Regular Meeting – December 2014

The December meeting of the BILLERICA AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY took place at the home of Club President K1TWF ON 3 December 2014 and commenced at 19:00.

There were about 19 members present.

The meeting was conducted by Club VP Tom Walsh K1TW.

Updated Business
The BARS Holiday Dinner will take place on Wednesday 7 Jan 2015 at 19:00 at the Great Wall Restaurant in Bedford. A substantial number of members expressed a desire to attend. Our guest for the evening will be outgoing ARRL EMA Section Manager, K9HI who will speak briefly about his terms as our SM. We will also invite members to participate in an OPTIONAL Yankee Swap. The estimated cost for the Buffet and Tip is about $21 per person excluding beverages. Tea and Water is included but individual members should pay separately for other drinks. More details on the evening will be provided later.

Search for New Club Meeting Site
K1TW and K1VK met with a representative of St. Michael’s Parish in Bedford and obtained a quote for a room rental for a room to hold meetings. The quote was for $50/ night.

Members with experience at attending other functions at this location expressed their support as it is considered a nice building which accommodates the needs of the Club very well.

A proper rental agreement has been obtained and we would be renting it at will without any long term obligations.

After some questions and discussion it was agreed to notify the Church that we would begin using the room for our February meeting for a 2 month trial after which we will revisit.

Guest speaker

The guest speaker for the night was Chuck Councelman, W1HIS, whose talk centered around HF propagation.

Among the items discussed was a method of predicting HF radio conditions allowing less well equipped stations to compete with the big guns during contests. W1HIS, a retired MIT professor, demonstrated a vast knowledge and understanding of the ionosphere.

Submitted by Secretary Paul Graveline

K1YUB

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