The President’s Message for October 2022
Calling all the GCARA hams! I have some important information for you. First, allow me to remind you that as the year draws to an end, we are focusing on elections of the executive board for 2023. There are many things to be done. First, in order to vote, you must pay your dues. They must be brought current by November 21, 2022, so if you are in a grace period or you have lapsed and still want to participate in the club with us, kindly and quickly, bring your account current as soon as possible.
Second, the Board has heard people’s opinion about the opportunity to vote in the elections. We are sensitive to the people who support us but have difficulty in being present at our Zoom meetings to vote. We have decided to offer an alternative way to vote by mail or by Proxy. Upon request, we will send ballots to members by mail and they may vote and get their ballot mailed back in to the GCARA Post office address no later than November 21, 2022. You may also choose someone who will be able to attend the meeting by giving that person written permission to cast your vote for you. Just as there will be the proposed slate, we will accept nominations of people from the floor at our November meeting, who wish to run for office.
In the event that you want to help us with our many projects and do not want to hold an office, there are many ways you can help the Board execute the projects at hand. All are invited and welcome to share the experience. Please let me know and I will pass it on to the powers that be.
So far, our proposed slate is as follows:
President: Erik Olmer W3EJO
Vice President: Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ
Secretary: Ben Echavarria N7BBE
Treasurer: Robert “Liggy” Ligum KN4WII
Director/PIO: Thomas Savoca K9TJS
Director at Large: Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT
Trustee: Ricky Eaton KD4HGR
If you wish to run for any office above, kindly contact Barry Porter KB1PA, our nominating Committee so we can get you on the ballot. Nominations will be accepted until November 22, 2022 meeting. In the event that 2 people want to run for the same office, they will have to be voted on at the time of the meeting and the quorum of paid members present will vote. Up to now, we are unaware of anyone other than those noted on the slate, who wish to run.
I wish at this time, to thank the outgoing Board members for their dedication to serving the club this past year. First, I would like to recognize our current secretary and webmaster, Charlie Artner KN4VDW. Charlie has unselfishly lent his creative talents to the club by producing impeccable, true and accurate meeting notes both for the Board meetings and the general meetings. This has taken much time to do as it means that besides attending the meetings, he reviews the tapes of the meetings to fact check and organize the information. He has made so many valuable contributions to the Board, it is hard to list them all, however one of my favorite items is the to do log of projects he keeps with “due dates”. It keep us all aware of what we are trying to achieve in a timely manner. Charlie, being both computer savvy and artistic, has given us a very nice website which has been updated in a timely manner. He has also generated all of the emails of upcoming events, meetings and general information for the club. He was responsible for obtaining some interesting speakers during the first half of the year which greatly improved the quality of our programs.
Last, but not least, he has designed the systems for contacting us and the forms for signing up for events, or membership of the club. Charlie is a very thoughtful and thorough person whose creative abilities will be hard to match. Thank you, Charlie, for all of the best that you have given us. I appreciate it and will miss you as you relocate your family to Georgia.
Jeff Stahl K4BH, has been the very able Director/Parliamentarian for the club as well as handling the VE responsibilities for the club. Although his plate is full of many important duties such as serving as Ares Officer, serving on another Amateur Radio Board (Boca Raton Amateur Radio Club), handling leadership of his CAP squadron, working on the Winterfest Parade communications with his partner Carol Sjursen KJ4AWB, being an active CERT member and offering his astute technical skills to the club, he has found time to give us his help time and time again throughout the years. I deeply appreciate his friendship to GCARA and myself, as it has made my duties easier. Now, with family members needing him more and other commitments calling him, Jeff has need to step down from this and some other activities to better serve those other commitments. Thanks, Jeff, for all of your hard work and expertise and know that it will be hard to replace you on the Board.
