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Meeting Minutes

October 24, 2011
Kansas City DX Club Meeting Minutes
Prudential Building Overland Park, KS

The meeting was called to order by Tom Laux, N0AG at 6:30pm.
Tom stated that the program for the evening would consist of presentations by Dave Fischer, W7FB on Transmission Lines and Bill Henderson, K0VBU series on contesting
Introductions were conducted as usual.
Scores have turned in for the W0AR contest  from about 10 participants.
The contest committee is still working on sponsors for plaques.
AB0X and K0VBU each stated that a room for Dayton Hamfest, 2012  is available.
Jim Cessna, AC0KN, looked into possibilities of a KCDX Club store.  He has come to the conclusion that there is probably not enough business to justify a store.  Just a page on the website would be best.
The contest committee W7FB has come up with a plan for N0SS contest.  Zero call area will be the playground.  Your scores from all other contests will be the mechanism.  Tom, N0AG, will put plan in writing and get to contest committee for starting at the first of January.
Per the last month program discussion Rob, K0RU, the program coordinator wants to have a three month lead time on programs.  Members need to help him to have success in this.
Tom, N0AG, talked about online QSL processes to save trouble and money.  More security.  Those who have used this process agreed that they are the way to go if available.
Officer Nominations
Rob, K0RU nominated all current officers to stay in place except Secretary.  He nominated Charlie Hett for that position.  All those nominated accepted (after a fashion).  Mike, K0MDS, moved to close nominations.  Don, WD0BWM, seconded.  Tom appointed an election committee consisting of Don WD0BWM, Chairman, Jim, AC0KN, and Dragan, K0AP.  Send nomination emails to Don.
So, the nominees are:
President Tom Laux, N0AG
Vice President Rob Underwood, K0RU
Secretary Charlie Hett, K0THN
Treasurer Jeff Blaine, AC0C
Don, WD0BWM, has made bigger DX entity sheet showing blocks of call prefixes and passed them out to the members.  Thanks Don.
Bill Henderson, K0VBU, presented his Amateur Radio Contesting Program
Part 1, The Basics
Described very basic information such as why contest, what is a contact, scoring, sponsors, (good place to start is a small foreign contest with few US participants), awards, major contests, categories – operator – power, logging methods, basic vocabulary (3830 website for discussing scores)

Rob, K0RU, mentioned his Code practice on 146.49 2meters, at 7pm Thursday nights.
Dave Fischer, W7FB, presented  Power Transfer in Transmission lines
Questions at the end.
Contesting perhaps the best place to go to advance your ham radio skills
750 things you can do in this hobby.
Walt Maxwell W2DU antenna expert at RCA  Wrote a series called Reflections.  “Too low an SWR can kill you”.  Dave says that SWR most probably fools you.
Discuss power at the antenna terminals.  1:1 SWR is not a guarantee that anything is radiating. 
Almost anything I say is true.
Antenna System discussed antenna fundamentals  Every antenna can made up with an impedance – a coil, capacitor, resistor in series. 
Antenna Pruning  discussed wavelength vs. frequency concept. Write down L of antenna.  LFo=S
Feedline described reflection coefficient
Worksheets
Terminated Folded Dipole
Does the terminator create losses –
Horizontal loop 72ft at 40 foot square works well  also, cut in half 
Now into the shack
Factor F=10 pwr (-L/10)
R shack = t=Fr
The Conjugate Match x=(Fr)^2
Equations
Reflection coefficient tells you everything.
Tom, N0AG, closed the meeting at approximately 9:15PM.

Charlie Hett, K0THN, acting Secretary