General Meeting: September 1st, 2020

The club's next general will be held on Tuesday, September 1st on-line at 7:30pm. We will have the usual format of the business meeting followed by the presentation. This month's presentation topic will be Winlink. The meeting link will sent to all club members several days prior to the meeting.

Minutes: General Meeting 2016-11-01

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 35 including 1 guest and 3 new members.

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from 2016/10/04 general meeting. Moved by Doug VE3VS, seconded by John VA3JI. Carried.
   
3. Announcements: Setup for the hamfest starts at 13:00 Friday Nov 4. We received a cheque for $175 from the Central Ontario ARC for our participation in a recent COARC event.
   
4. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/10/01 [Available to members on request to secretary]
     
   • Income: Hamfest vendor fees: $1230.00; Membership dues: $185.00; Donations (US currency conversion): $7.02; Total:$1422.02
     
   • Expenditures: Hamfest - prizes: $171.50; Hamfest - Markham Fair Grounds: $4329.60; Hamfest – float: $750.00; Repeater $75.00; Bank charges for PayPal $7.74; Total Expenditures: $5333.84
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/11/01 [Available to members on request to secretary]
     
   • Additional income to be deposited: Hamfest vendor fees: $40.00; Membership dues: $155.00; Membership dues:$35.00; Donation $5.00; Bank Fees: -$1.57
     
   • It was suggested from the floor that we charge extra when payments are made by PayPal. No action to be taken at this time.
     
   • Moved the treasurer's report be adopted, by John VA3JI, seconded Bill VA3QB. Carried
     
5. Repeater Report – Steve VE3UT
   
   • We need to check on the noise source at the Sharon Temperance Hall before winter field day.
     
   • We spent $75 on a link antenna at the MacKenzie Health Unit (to link the VE3YRA site with the hospital site).
     
   • The Field Day announcement, which has been running in error, has been turned off.
     
   • This morning it was discovered that that the link transmitter at the VE3YRC-V site has failed. The VE3YRC-V repeater (147.225 MHz) is now running in stand-alone mode.
     
6. EmComm Report – Robert VA3BXG, John VE3IPS
   
   • At the recent GTA set, we had limited participation, and did a test call-out. The next EmComm meeting will be on November 10, at the Newmarket Community Centre.
     
   • The Fox Hunt, with help from Brian VE3IBW, will likely be held on November 19. Planning will be done at the next EmComm meeting.
     
7. Other Business
   
   • Barry VA3LLT's wife is in hospital, in serious condition. Move by Steve VE3UT and seconded by Eric VE3EB, that we send flowers to Barry's wife. Carried.
     
   • Doug VE3VS is preparing name tags for those wishing tags.
     
   • Next year, CLARA will be holding its 50th birthday and preparation for the event is underway.
     

Guest Speaker – John VA3KOT

John spoke on outdoor QRP. His interest in QRP started with scanning and listening to satellites, which lead to his interest in amateur radio, especially QRP. His rules for operating QRP include an efficient antenna, elevation, using CW or digital modes instead of phone, endurance, the use of spotting web sites (to give advance notice to listen), and good propagation conditions.

Since he operates in public spaces, health and safety are important considerations. The passing public needs to be kept safe from RF high voltages etc. and 'no trace' operating means leaving the site tidy when finished.

When hiking, he keeps it simple with a Yaesu FT-817 radio, minimal batteries for lighter weight and a choice of several antennae including vertical, end-fed, loop and NVIS antennae.

John can be contacted at va3kot -at- gmail -dot- com for further information.

Minutes: 2016-12-06 General Meeting

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 39 including, 1 new member, 1 amateur guest and 2 family guests.

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT. Adoption of the Minutes from the 2016/11/01 general meeting was postponed until next January.
   
2. Announcements: CLARA will be celebrating its 50 anniversary in 2017. To celebrate, a year long contest will be held. For information, see the CLARA web site: clarayl.ca
   
3. Fox Hunt – John VE3IPS: The fox hunt was held on November 19, with Ian VE3YRP the winner. More fox hunts will be held in 2017 (and they may get harder).
   
4. Hammond Museum – John VE3IPS. A trip to the Hammond Museum could be in the works. Details to follow.
   
5. Trillium Grant – Eric VE3EB. Eric is looking for interested members to be part of a committee which will investigate applying for a Trillium Grant.
   
6. Repeater Report – Steve VE3UT. Several visits have been made to the VE3YRC-V site as well as a visit to the VE3YRC-U site to make some fine adjustments. All 3 linked repeaters (including the VE3RYA repeater) are working well and sounding good. The D-Star repeaters have had network connectivity problems, but are now working properly.
   
7. Winter Field Day – Steve VE3UT. Winter Field Day will be held on January 28 and 29. The first location choice, the David Dunlap Observatory, is not available. The regular Summer Field Day site is the second choice and Steve will be soon be in contact with the owners. There are rule changes this year regarding setup, however it was suggested that we set up just before the contest begins, to simulate setup in a real emergency. We plan to use simple antennae to keep the setup simple and have a maximum of 4 stations. A quick show of hands showed 8 members were interested at the moment.
   
8. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/11/01 [Available to members on request to secretary]
     
   • Income: Hamfest vendor fees: $1455.00; Hamfest admissions: $4614.90; Donations COARC+ Anonymous+REACT: $680.00; Membership dues: $365.00; Auction plus club table $248.25; Hamfest grand prize tickets: $670.00; Total $8,033.15.
     
   • Expenditures: Hamfest - prizes $196.00; WYNSORC fees: $10.00; Bank charges for PayPal: $1.03; Total expenditures: $207.03
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/12/06: [Available to members on request to secretary]
     
   • Additional expenses: December Christmas party - food $158.20
     
   • Moved the treasurer's report be adopted, by John VA3JI, seconded Rick VA3VO. Carried
     
9. EmComm Report – Robert VA3BXG
   
   • EmComm participated in the recent Municipal Exercises and the York Region Conferences.
     