As most of you already know, I am stepping down from the top leadership position of the Board so that the club can continue to grow and appeal to younger people in the hobby. Every person on the slate is a go getter and a leader in their own right and I look forward to the different flavor of the Board next year. I would like to continue to serve in any capacity needed and to offer my full support of the new Board. A leader is only as good as the people he surrounds himself with and I am honored to say that I have worked with many of the best hams I know and I have learned a lot during my time as President from everyone I have worked with. Many hands make light work and it is not work when you are having FUN. I always say that with all of the cooperation that I have had during my tenure and all of the talent people have lent to me, it has been a pleasure to serve you. We may all be smart in our own ways but in combination, we can be genius!
God bless every member, every person with a servant’s heart and may 2023 outshine our every accomplishment thus far.
With love,
Melanie
1) Call to Order
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called on ZOOM to order the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s Board meeting at 14:39 EDT (18:39 UTC) on October 23, 2022. A quorum was present with five board members.
Members present: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT), Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ), Charlie Artner (KN4VDW), Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR), Tom Savoca (K9TJS), Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Members Absent (Excused): Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Guests: Barry Porter (KB1PA), Robert Ligum (KN4WII),
2) Old Business
a) Echo Link – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Still on hold
b) WinLInk – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) started the installation and can send and receive via a telnet session. The next step is configuring WinLink to work with his radio to test the RF patch. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will determine at what frequency WinLink is operating.
c) HF Station – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
The radio is working, but there are still technical difficulties with keeping the radio connected with TX. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to pay for any repairs/replacement of Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) personal radio should he put it up while we are working on the technical issues with the remote station owned by the club. The motion was seconded by Jeff Stahl (K4BH). Motion carried 6:0
d) Banners
Tom Savoca (K9TJS) proposed coloring options for the logo. Jeff Stahl (K4BH) moved to table the motion to adopt the colorized logo. Second by Erik Olmer (W4EJO). Motion carried 7/0.
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) suggested discussing the size of the banners. We need a table banner which should be 6ft x 2ft; 1 banner for the pavilion size TBD; 1 long event banner, 10ft x 3ft. Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) will get estimates from Edco, and Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) will get estimates from the UPS store nearby.
e) Boca Repeater – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
We may not have to go to a different location since the new buildings around the hospital will not be as tall as expected. In addition, the new site suggested by Robert Ligum (KN4WII) may likely have too much noise on top of the building.
f) Money Minder Status on Data
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) ensured that all members current on their dues have up-to-date data in the money minder.
3) New Business
a) November Board Elections
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) suggested voting for each position individually this year. She also mentioned that many club members could not make the November meeting. How is proxy voting defined in the bylaws?
b) Brick for Joe Ruby KJ4OW
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to pay for Joe Ruby (KJ4OW) immediately. The motion was seconded by Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) Motion carried 6:0
c) BARC Repeater
146.910 repeater is up again.
d) President of BARC
Al Soto.
e) New meeting location.
Eric Rodriguez will give Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) contacts at Calvary Chapel to start negotiations.
f) October ARRL Grant
Because we are not prepared for the Grant Application, we are not pursuing this at the moment.
4) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 15:56 EDT (19:29 UTC).
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 September 27, 2022. A quorum (20% / 14 members) was present with 17 members (see Appendix A).
2) Pledge of Allegiance
Secretary’s Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Minutes from last month’s meeting are not ready yet. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will have them in October.
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) also suggested that the club purchase a memory brick for Joe Ruby (KJ4OW).
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) announced that he will not run for another term as Secretary.
3) Treasurer’s Report – Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Checking Bal: $8,073.23
46 Individual members
4 Family
20 Lifetime
Total members: 70
The club made the purchase of a computer for WinLink.
Going forward, Hope Smith (WB3ANE) will call members when their membership is coming up for renewal.
4) VE Status Report – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Testing is not proving very popular. There will be no test session in October. Next test session is November.
5) Repeater Report – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
All repeaters are up and running. We did find a VHF repeater to replace the temporary repeater in Boca.
Update on Boca repeater location: We do not need to move anymore. The buildings around the hospital are not going to be as tall as originally assumed. So, there will be no negative impact on the coverage of the repeater.
Dirk Basting (N4AN) reported that the repeater (442.2000) at Points of America is currently down. He will look into the issue within the next week.
