September Minutes

Coleto Creek Amateur Radio Club September 7, 2017 Attending: Jimmy Podsim - KD5QHH, Luci Podsim - KD5RIF, Harvey Babb - WB5MCT, Otto Bluntzer - WB2RJB, Hurshel Pruitt - WB5MEX, Dave Dodge - NV5C and Brian Haun - KG5AUZ Meeting was called to order at 7:30 pm. Previous meeting minutes were read. Dave mentioned that the plates for ET were purchased in June. Jimmy moved to accept the minutes as amended to include the information about the plates being purchased in June. Second by Otto, motion passed. Treasurer’s report: Same as previous meeting with $190.91 in the bank and $20 in cash.Jimmy moved to accept, second by Brian, motion passed. Public relations: Nothing to report. Points of Interest: The Club Repeater got a workout during the recent storm. It was connected to the VOIP Hurricane Net. A few people in this area checked into the net via the .64. From comments on Facebook, some non-hams were listening in on the net through scanners. Once communications started with Victoria, the net was turned off because of de-sense on Jimmy’s radio. The repeater was also used to communicate with the Red Cross shelter in Cuero. Jeff Walters requested operators for the shelter but the club was not in a position to assist. He was able to bring in some operators of his own and, due to several area repeaters being down, Jimmy was able to assist with communications. Harvey was surprised at how many repeaters went down during the storm. He suspects water damage may be the culprit. The Boxcar location which houses the 145.13, 147.16, 443.225 repeaters and the VARC packet node will be abandoned soon by the Hereford family. The VARC is researching a new location for the 145.13 and the packet node. Noel Villareal, KD5PMU was playing with the Zello app, a PTT app for smart phones. It can be set up with groups to transmit to. During the flooding in Houston, this app was reported to have been used to transmit information about the location of people needing rescue. Old Business: ET computer: Hurshel took the computer from ET and still cannot make it work, despite the new battery. He plans to have Larry Gohmert look at it to try to determine what is wrong with it. Antenna Trailer: Otto reported that the plywood deck is no good. He detailed a plan for finishing out the trailer. After general discussion, it was decided to implement the plan. EAS radios: Discussion on possible use tabled indefinitely. Meeting place: Brian will check into using the Trust Texas Bank conference room. New Business: Brian asked about an alternative power source for the repeater. Dave said that he has a large battery. Harvey suggested that the club obtain a charger. He said that Harbor Freight frequently has adequate chargers on sale. It was decided that Harvey pick one up for the club when he finds a good sale price. Otto moved to adjourn, second by Luci. Motion passed, meeting adjourned at 8:30 pm. Submitted by Luci Podsim, Secretary.