National Capital Chapter 70 - Ottawa, Canada

QCWA CHAPTER 70

Minutes of Annual General Meeting Nov. 13th, 2001
Green Valley Restaurant

• With 50 in attendance, President Gerry King VE3GK welcomed all and introduced the head table, which included two special guests. From Calgary Ken Oelke VE6AFO president of RAC, and from Winnipeg Rick Lord VE4OV RAC Director-Midwest Region.

  ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Chapter 70 year 2002 fees are now due. The form that was included with the annual all member mailing is to be filled out and, along with the $8.00 dues, sent or given to the treasurer Keith Bedal. If you have acquired or changed your e-mail address please note that on your renewal form. The RAC web page has an item where you can enter your callsign@rac.ca. In using this alias you are not giving up your regular e-mail address. The RAC server just forwards the message with the call sign address to your regular e-mail address. The advantage is you have to only advise the robot if your e-mail changes.
• Chapter 70 members who are not members of QCWA International are encouraged to join. The life membership of $60 American is a really good deal. Without the International organization Chapter 70 would not exist. We are the best recruiters for our chapter. Inform your Amateur friends about Chapter 70. Bring them along to a meeting. Remember guests are welcomed at any time.
• Century Certificates are available to anyone who qualifies if your age plus the number of years in QCWA International is equal to 100 or more years. If you qualify contact Doug Leach VE3XK.
• Chapter 70, in response to their appeal for support, has made a donation of $100 to the CNIB amateur radio program.
• Keith Bedal VE3GFI circulated a picture as well as an album of pictures of the group that went on the QCWA Cruise. There were 170 radio amateurs that attended the cruise convention. There were two days with forums and one day with a cocktail party. The QCWW group held their annual meeting during one of the forum periods. Nearly everyone went on the Puerto Rico observatory tour, which for Keith, was worth the price of the tour. Keith has a number of slides and a video he could show. Keith and Croft Taylor VE3CT were the only attendees from Chapter 70. The 2002 QCWA Convention will be held in Orlando Florida. Every dinner meeting Keith sat with Ed Yoder W3YMB and his wife. Ed is running for Director in the next elections and would appreciate any votes.
• Chapter 70 members in ill health are Bob Knapp VE3CDG, who has had surgery and convalescing at home. John Morgan VE3JE is better. Herb Morrison VE3HMF is not well and Doug VE3XK reported that Herb had undergone back surgery about a year ago and it left him paralyzed and in severe pain. He is now in a wheelchair and has moved out of his apartment. He lost his wife just a few months ago and is now alone. He can, with an HT, continue to work the DX he so enjoyed, via the IRLP stations now in operation in Ottawa. He is near Bayshore and would appreciate visitors, especially if they can give him an IRLP demonstration. John Athey VE3GS, Charles Jackson VE3FRN and George Collins VE3FJO are also in ill health. Stan Hill VE3DQ is on the mend.
• Ron Archer VA3RA is a silent key. Chapter 70 has made a donation to charity in his memory.

  Business of the Annual General Meeting:

• Keith VE3GFI presented the Treasurer's Report.

                      Bank Balance on Jan 19, 2001                     $1459.96
                      Receipts                                           460.07
                      Expenditures                                       398.26
                      Bank Balance on Nov 13, 2001                     $1521.77
  

  Keith moved, seconded by Bill Barrie VE3AAS acceptance of the treasurer's report.

• Jim Dean VE3IQ, chairman of the nomination committee, opened the election process. Three positions are open. Vice President Bob Zieman VE3ATN and Director Ken Scrivens VE3LJ are retiring. The term for director Doug Leach VE3XK also ends. Jim presented as nominees; for Vice President Gus Holtz VE3VK, for director Doug Leach VE3XK, who is willing to run again, and for the director Ted Turner VE3LV. The secretary Clare VE3NPC advised that he had received no other nominations. Jim moved that his nominations report be accepted. Seconded by Doreen Morgan VE3CGO. Vote carried.
• Jim Dean VE3IQ moved, seconded by Bob Zieman VE3ATN, that the minutes of the September 18th, 2001 dinner meeting be accepted. Carried.
• George Roach VE3BNO, QCWA International Director, reported that on the one day meeting that was held in Miami, it was firmly decided that there would be no associate member category. Guests continue to be welcome. The new treasurer being considered is a man who makes his living managing other peoples money. This is important as QCWA has considerable funds invested.