6) Website Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) is in the process of handing over all email and website duties to Tom Savoca (K9TJS). No major changes have been made to the website.
7) Announcements
a) Volunteers for Shelters – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Carol Sjursen () is in need for Shelter Volunteers
b) Simulated Emergency Drill, October 1, 2022- Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
This even has been canceled due to the Hurricane approaching Florida.
c) Next Club Dinner – October 23, 2022, at 19:00
9880 West Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
d) 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
e) Last Board Meeting
Topics discussed: Winlink, EchoLink, Field Day, HF remote Station. For more information go to www.w4bug.org
f) Slate of nominations for next year – Barry Porter
President: Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Vice-Presiden: Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ)
Secretary: Ben Echavarria (N7BBE)
Treasurer: Robert Ligum (KN4WII
PIO/Director at Large: Tom Savoca (K9TJS)
Director at Large: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)
8) Speaker: Mike Sam (KF4ZW)
He will be talking about the following topics:
- Topic 1: How to test 4:1, 9:1, and 49:1 UnUns
- Topic 2: How to build a 1:1 Balun and 1:1 UnUn
- Topic 3: Intro to EZnec antenna modeler and testing a 40-meter dipole
9) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called adjourned the meeting at 20:36 EDT (00:36 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) |
17
2) Guests Present
4
On a very solemn, quiet, sad night for me In February 2011, following the death of my beloved husband, Ray Fernandez K4RAY, I received a call from then President of GCARA Joey Tirritilli N4ZUW. He had a humane offer for me. He presented me with the opportunity to finish out my husband’s term as Secretary for the GCARA. I did not know then what a fabulous time I would have during the 11 years that followed. I was re-elected the Secretary for the next 4 years until an unfortunate vacancy occurred in the Presidency with the resignation of John Kramer after a one-year stint of being President following the departure of longtime President Joseph Tirritilli N4ZUW. (Jon had obtained new employment which curtailed his many duties in the club till then.) As we met in October of 2015, Club Sponsor Mike Spivak WB4RFC, shouted my name to run for President. I was shocked and overwhelmed but unopposed, and that is how I came to be President of the GCARA for 2016. I battled nerves and a bad case of inferiority due to my lack of technical matters in amateur radio. Still, I decided to give it a try with the very able help of people like Jeff Stahl K4BH, Joe Ruby KJ4OW, and Bob Walter KI4BFS. Many others helped guide and support me along the way, and to each of them, I say thank you, and I appreciate you. Hams are my most beloved friends and most stalwart allies during these times.
GCARA is now fortunate enough to have much younger people on the Board and newly joining the Club. Since I must return to the workforce in these uncertain times, I have decided not to run for President of the club this year. I am confident that the people running for the Board this year are indeed competent, technical, and very well versed in social media to benefit the club further. I have visions of these people being able to keep this club intact and thriving in the future. I want to thank everyone who has been a loyal supporter of this club and invite you to continue your loving support of this wonderful hobby. It made a world of difference in my existence, and I look forward to seeing it bless others as well.
73
Melanie Fernandes (KJ4VCT)
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association
1) Call to Order
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called on ZOOM to order the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s Board meeting at 14:41 EDT (18:41 UTC) on September 18, 2022. A quorum was present with five board members.
Members present: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT), Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ), Charlie Artner (KN4VDW), Erik Olmer (W4EJO), Jeff Stahl (K4BH), Tom Savoca (K9TJS), Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Members Absent (Excused):
Guests: Barry Porter (KB1PA)
2) Old Business
a) Echo Link – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Still on hold
b) WinLInk – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Waiting for laptop
c) 2023 Winter Field Day / Summer Field Day
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) and Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB) have drafted both letters. The letter for the WFD has been submitted, but we are not sure if the SFD letter has been submitted. We will have to check with Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB).
d) HF Station – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) is taking the radio to Chris today to see if he can fix it. Rickie Witte (KJ4FSJ) moved to approve the shipping cost of up to $100. He was seconded by Erik Olmer (W4EJO). Motion carried. 7/0
e) Move WX station to Point of Americas – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
It has not been moved yet because Dirk is out of town.