   • The next meeting will be on the Thursday December 8, at the Newmarket Community Centre. Planning for next year including more fox hunts will be discussed.
     
10. Other Business – Geoff VA3GS. Geoff thanked everyone involved with the hamfest for their help, and noted that at the January meeting we will have short, 5 minute talks, and show and tell sessions.
    

October ARES/EmComm Meeting - Change of Location

Due to a scheduling conflict the Town of Newmarket has advised us that our usual meeting place is not available for the EmComm meeting on Thursday, October 13th. They have provided an alternate location at the Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford Street, Newmarket. The November meeting will return to the Newmarket Community Centre at 200 Doug Duncan Drive.

Chris VE3NRT

Minutes of the York Region Amateur Radio Club General Meeting 2016-06-07

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members attending: 37. Guests attending: 4

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from 2016/05/03 general meeting, moved by Anthony VE3HIS, seconded by Barry VA3LLT. Carried.
   
3. General Announcements – Chris VE3NRT. Nominations for the Harvey Bell Award should be submitted to the secretary.
   
4. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/03/01 [Available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • Income - Membership dues: $25.00
     
   • Expenditures - Shelter $499.39
     
   • Food for Field Day $1000.00
     
   • Trailer maintenance $28.70
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/04/01 [Available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • Note: The trailer insurance invoice will be payable in August, estimated cost $875.
     
   • Motion that the treasurer's report be adopted, moved John VA3JI, seconded Eric VE3EB Carried.
     
5. Public Service Report – Eric VE3EB. Recent public service events included:
   
   • Saturday, May 14, Cancer Recovery Foundation 5K Run/Walk, Sutton
     
   • Thursday May 19, Sharon Temple
     
   • Saturday, May 28, MADD York-Simcoe Riders Poker Run
     
   • Saturday June 4, Mt. Albert 5K Run/Walk
     
   • Sunday, June 5, Aurora Street Festival.
     
   • Upcoming public service events include:
     
   • Friday, July 1, Canada Day – Sharon Temple
     
   • July 29 to August 1, Newmarket Jazz Fest Ray Twinney Recreation Complex
     
   • October, CIBC Run for the Cure.
     
6. Field Day and Repeaters – Steve VE3UT.Field day will be on the weekend of June 25/26 at Al's Tack Shop, same location as last year. Setup will be on Friday for the kitchen and shelter, and for non-radio items. Rick VA3VO will be on site to provide security beginning Friday night. Repeater VE3YRC-V (Aurora) is being repaired, and the controller is being upgraded while the repeater is off-site.
   
7. EmComm Report – Robert VA3BXG. Some of the tests from the May 28 SET were successful, but some were not. There will be an EmComm meeting on Thursday June 9, and a possible Fox Hunt in the future. John VE3IPS has assumed the role of AEC, Assistant Emergency Coordinator. General Meeting adjourned at 19:55 – moved by Bill VE3QB, seconded Garrett VA3PYP. Carried.
   
8. Moved by Barry VA3LLT, seconded by Roger VE3ROG that Ron KG4CVL be appointed as Chair for the AGM. Carried.
   
9. Moved by Chris VA3DXZ, seconded by Benny VE3MUU that David VA3DCY be appointed as Secretary for the AGM. Carried.
   

Meeting adjourned

Minutes - YRARC Board of Directors Meeting 2016-06-21

Meeting held in the Magna Centre, Multipurpose Room 1. Called to Order at 19:00 by Chris VE3NRT. Board members attending: Chris VE3NRT, Steve VE3UT, John VA3JI, Geoff VA3GS, Rob VE3RQB, Barry VA3LLT, David VA3DCY. Absent: Eric VE3EB, Doug VE3ATP. (Alf VA3BLE had resigned). Board members elect attending: John VE3IPS, Rick VA3VO. Others attending: none

1. Agenda: Chris VE3NRT. Moved by Geoff VA3GS , seconded by Barry VA3LLT to adopt the agenda. Carried.
   
2. Minutes: David VA3DCY. Moved by Steve VE3UT, seconded by Rob VE3RQB to adopt minutes of Board Meeting. Date 2016/05/17. Carried.
   
3. New board members: Chris VE3NRT. Chris welcomed the new directors John VE3IPS and Rick VA3VO.
   
4. Meeting Schedule: Chris VE3NRT. Chris announced the dates of the board of directors meetings for the coming year. They are: 2016 July 19, August 16, September 20, October 18, November 15, December 20 and 2017 January 17, February 21, March 15, April 19, May 17 and June 21.
   
5. Election of officers: Chris VE3NRT. Chris announced that the officers for the year 2016/2017 will be elected at the next meeting on July 19. To be elected are: President, Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. A ballot will be required for the election of the president (if not declared by acclamation).
   
6. Board procedures: Chris VE3NRT. Chris outlined the basic procedures followed by the board. A quorum of 6 members is required. We follow a simplified version of Robert's Rules, typically a motion is presented, followed by a discussion and a vote. The chair does not normally introduce motions and only casts a deciding vote in the event of a tie. A simple majority is required to pass a motion.
   
7. Auditor's report: none
   
8. Explanation of committees: Chris VE3NRT. Chris mentioned the various board committees, including: repeaters, WYNSORC coordination, EmComm/ARES, hamfest, property, finance, media and communications, field day and membership activities such as project night and fox hunts.
   
9. Meeting schedule and programs: Chris VE3NRT. Chris mentioned the general meeting schedule and the programs throughout the year with guest speakers at most meetings, the Christmas party meeting and the AGM.
   
10. Bylaws: The new bylaws ByLaws #7 were signed by Chris VE3NRT President and David VA3DCY Secretary.
    
11. Membership: Chris VE3NRT. Chris is in receipt of the membership list from Alf VA3BLE who has resigned.
    
12. Hamfest: Geoff VA3GS. Information is now on the RAC web site and will be passed out at the Milton hamfest and to other clubs. We will be at the same location as last year (Markham Fair Grounds), and the Aurora Lyon's Club will be serving breakfast again. Geoff is negotiating with the Markham Fair about the price.
    
