CQ, CQ, CQ, Calling ALL HAMS!!
GCARA has a job for you!!!
This is September of 2025 and it is far from the end of the year for GCARA. We are still in full swing, making plans for next year and improving on our reputation for this year. I once heard someone call this club a “Social Club” and I was somewhat offended. Upon thinking on it, however, I realized that YES, we are a socially inclined club but we DO NOT simply SOCIALIZE.
Our club has traditionally brought together the most hams with our Field Days in the Summer and Winter as well as served as an introductory club to other organizations i.e. ARRL, other viable and important clubs in our area and we focus on learning about Ham Radio with our monthly educational meetings. We meet in person so that you may network with other hams and WE SUPPORT ALL GOOD EFFORTS around us. We project friendship, camaraderie amongst hams, promote peace among the ranks and strive to be a positive influence on the hobby. In a world where everyone seem to have an agenda, ours is to keep communications open to all, to encourage learning of the craft of amateur radio, prepare hams for the world of
volunteering and steer those interested and still capable to do that in that portion of the hobby.
We do many things to support amateur radio in our everyday lives and we should not feel less needed because we are not all capable of volunteering at all times. Many of our club, to be clear, have had a lifetime of volunteering already in their youth. These are people who support us financially but are too frail to do what they used to do. They are our instructors, our mentors, our “elmers” if you will. I want to applaud them for their history with the hobby and our club. We are grateful you are part of us.
I am seeing wonderful things around me in other clubs and I want to support everyone’s efforts. It is essential that we remain an introductory club but we need to point our members to other clubs for what we ourselves cannot provide. Many of the clubs are doing in house training in various aspects of ham radio. You can learn soldering, how to make an antenna, how to do NET CONTROL, how to send a message by radiogram, how to get more experiencing with DXing on the remote radios available and most of all, how to join a group and just have plain old, enjoyable FUN. The skills you learn will take you fascinating places in your everyday lives. Rather than focus on just getting the largest number of people in this club, let’s all strive to continue to be good ambassadors and share our knowledge and contacts with one another. Lets let everyone have a voice in the hobby, not impose strict restrictions on the hobby.
Everything will be, in it’s own time, I believe. One interest leads to another, and one contact could open new vistas for us all.
To those ends, I would like to give a shout out to our “techy” people who have a penchant for sharing their craft and have a small bit of time to give occasionally to teach others new to the hobby. The worst feeling in the world, I have felt was having a lot of book knowledge that I could not use to the fullest. We need to get those newbies into the ranks first by being a good example, and next by teaching and leading them to hone their own craft. Let’s expand other people’s worlds in ham radio and give them an opportunity to learn from the best. We are currently looking for people who wish to learn about the repeater, functions and upkeep and to be familiar with how to keep it going under the direction of our Repeater Trustee Ricky Eaton
KD4HGR and his partner, Eric Rodriguez KF4LZA. You will not be given full access to our repeaters but you will learn about their proper care and function, troubleshooting for problems, and how to be useful in their upkeep. Ricky will decide who can help with his work list and what he needs to be done. These members will also be invaluable to teach others how to do tasks necessary to home brew their own equipment. While there is still home brewers with us, lets take advantage of their vast experiences and learn.
Next, we need people who like to be hospitable. At the moment, we are lucky to have two people on the Hospitality Team but we need some reinforcements for the TEAM. First, I would like to work with some people who are interested in helping to put out the food, keep it at safe temps and to help clean up after our picnics and Field Days. We need people interested in doing small parts for the whole project. It may be making phone calls to other hams, it may be helping transport drinks to the affairs or other odd jobs we have to do. You will enjoy making new friends and getting closer to other hams. Our club is known for being supportive of one another. Let’s keep it up.
Third, I would like to have a group of people who are willing to call about ten hams at a time to follow up on important tasks we need to accomplish. We need a team of people who want to talk to other hams. It is a perfect job for a shut in or someone who wants to stay involved but cannot physically meet the demands of volunteering or getting to meetings. It is a way to keep in the loop and be a part of something bigger than oneself. Call Melanie to be a part of the Membership Team. My number is 954-560-3706.
Fourth, no organization can attract others without people creating a way to publicly advertise, promote and get the word out. Our Club is so very, very fortunate to have the leadership of Tom Savoca K9TJS in that realm. He, with the help of Carol Sjursen KJ4AWB, another bright and super achiever in ham radio, have been able to promote all of our affairs, meetings and such to the world. They work on social media, maintain the webpage, create ads for our Field Days and get our PROCLAMATIONS from city officials. Although he is filled up to the brim with his personal endeavors, he has expertly, patiently and artfully kept us alive on Social Media and the Internet. I, personally have much admiration for his talents in electronic media and the use of proper techniques in communication with the masses, and am very grateful he is helping us in that venue. If not for him, I would not be able to do some of the computer things I do now. He is a patient teacher, an encourager and one who can keep an artful eye on things while guiding the messages being sent. I consider him one of the most important blessings of our club and I enjoy working with him very much. Thank you Tom and hopefully this message will reach others with a penchant for working in social media and with people who can work under your leadership in the PIO task. Please, if you like to do little projects like , making brochures or working on handbooks or doing little catchy ads for upcoming events, please consider joining our PIO Team.
Now that I have given you the plans we are working on and trying to get started officially, let me praise our two new helpers, Cara and Jean-Marie Basting, who cooked and served for the August 9th Picnic at Vista View park. We were delighted to see the new faces and have the help. They provided us with great food and good conversation about flying, given both are pilots!! We are blessed to have them join us and I understand that they both will be learning amateur radio and taking their tests soon and eventually will become members of our club. I am so excited for them. They have agreed to do the next picnic on November 8th at Vista View as well and we look forward to having their help for the January Winter Field Day in 2026.
In closing, I hope that all will join in our re-energized vision of building our club and join me in serving others for the good of all. We NEED this! Let’s DO this! Thank you.
God Bless All of You,🙏
Melanie KJ4VCT❤️
