November 2019 General Meeting
19/11/19 19:30
Minutes PART Meeting November 19, 2019
Cameron Senior Center, Westford, MA
7:30 PM – 9:25 PM
Officers Present:
George, K1IG, Pres
Andy, KB1OIQ, VP
Chauncey, K1OPE, Secretary
Bob, W1IS, Director at Large
Attendees: 30
George, K1IG, opened the meeting with the usual round of introductions.
Announcements:
The speaker for the evening was Paul Topolski, W1SEX. He spoke on oscilloscopes and their use in amateur radio:
Paul then demonstrated using a scope and arithmetic to measure the length of coax and its impedance.
A mini-contest was held to guess the length of a spool of coax. There were a couple of close guesses.
Paul’s detailed slide deck may be available later on the WB1GOF website.
W1BP gave the details of the upcoming PART Winter Field Day 2020. This will be held January 25-26, 2020, at the Westford Sportsmen’s Club on West Street.
Brian had a sign-up sheet for the various responsibilities and got some volunteers that evening.
K1IG presented details of the 2020 budget for the Club:
Income $2658
Expenditures $2115
--------
Balance $543
There was an update by LtCol Bryan Pillai on the new legislation on ‘hands free driving”. The bill which is likely to become law does not clearly exempt the use of amateur radio. The bill prohibits drivers from holding any electronic devices and only allows the device to be used in a ”hands free mode” while driving on a public road - even if you are not moving.
Many advise carrying your radio license and even your PART badge to back your argument should you be stopped.
Lastly, a donated Bencher paddle was auctioned off to benefit the Repeater fund.
Hope to see everyone next month at the Holiday Dinner at IL Forna’s.
Enjoy the holidays.
73
Chauncey
K1OPE
Cameron Senior Center, Westford, MA
7:30 PM – 9:25 PM
Officers Present:
George, K1IG, Pres
Andy, KB1OIQ, VP
Chauncey, K1OPE, Secretary
Bob, W1IS, Director at Large
Attendees: 30
George, K1IG, opened the meeting with the usual round of introductions.
Announcements:
- K1IG talked up the CQ Worldwide CW contest this weekend.
- Brian, W1BP, reminded us of the upcoming Winter Field Day which he detailed later in the meeting.
- K1OPE plugged the Holiday Dinner that takes the place of the regular December club meeting. Another reminder will be sent out shortly. Remember, your payment must be received by December 07.
- Bill, K1NS, while visiting the ARRL headquarters, purchased for the club a Special Services Club banner.
The speaker for the evening was Paul Topolski, W1SEX. He spoke on oscilloscopes and their use in amateur radio:
- What can be measured.
- Choice of an analog or digital scope.
- Need at a minimum a 50 mhz bandwidth
- Specialty scopes
- Spectrum Analyzer
- Curve tracer
- How to use the oscilloscope and its use in the shack.
- Purchasing a scope.
- Learning to use an analog scope is very easy compared to using a digital storage scope.
- Resources: “Oscilloscopes for Radio Amateurs” by Paul Danzer.
Paul then demonstrated using a scope and arithmetic to measure the length of coax and its impedance.
A mini-contest was held to guess the length of a spool of coax. There were a couple of close guesses.
Paul’s detailed slide deck may be available later on the WB1GOF website.
W1BP gave the details of the upcoming PART Winter Field Day 2020. This will be held January 25-26, 2020, at the Westford Sportsmen’s Club on West Street.
Brian had a sign-up sheet for the various responsibilities and got some volunteers that evening.
K1IG presented details of the 2020 budget for the Club:
Income $2658
Expenditures $2115
--------
Balance $543
There was an update by LtCol Bryan Pillai on the new legislation on ‘hands free driving”. The bill which is likely to become law does not clearly exempt the use of amateur radio. The bill prohibits drivers from holding any electronic devices and only allows the device to be used in a ”hands free mode” while driving on a public road - even if you are not moving.
Many advise carrying your radio license and even your PART badge to back your argument should you be stopped.
Lastly, a donated Bencher paddle was auctioned off to benefit the Repeater fund.
Hope to see everyone next month at the Holiday Dinner at IL Forna’s.
Enjoy the holidays.
73
Chauncey
K1OPE
