Category: Monthly Minutes Page 1 of 2

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted by: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order @: 1752 hrs.
• Pledge of Allegiance Led by: Andrew “Drew” Byrne
• Members Present: (8)
  • Jay Smock – President  N9VN
  • Lloyd Baker – Vice President KC9DRB
  • Geoff Willaims – Secretary KD9VCY
  • Aidan Carnes – POTA Czar  W9ADN
  • Ab Jones  KC4PTU
  • Ed Sobkowiak – AC9OO
  • Drew Byrne – KQ4MQX
  • Calvin Esau – KD9YRV
• Guests Present: (4)
  • Garry Wheatley – Pres: Paducah Amateur Radio Assoc., Paducah ARES  KD4GCY
  • Shelley Byrne
  • Paul Byrne
  • Jamie Simmons KC9UXE
• Minutes of the Last Meeting:
  • The minutes of the January 17, 2024 meeting were presented and read by Geoff Williams.
  • A motion was made to accept the minutes as read. The motion was seconded, voted on, and passed.
• Treasurer’s Report:
  • As Treasurer Ronnie Stone was absent President Jay Smock made an educated estimate of the funds the club has available.
  • The January amount of total funds available was $597.00. Ronnie reported to Jay that he had received $80.00 from members for dues payments.
  • Jay has collected $100.00 since the last meeting for dues and donations.
  • Total fund available are approximately $777.00
• President Jay Reported:
  • That the club’s ARRL insurance is coming due in June.
  • That Jake Irving has donated an Icom 7200 HF radio to the club.
  • We need to purchase a window cable pass-through with 6 UHF connectors and a ground connection for the club office radio station. The price through DX Engineering will be $110.00 all included.
• President Jay’s Report continued…
  • Ab Jones donated the $110.00 to the club for the pass-through.
  • Aidan reminded us that we also need a 2m-70cm antenna.
• Donations:
  • Ab Jones made a donation of $110.00 to go towards the purchase of a window cable pass-through.
• Fundraisers were Discussed:
  • Aidan Carnes donated a 6-pack of MFJ brand ceramic insulators and a Quansheng Outdoors Series 2m-70cm HT to be raffled off as a fund raiser for the club. The price will be $5.00 p/ticket.
  • The members present agreed to host a spaghetti dinner as a fund raiser, the date of which will be determined in the future. The drawback currently is that the kitchen in the church is under renovation with no date for completion known at this time.
• Ohio NVIS Antenna Day:
  • Geoff Williams informed members of the upcoming Ohio Near Vertical Incident Skywave (NVIS) Day on Saturday, April 27, 2024.
  • The time for the test runs between 0900 & 1500 hrs CDT.
  • Description from the Ohio ARES NVIS Day Website: “The purpose of NVIS Day is to construct and try various antenna ideas, all working as NVIS antennas. These antennas are low to the ground and provide coverage generally within a 400 mile radius – extremely important for regional HF communications in an emergency.”
  • The Paducah Amateur Radio Association (PARA) participated last year by agreement with the Ohio ARES group to test HF radio reception between Ohio and Paducah while utilizing NVIS antennas to communicate and pass messages back and forth on 80 and 40 meters. That test was a success.
  • Our group would participate by setting up via remote radio post utilizing the Massac County Office of Emergency Management mobile emergency communications trailer and pertinent equipment.
    • M.C. Director of Emergency Management, Brian Horn, is on-board with this exercise and will participate and consented to our use of the county trailer and radio equipment.
  • Partial goals:
    • Would be for us to get either the State of Illinois Office of Emergency Management or an ARES group near Springfield, IL involved by setting up and attempting to communicate with us via NVIS.

• Ohio NVIS Antenna Day continued…To receive messages from Ohio ARES, and Paducah ARES, and passing them along to the Illinois Office of Emergency Management, and vice-a-versa.
  • A motion was made for the club to participate in the Ohio NVIS day, it was seconded, and voted upon, the motion passing.

