The July 8, 2023 meeting of the Philipsburg Amateur Radio Association was called to order by president Darren Dixon at 12:00 pm in the second-floor meeting room of American Legion Post #437 in Philipsburg PA.
Audio Recording
Attendance
11 members + 2 guests
- Darren Dixon, President
- John Horgas, Vice-President
- Bob Snyder, Secretary
- Stu Bingham
- Regina Monaco & Chip
- C. J. Metsopulos
- Dick Thompson
- Ryan Williams
- Johna McCormick
- Bernie Ropchock
- Aidan Druck (visitor)
Treasurer’s Report
Submitted by Jason Terosky, Treasurer
| Starting Balance | $1200.74 |
| Income | $0.00 |
| Expenses | $0.00 |
| Current Balance | $1200.74 |
Discrepancy Noted and Resolved
The secretary notes that the July starting balance is $981.97 lower than the June ending balance. The treasurer was not in attendance at the June meeting and there was apparently some miscommunication.
EmComm Expenses Incurred by Bob Snyder and Subsequently Reimbursed
| Date | Merchant | Quantity | Description | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03/24/2023 | eBay | 20 | N-female bulkhead connectors | 155.82 |
| 03/30/2023 | TTI | 20 | N-male connectors | 126.88 |
| 03/31/2023 | Digi-Key | 10 | UHF-male connectors | 65.85 |
| 04/04/2023 | DX Engineering | 2 | ICOM IC-2300H 2m transceiver | 403.99 |
| 04/06/2023 | Amazon | 1 | Blue Sea Systems fuse block | 39.22 |
| 04/06/2023 | Amazon | 3 | 25-foot spool of 12 AWG red/black wire | 34.85 |
| 04/07/2023 | Amazon | 4 | CAT6 RJ45 panel mount couplers | 25.42 |
| 05/12/2023 | Kephart Hardware | 2 | Schlage deadbolt locks | 69.94 |
| TOTAL | 921.97 |
Locating RF Noise Sources: Theory and Practice
It was reported that local RF noise appears to be much greater than was observed in the Fall of 2022 before construction of the EmComm Center was begun. The noise is especially troublesome on the 2-meter band.
Stu Bingham gave a talk on how to locate sources of RF noise. You can hear the entire talk on the audio recording of this meeting.
After the meeting, Stu and several members walked through and around the American Legion building with Stu as he used a loop antenna to locate noise sources. Regina also took readings with a handheld device that measures RF field strength.
Both devices indicated the highest noise levels in the vicinity of a cash payout machine located on the first floor of the American Legion. It was also noted that a tobacco smoke filtering device was mounted to the ceiling in the same general area. It was speculated that this machine may cause RF emissions when it ionizes the air. It was also observed that the cash payout machine contains an uninterruptible power supply, and it was speculated that this may be a major source of the observed noise.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Snyder, Secretary
July 29, 2023