From: George Fisher III [w4of@hotmail.com]
Sent: Monday, March 05, 2007 9:26 PM
To: w4of@hotmail.com
Subject: ERARC March meeting minutes

Minutes of the East River Amateur Radio Club meeting.
March 5, 2007 Ryan’s Steakhouse Bluefield, VA.
http://www.erarc.com
The March meeting of the ERARC was opened at 658pm by George Dietrich KF4YGL, ERARC President. There were 23 members and guests in attendance.
Hooger Fisher read the treasurer’s report in Bob Frazier’s absence. Bob paid the postmaster $56.76 to mail out the ERARC Handbooks and paid a phone bill of $17.87. Hooger then read the minutes from the February meeting and made one correction from 442.45 to 444.45 in reference to moving the 444.45 repeater to Windmill Gap with the 147.225 machine in the future.
George asked Gary Kadar N8GK about the February 10 VE ARRL test session. 
Gary reported that 7 persons tested and all passed their particular exams. 
He mentioned Chuck Marshall N8VFD and John Jennell KG4BXX, in particular, upgrading to General.
**There is going to be another ERARC VE test session on Saturday, March 17, at the 911 Center in Green Valley, 9am.** Gary also mentioned that the ARRL announced that they have had a record number of VE test sessions announced in its entire history within the past several weeks.
Don Anderson WD8OOR brought up Echolink on 145.49. He thought that it was not legal to have Echolink below 222 Mhz and inquired with Dan Henderson NIND with the ARRL. Dan explained the differences with automatic-,
auxiliary- and remote-control of a repeater. Automatic control refers to our legal use of Packet and APRS. Long story short, we can have Echolink on 2 meters if there is a control operator that can close any Echolink connection (which we all can do) and/or shut the machine down at any time (we have 4 operators who can do this now). Dan said that as of December 15, 2006, Kenwood Corporation was allowed to use their new “Sky Command” system via changes in the Part 97 FCC rules. This opened up other ‘remote-control’ 
devices for use in the 2-meter band. One problem Don foresees is that the club is already using W8MOP-R for the 442.45 repeater Echolink identification and we’ll have to use W8MOP-L, possibly, for the 145.49 repeater ID. Each registered repeater must have the call sign / repeater assigned an Echolink node number (which now is up to 6 digits per new node
number) and he’ll get the ball rolling when needed. Via radio, one must enter _ _ (omitted here on purpose) THEN the node number of the station/repeater you’re trying to connect to, without letting up on the PTT. 
To bring it down, enter _ (omitted here on purpose) to disconnect the connection. Don said that the equipment needed was another radio, a computer and an interface before Echolink can be installed on the ’49. He can get the radio and computer but needs the club to discuss and vote to purchase the interface, which will be less than $100.00. Discussion. Lonnie Underwood made the motion, seconded by Trancy Belcher KA8CFR to purchase the interface unit. Vote taken, motion passed.
Don hopes that members will register at http://www.echolink.org and get instructions for use of Echolink. Don said that via the ERARC web page, Dave Garrett KA4TXY listens to the ’49 streaming audio from Florida for activity and gets on Echolink on 442.45 to talk to Don and others. If we get Echolink on ’49, we’ll have more avenues of communication available. Discussion about interference on ’49 with ‘normal’ communications and Echolink. Jay Belt said to just shut the Echolink down if problems exist by entering _ (omitted here on purpose).
Gary Kadar mentioned that the ’49 is still having intermittent problems with noise, etc. Don Anderson said that he’s still working on that problem and hasn’t found anything wrong yet.
Stephen Stefancic KD8EPJ wanted to know what the club thought about having a Saturday morning Breakfast Net. He read a preamble that he came up with and gave Lonnie Underwood a copy for this Saturday’s net. There was overwhelming support for Stephen’s idea.
Gary Kadar mentioned that the FCC had levied fines against an amateur for not identifying after a 10 minutes period. He said, “Be advised, Big Brother is watching”.
George Dietrich won the 50/50 drawing for the flower fund.
ARES net controls for March: 6th Jerry Connelly KC8TES, 13th Cathy Underwood KG4CTK, 20th Steven Stefancic, 27th Lonnie Underwood KI4EED.
The meeting was over at 756pm.
Submitted by Hooger Fisher W4OF, ERARC Secretary.
TO DO LIST:
1)	Bandpass filters for Field Day and VHF contest
2)	Equipment inventory with serial numbers for Bob for insurance reasons
3)	Multiband antenna, feed lines, etc. with Club’s Yaesu FT100, PS, etc.
4)	Bill Sowers’ crank up tower for Boy Scout Camp?
5)	Test/maintain HF, VHF, UHF equipment at the 911 Center.
6)	Go over repeater instructions in Club handbook for being current and 
complete. (add weather radio information, check 911 autodials, etc.)
7)	Jacks and adaptors for head phones for FD. External speakers also.
8)	Cathy Underwood KG4CTK would like us to look into possible funding via 
the Office of Homeland Security.
9) IN PROCESS: 147.225 repeater from Bob Frazier to ERARC.