13. Field Day: Steve VE3UT. We are ready for field day, June 25 and 26. Doug VE3ATP will tow the tower trailer to the site on Wednesday June 22, which is OK with Norma the site owner. Additional deliveries such as the club trailer will be made on Thursday. On Friday June 24 the kitchen shelter will be setup, and Brad VE3HII will start the installation of his satellite station. An estimated 50 people should show up over the weekend. EmComm will be involved, and dignitaries have been invited. Safety will be emphasized this year, with attention to grounding, safety markings for guys and tripping hazards, first aid, and a safety officer or designate will be on site for the duration ofthe event.
    
    • Motion 2016-06-21-4c1 to spend $135.60 for field day toilet rental, moved by Steve VE3UT seconded by Geoff VA3GS. Carried.
      
    • Motion 2016-06-21-4c2 that $100.00 be allocated for the purchase of gas for the generators, moved by Steve VE3UT seconded by Barry VA3LLT. Carried.
      
14. Treasurer's Report: John VA3JI
    
    • Opening Balance 2016/06/01 [Available to members on request to Club Secretary]
      
    • Income: Field day food from members $150.00
      
    • Membership dues $25.00
      
    • Expenditures: Field day toilet $135.60
      
    • Repeater expenditures $75.09
      
    • Trailer expenditures $26.98
      
    • Closing Balance 2016/04/19 [Available to members on request to Club Secretary]
      
    • Some AGM food money is to be returned, and the insurance bill payable in July has not been received.
      
    • Moved by Barry VA3LLT seconded by Rob VE3RQB to adopt the treasurer's report. Carried.
      
15. Property: Rob VE3RQB: The shelter is complete. The roof conduits (peak to eaves) have been shortened to accommodate the tarp. It is recommended that the trailer pullers have a schedule. A new padlock will be needed for the container; Rob would like to remove his lock.
    
16. Repeaters: Steve VE3UT. The VE3YRC-V (Aurora) exciter and PA problems have been remedied. There was a bad pot on the exciter and a spare PA was repaired. We now have 2 spare 100 watt PAs. At the moment, we are running on a temporary PA. While the repeater was out of service, the controller was updated. There are still some minor software issues. Future repeater projects could include internet access.
    
17. Other business:
    
    • Don VE3IXJ has noted that EmComm is interested in a digital network, (however the GTA is not interested). Greg Staznia from York Region, Chris VE3NRT and Mike VA3MCT will meet to discuss the region's needs. There may be some financial help from the region for a possible project. Any proposed network should be self testing and be able to report problems. Possible options might include Microtik and Ubiquity.
      
    • The board thanked Rob VE3RQB for his work on the board.
      

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes: YRARC General Meeting - 2016-04-05

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 37 Guests attending: 3

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from 2016/02/02 and 2016/03/01 general meetings, moved by Anthony VE3HIS, seconded by Eric VE3EB. Carried
   
3. General Announcements – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The 6m net continues to operate on Mondays at 20:00 on 50.135 MHz
     
   • Upcoming contests include the Nebraska QSO party on April 16, and the Ontario QSO party on April 17.
     
   • Bernie VE3OTR (a former club member) is now a Silent Key.
     
4. Field Day – Steve VE3UT
   
   • Rick VA3VO has offered to co-chair field day with Steve.
     
   • There will be a meeting (with EmComm) on April 14 at 19:30 at the Newmarket Community Centre, to discuss field day planning, including eliminating interference and station placement.
     
5. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/03/01 [Balance available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • Income:$0.00
     
   • Expenditures: Director and Officers Insurance $649.08
     
   • Flyer Printing: $8.36
     
   • BBQ purchase $281.37. Total Expenditures: -$938.81
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/04/01[Balance available to members on request to Secretary]
     
   • Motion that the treasurer's report be adopted, moved John VA3JI, seconded Rob VE3RQB Carried.
     
6. Public Service Report – Eric VE3EB
   
   • Eric handed out acknowledgement certificates for participation in events during the last year.
     
   • A list of upcoming events can be found at yrarc.org Under the main menu select Calendar
     
   • Current public service events include:
     
     • Saturday, May 14, 2016 (New Event) Cancer Recovery Foundation 5K Run/Walk, Sutton
       
     • Saturday, May 28, 2016 (Rain date Sunday May 29) MADD York-Simcoe Riders Poker Run, Newmarket Town Hall
       
     • Friday June 3, 2016 Mt. Albert Sports Parade
       
     • Saturday June 4, 2016 Mt. Albert 5K Run/Walk
       
     • Sunday, June 5, 2016 Aurora Street Festival, Yonge Street (Murray to Wellington)
       
     • July 29 to August 1, 2016
       
     • Newmarket Jazz Fest (New Location) Ray Twinney Recreation Complex, Eagle Street West
       
7. EmComm Report – Don VE3IXJ. Don will be making a presentation to a Regional Conference of Regional Managers on April 12.
   
8. Repeater Committee Report – Steve VE3UT
   
   • Steve has not been able to contact the operator of a nearby repeater, with regard to possible linking of his repeater with our repeaters.
     
   • There have been some reported APRS issues. The user is known, and the problem appears to be an issue with the radio being used.
     

Guest Speaker – Bob VE3WY: Bob's presentation was in two parts. The first part was a talk with pictures of many of his own antennae after the recent ice storm, which hit his area with more ice than the surrounding areas. The ice storm provided unintentional testing of his antennae, which survived with very little damage. Part two, was a talk of his visit to a VHF Super-station in Texas, owned by Marshall Williams K5OE. The site is located in a rural area, hidden from view by trees, and located on 30 Acres, filled with towers and antennae. There were six different 6m arrays, five 2m arrays, two 222 MHz arrays and four 432 MHz arrays. With this choice of arrays, Marshall does well in contests.

