The meeting was called to order at 19:30
The club officers and board members in attendance were:
- NY4I – Tom (President)
- AB4YI – Carol (Vice President)
- W7WMS – Will (Treasurer)
- K2BHS – Bruce (Secretary/Newsletter Editor)
- N4GD – Dee (Board Member/Repeater Maintenance Manager)
- KR4U – Dave (Club Station W4GAC Trustee)
- KI4UIP – John (Board Member)
- W4CU – Tom Schaeffer (Board member)
- KO4CEE – Alex (Repeater Trustee)
All members introduced themselves.
The minutes from the November 2024 meeting were posted on the website and have been approved by a majority vote.
Vice President, Carol, AB4YI stated that there was nothing to report in her VP report. She did say that she needed to confirm who has keys to the clubhouse. She asked those key holders to advise her accordingly.
Club Treasurer, Will, W7WMS gave the monthly Treasurer’s Report. He reported that the total balances. He offered the details of those balances upon request. He further mentioned that he will not be renewing the CD as it is best to have the funds liquid at this time.
- The purpose is to have the monies available to possibly upgrade the equipment in the club’s shack.
- A decision is slated to be made at the next Board Meeting as far as new equipment is concerned.
Secretary/SPARC Gap Editor, Bruce, K2BHS had nothing to report. He did mention that there will be a 2024 Year in Review Special Edition of the SPARC Gap Newsletter. He also mentioned that he is always looking for articles and equipment reviews from the membership.
David, KR4U, Club Station – W4GAC Trustee – reported that the radios and antennas are working fine at this time. He further reported that some repairs do need to be made to the club station. He is looking to set up a couple of tuners, one of which will be on the club’s 160-meter dipole. He finally reported that the club’s awards and plaques are on display in the shack.
Dee, N4GD reported that both the 2-meter and 440 repeaters are working at this time. He further stated that the 220 MHz repeater is still a work in process at this time, with no projected ETR.
The VE Report for November 2024 was given. Pat, AAØO, was not in attendance. VE testing was also held at SPARC Fest on 11/9. The results were as follows:
- VE Session 11/19/24 – One new Technician
- SPARC Fest VE Session 11/9/24 – One General upgrade, One new Technician
Paul, KA4IOX – Events/Activities Coordinator, told the membership of the results of the 2024 ARRL SSB Sweepstakes held from 11/16/24 – 11/17/24. There were a total of six operators for the contest. The Raw Scores for the event were as follows:
- W4TA: 30,044
- W4GAC: 24,898
He also mentioned that the next contest will be the ARRL RTTY Roundup from 1/4/25 – 1/5/25, and is looking for people to operate.
Ed, NZ1Q gave the Net Manager’s Report from Billy for both the 2 meter and 440 nets. The totals for both nets were as follows:
- • Total sessions: 34 sessions
- • Total check-ins (QNI): 573
- • Total traffic passed (QTC): 30 messages
- • Total time (QND): 913 minutes (approximately 15.25 hours)
Club Treasurer, Will, W7WMS in his Membership Report, reported that there are two new members, and both were approved by a majority vote from the membership. Currently the membership stands at 136 members with 74 of them being ARRL members.
Club President, Tom, NY4I briefly discussed a few other items:
- Putting together an Elmers List. He defined what an Elmer is for those who didn’t know. He asked that anyone who is interested in being an Elmer to email him.
- Asked for volunteers to assist with setup/cleanup on meeting nights
- Winter Field Day, which is slated to take place 1/25/25 – 1/26/25 @ CARS/UPARC in Clearwater
- Three stations/clubs provide meals
- Typically, there are 50 participants
- Saturday – lunch and dinner/ Sunday – breakfast and lunch
- Made motion to spend up to $250 to contribute to Winter Field Day. The motion passed by a majority vote
- After Holiday party is slated to take place at Kristina’s in January/February 2025. Tentative dates are 1/12/25 or 2/16/25. He is looking for membership input for suggestions. He urged the membership to provide that feedback/respond.
- He also gave what the upcoming programs would be for the next few meetings. Further stating that the January 2025 Meeting program will pertain to Winter Field Day.
- Looking to get a shirt order together and urged those who are interested to advise the Treasurer accordingly.
- The Business Meeting was adjourned at 20:04