  Guest Speaker

• George Roach VE3BNO introduced the guest speaker Ken Oelke VE6AFO, President of the Radio Amateurs of Canada. Ken, as a member of the Calgary Amateur Radio Association, held most if not all of the executive positions and several of the committee positions. In 1988 he became involved in and held numerous positions in the CRRL and the Radio Amateurs of Canada. He is interested in VHF, UHF, weak signal, contesting, antenna design, satellites, and public service with ARRIS. Besides amateur radio he has been on the Stampede Parade Committee.
• Ken made a number of points in his talk. He told us he managed to work 100 countries in one year to earn the ARRL 50th Anniversary DXCC Award. He also earned the DXCC Millennium Award by working 100 countries in the year 2000. He had a 70cm EME array up until he moved three years ago. He really enjoyed moon bouncing. He is a life member of QCWA and was happy to be with us. When he was 14 years old a school chum introduced Ken to his father who was a ham and spurred him on to amateur radio.
• As president of RAC he noted that the HQ was in Ottawa. HQ is run not only with one staff member, but also with a great number of volunteers. Wednesday is volunteer day at RAC HQ. General Manager, Debbie Norman, is the glue that keeps the volunteers together. RAC could not function without volunteers. RAC went through recent tough times financially. As president, Ken said it is great to see the red ink wiped out. There is a lot of work that has not been done because of the red ink. Bill Wilson VE3NR took on the Defence of Amateur Radio Fund. It is money that is under the direction of trustees and at arms length from RAC. We have to get behind this program to send Jim Dean to get to the World Radio Conference 2003 in Caracas, Venezuela.
• Only 13% of Canadian amateurs are members of RAC. This works out at from 6000 to 6200 members, however 580 are life members so we only have 5000 or so dues paying members each year. That is not good out of about 48,000. If each member got another amateur to join it would double our membership. We rely on membership for finances. The RAC second convention is to be held on the fourth weekend of July 2002 at Vernon BC.
• Ken was here to attend the Industry Canada Radio Advisory Board meeting with Industry Canada. The relationship with Industry Canada is as good as it can be and there are things we have made tremendous progress in. RAC is lobbying to get a piece of the spectrum at 135 kHz but we have to lobby with our South American friends in IARU Region II. By law if you change your address you must notify Industry Canada within 30 days and there is a fine of $250. The erection of towers continues to be a problem. Get along with your neighbours, play by the rules and try to work things out. Tim Ellam VE6SH is willing to take on any matters that have got out of hand. 7 MHz is a very important part of amateur radio. Only Region II enjoys 300 kHz of exclusive use. The upper 200 kHz is used by broadcasters in the other regions. Regions 1, II, and III are now all in a united front going to the World Radio Conference. That is why it is so important to be there. Jim Dean can watch what is going on and cultivate contacts. Losing amateur spectrum is a real threat and we are not using a lot of it. We are the future of amateur radio. We believe in our avocation. In Canada, out of 30 million we have only 3.7 million youth between 9 and 17 years old. Ken likes the idea of introducing the kids to the sciences and if they are interested they will seek out amateur radio. Radio amateurs represent 0.16% of the population. 3.7 million is 12% of the population. Don't put all your faith in the youth being the salvation of amateur radio. Ken says it is not going to happen. The future of amateur radio depends on all of us. There is one challenge that is very easy. Please try kids day on the air that is in Jan. and June. Invite a couple of 11 to 13 year old kids over. Ask them if they would like to talk on the radio. You will be experiencing what you felt yourself. Some say that the IRLP is not amateur radio. But these are the things that attract people who are interested in sciences. David Cameron VE7LTD, who is about 28 years old, has come up with a way to interface the internet with repeater systems. It is another facet of amateur radio. Ken said to embrace the technology, to accept change. What would happen without a national organization? No person has a moral right to withhold his or her support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his or her sphere. Ken paraphrased Theodore Roosevelt; "You do not buy a newspaper - you buy news, you don't buy insurance - you buy security, you don't buy glasses - you buy vision, you don't buy awnings - you buy shade. You do not buy membership in an organization - you buy cooperation of people in your avocation with whom you can join hands to do things that can not be done alone." It's the cooperation of people that make things happen. The future of amateur radio lies in all of us.
• Bob VE3ATN on behalf of the members of QCWA Chapter 70 thanked Ken for enlightening the group on a number of things that we probably were not aware of.
• Bob VE3ATN moved, seconded by Doreen VE3CGO that the meeting be adjourned.

Gerry King  (VE3GK)                                                                 Clare Fowler (VE3NPC)
President  225-3426           WebPage - http://www.qcwa70.cyberus.ca                Secretary. 730-1081
1152 Tara Drive                                                                     16 Fairbairn St.
Ottawa, Ont., K2C 2H2         VE3QCW on Thursday. 2000 hrs 147.03 (VE3TEL)          Ottawa, Ont., K1S 1T3

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Last modified: January 13, 2010