• Echo Link Node:
  • Aidan reported that an EchoLink node is being installed on the Massac County Sheriff’s Office communications tower. The node will be hosted in the club office.
• Jay and Aidan – Discussed the need for an HF antenna for the club station. The recommended antenna is a Titan by Gap Antenna, Inc. 
• Aidan  reported via Chuck Bonefield – That the State of Illinois will be conducting a 2 meter communication test using HTs and repeaters to communicate between Chuck’s home and Chicago. The date and time are unknown at this writing.
• Lloyd reported – He will be conducting a Boy Scouts of America Radio Merit
  Badge class.
  • Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis
  • Date: March 23^rd.
  • Times: 1000 – 1600 hrs.
  • Aidan reported that he will be making CW keys as gifts for the scouts to take home with them at the end of the class.
  • Lloyd is asking forsomeone with a RF direction finding antenna to assist by giving a presentation.
  • Lloyd is also asking for members to bring radios and related items for Show & Tell.
  • Lloyd would like to present another Radio Merit Badge Class prior to the Encampment at Ft. Massac in October in hope that badge recipients would come out and participate in our Jamboree on the Air event by actually transmitting on the radio.
• Geoff Williams –  Mentioned that we need to get with Calvin Stearns of the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) group to set a date for Incident Command System (ICS) training for ICS-100 & 200.
• Aidan – has orderedclub radio station QSO cards. The design is in progress. Aidan is paying for the design and cards. He is donating both to the club.
• Meeeting Adjourned @: 1907 hrs.

Minutes submitted by: Geoff Williams – Secretary

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted by: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order @: 1744 hrs
• Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Andrew “Drew” Byrne
• Members Present: (10)
  • Jay Smock – President  N9VN
  • Lloyd Baker – Vice President  KC9DRB
  • Geoff Williams – Secretary  KD9VCY
  • Ronnie Stone – Treasurer  K4INS
  • Eddy Sobkowiak, Sr. – AC900
  • Aidan Carnes – POTA Czar  W9ADN
  • Brian Horn – KD9OIH
  • Drew Byrne – KQ4MQX
  • Lori Klingensmith – N6BWZ
  • Calvin Esau – KD9YRV
• Guests Present: (4)
  • Steve Parmly – W4WWS
  • Shelley Byrne
  • Lisa Derry
  • Diana Stone
• Minutes of the Last Meeting:
  • The minutes of the November 15, 2023 meeting were submitted and read by Geoff Williams – Club Secretary.
  • A motion was made to accept the minutes as read. The motion was seconded. A vote was made and passed.
• Radio Merit Badge:
  •  Lloyd Baker reported that he has put together a class for area Scouts whereby they can earn the Boy Scouts of America Radio Merit Badge.
    • Location: Trinity Church, 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois.
    • Date: March 23^rd, 2024.
    • Times: 1000 hrs to 1600 hrs.
    • Paticipants are asked to bring their own lunch, pen/pencil, and notebook/pad.
• Treasurer’s Report:
  • The Treasurer’s report was given by Ronnie Stone – Treasurer via the mass E-mail account on 01-19-2024.
    • The club currently has a balance of $312.00 in the Bantara Bank checking account.
• Treasurer’s Report continued…On-hand cash is $205.00, held by Jay Smock.A total of $80.00 was collected by the treasurer in the form of dues payments; to be deposited into the checking account.Total funds available are $597.00.
• Library Report:
  • Aidan Carnes reported that the Technician’s License test book is out on-loan to a Johnson County Sheriff’s Office deputy. He may possibly be ready for testing by the next stated meeting.
• Donations:
  • Aidan Carnes donated a 2m HT and an electric griddle to the club.
• Winter Field Day – January 27, 2024
  • A short discussion was had regarding whether or not the membership would still like to participate in the forthcoming ARRL Winter Field Day. The general consensus was that after the recent round of exceptionally cold and snowy weather the membership would rather travel to Collinsville, IL to take in The St. Louis & Suburban Radio Club Winterfest at the (indoor) Gateway Center.
    • Location: Gateway Center, 1 Gateway Drive, Collinsville, IL  62234
    • Date: Saturday, January 27, 2024
    • Times: 0800 -1300 hrs.
    • Admission: Advanced sales $12.00 p/person 13 yrs and older – Under 12 are FREE with paid adult if purchased in advance. Scouts (under 18yoa) in uniform are FREE when accompanied by a paying adult. Cost at the door is $14.00.
    • There will be raffles and door prizes.
    • See Website:  winterfest@slsrc.org
• WinLink Class: Presented by Jay Smock and Steve Parmley
  • Several members brought their laptops and were successful in loading the software and sending test messages.
  • Aidan and Drew were able to participate in the Wednesday night WinLink. Net control was conducted by Steve Parmley.
  • Several members hung around after the meeting to continue working with WinLink.
• The Meeting was adjourned @: 1945 hrs.

