Board Meeting Minutes, April 25, 2021

Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association
Board Meeting
Minutes

1)  Call to Order

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)called to order the board meeting of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association, Inc at 13:16 EDT (17:16UTC) on April 25, 2021 on ZOOM.  A quorum was present with 7 members and 1 non-member.

2)  Old Business

a)    Re-stated Articles of Corporation

Will be done Wednesday and filed.  Will write check and reimbursement to save time.

b)   Bylaws on Website

Must post New By-laws and advertise for membership to read so can vote on at a general meeting.

3)  Membership Dues Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)

a)    When are Dues due?

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) suggested to modify Section 3.3 Annual Dues to be more specific on when the annual dues are due.  Following text was proposed to replace current Section 3.3:

The annual dues to the GCARA paid to the Treasurer or his/her designee by members shall be in such amounts as determined by resolution of the Board of Directors and approved by a majority vote of the general membership.  Dues shall be paid for the year on admission to membership and annually thereafter no later than 60 days after the beginning of the fiscal year.  Membership benefits for members who have not paid their annual dues will continue until 60 days after the beginning of the fiscal year.  Failing to pay membership dues within the first 60 days will result in all membership benefits being removed, and the membership status will be considered lapsed.  Benefits will resume the moment the annual dues have been brought up to date.

Motion to accept this change was made by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) and second by Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT).  The motion carried (6:1).

b)   Definition of Fiscal Year

The definition of the Fiscal year will be added as Article III and all subsequent articles and subsection will be renumbered, as necessary.  Article III shall read as follows:

The Fiscal Year shall be from December 1 through November 30 of the following year.  The Board of Directors shall be allowed to amend the beginning of the Fiscal year from time to time as seen fit.

Motion was made by Jeff Stahl (K4BH) and second by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW).  The motion carried (7:0).

c)    Prorated membership fees

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) mentioned that the practice of prorated 2nd year is nowhere defined in the bylaws.  He suggested to replace this practice and the changed version to the bylaws.  The dues on any new member who joins in the last quarter of the fiscal year shall be applied to the following fiscal year and member shall be admitted for free for the rest of the current fiscal year.

Motion by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) second by Jeff Stahl (K4BH). Motion carried (7:0).

d)   Lifetime Membership

The bylaws fail to describe the requirements for a Lifetime Membership and how to become a Lifetime Member.  Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) suggested to add a section in Article III – Members to add Lifetime Membership to the bylaws.  Motion was made by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) and was second by Jeff Stahl (K4BH).

Following text was proposed to be added as Section 3.2 Lifetime Membership:

Lifetime membership shall be awarded after 25 consecutive years of membership.  Alternatively, after at least one year of members ship a member may apply for lifetime membership by payment of dues in the amount of current dues times the difference between 25 and the number of years of consecutive membership already achieved.

The Board of Directors may at its discretion grant Lifetime membership to any member for outstanding service to the club.

The motion carried (7:0)

4)  Passing information of new members

Joe McGee (NX4T)—as the Chairmen of the Membership Committee—will take responsibility to contact new members after the have been accepted.  To make sure that Joe McGee (NX4T) has the most up-to-date information on new members, Erik Olmer (W4EJO) will forward any information on new members at least once a week to Joe McGee (NX4T), Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT), and Charlie Artner (KN4VDW).

Joe McGee (NX4T) also asked if anybody is checking the call sign validity of new members and this task has not been assigned.  Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) mentioned that he is checking call sign on random basis on QRZ.com but does not necessarily check every call sign.  Joe McGee (NX4T) asked whether QRZ.com is a reliable source to check validity of call signs and Jeff Stahl (K4BH) confirmed that it is.

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) mentioned that Herbert L. Schulman has been reported as Silent Key. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) confirmed that his status on the roster has already been changed accordingly.

