Minutes - YRARC General Meeting - March 6, 2018

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:35 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 28.

1. Welcome & Introductions: Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of minutes from 2018/02/06. Moved Brian VE3IBW, seconded Rick VA3VO. Carried.
   
3. Treasurer's Report; Charles VA3TTB. Members may obtain the opening and closing balances from the club secretary. Receipts: Excess money from Winter Field Day $105.00; Expenditures: Serial port adapter $28.24, Scout Winter Camp Gas: $23.39.
   
4. Insurance: Charles VA3TTB. Our membership at RAC has expired, and membership in RAC could have benefits with the future purchase of insurance. MOTION: That YRARC join Radio Amateurs of Canada as an affiliate club for an annual cost of $27.95 plus GST. Moved Rick VA3VO, seconded John VA3JI. Carried.
   
5. Repeaters: Steve VE3UT: VE3YRA will be off the air on Wednesday March 7, at 09:00 for approximately one hour, to replace the power supply that had recently failed. The repeater has been on air using a temporary supply. Doug VE3ATP is waiting for better weather to replace the VE3YRK antenna. Don VE3IXJ mentioned there is a new DMR repeater north of Bradford.
   

Guest Speaker: Due to last minute circumstances, the scheduled guest was unavailable. Charles VA3TTB filled in with some of his thoughts on weather radar. Being an enthusiastic bird watcher, weather radar is of interest to him. Weather radar has an approximately 1 degree beam, which is elevated just above the horizon. At a given distance away from the radar station, the beam will be at a certain height above ground. The pulses can be reflected by small objects such as rain, snow, small insects such as bees and also birds. One of his pictures showed a ring of objects. They were birds, flying at their normal height above the ground. Another picture showed a concentration of migrating birds along the Niagara Peninsula. In conclusion, he wanted us to know that a doctor gave us a talk on the birds and the bees.