Ralph & Eric met with the Phil - the White Rock fire Chief. He showed us the possible location for the club in the Centennial Area building. It isn't as large a space as our prior club facility but has the advantage of better public exposure which could raise the local interest level in Amateur radio. So we now have to propose some antenna options to see if the building manager can accept the impact to the building.
The club executive met and decided to change the day of the regular monthly meeting to the second Sunday of each month at 3PM in the Pelican Rouge Coffee Shop. It is hoped that the new time will allow more members to attend on a regular basis.
We also formally agreed to join the Surrey club for the Field day event at Campbell River Park.
Ralph and Eric met with Phil, the White Rock Fire Chief, and discussed plans for the relocation of the club and any emergency services the club may be able to provide. Phil indicated that he has been working on the problem and has a number of possibilities. When asked if he saw a place for the club as part of the city's emergency plan he was quite positive and would like to work with the club, including helping us to obtain some grants. He also said he would be supportive of our doing our own field day exercise next year on some city property.
Almost all of the club resources have been removed from the old facility and stored with various club members. We still need to find a new location so if you have some ideas please contact Ralph or Eric. The repeater is still up but not doing well. A local amateur, Will - VA7MDI, with electrical training has agreed to check it over and help bring it back to health.
Ralph has finally been able to get a response from the city's new fire chief. He will be meeting us at the club on Wednesday March 22, 2006 at 5pm to review how he can help with the tower and future site issues.
Ralph & Eric were able to raise the antenna of the repeater high enough to clear the roof line of the house. The coverage has improved significantly, please give it a try.