YRARC at the York Region Emergency Preparedness Fair

The club participated in the York Region Emergency Preparedness Fair on May 4, 2016. This was held at York Region Headquarters in Newmarket. Nine club members participated this year. Although the "target audience" this year was regional staff, the general public was also welcomed. Quite a few people expressed interest in amateur radio and we pointed out how ham radio "is there" when other means of communications go down. Many asked if ham radio was on the ground in Fort McMurray, Alberta right now. We also mentioned the recent earthquakes in Ecuador and amateur radio activity there. All stations were activated in the trailer and some QSO's were made including DStar QSO's on VE3YRK with England and U.S.A. (a mobile in WV).

Participants this year: Geoff VA3GS, Cec VA3HE, Barry VA3LLT, Rick VA3VO, John VE3IPS, Rob VE3RQB, Terry VE3ODM, Bruce VE3BV, Steve VE3UT

YRARC Trailer in front of York Region HQ

CEC VA3HE and Steve VE3UT

John VE3IPS, Barry VA3LLT, Rick VA3VO and Rob VE3RQB

Minutes - YRARC Board of Directors Meeting 2015-12-15

Meeting held in the Magna Centre, multi purpose room 1.
Called to Order at 19:00 by Chris VE3NRT

Board members attending: Chris VE3NRT, Steve VE3UT, John VA3JI, Geoff VA3GS, Eric VE3EB, Barry VA3LLT, David VA3DCY, Rob VE3RQB, Doug VE3ATP and Alf VA3BLE.
Others attending: none

1. Agenda: Chris VE3NRT. Agenda adopted without changes.
   
2. Minutes: David VA3DCY. Moved by Steve VE3UT, seconded by Barry VA3LLT to accept the minutes of the 2015/10/20 BoD meeting. Noted by Alf VA3BLE that item 7b Membership, should be changed to read “60 voting members and 64 paid members” (not 64 paid members). Amendment moved by Rob VE3RQB, seconded by Eric VE3EB. Carried
   
3. Treasurer's Report: John VA3JI.
   
   • Opening balance 2015/12/01
     
   • Income: Refund Markham Fair $502.51 (Hamfest overpayment)
     
   • Expenditures: Hamfest facilities $4,901.35
     
   • Food for Dec. meeting $209.82
     
   • Trailer maintenance: $28.28
     
   • Balance 2015/10/20 [Available to club members on request to secretary]
     
   • Moved by John VA3JI seconded by Eric VE3EB to adopt the treasurer's report. Carried.
     
4. Web site: Chris VE3NRT reported that the club web site has been hacked due to a Joomla problem and has been temporarily shut down.
   
5. Repeaters: Steve VE3UT.
   
   • Note that VE3YRK has failed (today). Steve will investigate.
     
   • Steve proposed that we purchase two Low Loss PWRGates at $49.95 US each for the repeaters at Bloomington and Richmond Hill.
     
   • Motion 2015-12-15-5 moved by Steve VE3UT, seconded by Barry VA3LLT that we allocate $200 for the purchase of two Low Loss PWRGates to include shipping, exchange, duty and cables. Carried.
     
6. Go Kits: Barry VA3LLT is trying to locate all of the D-STAR go kits and confirm the accuracy of the equipment list. Plans are to recall all kits for the January general meeting. Members will be asked to bring kits in their possession or arrange to have the kits bought to the January meeting.
   
7. EmComm:
   
   • Rob VE3RQB expressed concern that Russell VA3WTR is not a paid member and may be involved with EmComm activities.
     
   • Chris VE3NRT noted that the club bylaws do not allow non-members to operate club equipment.
     
   • Steve VE3UT enquired could non-Canadian amateurs be club members [Ed: Yes - but according to the club by-laws to be a voting member the member must hold a Canadian amateur radio licence]
     
8. Membership: Alf VA3BLE reported on paid memberships to date. We now have 63 voting members and 67 paid members.
   
9. Hamfest: Geoff VA3GS proposed 2016-11-05 as the date for next year's hamfest at the Markham Fair grounds. This is the same date as the Markham Fair's banquet which will be in hall #1, avoiding the problems from this year with 2 events happening at the same time.
   
10. Winter Field Day: Steve VE3UT asked how much interest there was in holding Winter Field Day this coming January – there was little board interest. It was noted that last year's site was noisy (RF, not acoustic) and we had very few contacts. The membership will be asked to comment at the January meeting. It was suggested that we not repeat Winter Field Day until we find a better site. We might possibly try to participate in the Canada Winter Contest in December 2016, perhaps at the Bales Rd location.
    

Minutes - YRARC Board of Directors Meeting 2015/11/17

Meeting held in the Magna Centre, multi purpose room 1. Called to Order at 19:00 by Chris VE3NRT. Board members attending: Chris VE3NRT, Steve VE3UT, Geoff VA3GS, Eric VE3EB, Barry VA3LLT, David VA3DCY, Rob VE3RQB, Doug VE3ATP and Alf VA3BLE. Absent: John VA3JI. Others attending: none

1. Agenda: Chris VE3NRT. Amendment to remove item 4a since it was covered in the Oct meeting. Adopted as amended, moved by Geoff VA3GS, seconded by Barry VA3LLT. Carried.
   
2. Minutes: David VA3DCY. Moved by Geoff VA3GS, seconded by Alf VA3BLE to accept the minutes of the 2015/10/20 BoD meeting. Carried
   
3. Treasurer's Report: None since John VA3JI was away.
   
4. By-laws: Chris VE3NRT reported updates are continuing. Alf VA3BLE provided an updated list of members.
   
5. Meeting Rooms: Chris VE3NRT has booked the multi purpose room #1 at the Magna Centre for board meetings for 2016. January 19, February 16, March 15, April 19, May 17, June 21, July 19, August 16, September 20, October18, November15 and December20.
   