5)  John Knox Hurricane Planning

Everything is going to be the same.  Joe McGee (NX4T) had a quick contact with Kirsten and no physical meeting is necessary.  The only decision will be who is going to be part of the team during a disaster.

6)  Social Hamming Around Erik Olmer (W4EJO)

On hold until the remote station is working again

7)  Remote HF Station

The remote station is currently offline due to technical difficulties.  Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) spent 4 hours on trying to find the issue but was unable to resolve the problems.  Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) and Joe McGee (NX4T) are still working on it.  The main problem is that the program freezes up and the radio stays keyed-up.  The only way to unkey the radio is to turn it off.

Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) already contacted the developer of the software and reported the issue.  It seems the problem is in the server software or their system.

Joe McGee (NX4T) asked users of the remote station what we can do to improve it and the overwhelming answer was more power.

  • 500W Amplifier
  • Switching PowerSupply
  • Higher Power Tuner
  • Higher Power Balun

Total for all the equipment is $2,193.29

8)  Social opportunities for Ham Get Togethers IN PERSON

Several locations have been suggested but the board could not come to a decision.  Erik Olmer (W4EJO), Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR), will check out a few places regarding rules and how many people can meet.

9)  Any Other Business

a)    Ongoing Web improvement

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) added a new plugin to the website which will allow to create popup windows with important information.  Also, the Repeaters have been added to the main menu at the top of the page to give them a more prominent existence and make them easier to be found.  Additional tabs have been created for Broward and Palm Beach county repeaters.  Erik Olmer (W4EJO) requested to add Miami-Dade repeaters as well.  Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will work on adding an additional tab with Miami-Dade repeaters.

b)   Hope Smith suggested for Lifetime Membership.

Erik Olmer (W4EJO) has asked if the board could consider awarding Hope Smith Lifetime Membership.  Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) and Jeff Stahl (K4BH) have talked about this in the past and Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) said that he would support it.

Motion has been made by Joe McGee (NX4T) and been second by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW).  Motion carried (7:0).

10)      Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)adjourned the meeting at 15:20 EDT (19:20 UTC).

General Meeting Minutes 23-MAR-2021

Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association
General Membership Meeting
Meeting Minutes

1)  Call to Order

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)called to order the regular meeting of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association, Inc at 19:30 EDT (00:30UTC) on February 23, 2021 on ZOOM. A quorum was present with 22 members and 1 non-member.

2)  Secretary’s Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)

a)    Minutes from February 23, 2021

Minutes from February’s meeting have been approved without objections.

3)  Treasurer’s Report – Erik Olmer (W4EJO)

Not much activity this month. We received 4 more member dues and 1 donation in the amount of $300 in support of the HF project. All monthly fees have been paid. Current balance is $6,295.64.

Anybody who has questions regarding their membership and their dues please send an email to gcaratreasurer@gmail.com

4)  Membership Chair’s Report – Joe McGee (NX4T)

Currently we have 49 members up to date with their dues. 16 are Lifetime and 4 family memberships. Unfortunately, not everybody of the 16 Lifetime members are active. According to Joe McGee (NX4T) 4 Lifetime members are definitely not active in the club anymore. The remaining 12 Lifetime members are probably another 4 who are not active anymore. Realistically we are down to about 40 active members or even less than that.

5)  VE Status Report – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)

No update regarding testing.

6)  Repeater Report – Ricky Eaton (KD4HDR)

Everything is working as it is supposed. Ricky Eaton (KD4HDR) is investigating the new repeater at John Knox. He is in touch with John Knox Admin regarding the questionable repeater but nobody at John Knox knows about this repeater (441.800MHz). We are going to start posting on the website about new repeater projects (remote receive site fund) and are going to ask our members for donations towards these projects. The upgrade will allow us to link all three repeaters together during net time and during Hurricane times. That includes FUSION and DSTAR.

