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A relatively quiet but enjoyable meeting mostly discussing antennas in many forms.

A good topic for the next online meeting two Fridays from now would be APRS which as I learned recently is a much broader field than I first thought so while I could do an introduction it would help if someone either takes over halfway or continues at a later meeting? Volunteers?

And talking of volunteers, do we have a volunteer for ‘communications’ – filing club info and meeting notices with Radcom, Radio User, Practical Wireless, etc?

Usual plan and maybe discuss an alternative night online meeting.

All sorts of stuff was discussed but mainly revolved around positioning modes such as APRS and Gregor gave an impromptu presentation on meteo balloon tracking, including dissecting a recovered tracker. We’ll almost certainly revisit this subject.

Next meeting is the Pear Tree pub meet on Wednesday 26th but as it seems that since a bit more normality has returned some people have other events on Fridays so we’re thinking of having an extra online meeting on a midweek night for a couple of months and seeing how it goes. Discussion over in the Google Group at https://groups.google.com/g/hars-friends

Our first meeting of the new year will be this Friday, online using Jitsi and as usual a link will be posted nearer the time.

If you have any ideas for topics that either you’d be prepared to talk about for as little as ten minutes or you think someone else has done and you’d like to hear them speak about.

The Albion is on Kensington Road two blocks towards Olympia from the church hall where we used to meet. We’re probably upstairs at the back and if you don’t fancy the spiral staircase at the front there are conventional stairs at the far right. It’s totally informal and they serve food all day until at least 9pm so arrive and leave when you can.

A fluke of the way the dates fall this month means it’s also the regular online meeting on Friday 10th at 8pm. I’ll send a link nearer the time. After that the next event won’t be until the next regular meeting on 14th January. All club dates for at least two months ahead are in the Events calendar on the website.

Godfrey brought an unusual square aerial and David tested it with his NanoVNA but was unable to find its operating frequency. There was a suggestion that it should have had a variable capacitor between the loop ends which a previous owner may have removed for another purpose.

Don’t forget that the Treasurer needs to confirm numbers for The Albion next week by this Tuesday so please let him know ASAP if you haven’t already.

Don’t forget this month’s pub meeting is this Wednesday at The Pear Tree pub in Barons Court, and hopefully we’ll be hearing how a couple of newly licensed members are getting on.

I’ll be happy to give a demonstration of our Google Groups if anyone’s struggling or confused (easily done).

And be careful not to drink too much because we need a media person to deal with magazines like Radcom, Radio User and maybe the likes of Facetwit and even this website, and you wouldn’t want to be wake up on Thursday and find you’d been talked into that, would you?

The Christmas Social has been confirmed for Tuesday 7th December so please confirm your attendance so I can give the pub numbers by next week. It’s a very informal affair – turn up, eat, drink, socialise.

The fourth AGM of the Hammersmith Amateur Radio Society and the second to be held online AGM was well attended and much ground was covered. Godfrey, the Secretary, will be circulating minutes shortly. The Secretary, Treasurer and Training manager were re-elected unopposed but no candidates came forward for the post of Chairman to replace Selim who retires four years after founding the society. There will be a General Meeting of members early in the new year (January of February) to ratify changes to the Constitution to reflect the new style of operation and possibly to elect a Chairman or Acting Chairman.

The next meeting will be in The Pear Tree, Barons Court on Wednesday 24th November from 19:00. Because of the way the dates in December work it was decided that a pub meeting wouldn’t be possible as it would fall just three days before Christmas but subject to confirmation we’re going to have a social event on or close to Tuesday 7th December upstairs at The Albion on Hammersmith Road, just round the corner from the old church hall and almost opposite Olympia. Check back here and in your mailbox for details.

You should have received an email from the Secretary a couple of weeks ago giving formal notice of the AGM and the Agenda and Accounts should reach you by Thursday but if not then give Godfrey a call or an email.

An important point we’ll be discussing is redistribution of excess funds accumulated during Covid and marginally less important, the possibility of a Christmas social at somewhere like The Albion.