6. Property
   
   • Rob VE3RQB reported that the cost of a 20 ft x 12 ft (approx) canopy from Cameron Canopies, would cost approximately $750 to $800. Web site 905-772-5901 2808 Haldimand Rd. 9, RR #1 York, Ontario, N0A 1R0
     
   • Motions 2015-10-20-1 moved by Barry VA3LLT, seconded by Eric VE3EB to approve $200.00 for ongoing general repairs to the trailer. Carried
     
7. Repeaters
   
   • Steve VE3UT. Suggested the purchase of 2 West Mountain PWRgate PG40 to be installed at the VE3YRC VHF site at Yonge/Bloomington. The cost is $139.95 USD or available at Radio World for $180 Cdn each ($360 for a pair). Chris mentioned there is a less expensive Low Loss PWRgate with reduced current capabilities.
     We also need 4 batteries for the VE3YRC UHF site in Richmond Hill.
     
   • It is possible the the VE3PIC site 146.670 may be available. The current site operator has approached the club through Steve VE3EZ and has suggested that the site may be available for a Yaesu System Fusion repeater. The repeater is located in Uxbridge at an elevation higher than VE3RPT and has excellent coverage. There is however a co-channel repeater in New York State that can also be heard in the GTA. In a show of hands, the majority of the board agreed to investigate further, to see if the offer to use the site is valid and to take the matter to the club membership for further discussion. The call VE3YRF (Fusion) is available.
     
   • IRLP/Echolink: Chris VE3NRT has ordered an audio dongle for the Raspberry Pi. Motion 2015-11-17-5b moved by Barry VA3LLT, seconded by Steve VE3UT to spend $17 for an audio dongle for the Raspberry Pi. Carried.
     
   • There was a discussion on the cost of electricity to the site owner, with the D-STAR radios running with reflector traffic all day. One suggestion was to writing code to turn off the transmitter, and another suggestion was to change to switching power supplies.
     
   • Repeater maintenance. Motion 2015-11-17-5c moved by Geoff VA3GS, seconded by Rob VE3RQB to allocate $200 for ongoing repeater maintenance. Carried.
     
8. Events and public Service
   
   • Eric VE3EB reported on the meeting following the SET. The EmComm group was enquiring how to obtain funds for APRS for sending messages. It was explained that they just need to ask, with an explanation of why funding is needed.
     It was also suggested that we publish our frequency list for other ARES groups to use.
     
   • Meeting Rooms: Chris VE3NRT has booked hall #4 at the Newmarket Community Centre for EmComm meetings for 2016. January 14, February 11, March 10, April 14, May 12, June 9, September 8, October 13, November 10 and December 8.
     
   • Public Service and awards: Eric VE3EB reported that we did not participate in any Santa Claus parades, and there are no events planned until April 2016.
     Motions 2015-10-20-2 moved by Geoff VA3GS, seconded by Rob VE3RQB to approve $325.00 for food at the December meeting. Carried.
     
9. Membership
   
   • Meetings: Geoff VA3GS reported that the January meeting will be 'junk-in-the-trunk', February will be a travelogue, March will be Mike VE3MKX speaking on fraud, and April and May are still undetermined.
     
   • Alf VA3BLE reported on paid memberships to October 12. We now have 60 voting members and 64 paid members.
     
   • Hamfest: Geoff VA3GS reported it will cost approximately $5000 to rent the site, leaving us with approximately $2500 in profit.
     
10. Other business
    
    • Eric VE3EB noted the club D-STAR radios are programmed with the club call signs, and should be the user's call sign when loaned to club members. 5 memories are avialable. Eric will distribute instructions on how to change call signs in the radios.
      
    • Doug VE3ATP asked if there is any further use for, or plans to proceed with a MESH network, in response to an inquiry from Bob VE3WY
      

Minutes - YRARC General Meeting 2016-02-02

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:34 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 37 Guests attending: 3

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. General Announcements – Chris VE3NRT.
   
   • Adoption of minutes will be postponed until next meeting.
     
   • The 6m net continues on Monday night.
     
   • Upcoming contests include CQ Worldwide, RTTY, ARRL DX CW, CQ 160m SSB, and North American QSO party (RTTY).
     
   • The Makers's Lab is holding a self-study licensing class led by John VE3IPS with assistance from Mike VA3MCT who is also connected with the Maker's Lab. The class starts February 03 at the David Dunlap Observatory.
     
   • Mike VE3MKX will be next month's speaker.
     
3. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • Opening Balance 2016/01/01 [Available to club members on request to club secretary]
     
   • Income: $160
     
     • Dues from the January meeting: $135.00
       
     • Dues from new member VE3MPI: $25.00
       
   • Expenditures: None
     
   • Closing Balance 2016/02/01: [Available to club members on request to secretary]
     
   • Motion that the treasurer's report be adopted, moved John VA3JI, seconded Rob VE3RQB. Carried.
     
4. Membership Report – Alf VA3BLE: We now have a total of 77 members, 74 voting members.
   
5. Public Service Report: VE3EB. There will be a 5k run in May in Georgina. Details later.
   
6. EmComm Report: Robert VA3BXG. The January EmComm meeting had a presentation from Urban SAR group in Toronto. At the February meeting there will be a presentation by York Region EMO on personal and family preparedness. The meeting will be at the Newmarket Community Centre.
   
7. Repeaters – Steve VE3UT
   
   • There was a repeater work party at the Richmond Hill site to deliver batteries and remove the old cabinets and junk. Rick VA3VO has built Low Loss Powergates for the link radios for both the Richmond Hill and Aurora sites. The 6m repeater will not have backup power, otherwise all repeaters and links will soon have battery backup.
     
   • Rick could build more power gates for members if requested.
     
   • IRLP/Echolink (Chris VE3NRT). The old Sun computer has been replaced with a Raspberry Pi, tied to an IRLP board, an Icom 2100 radio and a USB sound card. The IRLP/Raspberry Pi is still wired in a temporary fashion until it can be packaged permanently. The Echolink is temporarily at Steve VE3UT's QTH. Eventually both IRLP and Echolink will be run on the Raspberry Pi.
     