7)  Web Admin Report – Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)

a)    Upcoming Web Projects

In future we will post more updates on ongoing projects. This will allow the club to bring new information to members faster and not only once a month in the general meeting.

b)   Membership Roster – Poll Results

We have sent out an email and asked our members whether to keep the membership roster. The result of that poll is posted below:

Option Votes Percentage
Yes, please continue the membership roster 18 48.65%
I don’t know 1 2.70%
Doesn’t matter to me 0 0.00%
I never used it, but don’t mind it being online 2 5.41%
I don’t mind it, but if possible, make it accessible to club members only. 12 32.43%
Remove the member roster 4 10.81%
Total 37

 

Jeff Stahl (K4BH) suggested for future surveys/polls to only send the survey/poll to those members who are up to date with their dues. A member who is not up to date with their dues should not have a say in what is happening in the club. To do that Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will have to update the MailChimp mailing list with the current membership status or each email/member subscribed.

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) is also currently in the process of updating the online roster to reflect the current status of the members and at the same time updating the contacts in Money Minder with addresses.

Jeff Stahl (K4BH) gave a brief report on Winlink and spoke about the plans to convert one of the 70cm repeaters to a Winlink Node. Winlink is extremely easy and quick to setup and is used as emergency communication in ARES/RACES. Winlink is also used over HF and VHF/UHF. The conversion may involve expenditure, but this is exactly what Jeff Stahl (K4BH) and Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) are researching right now. We possible may have to solicit donations for execute this project. Ricky Eaton (KD4HDR) suggested to use the 442.500 MHz repeater since this repeater is barely used by anyone.

Joe McGee (NX4T) mentioned that the videos from past presentations are not accessible on mobile devices. He found a link to read the presentation but does not see a link for the video. The issue was that the link to the video was to the right side off-screen and as soon as Joe McGee (NX4T) turned his phone into landscape mode the link was visible.

8)  Call for Old Business.

a)    Update on Hospital

This Item was not discussed in this meeting.

b)   Update on Memorial Plaques

This Item was not discussed in this meeting.

9)  Announcements

a)    SKYWARN Class March 20, 2021

Class was a success. We had almost 100% attendance. There is going to be another class on March 27. Please contact Carol @arrl.net. There were some technical problems in the last class and NWS apologizes for them. If anybody would like to attend the class on March 27 please contact Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB) at KJ4AWB@arrl.net

b)   Emergency Volunteers

Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB): Broward County is still looking for individuals who can help in the sheltering. Broward County offers the HAMs a lot of privileges such as free parks for field day and in exchange they want us to provide a HAM operator for each shelter in the county. There are over 30 shelters in the county. We desperately need HAMs to help.

Jeff Stahl (K4BH): This year there are more shelters due to the virus situation. So we have more shelters this year than we had two years ago and less HAMs due to some losses. One of the reasons why the Amateur Service exists is to provide emergency communications. This is exactly why we are here, and RACES is codified in Part 97 of our regulations. As a HAM when you serve in a shelter, you can bring your family.

c)    MailChimp

This Item was not discussed in this meeting.

d)   Upcoming Presentations

This Item was not discussed in this meeting.

10)      Vote on revised Bylaws

We did not vote on the Bylaws in this meeting.

11)      Speaker: Erik Olmer (W4EJO)

a)    What does it mean to be an EOC/Shelter Volunteer

b)   Questions and Answers

Presentation will be posted on the website.

12)       Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)adjourned the meeting at 22:04 EDT (02:04 UTC).

Board Meeting Minutes, March 21, 2021

Meeting Date: March 21, 2021
Minutes Submitted by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

Board Meeting Minutes

I. Call to order 13:18 EDT (17:18 UTC)

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called to order the Board Meeting of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association, Inc at 13:18 EDT (17:18 UTC) on March 21, 2021, on ZOOM. A quorum was present with 7 board members.

II. Old Business

Re-stated Articles of Corporation

Send an email to members with new By-laws.

III. New Business

 

IV. Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 14:41 EDT (18:41 UTC).