Minutes submitted by: Geoff Williams – Secretary

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted By: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order @: 1734 hrs.
• Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Ronnie Stone – Treasurer
• Members Present: (7)
  • James “Jay” Smock – President  N9VN
  • Lloyd Baker – Vice President  KC9DRB
  • Geoff Williams – Secretary  KD9VCY
  • Ronnie Stone – Treasurer  K4INS
  • Aidan Carnes – POTA Czar  W9ADN
  • Andrew Byrne  KQ4MQX
  • Ab Jones  KC4PTU
• Guests Present: (4)
  • Bruce Lunde  KF4KKZ
  • Shelley Byrne
  • Paul Byrne
  • Rachel Deaton  W9RAE
• Meeting of the Last Meeting:
  • The minutes of the October 18, 2023 meeting were submitted and read by Geoff Williams – Secretary.
  • A motion was made to accept the minutes as read.  The motion was seconded. A vote was made and passed.

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted by: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order at: 1745 hrs.
• Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Ronnie Stone – Treasurer
• Members Present: ( 7 )
  • James “Jay” Smock – President  N9VN
  • Lloyd Baker – Vice President  KC9DRB
  • Geoff Williams – Secretary  KD9VCY
  • Ronnie Stone – Treasurer  K4INS
  • Aidan Carnes – W9ADN
  • Calvin Esau – KD9YRV
  • Brian Horn – KD9OIH
• Guests Present: ( 6 )
  • Matthew Kokecky –
  • Paul Byrne –
  • Shelly Byrne –
  • Andrew Byrne –
  • Diana Stone –
  • Preston Ursini – KQ4BBA
  •  
• Minutes of the Last Meeting:
  • The minutes of the September 20, 2023 meeting were submitted and read by Geoff Williams – Secretary.
  • A motion was made by Lloyd Baker to accept the minutes as read, the motion was seconded by Aidan Carnes, a vote was made and passed.
• Treasurer’s Report:
  • The treasurer’s report was given by Ronnie Stone.
    • The club currently has a balance of $312.00 in the checking account at Bantara Bank.
    • There was a debit of $7.00 to reimburse Pres. Jay Smock for testing fees, which he pays for via personal credit card.
    • There is a sum of $200.00 cash on hand.
    • Total funds available are $512.00
• 501C3 Status:
  • The IRS has granted the club’s request to become a 501C3 charitable organization.

• For Benefit of our Guests:
  •  The Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) was described and discussed as some guests are desirous of obtaining their FCC amateur radio license. Web-site information was given.      
  • Also discussed was the clubs activities, including our working special events as communication operators and our working toward being able to work in emergency operations centers and as relayers of messages during disasters.
• Encampment 2023:
  • Some members of the club will be activating as Jamboree On The Air for the benefit of the numerous Boy Scouts who will be attending the Encampment.
  • Activation location will be at river side near the fort.
  • Members participation need to use the Belgrade Rd entrance to Ft. Massac State Park (Off US 45 east of I-24)
• Winter Field Day 2024:
  • The dates are January 27 & 28.
  • More discussion to be had at the November meeting.
• The Holiday Dinner Meeting:
  • The date of the dinner is December 1, 2023.
  • Location is the Giant City Lodge at Giant City State Park in Makanda, Illinois.
  • The time is 6PM
  • Reservations: Contact Pres. Jay Smock if you wish to attend and have not already made reservations with him.
  • There will be a Dirty Santa gift exchange for those wishing to participate. The gift price limit is $20.
• Paducah Amateur Radio Association Fox Hunt:
  • Aidan Carnes informed the group that PARA will be hosting a couple of Fox Hunts at Noble Park in November.
• Pres. Jay Smock made a motion to bestow a SIERA Family Membership upon Preston Ursini, his wife Audra, and their son as a token of the clubs appreciation for the free internet service he is providing to the club and church via his company Quad State Internet.
  • The motion was seconded and a vote was made and passed.
• Donation:
  • Preston Ursini made a donation of $20.00 to the club to go toward the purchase of amateur radio license study books for the club library.