Guest Speaker: Trevor VE3SLT and his great grandson Alexzander. Trevor spoke about his road trip with his family, to the N.W. Territories, Yukon, Alaska and BC, travelling in a 2003 Astro Van, with a 15' trailer behind his vehicle. The outbound trip was via Northern Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, and then through Peace River, Yellowknife, (by way of MacKenzie and Liard Highways). They visited Joe and Mickey McBryan (Ice Pilots) from Buffalo Airways, in Yellowknife. The route dipped into northern B.C., and back into the Yukon, Whitehorse, and Dawson City. From there they went to Fairbanks Alaska (by way of "Top of the World Highway"), and Mt. McKinley, and Anchorage, At Haines Alaska, they took the Alaska Marine Highway to Skagway and back again into the Yukon and B.C. They then continued to Telegraph Creek, Stikine River, Prince Rupert, Kitimat, Smithers, and Vancouver BC. They visited relatives in Vancouver. On their return trip they passed through Washington State, Alberta, Montana, Minnesota, back to Rainy River and the northern route through Ontario. In total, they travelled 20,330 kms in six weeks, and crossed the border into the USA 4 times, and back into Canada for another 4 times.

Trevor travelled with lots of extra gas (100 extra litres) and spare tires (plural), though remote regions, on less travelled gravel roads, with long distances between settlements. Cell phones are almost useless for emergencies, because of the lack of coverage in remote areas. A heavy wire mesh was installed on his grill to protect his radiator from stones and screening to filter the bugs. The trailer ran on 12VDC (no 120V generator) and the trailer batteries were charged by his vehicle when driving. They make the trip with only one vehicle window replacement. The trip was panned well in advance with Microsoft Streets and Trips. Reservations at RV parks was done for every night before the trip started, for the first three weeks up to Vancouver. They never missed any RV park reservations. The application was run continuously on a laptop with a 120VAC inverter. A USB-GPS antenna gave their location and recorded their trip.

Stay tuned for his next trip, through along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Labrador, (by ferry, across the Strait of Belle Isle) to Newfoundland, St. Pierre and Miquelon. The Return trip is through Nova Scotia, PEI, Magdalen Islands, New Brunswick and back via the coastline of the Gaspe.

YRARC General Meeting Minutes - 2015-12-01

Meeting held in the Sharon Temperance Hall. Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 36

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from the 2015 November general meeting postponed until January.
   
3. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI. The next report will be at the January meeting.
   
4. Membership Report – Alf VA3BLE. To date 67 members have paid.
   
5. EmComm Report – Don VE3IXJ. The SET exercise was held on November 7 at two locations, the Regional Headquarters and the trailer in Schomberg. VE3TWR was the control channel. The cross band radio at the Regional Headquarters worked well to communicate from within the EOC to the trailer in Schomberg.
   
   • Using simplex frequencies to communicate with adjacent ARES groups did not work.
     
   • Other groups do not use the same pre-programmed memory channels as YRARC.
     
6. Repeater Committee Report – Steve VE3UT and Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The current repeaters are working well.
     
   • We have been approached by an existing repeater operator who would be receptive to us using the site and repeater pair for a Yaesu System Fusion 2m repeater. The site is located in Uxbridge on a police tower. Yaesu is currently offering a repeater at $500US until the end of the year. There are drawbacks to the proposal since there is a co-channel US repeater with coverage reaching the GTA. The repeater is built with 2 mobiles back to back, and reportedly not robust and may need to be run a half power. It was decided not to proceed with the proposal.
     
   • The IRLP/Echolink will be working soon.
     

Meeting adjourned at 20:00 Moved by Barry VA3LLT, seconded by Nicholas VE3NJV. Carried. The annual Christmas party followed the business meeting.

YRARC General Meeting - Minutes 2015-10-06

Meeting held in the Sharon Temple (Temperance Hall). Called to Order at 19:30 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 35

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from the general meeting, 2015/09/01 deferred until November.
   
3. By-laws – Chris VE3NRT. The current by-laws (#6) are being revised to update the wording, and the updated version will be circulated to the club membership. Then proposed revisions will be made to the by-laws. The target date for revisions is January 2016. Proxy voting to the changes will be allowed.
   
4. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • September: Opening balance [available to members on request]. Expenditures: $15 plaques, $14 parking (for repeater maintenance), $240.69 post office box, $1.32 bank fees (PayPal). Income: $345 hanfest, $740 dues, $700 honouraria (for summer public service duties at Mt. Albert and the Aurora Street Festival.
     
   • October: Opening balance [available to members on request]. Expenditures: $280 hamfest grand prizes. Income: $429, $25 dues. Closing balance as at Oct 6 [available to members on request]
     
   • Moved to adopt the treasurer's report Barry VE3LLT, seconded Bill VE3QB. Carried.
     
5. Membership Report – Alf VA3BLE. To date 49 members have paid.
   
6. Public Service Report – Eric VE3EB. There were 2 recent events, Sharon Temple Illumination on September 11 and CIBC Run for a Cure on October 4.
   
7. EmComm Report – Don VE3IXJ. The EmComm group meets on the second Thursday of the month, and the next meeting will be on October 8 at the Newmarket Community Centre. The cross-band repeater worked well at the recent Mono Cliffs race in Dufferin County.
   
8. Repeater Committee Report – Steve VE3UT. The repeaters are in good shape and all are linked. The IRLP/Echo Link is down and Chris VE3NRT is in the process of replacing the the old computer with a Raspberry Pi.
   
9. Hamfest Report – Geoff VA3GS. The date of the Hamfest is Saturday October 31, with setup on Friday. Members are asked to sign up for this event.
   
10. Awards
    
    • Eric VE3EB and Steve VE3UT were jointly awarded the Harvey Bell award.
      
    • Bruce EVV was presented with a certificate of appreciation for 10 years work at the prize table.
      