f) ARRL GRANT
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to give Jeff Stahl (K4BH) permission to negotiate the take-over of 146.910 repeater. The motion was seconded by Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) and carried 7/0. Mikey Baker (N4MB) is currently the trusty of the .910 repeater. The grant submitted will be to link the 146.610MHz-146.820MHz-145.340MHz.
g) Banners
Tom Savoca (K9TJS) proposed coloring options for the logo. Jeff Stahl (K4BH) moved to table the motion to adopt the colorized logo. Second by Erik Olmer (W4EJO). Motion carried 7/0.
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) suggested discussing the size of the banners. We need a table banner which should be 6ft x 2ft; 1 banner for the pavilion size TBD; 1 long event banner, 10ft x 3ft.
h) Boca Repeater
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) had computer problems, and Liggie’s letter was erased.
i) Money Minder Status on Data
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) said that everything is caught up now, and in the future, every member will receive a call from Hope to remind them when their membership expires.
3) New Business
a) Nominating Committee for elections in November
For nominations, please contact Barr Porter (KB1PA) at barryp13@mac.com. Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) will not run for President anymore. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will not run for Secretary anymore. Jeff Stahl (K4BH) will not run for office anymore. Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ) would prefer if somebody else is running for the office of VP.
4) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 15:29 EDT (19:29 UTC).
1) Call to Order
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called on ZOOM to order the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s Board meeting at 14:46 EDT (18:46 UTC) on August 21, 2022. A quorum was present with five board members.
Members present: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT), Charlie Artner (KN4VDW), Erik Olmer (W4EJO), Jeff Stahl (K4BH), Tom Savoca (K9TJS)
Members Absent (Excused): Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ), Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
2) Old Business
a) Echo Link – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) was absent. Report tabled until next meeting.
b) WinLInk – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
We are ready to purchase the laptop.
c) 2023 Winter Field Day / Summer Field Day
January 28-29, 2023, is penciled in for Quiet Waters Park. Erik Olmer (W4EJO) has not touched base with Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB) yet to work on the letter of intent (see sample) for both field days.
d) HF Station – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) was absent. Report tabled until next meeting.
e) Move WX station to Point of Americas – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) was absent. Report tabled until next meeting.
f) ARRL GRANT
Tabled until next board meeting.
g) Banners
Nobody has done anything regarding banners.
3) New Business
a) Boca Repeater
Robert Ligum (KN4WII) is waiting for a friend to call him back regarding the possibility of putting our repeaters at the Boca Towers.
b) Branding
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) knows people in NY who are attending school specifically for this type of artwork. He believes that they will be willing to help the club to be able to add more examples to their portfolio and a letter of recommendation. Erik Olmer (W4EJO) will have some ideas by the next board meeting on September 18, 2022.
c) Computer for WinLink
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) will order the computer suggested by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) and have it shipped to Charlie Artner (KN4VDW).
d) Money Minder Status on Data
The issue was resolved offline.
e) Dinner for SK – Memory Bricks
The dinner to honor the SKs will be on September 18, 2022, at 19:00hrs at Wings Plus. DCARC and Palmetto club were invited to the event.
f) October 1 – ARES/RACES exercise
ARES/RACES will conduct an emergency exercise on October 1ST simulating a cyber-attack. Follow up discussion will be on October 8 at the Melbourne HAMFEST. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will add this event to the GCARA event calendar.
g) Garry Metz (KQ4AYH)
Garry Metz (KQ4AYH) sent an email to some of the board members and Carol Sjursen (W4AWB). In this email, he is asking the board to “…allow American Episodes to have full autonomy to professionally edit and distribute in good taste film content captured during Field Day held on public domain without having the board pre-approve or suggest edit corrects for his documentary content…”
Erik Olmer (W4EJO) already had a conversation with Garry Metz (KQ4AYH), and Erik moved to reject his request. Seconded by Jeff Stahl (K4BH), and the motion carried unanimously. Then Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to grant Erik Olmer (W4EJO) the authority to deliver the board’s decision to Garry Metz (KQ4AYH), seconded by Tom Savoca (K9TJS), and this motion also carried unanimously.
4) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 15:23 EDT (19:23 UTC).
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 July 26, 2022. A quorum (20%) was present with 15 members (see Appendix A).
2) Pledge of Allegiance
3) Secretary’s Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to approve the minutes from the last general meeting held on June 28, 2022, as posted on the website. Erik Olmer (W4EJO) seconded the motion, and the motion carried unanimously.
We do need speakers for August through November. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) asked the help from the club members to make suggestions as to what they wanted to hear. If any members know somebody who would be available to join us in one of the upcoming months to do a presentation, please let our Secretary, Charlie Artner (KN4VDW), know by contacting him via email at KN4VDW@ARRL.NET.
4) Treasurer’s Report – Erik Olmer (W4EJO)
Checking Bal: $8,861.44
Stripe Bal: $0
Outstanding Checks:
#2666 to K4BH $75.32
#2667 to W4LST $350.93
47 Individual members
3 Family
20 Lifetime
Total members: 70
Unpaid: 30
5) VE Status Report – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
We had one candidate in the last test session, and he passed. Regarding paying the $ 35.00 to the FCC, candidates do not have to wait for an email from the FCC. Jeff Stahl (K4BH) will forward an email from Jerry Deitch (W4LST), which contains instructions regarding the FCC payment.
Sessions are every second Saturday of the month except in December.
6) Repeater Report – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Repeaters are all working. We are still looking for a new site and replacement machine for the Boca repeater. The remote station is currently down because it does not send out any power.
7) Website Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
No significant changes were made to the website. The previously installed STRIPE plugin to accept online payments is working flawlessly, according to Erik Olmer (W4EJO), the Club’s Treasurer.
8) Announcements
a) Volunteers for Shelters – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Broward County is still looking for volunteers to man the hurricane shelters. If you are interested, please get in touch with Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB). Erik Olmer (W4EJO) did a presentation on volunteering for Hurricane Shelters. You can find it on our website at www.w4bug.org.
b) Next Club Dinner – August 21, 2022, at 19:00
9880 West Sample Road
Coral Springs, FL 33065
c) Memorial Bricks
Memorial Brick Replicas are in, and we will be having a special Memorial on September 18, 2022, hopefully, attended by the family of the SKs we are honoring. Barry Porter (KB1PA) will be doing the presentations.
d) 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
9) Alan Lisler (NT4AL)
Alan Lisler (NT4AL) presented a small loop antenna for HTs for 2m and 70cm.
10) Speaker of the month: Jeff Stahl (K4BH)
Jeff Stahl (K4BH) entertained us with another game of KAHOOT
11) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called adjourned the meeting at 20:27 EDT (00:27 UTC).
1) Call to Order
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called on ZOOM to order the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s Board meeting at 14:44 EDT (18:44 UTC) on July 24, 2022. A quorum was present with six board members.
Members present: Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT), Charlie Artner (KN4VDW), Erik Olmer (W4EJO), Jeff Stahl (K4BH), Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR), Tom Savoca (K9TJS)
Members Absent (Excused): Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ)
2) Old Business
a) Echo Link – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
On hold due to other projects.
b) WinLInk – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
On hold due to other projects.
c) 2023 Winter Field Day / Summer Field Day
January 28-29, 2023, is penciled in for Quiet Waters Park. Erik Olmer (W4EJO) has not touched base with Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB) yet to work on the letter of intent (see sample) for both field days. The deadline for the letters has been extended to August 3, 2022.
d) 2022 ARRL Summer Field Day Recap/Discuss future events
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) made the motion to adopt the ICS model presented by Jeff Stahl (K4BH) for future Field Day administration. Motion seconded by Jeff Stahl (K4BH); motion passed 6-0.
e) HF Station – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
The noise level is still very high on 80m. The plan was to move the end-fed antenna to the east side of the building. Due to Ricky Eaton’s (KD4HGR) busy schedule, the antenna move has not happened yet. It was also suggested to drop the HF project altogether. After some discussion, this idea was pushed aside for now until the following steps have been executed:
- Move the antenna to the eastside and check if the noise situation has improved
- If it has not improved, try a center-fed dipole antenna or TFD.