• Vote to Accept New Members: The following individuals have filed applications for membership to the Southernmost Illinois Emergency Radio Association. The following actions were taken:
  • Michael Hicks – Motion made to accept, seconded, vote made and passed.
  • Jeff Estes – Motion made to accept, seconded, vote made and passed.
  • Preston Ursini – Motion made to accept, seconded, vote made and passed.
  • Andrew Byrne – Motion made to accept, seconded, vote made and passed.
• Brian Horn – Dir. of Massac County Emergency Management informed the group that he will have Massac County Office of Emergency Management ID badges made for SIERA members to wear during emergency deployments and work at the OEM within the Massac County Court House.
  • Brian will need photos and FCC call-signs of the members.
• The Meeting was Adjourned at: 1918 hrs.

Minutes submitted by Geoff Williams – Secretary

August 16, 2023 Monthly Minutes

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted by: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order at: 1756 hrs.
• The Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Jay Smock
• Members Present: (8)
  • Jay Smock N9VN – President
  • Ronnie Stone K4INS – Vice President
  • Geoff Williams KD9VCY – Secretary
  • Lloyd Baker KC9DRB – Club Volunteer Exam Coordinator
  • Aidan Carnes W9ADN
  • Eddy “Illinois Edd” Sobkowiak AC9OO
  • Calvin Esau KC9YRV
  • Lori Klingensmith N6BWZ
• Guests: (1)
  • Orlando Martin of Metropolis, Illinois
• Minutes of the Last Meeting:
  • July 19, 2023 were read. A motion was made to accept them as presented, the motion was seconded, vote passed.
• Treasurer’s Report:
  • Given by Jay Smock
    • Banterra Bank checking account – Previous Balance = $100.00
    • Payments – To Jay Smock re: Reimbursement for his out-of-pocket payment of testing fees $16.00.
    • Checking Account balance: $84.00
    • Funds on hand (In possession of Jay Smock) = $180.00
    • Total Funds available: $184.00
  • On-hand Funds:
    • Jay will attempt to deposit the $184.00 he is in possession of into the club checking account this week, or next.
• Nominations of Officers for the 2024 Fiscal Year:
  • Elections to be held during the Septemer 20, 2023 meeting.
    • For President: Jay Smock (Unopposed)
    • For Vice President: Lloyd Baker (Unopposed)
    • For Secretary: Geoff Williams (Unopposed)
    • For Treasurer; Ronnie Stone (Unopposed)
• FEMA Classes:
• As Incident Command System (ICS) Classes 101, 102, 107 & 108 are required as a minimum of training for authorized deployment to most incident command centers during declared disasters, including the Massac County EMC and the McCracken County EMC, several members of SIERA have voiced their desire to complete this training so as to be prepared in case of an emergency and assistance is requested.
• President Jay is working with the Metropolis Fire Department to come up with a beginning date for this training.
• Training days to be determined. General consensus between the members present is leaning toward Saturday mornings after our usual breakfast. Breakfast times may have to be adjusted.
  • Some MFD personnel may wish to go through the training with us.
• Membership applications:
  • Calvin Esau’s application was read before the membership.
• A motion was made to accept Calvin into the association, seconded, passed unanimously.
  • Calvin had paid his membership fee previously when he filed the application.
• GMRS Repeater Project:
  • Lloyd Baker reported that Preston Ursini of Quad State Internet would like to have a GMRS repeater installed on a tower in Metropolis. This would most likely be on the tower located next to Hardee’s Restaurant on Ferry Street (US45).
  • An acquaintance of Preston’s would like to donate a repeater for this project.
  • Further information to come at a later date.
• Soldering/Electronics Projects Classes:
  • Aidan Carnes is developing a class to teach soldering techniques and electronic kit building.
    • The goals of the classes would be to learn/improve attendee’s soldering skills, learn basic through-board electronics kit assembly, and to have fun.
    • The estimated cost of the kits per person would be approximately $30.00 or less including postage.
    • The kits would all be amateur radio related and are available from Amazon.com and Ebay.
    • Aidan plans on polling members via group text as to equipment each person wishing to attend the classes currently has and possible dates for the classes.
• Meeting adjourned at: 1910 hrs.

