CQ, CQ, CQ – Calling all hams……….
The old Board and the new Board of GCARA want to wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous Holiday Season and New Year! We are grateful to serve a club like GCARA, seeing that it grows in educational opportunities, volunteer opportunities, and expanding our communication footprint to cover the tri-county area. We stand as YOUR representative in the ham community to generate the help to the community that hams are fundamentally best at doing.
We learn, we help, we serve, and we give back to the community that needs us in our daily contributions of practicing our craft and developing new ways to communicate and most of all, volunteering our time and talents to those who need our services.
We are currently preparing for our annual practice of emergency communication at our Winter Field Day at Quiet Waters Park on January 28th and 29th, 2023. All are welcome to participate, learn and grow in your craft as we have fun working together to communicate in emergency situations. There is a job for EVERYONE.
Many hands make light work. If you want to ‘throw your hat in the ring’, kindly contact President Elect Erik Olmer W4EJO, this year’s Winter Field Day Chairman at President@w4bug.org or call 754-444-1187.
Enjoy your Holidays, whatever they may be, and God Bless everyone.
Signing off for 2022, 73,
Melanie, Jeff, Ricky, Ricki, Erik, Charlie, Tom, Ben, and “Liggy”.
PLEASE RSVP using the form below so we can let the restaurant know roughly how many people are coming.
You do not have to be a member or a HAM operator to join our monthly club dinner!
Location:
Wings Plus
9880 W Sample Rd
Coral Springs, FL 33065
Meeting at 7:30pm, Zoom Room Opens Prior to Meeting for socializing.
Speaker Erik Olmer, topic, Winter Field Day
Click Here to Join Zoom Meeting or paste the following link into your browser
https://us02web.zoom.us/join
86417366104
YjBLaUFGK1NzRE9QUFRYZnh1ckwrQT09
The meeting was called to order by President Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT at 7:30 PM. There were 21 members in attendance with one guest.
In attendance were:
Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT. Adam Hilmers KO4BVD, David Warner, KB4ICU, Al Flapan AF4FA, Carol Sjursen KJ4AWB, John Cole N1QFH, Erik Olmer W4EJO, Alan Lisler NT4AL, Joe McGee NX4T, Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ, Jo Cummins N2QFT, Robert Ligum KN4WII, Ricky Eaton KD4HGR, Dirk Basting N4AN, Mickey Galper AA4AC, Ben Echavarria N7BBE, Nigel Ricards KB4F, Allen Karden N4ALK, Barry Porter KB1PA, Thomas Savoca K9TJS, Jeff Stahl K4BH, Melodie Savoca.
The Pledge of Allegiance was lead by President Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT.
The General Meeting Minutes of October 25 , 2022 were approved as they appeared on the website W4BUG.com.
Treasurer Erik Olmer W4EJO gave the report for the month of November 2022. $8679.38 is in the treasury as of today. We ae showing 51 annual members, 3 Annual Family member and 19 Lifetime Members.
The VE report given by Jeff Stahl K4BH asks for a new place to give our examinations for Amateur Radio. This month three people tested and all passed.
Repeater Trustee Ricky Eaton KD4HGR gave a thumbs up to the equipment t this time. The only two entities that are down is the DMR repeater and the HF Remote station due to an Internet problem. Our expectation is it will be back shortly. The HF Station sent out for repair will be. Back in service once we pay the repair bill which was just presented to us.
Web Admin is now Thomas Savoca K9TJS for the upcoming year. Charlie Artner KN4VDW was not able to come tonight to receive his accolades from the Board for his tremendous contribution in building a beautiful and fully functional website that has not only added value to the club but has improved and made the nob of collecting funds for dues and events much less cumbersome.
VP Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ read the announcements:
Wing’s Plus Dinner was well attended by 22 members and 3 guests. Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT retiring President, was awarded a gavel plaque for her leadership of the club. She was also awarded a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP, along with Jeff Stahl K4BH, for HIS continued and excellent
contributions though out his 25 years as a member.
Next Wing’s Sunday Dinner date will be announced.
BARRY PORTER KB1PA started the election process and the slate was voted in by acclimation due to no further candidates wishing to run. The New Board of Directors for 2023 will be:
- President Erik Olmer W4EJO
- Vice President Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ
- Secretary Ben Echevarria N7BBE
- Treasurer Robert “Liggy”Ligum KN4WII
- Director/PIO Tom Savoca K9TJS
- Director at Large Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT
- Repeater TRUSTEE Ricky Eaton KD4HGR
President Elect Erik Olmer W4EJO thanked the membership for their confidence in voting on the new Board.
Barry Porter KB1PA, made a motion to thank Charlie Artner KN4VDW for his service as Secretary and Webmaster the last years. Motion approved by all.
A motion to formally recognize Jeff Stahl K4BH was made by Barry for all the years he has served our club, Boca Club, ARESRACES, CAP and Winterfest Boat Parade in communications. Motion was passed by all.
A motion was made to thank Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT for her years of service to the GCARA. Motion was approved by all.
