[Dawn Lessoway]

As an elementary teacher I see how sick the kids are this year (and have watched two of my colleagues fall quite ill with long term effects. While I’m doing my best not to get sick myself, I really don’t want to spread it to anyone else either.  I’m so appreciative of people like Nick and George and Bob and so many others who have kept things going and want to support them but am so involved in so many other executive positions myself that I can’t help or attend much at all.  I am only doing things outdoors myself so I have zero commitment to indoor activities.  I also have Monday events already so am double booked but love that I can zoom.  Thanks everyone!

[Susan Servos-Sept]

I really appreciate being a member of SKABC. Because I do not live in Vancouver it is pretty much impossibe to attend a meeting or necessary to pay for a ferry and a hotel room to do so. I have LOVED the zoom meetings. I hope you will be able to continue with them. I actually felt a part of the club with them taking place. Thank you!

[Richard Merchant]

this contribution from the tech son:

Really it doesn’t look particularly broken….  (so the question, is it broken or otherwise damaged, or just removed?….)

one google search brings me the operations manual, which indicates its designed to be removable:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2203/2035/files/MRHH600B_ENG_MANL_REV_01522_NO_SEATOW.pdf?v=1641487130

and the replacement part, direct from the manufacturer:
Antenna, HH600

presumably one could get a local shop to order one in if it can’t be shipped direct.

 

[Kelly Robertson]

I have  a spare Standard Horizon antenna that was replaced under warranty.  The sheath comes off, but I’m sure it can be glued.  If it fits, you are welcome to it.

[Richard Merchant]

I’m only peripherally part of the group, and not particularly smart, but seems to me that shouldn’t be too hard to fix – depending how it’s broken.  It looks vaguely like a coaxial connector – what the rest of the antenna, inside the rather think casing is like, I’m not sure.  Perhaps it can be fixed by re-attaching the connections and then sealing it impenetrably with lots of silicon – I’m imagining the seal is a key part of the issue.  Mind you, such a “fix” will never be as robust as the original construction, so if it is going to suffer abuse then likely that is an issue.  I’m forwarding your question to some contacts…

Otherwise there must be an electronics person in the group!

Richard

[Tyronne L’Hirondelle]

It might be a bit of a long shot by Burnaby radio communications deals with amateur radio equipment (ham radio) and might be able to help, or point you in the right direction:

https://burnabyradio.com/

[Limor Friedman]

Happy New Year

Looking for recommendations from this smart group:
I broke the antenna of my VHF Kobra

* manufacture doesn’t offer repair

* Steveston marin don’t  deal with it either.

Thank you for your suggestions!

 

[Former Member]

I would like to thank the membership for sharing your knowledge and opinions! Your references and opinions were instrumental in me purchasing decent equipment for my Howe Sound trip on June. Five days kayaking on Howe was not enough. Being able to read the forums is entertaining. Thanks again, and Happy Holidays to everyone!

[Nick Heath]

Others have already made valid points that I might be repeating.

Monthly in-person meetings suit some members better than others, but tend to exclude those who live in the suburbs or more distant locations, those who, for environmental reasons, eschew driving unless they really need to, and people whose lives are already busy enough that the extra 2 hrs spent commuting and/or setting up chairs is not an efficient use of their precious time.

Attendance at our in-person meetings was mostly quite sparse, but so are most of our social events.  When we held in-person monthly meetings, social interaction time was limited – people were often rushing to clear up and get away.

The monthly meetings are better (and cheaper) if held via Zoom.

Members complained about Sunrise Hall acoustics and toilets. Previous to that location there were complaints about Vancouver Museum’s Kitsilano location, awkward storage and pay parking.

Finding affordable meeting space with storage has long been a challenge. The current storage is altogether unsatisfactory if we were to resume in-person meetings – library, A/V and possible tea/coffee service equipment would need trucking across town twice in a day – a major effort.

Hybrid meetings will create their own, additional problems (connectivity, A/V setup, awkwardness of socializing between a member at the meeting and a member on a remote connection without broadcasting to all).

A dedicated in-person Spring trip planning session and possibly a Fall/Winter review session with trip reports seems to offer the most opportunity for members to discuss plans and become acquainted.  These events could be held at weekends. Adding social events onto workshops also seems valid, as was done in Jan 2023.

In my experience, most socializing has occurred on trips and training courses, not at monthly meetings.

Times have changed. We need social events, but we have to find ways to attract more attendees and to encourage dialogue.

