as a base during an emergency. Paul, VE3SY agreed that the idea was well founded but cautioned against the cost of maintaining such a vehicle. Bill Riddel VE3WFR believes that a space has been reserved for amateurs in the regional mobile emergency trailer. This has to be verified.

Repeaters
It was requested that the KSR hub be reconfigured to make CTCSS tones available when the Link is up. According to John, VE3AMZ, this would not be a difficult task. Ben to discuss with John VE3AMZ.

Ben, VE3BNY, reported that the changeover of the repeater patch access codes is scheduled for the same day as the club meeting in November. Authorized members will receive the new codes with their bulletin mailings or by e-mail.

Ben, displayed a copy of a repeater directory prepared by members of the Brantford group. The document, several pages long, lists operating procedures and all the options available on KWARC repeaters. Paul, requested a copy so that it could then be posted on the Web-site.

Confusion still reigns with respect to the ULR Link. Some executive members have been inundated with requests for ULR codes. Frequent requests to the Link provider to furnish updated codes have produced little or no response. According to the original agreement with KWARC, in exchange for allowing KSR to be used on the Link, members would be entitled free access to the codes. This benefit has not been forthcoming.

The word Confusion was also used to describe the KSR packet node. It was reported that recent changes have some users scratching their heads, others seem to have abandoned the site entirely. Gord, VE3EOS, agreed to look into it.

Ben, VE3BNY, advised the meeting that due to ongoing problems, the 220Mhz repeater, VE3IXY,will be brought down for repairs. Meetings

It would appear that the club is again without someone to greet people at the door. Our last greeter, Roy, VE3RDF, resigned the position owing to ill health. It is generally agreed that this position is very important, especially with respect to new members and visitors. It was mentioned that some potential members had been put-off by this appearance of indifference. December meeting

It was proposed that the club should go ahead with its tradition of a "treat exchange" at the December club meeting. This received unanimous approval. Several of the members cautioned that the event should not be allowed to overshadow the rest of the meeting. Ben, VE3BNY, reminded the executive that a very interesting talk by Trylon had been scheduled for that evening. It was agreed to limit the business section of the meeting to allow the members to socialize and exchange treats. Birthdays

VE3BNY reported on an idea to post the names of those celebrating birthdays in the Kilowatter. A previous idea to announce birthdays during club meetings met with a mixed response. Until a decision has been reached, Paul, VE3SY, suggested adding a "birthday field" to the database. Dave, VA3DGS agreed to make the change.

Kilowatter
Also from Ben. In future issues of the bulletin, readers of the club magazine will be treated to a new article, titled, "Shack of the Month". The article will consist of a photographs of the selected member's shack and a short biography of its operator. The opening feature will likely appear in either the December or January issue of the Kilowatter. Packet

Gord, VE3EOS, commented that the last packet meeting had gone very well with the attendance of a dozen people, two of them newcomers. Gord went on to say that a new project had been planned, although he omitted to say what it might be. Paul, VE3SY, suggested an article on the packet group for the Kilowatter would be welcome. Gord agreed to put something together. Bike races

According to John, VE3DOS, the Oktoberfest bike races held last weekend were a great success. Eight members volunteered to act as communications back-up. John said there were only two injuries, a broken hand and a broken leg. Thankfully, club members were not counted among the wounded. After the event the volunteers were offered refreshments. John was optimistic that a donation to the club might be forthcoming, if not this year, then next.

Beginners Classes
Paul VE3SY, noted that there wasn't much interest locally in an advanced license course. It was suggested that the numbers might be 'upped' by bringing in people from outside the Kitchener/Waterloo area.

John Holmans VE3VRA
Secretary

errors or ommissions to secretary@kwarc.org

For more information email info@kwarc.org

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