A motion was made by Mickey Gaper AA4AC to recognize Joe McGee NX4T for his dedication and service to the GCARA and for his willing support of several Field Days for the club. Motion was approved by all.
NOTE: For this year only, Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT will continue as President for the remainder of December 2022 as recalled by Jeff Stahl K4BH, per our constitution. Next year’s Board will vote to amend the constitution to terms ending with the fiscal year in November of the said year to make things work more efficiently.
Ricky Eaton KD4HGR was scheduled to speak on the use of the HF station, however, was prevented doing so because Internet was down. Jeff StahlK4BH, graciously stepped in to do a program called “Digital Radio on the Cheap” by Powerpoint. He offered a lot of less expensive ways to set up a Digital station.
Meeting was adjourned at 9:30 PM.
Minutes written by Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT per video of meeting.
We are excited to begin preparations for the 2023 Winter Field Day.
Volunteers are needed at least for:
- Food planning and preparation
- Equipment planning, setup/breakdown, operating assistance
- Operators of any experience level
- Hospitality
- Leadership roles
- Operators for SSB station
- Logging / mentorship for SSB station
- Station setup 1/28 7AM – Noon
- Station breakdown 1/29 2PM – 6PM
- Food preparation – all weekend at QWP
- Food shopping – ongoing, week prior to event
If you would like to find out how you can help, please contact Erik Olmer, W4EJO for more information at 314-750-5437 or via email president@w4bug.net
73,
Erik Olmer, W4EJO
President Elect
Please use this form to volunteer (or if you haven’t RSVP’d)
We are not accepting registrations anymore. If you registered already and have questions, please contact the board by clicking here. If you have not registered yet, don’t worry, just show up and have fun.
It is with great sadness that I write that GCARA Lifetime Member, Francis (FRANK) Baker W1IB became a silent key on Thursday, November 17, 2022. A faithful radio enthusiast, Frank spent most of the last several years in bed due to breaking his hip some time ago. Memorial services will be held in Boston according to his surviving daughter, Sandra. Our prayers and condolences go out to his daughter Sandra, who has lived down here during the Covid 19 pandemic, overseeing her father’s care.
-submitted by Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT
GCARA has a new and younger Board now, fully charged with the responsibility of leading us into the new year. It is my hope that the new people will offer a fresh approach to maintaining our fun hobby by its work and dedication to the hobby we all enjoy.
Congratulations to ERIK OLMER W4EJO, the new president,
Ben Echavarria N7BBE, as the new Secretary,
Robert “Liggy” Ligum KN4WII, as the new Treasurer,
Thomas Savoca K9TJS as Director/PIO,
Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ, as a very supportive and able Vice President,
Ricky Eaton KD4HG, as the stable REPEATER TRUSTEE and the leader of the Technical Team for the club.
I will remain in the wings as Director at Large, for continuity and to help out where ever and when ever there is a need. I have great confidence and look forward to what each person offers to the Board.
Happy 2023 ya’ll and God Bless.
73,
Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT
CQ, CQ, CQ, Calling all hams……..It is with a great deal of satisfaction and pride that I accept passing on the baton to the next executive board. Congratulations to the elected Board of Directors as accepted by the general membership on November 22, 2022.
The new Board has a great deal to accomplish, and I am assured that they will continue to promote the spirit of this hobby in the manner for which it is intended. First of all, in order for a hobby to be enjoyable it must be fun to its participants. A spirit of camaraderie, of giving and sharing , needs to continue in the pursuit of our higher learning about the hobby. There must be a mutual understanding that everyone has gifts to share and should be given the opportunity to do so. There must be an understanding that a club is NOT one or two people, but the whole group, who strive to accomplish the work that needs to be done to achieve the goals of the group. It is with this understanding and respect that I led this club in the past and I hope it will be led in the future.
Since this will be my last message to the club as your president, I want to commend several people, who unselfishly gave of their time and talents to improve this club in specials ways.
Charlie Artner KN4VDW, is the first on my list. He spent many hours of his free time delving into the construction of a beautiful website. He is a true artist who designed the communication forms that we all now use by habit to send information to the executive board for the good of the club. His thoughtful architecture of our website is a tribute to the man he is, thoughtful, creative and very thorough. It was he who paid attention to details, both as the secretary and as webmaster, and he found ways to remind of us of where we were going if we found ourselves off track. These are big shoes to fill in my opinion and I want to thank him for his unselfish support of the club for these past few years. Thank you, Charlie, for putting your all into the tasks at hand. You have been a valuable and unselfish club member and certainly a joy to me.
I have also enjoyed working closely with our repeater trustee, Ricky Eaton KD4HGR and his associate Eric Rodriguez KF4LZA. These two men, sometimes along with the technical assistance of Joe McGee NX4T, Al Flapan AF4FA, and Michael Samokiesyzyn KF4ZW, have been instrumental in keeping our repeaters, DMR and HF station working and in service to the club, for many years. They worked in the background, unselfishly putting in many hours to solve complex problems with equipment so that the hams of GCARA could enjoy our hobby seamlessly. As with all effective people, they shared their vast knowledge and approached each problem from their own field of expertise and worked as a team to provide a very good communication service to our club members, both as the hobby demands and in times of emergency communication needs. Thank you gentlemen for giving your all to this effort.