[Kathy Romses]

I have really enjoyed the Zoom meetings but miss the face to face interactions when we met in person.

I agree with Thom Kline’s comments – “I also agree that maybe some form of hybrid meetings maybe the way to go. Maybe look at having only two in-person meetings a year, late fall and early spring. (after and before the kayaking season). Maybe meetings to be held on a Saturday or Sunday with a larger agenda (4 hours in the morning )? This would help with our younger working members, avoid the growing Vancouver traffic tangle plus time to mingle after. Then have monthly Zoom meetings with a shorter agenda but major speakers that can be on-line from anywhere in the world?”

I also liked Andrea’s comment – “I also like the idea of a social event to discuss and plan trips. Anyone willing to book their gathering space in their condo could host the event. And why not make it a potluck?”

Big thanks to all of those who are volunteering. I have volunteered in the past with the club and continue to help when I am able to attend events. Unfortunately, I have some family members who are in need of my help on a regular basis, which limits my ability to volunteer more.

[Libby Covernton]

I am in favour of continuing the Zoom meetings. I have been very grateful for this format as I could not otherwise attend meetings as I live on the Sunshine Coast. But even when I lived and worked in the Lower Mainland (Port Moody and Langley) I did not attend meetings as the drive was long, hard and late. Too late, considering my alarm went off at 4:45 am.

Another reason that I have been grateful for the Zoom meetings is the  excellent quality of presentations. Kudos to Kevin Hall for organizing speakers and kudos to John Leung for setting up and running the technical parts. I also enjoy talking to different people in the Breakout rooms.

Some members have suggested hybrid meetings-both in person and on zoom. I think that this is not a good idea. The in person meetings, even though less frequent  would require lots of organization and volunteer commitment as Susan described so well. Perhaps that volunteer energy would be better spent continuing to set up social events such as the Fall and Spring Fling, day paddles, training workshops with a social component like the Deck Rigging workshop that we had last year. Perhaps some of those social events could include an agenda for discussing possible trips and exchange of ideas.

[Bob Maher]

Cynthia, I share your thoughts on In-Person meetings 100%. Thank you

[Cynthia Materi]

I wonder about the sentiment that the social needs of the club can be met by social events which one assumes take volunteers but there is concern that the volunteer demands of holding in person meetings are too much. Personally I enjoyed coming to hear speakers, and the icing on the cake was to see other paddlers.  To get together just for the sake of getting together, does not appeal to me.

[Karin Hartner]

While I prefer in-person meetings, I certainly understand the concerns re the work and commitment required in setting up or cleaning up having been involved in helping to organise meetings for several years and would be happy to assist with same again if it were so decided. I would be for a compromise of one or two mid-afternoon weekend social/business meetings during the months when most of us do not paddle. these could be done as one-of events in different locations. I’d be interested in scouting venues. The club surely has the funds to spend on occasional rentals.

Finally–I am not comfortable socialising on Zoom, hence the preference for connecting with others in person.

[Andrea Kovits]

So many great comments!

I would like to compliment the team who have been attracting speakers from around the world and running our top quality Zoom meetings. I appreciate the opportunity to be home, especially on dark rainy nights, and yet be able to keep up with the business side of the club, and learn and connect with fellow kayakers.

The Zoom breakout rooms I’ve found to be just like chatting in person. I encourage anyone who hasn’t tried it to give it a go. The random draw for break-out rooms is delightful as you can find yourself speaking with people you’ve never spoken with before. I do feel like this meets some of my desire for a little socializing with club members quite well.

My opinion to continue with the monthly Zoom meetings. But this is just one facet of our club. I agree that the social side of our club is really important. I have a couple of thoughts around increasing our opportunities to socialize…

We can tack on lunch or dinner meetups following any day paddle or training event and open these up to anyone, not just the attendees of the event. The benefit is we’d significantly increase our social gatherings and they would be decentralized – not always in Vancouver or the North Shore. For example, the Strokes & Rescues course was at Sasamat Lake. We could have organized a gathering afterwards at one of the breweries or restaurants in Port Moody and attracted people who live in the Tri-Cities area to attend.

I also like the idea of a social event to discuss and plan trips. Anyone willing to book their gathering space in their condo could host the event. And why not make it a potluck?

In my opinion, we have a great club and we can add more social fun without making changes to our monthly Zoom meetings. We are only limited by the number of people who choose to volunteer. We cannot implement new ideas unless we have help.

So here’s my plug… In my experience, the way to meet more people in a group is to volunteer. It’s  fun and many hands make light work.

 

[Author]

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