• ARRL Testing Session:
  • Calvin Esau tested for his FCC General license.

Meeting Minutes for July 19, 2023

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted by: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order @: 1742 hrs.
• The Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Jay Smock
• Members Present:
  • Jay Smock N9VN – President
  • Ronnie Stone K4INS – Vice President
  • Geoff Williams KD9VCY – Secretary
  • Lori Nichols N6BWZ – Treasurer
  • Abner Jones KC4PTU
  • Chuck Bonifield KB9CB
  • Aidan Carnes W9ADN
  • Lloyd Baker KC9DRV –  Club Volunteer Exam Coordinator
• Guests –
  • Bruce Talley WA9APQ (Carterville, IL) – ARRL Division 11 VEC & Emergency Coordinator
  • Calvin Esau (Metropolis, IL)
• Minutes of the Last Meeting:
  • June 21, 2023 were read. A motion was made to accept them as presented, seconded, and passed.
• Moonlight Bike Ride:
  • Ronnie Stone reminded all that the Paducah Moonlight Bike Ride will be held on Saturday, August 5. They are still looking for communications volunteers to ride along with participants to report emergencies, traffic concerns, etc.  Those wishing to volunteer can contact PARA & Paducay ARES Group President Gary Wheatley KD4GCY via E-maail @ gwheat@comcast.net.
• The ARRL Southern Illinois Section Meeting:
  • Themeeting and ARES training sessionwill be held on Saturday, July 22, 2023 @ 1300 hrs. – 1700 hrs. The location is the terminal building at Veteran’s Airport, Marion, IL.
  • Several of our members are planning on attending.
  • Members will be meeting for breakfast beforehand at Mary Lou’s Grill, Carbondale, IL. Meeting time will be between 1030-1100 hrs.
• Linked Repeater Network for Southernmost Illinois:
  • Bruce Talley and Jay Smock spoke about the possibility of a linked System Fusion repeater system for our area. Repeaters being looked at for this project are those in Metropolis, Goreville, and Anna, Illinois.

• The Encampment Special Event:
  • Discussion was had regarding the desired location of our set-up location.
    • The general consensus was that we should ask for a spot near the first responders in order to quickly facilitate any needs for law enforcement or medical responses.
    • Jay stated he will talk to Chris McGinnis, the superintendent of Ft. Massac State Park regarding this matter.
  • Jay will also discuss the possibility of our club utilizing a golf cart or UTV for patrolling the grounds.
  • It was suggested by Ronnie that members working the event have printed lists and maps of scheduled events to give to attendees who ask. Not having such handouts previous years was an issue.
    • Jay will ask Chris McGinnis about the handouts.
• Club Bank Account:
  • President Jay brought up that there is a need to add officer’s names to our checking account with Bantara Bank, and to add the requirement of two signatures for all checks written.
  • A copy of a meeting’s minutes recording the officer’s names to be added to the account will have to be presented to the bank prior to the additions being made.
  • President Jay suggested we wait to take care of this until after club elections in September. Otherwise we will possibly have to turn around and repeat the process a month and a half from now.
    • A motion was made to wait until after the club elections in September 2023 to handle this business with Bantara Bank.
      • A motion was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
  • Secretary Geoff W. transferred the Bantara Bank folder containing our checking account paperwork, debit card, and PIN number to President Jay.
    • Treasurer Lori N. had given the folder with the above items contained within to Secretary Geoff W. at the club breakfast on July 8^th, 2023.
• Lion’s Club Labor Day Parade:
  • Lloyd Baker stated that the Metropolis Lion’s Club was accepting applications for float entries.
    • Discussion was had and the membership decided not to participate at this time.