    • Nick VE3NJV was presented with a certificate of appreciation for 10 years work at providing refreshments.
      
11. Other business
    Winter field day planning is beginning. See Steve VE3UT or Rick VA3VO for details.
    

Guest Speaker: Paul Delaney from York University spoke about Pluto the planet, now reclassified as a dwarf planet. His talk included many images of Pluto, ranging from older fuzzy images taken from earth, to highly detailed images taken close up from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft.

YRARC General Meeting - Minutes 2015-09-01

Meeting held in the Sharon Temple. Called to Order at 19:33 by Chris VE3NRT. Total members and guests attending: 41

1. Welcome & Introductions – Chris VE3NRT
   
2. Adoption of Minutes from the general meeting, 2015/06/02, moved Rick VA3VO, seconded Bill VA3QB carried. Motion 2015-09-01-01
   
3. Adoption of Minutes from the AGM, 2015/06/02, moved Rick VA3VO, seconded Anthony VE3HIS. Carried. Motion 2015-09-01-02
   
4. General Announcements – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The 6m net continues on Monday between 8 and 9 pm.
     
   • Motion to approve the non-recurring expenses paid by the board since the last general meeting of $90 for trailer parking pads, $50 for trailer data cabling, $50 for name plates and awards, $100 for trailer maintenance, $20 for trailer retainers for cable containers and $40 for frames for recognition awards. Moved by Chris VA3DXZ, seconded by John VE3IPS. Carried. Motion 2015-09-01-03
     
5. Field Day Report – Steve VE3UT
   
   • This year the Melted Coffee Pot award for overcoming adversity at FD went to Roger VE3ROG. We had our best score in 3 years: 2015: 3752 total points (2014: 3598 points, 2013: 3496 points). Even though attendance was lower, in spite of the nasty weather total QSOs were 1200 higher (1177, 1240). 40m phone was up 271 (0, 103), 40m CW was up 522 (306, 255), but some other bands were down.
6. Treasurer’s Report – John VA3JI
   
   • 2015 Year-end Balance 2015-07-01 [available to members on request] including $205 in pre-paid memberships.
     
   • July expenditures: $874 communication trailer insurance, $100 trailer maintenance, $1.66 Paypal fees. Income $278.30 food refunds. Month-end balance [available to members on request]
     
   • August expenditures: $1.66 Paypal fees, $11.30 trailer maintenance. Income: $252 Hamfest prepayment. Closing balance [available to members on request]
     
7. Membership Report – Alf VA3BLE. We have 7 prepaid members and 28 have paid tonight. This included 3 family members.
   
8. Public Service Report – provided by Eric VE3EB
   
   • Upcoming events include the Sharon Temple Illumination on September 11 and CIBC Run for a Cure on October 4.
     
   • Thanks from Don VE3IXJ for help with the Newmarket jazz festival and mention of being able to warn of an approaching storm.
     
   • John VA3KOT (Dufferin County) asked for assistance at their Chase the Coyote race in Mono Cliffs on September 26 from 9 to 12.
     
9. EmComm Report – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • The next meeting will be on September 10 at the Newmarket Community Centre, which will include a discussion on Winlink.
     There will be a SET in November. The York Regional Headquarters in Newmarket has a new repeater installed (Chan 90) to overcome the problem of simplex not working within the building.
     
10. Repeater Committee Report – Steve VE3UT. The repeaters are in good shape and all are linked. The IRLP/Echo Link is down and Chris VE3NRT is investigating replacing the old computer with a Raspberry Pi. Battery backup for the sites is in progress and VE3YRA has the best backup.
    
11. Hamfest Report – Geoff VA3GS. The date of the Hamfest is Saturday October 31, with setup on Friday. Members are asked to sign up for this event. (At the end of the meeting 13 members had signed up.)
    
12. Splatter Update – Chris VE3NRT. The blog was established in 2013 to replace the printed Splatter. The contents include meeting minutes, club news, technical articles, and profiles of older members. The goal is to make 1 post per day, and viewership is increasing. The blog is viewable on all platforms. The blog needs relevant articles and comments to help improve our rating with search engines. We are encouraged to create links to the blog, read the blog and encourage others to read the blog, write articles and submit pictures, especially historical photos. At the moment we have 60 visits per day, and at 5000 per day, revenue from Adsense would fund all of the clubs activities. The blog could also replace our current web site http://www.yrarc.org/
    

Guest Speaker: Dave VE3OOI spoke on Amateur Radio and Model Rocketry. Meeting adjourned at 21:30

Jerry's Journal: Emergency Preparedness and Cross Band Repeat

Jerry's Journal: Emergency Preparedness and Cross Band Repeat

Don VE3IXJ has been very active in adding portable repeater capability to our arsenal of public service and emergency preparedness gear. Looks like YRARC isn't the only club using this method of increasing our portable communications capability. VE6AB is also active in this area.

Digital Technologies at EmComm Meeting

Last Thursday's EmComm at the Newmarket Community Centre had some special guests. These were Ian Snow VA3QT and Rick Harrison VE3NV. Rick, who is the ARES Section Emergency Coordinator for the GTA, addressed the group on coordination issues and opportunities across the 5 GTA ARES/EmComm Groups, while Ian gave a presentation and demonstration of Winlink.

Ian VA3QT speaks with Bonnie from the Canadian Red Cross with Rick VE3NV in foreground

Ian's Winlink Presentation

In addition to Winlink, Ian included MESH networking in his presentation and brought along a familiar-looking device similar to the one that Matt, VA3MGN built a couple of years ago.

Bonnie's canine friend didn't find the Winlink presentation as fascinating as the rest of the ARES team.

Don VE3IXJ, Bonnie and Rick VE3NV.

From left to right: MESH node, transceiver with tuner, and PACTOR modem for HF data communications

ARES/EmComm Meeting Tonight

Tonight's meeting is being held at 19:30 EDT at the Newmarket Community Centre, 200 Doug Duncan Drive, Newmarket.

