After several years of meeting at the Nixa Fire Department General HQ on S Nicholas Rd in Nixa, we have outgrown our meeting spot!
Starting this Saturday, April 13, at 6:00 p.m. we will begin meeting at the Nixa Fire Department Community Room, located at the Fire Station at 711 N Main St in Nixa. This location has about double the capacity of the prior meeting spot, and has quite a bit more parking!
You will be able to park on either the North, South or West sides of the fire station. The website has been updated and Randy, KC0UKB, has placed a map to the location if you click on the "meetings" link.
We hope everyone can come out and check out the new meeting location, and help us begin our planning for Field Day as we "mix it up" a little bit this year. Kent Doucey, N0IRM, is once again heading up the Field Day planning team, and is looking for folks to help with the planning.
So, make your plans now to attend and be a part of the club's 10th anniversary Field Day event!
New Club Meeting Location - This Saturday!
Southwest Missouri Linked Repeater System Operational!
Last month, the Granby 145.390 repeater, PL 91.5 Hz, (near Joplin) went on-line and it is linked to the 147.015+, PL 162.2 Hz in Springfield 100% of the time via RF. These repeaters are two integral parts of the Southwest Missouri Linked Repeater System (SMLRS).
The system is open for any amateur to use, and also includes the 442.150+ repeater, PL 162.2 Hz in Crane and we will soon be adding the 145.450- repeater, PL 91.5 Hz in Nevada in a couple of weeks. ALL repeaters are in hardened shelters and have UPS and Generator emergency backup power which can run the sites for greater than 2 weeks without re-fueling.
The system is tested every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. when it is linked up to the Nixa ARC "NARC" Net.
After the tornado struck Joplin, and no reliable means of communications with Springfield existed, several groups of amateurs teamed up to pool resources and knowledge to place the system on the air. The Nixa Amateur Radio Club along with the Southwest Amateur Radio Group in Neosho, the Mulebarn amateur radio club, and agencies such as Greene County EMA and Vernon County EMA, and the City of Crane all helped make this system a reality. Having so many groups and organizations involved for a common goal has strengthened ties among the groups and helped build a robust system that could not have been built by any one person or group.
Events such as the MS-150 and the Tour de Bass bicycle rides are already slated to use the system in 2013, and some ARES groups are already discussing the use of the system for severe weather spotting throughout Region D in Southwest Missouri.
If you want to access on-line training documents, view computer generated coverage plots of mobile radio coverage, see pictures of the repeaters, learn all the technical details, or anything else about the SMLRS system visit the website www.smlrs.info.
Please feel free to pass along this e-mail and all the information included to other amateurs and groups or other e-mail lists for those that would benefit or enjoy using the system.
Nixa ARC Pendant & Equipment Raffle
Good afternoon everyone, I am pleased to announce that Jeff Morrissey, KB0WVT, was the winner of the raffle at last night club's meeting. The prize piece of the raffle was the African Malachite set in Sterling Silver crafted by Arlen Evins, N6DDD. The pendant is 35mm long and 20mm wide with a value of $60 retail.
Also included in the raffle was an old Tempo S1 HT, an Alpha Delta DX-AA HF dipole, a multi-meter, and a hat light, the latter items donated by Ron, AF7A. The raffle brought in $86.00 total. Thanks for the donations, and thanks everyone for your support!
Nixa Amateur Radio Club
Meeting Minutes
March 9, 2013
Call to Order
James Adkins, KB0NHX, called the regular meeting of the Nixa Amateur Radio Club to order at 1805 hours on March 9, 2013 at the Nixa Fire Department General HQ at 301 S. Nicholas Rd in Nixa, Missouri.
Roll Call
Sign in sheet was passed. There were 21 persons present
Treasurer report
The treasurer's report was got given at this month's meeting and a full report for February & March will be given at the April meeting
A VE test session was given - No one tested at the session however
News and Announcements
James Adkins, KB0NHX, discussed the following items:
A trip was made to the 145.270 site by himself and KC0IYI was made this morning. they removed the old EchoLink node and all accessories and also troubleshot the repeater. About 1.5 weeks ago, we started noticing that the repeater would hang open after someone unkeyed. The antenna system checked fine, as did the repeater. However, we found a problem with the duplexers. For 118-Watts into the duplexers, we were only getting 58-Watts out. Normally, we should see about about 25% power loss through a properly tuned 4-cavity set of duplexers. The pass and notch on both transmit cans had to be re-tuned, and the notch was pretty far off on one can, which is most likely the reason we were having the problem that we were having. After re-tuning, we now are getting 91.2-Watts out of the duplexers, and the repeater is no longer hanging open.
We also discussed the SMLRS. The new website, that is under construction still, was unveiled. Those that were present viewed the site, gave input, and got a nice sneak peek at what is to come. The Nevada 145.450, PL 91.5 Hz, is slated to be the newest repeater to be added to the SMLRS. Right now, plans are for April 6 to do the tower work at the site, weather permitting. This will be a nice addition to the SMLRS and help expand coverage to the northwest of Springfield tremendously.
Randy Jordan, KC0UKB, gave us an update on the www.nixahams.net website. He has updated the club roster, net control schedule, and other items. Most importantly, however, he was able to get the PayPal link fixed so that folks can pay their dues online.
At last night's meeting, we gained 10 new or renewal memberships for 2013. Even had one person pay for 2014 at the same time! If you haven't renewed or joined yet, please consider doing so. Membership dues pay a large chunk for our club activities each year, such as Field Day and the club picnic.
Business
At the meeting, we discussed the club picnic. We had originally thought we might have one in May, however a vote of the members present revealed they prefer the September date as weather is more predictable. So, the club picnic will be in September, 2013.
We also discussed Field Day. Announced that it would be in the same spot as last year, and that we would be changing it up a bit in 2013. Another club up near Jefferson City will have the White Spartan command bus, but we have secured the BAT Van. Good news is since it is already in the area, we will not have to pay for the fuel from or back to KC where it responds from. Kent is working some angles for another vehicle to house a station or two.
Presentation
Bill Gilmore, KC0TCF, from Greene County ARES gave a presentation on their involvement in and the overall outcome of the Severe Weather Symposium at the Battlefield Mall last weekend, March 2. He also passed around a calendar showing all the activities that they are involved with, as well as talking about their license classes and involvement with training up SkyWarn Spotters
Adjournment
Meeting was adjourned at 1905 hours.
Minutes submitted by: James Adkins, KBØNHX, President
Minutes approved by: James Adkins, KBØNHX, President
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