• Paducah Echo Link Node:
  • VP Ronnie Stone reported that the Paducah Amateur Radio Association has repaired their Echo Link node and it is currently up and running.
• Illinois QSO Party Contest:
  • Aidan Carnes informed the membership that the Illinois QSO Party contest will be held on October 21^st-22^nd. It is always on the weekend of the third full week in October.
    • Anyone who wishes to participate and make contacts should contact Aidan.
• Mr. Calvin Esau filed an application for membership.
• Meeting Adjourned @ 1832 hrs.

• ARRL Testing Session:
• An ARRL testing session was held after the closing of the regular stated meeting.
  • Two persons tested. One for Technician license and one for General license.

• Meeting Location: 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois
• Meeting Conducted By: James “Jay” Smock – President
• Meeting Called to Order at: 1754 hours
• The Pledge of Allegiance was Led by: Jay Smock
• Members Present:
  • Jay Smock – President
  • Ronnie Stone – Vice President
  • Geoff Williams – Secretary
  • Lori Nichols – Treasurer
  • Eddy Sobkowiak
  • Aidan Carnes
  • Lloyd Baker – Volunteer Examiner Coordinator
  • Ab Jones
• Guests – None
• Minutes of the Last Meeting: April 19, 2023 were read. A motion was made to accept the minutes, a second was made, and a vote was made and passed “As is.”
• Club Logo & Banner Design –
  • Ronnie Stone contacted the folks at Action Sports in Paducah, Ky. To request advice and assistance with the final touches on the club logo. He has had them do work previously, they were pleased to assist.
  • Ronnie passed around a photo copy of the club banner, with the logo affixed, that he is having Action Sports design and make at his expense.
  • The banner will be used at club special events for identification purposes. It will be 8’ x 2’ in size.
  • Debate was had regarding the logo with the only change in the end being a majority of members present believed that the transmitting tower at the top of the silhouette of the lower half of the State of Illinois should be situated atop a small mound.
  • A motion was made to accept the final logo design draft. The motion was seconded. A vote was made and passed.
  • *A copy of the banner w/ logo is filed with these minutes.
• Donation Made:
  •  Member Ab Jones made a $50.00 donation to assist in paying for the banner that Ronnie is having made. A resounding applause was forthcoming from members.
• Club Shirts were Discussed –
  • Ronnie was asked if there was a minimum cost involved if the club was to order T-shirts or Polo shirts. He was also asked if we are able to get our individual call signs imprinted upon the shirts. Ronnie will contact Action Sports to get answers to these questions.
• Field Day 2023 –
  • It was decided that the better location to operate from for the Field Day event will be the Fairground Pavilion across form the Trout Pond in Ft. Massac State Park.
  • Jay Smock reserved the pavilion with the Park Services.
  • The cost of the pavilion is $56.00. Jay paid the fee with his personal credit card, to be re-paid by the club treasury. 
  • On June 20 Jay and Brian Horn – Director of Emergency Management for Massac County (IL) will be interviewed on WMOK radio regarding the clubs participation in Field Day 2023.
• Club Web Site –
  • Club members were requested by Lloyd to text him with any dates of events relevant to the club so he can add them to the club’s calendar on the Web site.
• Special Lifetime Membership –
  • Jay suggested for consideration the Club award Lori Nichols a lifetime membership to SIERA in gratitude for her donating the use of an office and other spaces for Club meetings and activities at the church building she owns located at 605 Metropolis Street, Metropolis, Illinois; also known as Tree of Life Church.
  • A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously voted on to accept.
•  Lori Nichols is now a Lifetime Member of Southernmost Illinois Emergency Radio Association.
• Meeting Adjourned at: 1920 hours

Minutes submitted by: Geoff Williams – Secretary