Our May Meeting was scheduled for 1pm on Sunday 16 May 2021 at the Waitohi Hive Maker Rooms (Johnsonville Public Library).

We welcomed back former RSM manager Ian Hutchings ZL2HUT, who will give a presentation on Mana Coastguard communications upgrades. This was a very interesting presentation. The Mana Coastguard marine band repeater arrangements involve multiple linked repeaters on Kapiti Island and on the mainland. There had been issues with access to the repeater on the coast south of Titahi Bay. The problems were solved, but not without quite of work as the system was not well documented and there proved to be access issues with one of the repeater sites. A new site is being scoped for the South Coast on Cook Strait. This provides for some interesting possibilities for amateur radio use, in addition to solving coverage in Cook Strait, particularly near the shoreline.

The meeting also considered the AREC remit for the NZART Annual Conference, and approved the proposed changes to the NZART Constitution.

The meeting concluded with tea or coffee upstairs in the cafe courtesy of branch funds.