The Minnesota QRP Society

Greetings QRPers;

The March, 2008 meeting of the Minnesota QRP Society met on the 2nd, at the Minnetonka Community Center.

Dave Kent, k0tcp, called the meeting to order at about 1:30 PM. We had several first time guests that were introduced and we appreciated the involvement of some long time members, which had not been to a meeting for a while.

Last month we meet at the k0tcp QRT for FYBO operation. It was a really great time with a lot of food and participation. Dave and his wife, Janice, were great hosts. I don’t think there was ever a formal meeting called and I did not post any minutes, so the Secretary’s report was pretty dull. Many folks at the meeting indicated how much fun they had at the FYBO, so that sufficed in stead of the February minutes.

The Treasure reported no change in the meager assets of the club.

I reported, as you may have noticed on the list, that there was a query from the organizers of the ARRL Dakota Division Convention planned for Rochester MN in August 2008. They wanted to know if anyone at the club would prepare a presentation (or two). There was a lot of discussion and enthusiasm for doing something. Steve Ulrich, nw0c, agreed to lead this effort. Many others indicated a willingness to help out in the project and had suggestions as to topics and presentation methods. There seemed to be a focus on different home brewing experiences. (After the meeting a response was sent to the folks planning the event, introducing them to Steve, as our contact person.)

Dave Kent asked folks to start using the new email list on several occasions. Some folks have indicated having difficulty setting up a subscription. Dave plans to contact Jay, the moderator, about these issues. There was a proposal that we take the steps to shutdown the old email list. Dave plans to work with Jay and Clay to achieve this goal.

There was also a discussion about the old web site. Several folks have expressed concern about confusion related to having two web sites. Larry, kb0r, and Dave, k0tcp, plan to work together to archive of the old web site and then work with Clay to have it taken down. We want to thank Clay for all of the work he has done over the years to support the club with that web site!

Dave Kent, k0tcp, recalled how much fun the club had building kits together a year or two ago. Les did a great job organizing those efforts. Dave wanted to know if we want to build some kits together again. There was a lot of discussion about different possible kits. There was also a feeling that it was better for folks to work on separate interests and then bring those projects to share with the club. So I think the consensus was to focus on individual efforts and preparing the presentation for the August convention, and then talk about joint building projects as we approach next winter.

Dave Kent, k0tcp, raised the prospect of having a club table at the Mid-Winter Madness Hamfest in Buffalo, MN, later in March. There was consensus that we should do this and many volunteered to assist at the table. Steve, nw0c, donated the funds to pay for the table, as he also did last year. Thanks Steve! Dave Kent plans to bring the club banners this year, and we look forward to visiting with you at the club table.

Dave Kent raised the issue of planning for Field Day. The last several years we have worked with the St Croix Valley ARC at k0cd’s QTH, but that site will not be available this year. Dave proposed talking to the City of Minnetonka about using a park near his house. Larry plans to check on the use of a park near his house. If anyone else has any ideas for a Field Day 2008 venue, please contact Dave or post the suggestion to the new email list. We want to get working on planning Field Day 2008 as it is just around the corner!

There was a discussion about ways to demonstrate the QRP hobby to other groups, such as in the schools or scout clubs. JR, kd0cyg, a new ham that was a first time visitor, is a student at Hennepin Technical College. He indicated that there was an interest and a need for someone to do an introductory presentation at his school. He plans to provide Dave with contact information. We look forward to seeing what will come of these efforts and how each of us can help with this project.

Mert, w0ufo, is wondering if anyone is interested in traveling with him to Ozarkcon, in April. I’m sure he would like to hear from you if you are interested in this trip.

Dave, k0tcp, closed the meeting, but the discussion continued around various projects that folks brought. Ron, k0tc, had his new Elcraft K3 transceiver. He opened it up and answered questions about the assembly and his operating experiences. Steve, nw0c, showed us his CliftonLabs Z100n kit, which is a CW tuning aid. Mert, w0ufo, demonstrated his Softrock40 RXTX 6.2 transceiver connected to a laptop running the Rocky software.