Message from the President March 2021

CQ, CQ, CALLING ALL HAMS!!!

Greetings from your Board of Directors!  We are busy doing some Spring Cleaning of the GCARA Website dusting off and updating our bylaws and doing our due diligence on the repeater site upkeep.

Currently, we are still meeting on the ZOOM format on the fourth Tuesday of the month at a new time, 7:30 PM. We will announce our speakers at the first of the month by mail chimp and on the website, w4bug.org. Every effort will be made to keep you informed and up to date.

Charlie Artner, KN4VDW, has graciously offered to assume the responsibility of our website this past month. He will be updating and you may see some things change a little. Please check in from time to time and please comment as to what you find. We would love feedback.

John Cole, N1QFH, has done an outstanding job for us but asked for relief due to the many websites he now manages. I am indebted to John for his trailblazing efforts on our site and his dedication to keeping it fresh and updated for us, even though his time was limited. I hope that we will have the opportunity to work together again on club business. I found John to be very valuable assistance to my efforts to keep others informed and to keep our web resources secure. He is a fountain of knowledge and he was a good and patient instructor. I have appreciated all of John’s efforts and wish him the best as he helps out other people with their websites. Thanks, John.

We have a fully operational Remote HF station and it has been a Godsend for those who have Condo restrictions to outdoor antennas or need a radio but cannot afford it. It allows us to make long-distance contacts on many frequencies and has performed admirably when used. We wish to thank Joe McGee, NX4T who spearheaded this effort with the help of Ricky Eaton, KD4HDR, our Repeater Trustee, Al Flapan, AF4FA, of our repeater team, and Mike Sams who also jumped in to help with computer and router issues we were having. These gentlemen deserve a round of thanks so when you see them for talk to them online, please convey your appreciation. If you have not yet availed yourself touting the Remote HF station, please do and you will get HOOKED. It is so neat!

I want to congratulate our member in good standing, Allan Karden, N4ALK, on passing his EXTRA and getting his VE certification. I am beyond proud of this individual. When I first met this gentleman and his wife Anna-Jean, they were unlicensed and made the efforts necessary to get both of themselves licensed. I am certain that he will continue to be an asset to the club, as well as to hams in general. He has been so gracious and generous in supplying me with CW Cds, information, and general encouragement. Thank you, Allan.

Our Treasurer, Erik Olmer, W4EJO, has developed a very successful and efficient invoicing system along with Pay Pal availability, to make collecting dues and donations very easy for us to track. He is using a new accounting system, Money Minders, to track our budget and expenses and so far it looks like it will serve our needs for many years to come. Along with those efforts, Erik has also made the necessary submissions to the IRS to help us obtain 501 (c) (3) status that was started by our last Treasurer, Ricki Witte, KJ4FSJ. There have been many people working for the club behind the scenes to make things happen for the benefit of the club and I am so pleased and sprout of all of them. As we continue to build infrastructure, we can continue to make other dreams a possibility.

While we all genuinely miss our picnics and public Field Days, we are continuing our communication skill-building independently through many avenues. The ARRL affords many contesting opportunities, we have two major Field Days, one in Winter and one in Summer which we collaborate, plan and attend to, as well as our Remote HF Station. There are opportunities in AresRaces to get involved in and make a difference and I highly recommend that you seek out those resources and as well as support other clubs. We are just a cog in the wheel of communications and information is power. We need to stay ready for whatever comes our way in these “interesting and trying” times with our ever-changing weather problems and possible natural or man-made disasters. For warned is for armed.

Thank you all for your ongoing support of the GCARA and your contributions of time, talent, and funds that help propel us to greater heights in our hobby. Help develop another ham for an outstanding legacy for yourself.

May everyone enjoy all of the Holidays of Spring, no matter what ilk or creed. We can all feel blessed at the freedoms our country allows for enjoying our separate traditions in a peaceful way. Long live the USA!!!