Agenda

1. Welcome / Intros – Group
   
2. Cross Channel Repeater/Don (10 Min.)
   
3. Rick Harrison VA3NV (GTA Section Emergency Coordinator) (50 Min.)
   
   • Intro
     
   • Discussion on GTA SET - November 7th, 2015.
     
4. Ian Snow. (60+ Min). VA3QT has been a Winlink SYSOP since 2004. In his presentation he will summarise the K4REF video What is Winlink. Ian recommends that you view this video before his presentation in order to maximise time for a practical demonstration of RMS Express.
   
   
   This software is intended for Windows 7/8 (Windows 10 seems to work too). XP has been overtaken but works if appropriate .NET files are installed.
   
   • Winlink Demo/Information
     
   • Digital discussion
     
   • Q & A
     

Field Day 2015: Score Not Dampened by Weather

Steve VE3UT delivered his Field Day Report at the September 1st club meeting. He noted that this was the best club score in 3 years, despite the miserable weather, which we are blaming for the decline in attendance. We're looking forward to bigger and better in 2016.

Item	2015	2014	2013
Total attendance	53	61	69
Total QSO's	1,200	1,177	1,240
160 phone	2	16	3
160 CW	-	4	4
80 phone	62	16	163
80 CW	10	-	-
40 phone	271	-	103
40 CW	522	306	255
40 digital	120	264	38
20 phone	100	276	298
20 CW	-	-	-
20 digital	23	20	114
15 phone	21	60	6
15 CW	-	-	-
15 digital	1	25	90
10 phone	10	2	-
10 CW	-	-	-
10 digital	-	-	-
6 phone	23	46	78
6 CW	-	2	7
Satellite	13	4	24
GOTA	22	24	57
Total bonus points	1,010	990	1,190
Emergency power	yes	yes	yes
Media publicity	yes	yes	yes
Copy W1AW message	yes	yes	yes
Satellite bonus	yes	yes	yes
Natural power QSO	no	yes	yes
Visit by served agency	yes	no	yes
Visit by elected official	no	no	no
Youth participation	yes	no	yes
GOTA bonus	yes	yes	yes
Educational display	no	no	no
Submitted online	yes	yes	yes
Information booth	no	no	no
Set up in public place	no	no	no
Power multiplier	< 150W	< 150W	< 150W
TOTAL CLAIMED SCORE	3,752	3,598	3,496

Steve VE3UT - Field Day Director

2015-2016 Board of Directors & Volunteer Posts

Below is the current board of the York Region Amateur Radio Club. Check out past boards.

Chris Sullivan	VE3NRT	President, Web Site, Blog, EmComm,
Steve Holland	VE3UT	Vice-President, Repeater
David Craig	VA3DCY	Secretary, Hamfest
John Iliffe	VA3JI	Treasurer
Rob Barnett	VE3RQB	Property
Eric Brown	VE3EB	Public Service
Geoff Smith	VA3GS	Hamfest, WYNSORC, Door Prize
Doug Peckhover	VE3ATP	Repeaters
Alf Burnham	VA3BLE	Membership
Barry Byrom	VA3LLT	EmComm, Trailer, Membership

The board also wishes to acknowledge the roles of the following volunteers.

Nick Visser	VE3NJV	Meeting Refreshments
Robert Galambos	VA3BXG	Emergency Coordinator
Bruce Clements	VE3BV	Technical Advisor
Don Matthews	VE3IXJ	Assistant Emergency Coordinator
Russell Walter	VE3WTR	Assistant Emergency Coordinator

If I have missed anyone please bring that to my attention and I will update this list.

Minutes: General Meeting - June 2nd, 2015

Meeting held at the Sharon Temperance Hall. The meeting was called to order at 19:30. Chaired by Chris VE3NRT. 37 members and 1 guest in attendance

1. Reminder that proxies must be given to the secretary prior to AGM
   
2. Adoption of the minutes
   
   • Motion 2015-06-02-01 by Bill VE3QB to adopt the minutes of the May 5th general meeting minutes, seconded by Barry VA3LLT. Motion carried.
     
3. News and Opinion
   
   • Congratulations to Jack VA3UU for qualifying for “Worked all Pacific”
     
   • Thank you to EmComm for participation in the SET exercise & the May 29th exercise
     
   • Chris raised the question of whether or not the club should continue meeting on the first Tuesday of each month or look at the option of finding an alternate date for club meetings. Based on a few responses during our meeting, it seems club members would prefer that the meetings continued on the first Tuesday of each month.
     
4. Public Service - Eric VE3EB
   
   • Eric VE3EB reported that we need 6 additional volunteers for the Aurora Street Festival this Sunday.
     
   • Chris VE3NRT reported that the MADD event went well and thanked Rob VE3RQB, Carlos VA3CAZ, Steve VE3UT, Steve VE3EZ, and John VE3POJ
     
5. Field Day - Steve VE3UT
   
   • Brad VE3HII and Alex VA3ASE have confirmed they will be operating satellite
     
   • Set up will begin after lunch on Friday. We need lots of help on Saturday morning for final set up
     
   • All stations will be on the air at 2pm
     
6. Emcomm – Barry VA3LLT. Barry VA3LLT reported that during the RED Cross SET there was some difficulty getting to Peel Region but the organizers praised Emcomm for how quickly Emcomm was able to setup and begin operation on FL Digi
   
7. Appointment of the AGM chair. Bill VA3QB nominated Ron KG4CVL for AGM chair
   
8. Appointment of the AGM secretary. Chris VE3NRT nominated Chris VA3DXZ for AGM Secretary
   
9. Harvey Bell Award – Chris VE3NRT
   
   • This year’s nominees were all board members
     
   • Two winners were selected this year, Eric VE3EB and Steve VE3UT
     
   • Congratulations to both Eric and Steve
     

Meeting was adjourned and the Annual General Meeting was opened