Jeff Stahl K4BH served as part of the technical team, provided presentations to our club from his vast arsenal of powerpoints developed over time, tested our newer hams and provided the information for them to get involved. Despite being heavily involved with Ares Races as an officer, working in the EOC, teaching courses in CPR, and teaching the ham licensure information for the Boca Raton Club, working the WINTERFEST effort, carrying out CERT responsibilities as well as his involvement in CAP, Jeff has shown remarkable ability to serve amateur radio in all aspects selflessly. It is with a great deal of admiration and pride that I worked with this gentleman to make our club the best it could be. Thank you Jeff for both your encouragement to me and your loyal support.
Thanks to the ARRL team of Barry Porter KB1PA, Jeff Beals WA4AW, and Marty Falk KI4IQZ, who gave me endless positive support in my tenure as president of this club. Thank you one and all for your time and support of our club in general.
Who could forget our club sponsor, Mike Spivak WB4RFC, who first recommended that this previous Secretary on the Board, take the lead of this fantastic club? Certainly I could not! He gave sage advice, made valuable suggestions and supported this club so faithfully throughout my tenure. He helped me collect information for Field Days, took care of the attendance sheet when the club met in person and sold the fifty-fifty tickets, cheerfully greeting all of our members and visitors each month. Those were the “good ole days” for the club when we met in person pre-COVID times. We had a lot of fun while learning all about all aspects of ham radio.
Thank you, Mike for all of the help and encouragement.
And the list goes on! I could not possibly name every person who were instrumental in my tenure. There is not enough time nor paper. Thank you to all who unselfishly worked to promote amateur radio in its highest form during my presidency. You may not be named here but I have recall of ALL of you. You reside in my mind and heart as good friends, mentors and honorable hams, whether you are alive or are silent keys. There was and is so much effort by so many wonderful people that goes into being a good club. Thank you to all of you.
In closing, I would like to extend a heartfelt wish for the happiest of holidays to all. May your signal be strong and the QRM be non-existent in 2023! God bless everyone!
73, Melanie Fernandez JK4VCT
1) Call to Order
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called to order on ZOOM the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s regular meeting at 19:30 EDT (23:30 UTC) on October 25, 2022. A quorum (20% / 14 members) was present with 17 members (see Appendix A).
2) Pledge of Allegiance
3) Secretary’s Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) is not present tonight. Ben Echavarria (N7BBE) motioned to approve the minutes from September. The motion was seconded by Dirk Basting (N4AN). Motion carried.
4) Treasurer’s Report – Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Checking Bal: $8,126.31
Strip Bal: $38.54
45 Individual members
4 Family
20 Lifetime
Total members: 69
5) VE Status Report – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Jeff Stahl (K4BH) reported that we will lose our testing site due to Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moving out of the area. November 2022 will be the last session for now. If the club wants to continue test sessions, we need to find a site.
6) Repeater Report – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
All repeaters are up and running. We did get a replacement for the .820 repeater in Boca. The HF station is still acting up. Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) will send the radio to ICOM and put his own ICOM 7300 in place of the club radio.
There are no plans anymore to move the Boca repeater.
Dirk Basting (N4AN) reported that the repeater (442.2000) at Points of America is currently down. He will investigate the issue within the next week.
7) Website Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) was not present tonight
8) Announcements
a) Next Club Dinner – November 20, 2022, at 19:00
9880 West Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
b) New Club Address
Please be advised that we have a new address.
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association
7378 W. Atlantic Blvd #147
Margate, FL 33063
c) Last Board Meeting
Topics discussed: Winlink, EchoLink, HF remote Station. For more information, go to www.w4bug.org
Those who are not able to come to the next meeting to vote in person, they can vote by proxy. The club will send out the proxies this week.
d) The slate of nominations for next year – Barry Porter
President: Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Vice-President: Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ)
Secretary: Ben Echavarria (N7BBE)
Treasurer: Robert Ligum (KN4WII)
PIO/Director at Large: Tom Savoca (K9TJS)
Director at Large: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)
Repeater Trusty: Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
9) Speaker: Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
The easy way to connect PL-259
10) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called adjourned the meeting at 20:24 EDT (00:24 UTC).
- Appendix A
1) Members Present
|
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) |
Jeff Stahl (K4BH) |
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) |
|
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) |
Tom Savoca (K9TJS) |
Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ) |
|
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) |
Robert Ligum (KN4WII) |
Nigel Richards (KB4F) |
|
Dirk Basting (N4AN) |
Mike Sam (KF4ZW) |
Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB) |
|
Allan Karden (N4ALK) |
Ben Echavarria (N7BBE) |
Joe McGee (NX4T) |
|
Jerry Deitch (W4LST) |
Barry Porter (KP1PA) |
Alan Lister (NT4AL) |
18
2) Guests Present
0