The CRES Amateur Radio Club held its first quarter general meeting for the 2005 calendar year at the Donatos Pizzeria, Morse Road and SR62, on Wednesday 09 March 2005. Those in attendance were: President Tricia Kovacs/KC8HIH, Vice President David Jeffords/K8ON, Secretary-Treasurer Rob Stampfli/KD8WK, Trustee Mike Rauh/NV7X, VE Liaison Art Grandle/KD8ZG, Contest Coordinator Carl Yaffey/K8NU, members W8AGS, K8RSP, WD8EBS, WA8HPW, KC8ALQ, WA8LBZ, W3CRZ, K8TX, N9CX, KC8VKS, N4DB, K8KJ, WB8ABE, KD8BJ, guest Ken Coleman/ KC0L, and guest speakers Jeff Gould/N8HFP and Brent Sheffer/ KC8UMV. Tricia called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Art Grandle/KD8ZG reported on the status of the repeater: Mt. Carmel has generously allowed us to keep the machine on their new premises, but it has been having problems, as most people know by now. Recently the voter was replaced, and while working much better (the old one was broken), the new voter is exhibiting an odd problem of occasional dropouts when there are several seconds of unvarying audio. The old phone/autopatch line to the controller has been disconnected, but we believe we have a new line ready to replace it when we can next get access to the building to make the connection. Unfortunately, the repeater is located in a part of the building that is slated to become a high security area, and this may make access more difficult, but Mt. Carmel believes we should be able to gain access as needed during normal work hours. The audio, which had previously been set too high, has been readjusted and there was general agreement that this was an improvement. Bill Erwin/N9CX asked if there was any formal relationship between the club and Mt. Carmel. Answer: They are providing us space and utilities, but nothing formal has been consummated. At this point it is an informal agreement between two friendly parties. Tricia handed out CQ-WE Certificates to those who were present and who participated in the contest. The certificates were quite impressive and met with general approval. Carl, our Contest Coordinator and CQ-WE's National Coordinator, indicated there would be several rule changes coming out for this year's contest, including the introduction of some new digital modes. Field Day will be June 25-26 this year. Tricia asked for volunteers for a Field Day committee, and Bob Cartwright/ W3CRZ and Mike Rauh offered their services. David Jeffords said he had been in contact with the Motts Military Museum for an April club field trip. The date will be announced soon, and will likely be either the weekend of the 9th or the 23rd. David is also working on an activity for May (besides the Hamvention). Art indicated April 16 has been selected for the next CRES-sponsored VE Exam session. The exams will be held at the Parkview Presbyterian Church on Livingston Avenue and will start at 9 AM. Those VEs wishing to meet for breakfast beforehand can meet at the Cracker Barrel at 7:30 AM. At this point Rob gave an abbreviated Treasurer's Report. A revised report (including income and expenses from tonight) for these minutes follows: Saving/Checking: $4538.33; Cash Account: $131.97; CDs: $2235.63. The club currently has 29 paid-up members. Members who have not paid 2005 dues by April 1 will be removed from the roles. Art said he had volunteered the club to give a talk on ham radio (with perhaps more involvement, depending on interest) to a local Weblo Scouting group and asked for volunteers. The following people agreed to help out: K8RSP (Satellites), WD8EBS (Mobile, PSK), WA8HPW (General), K8NU (DX, CW), KC8VKS (Setup, Background tasks), K8KJ (Field Day, VE Exams), WB8ABE (QRP), K8ON (General). Brad Spencer/KC8VKS said that the Fairfield Amateur Radio Association, which runs the largest interconnected repeater system (17 transmitters and numerous receiver sites) in the country, will likely close down or break back into smaller systems. They require $1200/mo to maintain the system, and were getting that for a while, but donations have fallen off. Originally open to everyone, they had to close their system to members to limit it to a manageable use. Dave Woolf/K8RSP mentioned that a former club president, Bob Ball/WB8WGA, had had an paper he wrote published as the featured article in the latest QEX. Bob's article dealt with the design of a modemless TNC. The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM. After the adjournment, Jeff Gould/N8HFP and Brent Sheffer/KC8UMV gave an engaging talk to the club on the Central Ohio Amateur Radio Emergency Service, including how COARES fits into the ARRL hierarchy and how it works with the emergency agencies of Central Ohio. They described what the organization strives for in terms of amateur member discipline and participation, their COARES repeater systems, and related some interesting stories from the field. The COARES web site is located at . Respectfully submitted, Rob Stampfli/KD8WK CRES-ARC Secretary/Treasurer