We will be getting together about 7pm at the Westport Public Library and the meeting will officially start at 7:30pm.
The Westport Public Library is at 20 Jesup Rd, Westport CT
Held at the Westport Public Library
Present (12): AA1XV (President), AI1V (recording), K1RF, KB1FBX, N1DPD (Treasurer), W1SMS (Vice President), KB1HVC, K1RF, K1CYW, KC1TMT and “chaffeur”, Sara (not yet licensed)
Meeting called to order at 7:30 pm
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
Treasury: Good financial shape. Current income matches current and expected outflows except that there is only very limited funds for a holiday party. 60 paid members.
Website: Nothing to report.
Repeaters – dealing with various administrative issues. Making progress on controller for the repeater. W1SMS is going to build a test box for the controller. W1SMS intends to go up to the site some time in the next few weeks to start preparing to move in and install the equipment. Discussion about reinstating a formal agreement with the hospital.
AA1XV is taking steps to make sure we are properly represented in the CSMA.
Field Day – members who went to the Westport Astronomical Society report a very successful Field Day.
Discussed issues around implementing a remote station at W1SMS’s site.
New business:
It was reported that there are problems with the FCC’s registration system and noted that the ARRL is especially helpful in dealing with those problems.
AA1XV to work with N1DPD to plan the summer picnic which is expected to be in mid-August.
Next meeting:
Assuming we have a summer picnic, the next meeting is expected to be September 10 at the Westport Public Library. Informal gathering at 7pm, formal meeting to start at 7:30 pm.
Meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm.
Present In Person (10): Hugo AA1XV, Steve K1RF, Jeff KB1C, David N1DPD, Steve
W1SMS, Peter KC1TMT, (with guest/chauffeur Peter G), Jon AI1V, Zig N1ICL, Dan KC1WSE
Present Virtually (4): Toy K1WYG, Paul N1II, Paul W1PPL, Jeffrey KB1HVC
(Some members dialing in virtually continue to have trouble with audio)
Meeting called to order by President Hugo AA1XV at 7:32
Minutes from last month approved
Old Business:
Treasurers Report
Treasurer David N1DPD reported the club continues to be in good shape financially, with 59 paid members. Recently the sale of an amplifier brought in $1000.
Anticipated expenses: small donation to Westport Astro Soc for those who participate in Field Day there this year; some taxes are coming due; summer picnic
Webmaster
Douglas WA1SFH had requested TUESDAY eve CERT Net be announced, Jon AI1V reports we have already Published it on the website.
Repeaters
Steve W1SMS reports further progress in the works: a visit to Norwalk Hospital is planned for next week to establish best access to the roof and scout sites for antennas.
New Business:
Bloomin Metric Report
David N1DPD reported on Ham Radio participation in recently held Bloomin Metric cycling event, All went well with help from GNARC and the Stamford Club numbering 8 altogether. Steve Urso N1CM can’t do it next year and is looking for us to take over ownership of the course monitoring next year. David may Be the man for the job, he will need help, we will see what we need to organize when we get closer to Next year’s event.
Field Day
Field Day weekend is upcoming, the last full weekend in June, 6/28-29.
No official participation for GNARC but all who are interested are invited and encouraged to join the group at the Wesport Astronomical Society whose setup has worked well in the past. GNARC will donate to WAS based on our participation number. We are also invited to Stamford’s FD.
Miscellany
There was some good/informative discussion and interesting sharing of stories involving various 2m-6m-HF Nets in the East, and various TV/cable/radio interference/pranks/achievements. We must move our trailer to a new home, currently there is no good option; we have one more month in its current location.
Any interest among club members in using a Remote Station?
FLEX radios are becoming inexpensive enough to make this kind of setup feasible; many different bands can be covered with better antennas and can be accessed even from a cell phone. If the club puts something up will people use it?
The meeting was adjourned at 8:46
Respectfully submitted, Jeff KB1C, Secretary
REMINDER: THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE THURSDAY JULY 10 INSTEAD OF WEDNESDAY JULY 9. THE MEETING WILL BE AT THE WESTPORT PUBLIC LIBRARY. WE EXPECT TO BE RETURNING TO A WEDNESDAY SCHEDULE AFTER THAT.
Dear GNARC Members and Friends,
Please note a change to our upcoming meeting schedule due to room unavailability on the regular dates:
- June Meeting: Moved from Wednesday, June 11 to Thursday, June 12
- July Meeting: Moved from Wednesday, July 9 to Thursday, July 10
Both meetings will be held at the Westport Library in Room 210. Doors open at 7:00 PM, with a call to order at 7:30 PM.
Please save these new dates on your calendar. We’ll send a reminder closer to each meeting.
Thank you for your understanding.
73,
Hugo W. Catta – AA1XV
Peter KC1TMT gave a very interesting presentation on the wide variety of weather satellites currently in use and how to receive their transmissions. Please click here to view. Thank you Peter.
Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club (GNARC)
Meeting Minutes 05/14/20
Held at Westport Public Library
Present In Person (13): Hugo AA1XV, Steve K1RF, Rusty K4SAA, Jeff KB1C, David N1DPD, Steve W1SMS, Paul W1PPL, Elliot K1MF, Rich K1CYW, Peter KC1TMT, Pete KC1JGY, Jeffrey KB1HVC, Dan KC1WSE
Present Virtually (2): Tom KD1FBX, Jon AI1V
Meeting called to order by Hugo AA1XV at 7:30
Hugo welcomed new faces and old
Presentation on Weather Satellites
By Peter, KC1TMT
The main types of satellites and how to contact them and receive and/or decode their data were reviewed. There are hardware and software considerations, depending on the kind of satellite being sought; Peter presented a lot of very interesting information gathered from his experience, results, and research on weather satellites.
His presentation was well done and well received! Thank you, Peter!
The full presentation will be available on the GNARC website.
Old Business
Treasurers Report
David N1DPD reported the club continues to be financially solvent; We have 58 paid members
Recently, the club received a donation in memory of TIm Walker. So far, one radio (706) has been sold.
Repeaters
VP Steve W1SMS reported progress on the new 2M repeater installation at Norwalk Hospital, Next steps include inspection and installation of the antenna and repeater. The repeater has 440 capabilities, but transmission on both 2M and 440 bands at the same time is not possible. For now, the repeater will remain 2M for club use. There was some discussion of linked repeaters vs DMR vs Echolink, which is located with Jon AI1V.
GNARC Meeting Locations
Rusty K4SAA has been exploring alternate sites (eg, Norwalk Senior Center) for club meetings or Field Day. Ideally a location within the City of Norwalk such as a business would serve us well.
Hugo AA1XV has been exploring Manresa Island as a possibility at some point far in the future.
Field Day Sites
Vets Park in SONO continues to be a possibility, but a complication has arisen: the City now requires us to pay a fee for us to use the Park. The Westport location used in the past remains an option, but it has disadvantages. No final decision was made.
The benefits and enjoyment of POTA were brought up. Sherwood Island is great for this, but the Park must be cleared out by sunset, so this is not a good candidate for our Field Day.
POTA, or a Lighthouse on the Air, is potentially a good way to get people involved in the club and the hobby!
New Business:
Steve Urso N1CM, of the Stamford club, is running the Bloomin Metric Bicycle Event this Sunday, and he is still looking for help from anyone with a 25- or 50-watt mobile radio and mobile antenna to drive or accompany a SAG vehicle, keeping track of the cyclers and monitoring the rest stops.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:50
Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club (GNARC)
Meeting Minutes 4/09/2025.
Held at the Westport Public Library
Present in person (13): AA1XV (President), AI1V (recording), N1DPD (Treasurer), W1SMS (Vice President), W1IP, W1PPL, KC1PWH, K1WYQ, KC1JGY, KB1HVC, KC1TMT, WB1K, Peter (not yet licensed)
Present virtually (2): KC1FB, K1RF
Informal chat started at 7pm. General discussion. Personal introductions. Discussions about club support for people needing to put up antennas.
Formal meeting called to order at 8pm.
Minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
Treasury: Good financial shape. Current income matches current and expected outflows except that there is only very limited funds for a holiday party.
Website: Nothing to report.
Repeaters – dealing with various administrative issues. No real physical progress although the new repeater is being tested at W1SMS’s location and has been running successfully for a few months.
AA1XV is taking steps to make sure we are properly represented in the CSMA.
A suggestion was made to change the callsign on the backup 2 meter repeater to that of a recently deceased club member. However, those present felt it would be confusing to users and would reduce our repeater flexibility during times of emergency. An informal vote was taken and those present voted down the suggestion.
Once the new repeater is installed at the hospital (the backup 2 meter repeater) we will then address the primary 2 meter repeater.
Field Day – no progress on finding a suitable FD site other than going back to Veteran’s Park, which some members do not want to do. AA1XV prefers that we should have our own FD and not combine with other clubs as we’ve done in the past few years.
New business:
We have a number of saleable radios that we have received as donations. They will be catalogued and then an email will be sent out to all club members listing what we have available for sale.
W1IP reported that the Ham Alert app makes it possible to find out if any particular ham is currently operating based on data gathered by spotting networks. Not perfect if the ham is not spotted, but people operating POTA, SOTA, IOTA, etc. are generally spotted.
Next meeting:
Next meeting is expected to be May 14 at the Westport Public Library. Informal gathering at 7pm, formal meeting to start at 8pm. KC1TMT will be doing a presentation on weather satellites including how to find them on the air and how to decode their data streams. We expect it will be a hybrid in-person and on-line meeting.
Meeting adjourned at 8:55pm.