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) will attempt to move the antenna before the next board meeting.
f) Move WX station to Point of Americas – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) asked Dirk Basting (N4AN) if he would host the WX station, and he agreed. Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) will have to find time to get it from Boca and bring it to Dirk.
g) ARRL GRANT
Tabled until next meeting.
3) New Business
a) New banners for our events
Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will contact Peter Roark in TX to get an estimate for a new Branding Guide.
b) Boca Repeater
Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) reported that he had not yet replaced the repeater at our Boca location. We also do not have a new site for the repeater.
4) Adjournment
Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 15:58 EDT (19:58 UTC).
CQ, CQ, CQ, FIELD DAY – We are Whiskey 4 Bravo Uniform Golf calling CQ.
What a two-day treasure of opportunity for many of us! The GCARA Board, with the help of many solid ham members, pulled off a very successful June Field Day. I want to say thank you to some people with some very special contributions to our Field Day.
First of all, I would like to thank Jeff Stahl K4BH, Dan Vasilca AI4WW, and Charlie Artner KN4VDW for contributing to the planning of the technical side of Field Day. We would not be able to operate our radios at all if there was not careful planning and proper execution of the setting up of antennas. To help them install the antennas, Joe McGee NX4T, Half Moon AJ4JG, Forrest Smorag KA4JHM, Robert “Liggy” Ligum KN4WII, Mike Wolf K2HXC, Kenny Hollenbeck KE4NC, Ben Echavarria N7BBE, David Crane K4RU, and others that slip my mind.
No Field Day is complete without the CHOW, and boy, was it delicious this time. Ricki Witte KJ4FSJ made her delicious homemade chili and helped cut down on plastic at the park by providing stainless flatware that was promptly washed and sanitized after use. Gerald (Jerry) Deitch W4LST was the Chef extraordinaire who cooked hamburgers and hot dogs to perfection and offered delicious homemade Beef Stew and some of Doris’s Pulled Pork. It was yummy in the tummy and a bargain with a small donation for food. Every side and every entrée was thoughtfully planned considering people’s dietary restrictions, and we owe a debt of gratitude that Jerry and Ricky were so excellent at shopping and preparing our feast.
New to us this year was Thomas Savoca K9TJS, the GCARA Director/PIO, who worked on getting us “press” for the event, along with Carol Sjursen KJ4AWB and Erik Olmer W4EJO, GCARA Treasurer. They ensured that pictures and invitations went out over social media for weeks before and during the event. Congratulations to Tom, who has since become an ARRL PIO for the club. Thank you, Tom.
We were joined by several visitors, none so prominent as Jeff Beals WA4AW, Barry Porter KB1PA, and Marty Falk KI4IQZ of the ARRL. We were delighted to see them again this year as their traditional appearance on our Field Day makes it “official” and garners points for the occasion. Thanks, gentlemen, for gracing us with your presence once again.
It was a joy to watch several people making contacts, and none other than Hope Smith WB3ANE graced the air making her first Field Day contacts in a long while. Her tears were testimony to the thrill she got from working the radio as Dan Vasilca AI4WW helped log for her. Several of us could hear her make contact with W1AW at ARRL Headquarters as she spoke to an old ham friend who was working the station. It was such an unforgettable experience for her. When her late husband Don Search W3AZD was alive, Hope spent her time supporting him while he operated the radio, leaving practically her no time to do so. Don and Hope were mainstays at Field Days of the past, and their memory will forever linger in my mind.
We saw old friends and made new friends on Field Day, and it was quite an amicable group who came, set up, stayed, worked radios, made contacts, and helped tear down the event. I am so thankful to know everyone and to have shared this experience once more with such generous, knowledgeable people. This is such a wonderful hobby and we will persevere to populate it with more enthusiasts, supporters, and newbies to the best of our ability.
73
Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT
President of the GCARA