Melanie Fernandez, KJ4VCT

Board Meeting Minutes, February 14, 2021

Meeting Date: February 14, 2020
Minutes Submitted by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

Board Meeting Minutes

I. Call to order 13:04 ET (18:04 UTC)

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called to order the Board Meeting of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association, Inc at 13:04 ET (18:04 UTC) on February 22, 2021, on ZOOM. A quorum was present with 7 board members.

II. Old Business

III. New Business

NOTICE: FROM NOW ON NO DECISIONS TO BE MADE UNLESS FULL BOARD PRESENT AND DISCUSSION HELD THAT AFFECT POLICY OR SENSITIVE ISSUES. We will re-discuss something already decided on after a lengthy discussion. A quorum was reached but some Board Members unhappy with the result and felt re-discussion should be held. It is being done this time only in the interest of fairness to all. Also, the President will not vote unless a tie.

IV. Status of Articles of Incorporation

Erik Olmer (W4EJO) will send a check to Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) and the correct form for non-profit organizations. Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) will check with Ricki Witte (KJ4FSJ) to make sure it is filled out correctly.

V. Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 14:58 ET (19:58 UTC).

General Meeting Minutes 26-Jan-2021

Meeting Date: January 26, 2021
Minutes Submitted by Charlie Artner (KN4VDW)
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

Meeting Minutes

I. Call to order (19:13hrs)

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called to order the regular meeting of the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association, Inc at 19:13 EDT (00:13UTC) on November 26, 2021 on ZOOM. A quorum was present with 20 members.

II. Minutes from November 24, 2020

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) made the motion to approve; second by Erik Olmer (W4EJO). Minutes have been approved without objection.

III. Treasurer’s Report – Erik Olmer (W4EJO)

PayPal has been setup and we are able to send out electronic invoices. Money Minder is setup and first reports have been presented. The federal application for the 501(c) has been mailed.

IV. Membership Chair – Joe McGee (NX4T)

We had 17 members that paid their dues and 1 family member renewed. We have 16 Life Members. The income for the year is about $650.00 from membership dues.

V. VE Status – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)

Jeff received a 3-page long email from the VE to go over. This email contains information on how to file electronically.

VI. Repeater Report – Riche Eaton (KD4HGR)

No changes regarding the repeaters. Boca site is still on stand-by. John Knox repeater seems to be working good except of the noise we receive from time to time.

VII. Web Site – John Cole (N1QFH)

New Features added (News Tab). Communication regarding the invoice was uploaded. This past weekend

VIII. Announcements

Jeff Stahl: Broward County Emergency Net is up and running again. David (KB4ICU) took over net management. David is still looking for volunteers.

Carol Sjursen: The county depends on the HAMs in Broward to staff the shelters. Anyone who would like to volunteer, please let Jeff Stahl (K4BH) or Carol Sjursen () know.

Melanie: Looking for volunteers for the SUNSHINE COMMITTEE. Cannot get ahold of members in the club—old contact information, etc. Jeff suggested posting the names on the website and see if somebody knows how to get in touch with them. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) is now handling our MailChimp account. We are still looking for presentations for this year. If you are interested, please contact Melanie.

IX. Speaker: Joe McGee (NX4T)

HF Rig: Live Demonstration; The remote station is now working on 80, 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters.

Winterfield Day: We are going to operate from our own homes. The website is winterfieldday.com. Recap of WFD 2020 results. This was the last time we operated outdoors. There were about 300 entries and we came in at 19. We were operating 3 stations (3O). We got all 4 categories for the bonus points (total: 6000). We submitted 18,342 QSOs and 16,202 have been confirmed.

X. Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) adjourned the meeting at 21:16 ET (02:16 UTC).

GCARA Meeting January 26-2021

AGENDA Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

January 26, 2021 Meeting

Call to order by Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT – 7:00 p.m. on ZOOM meeting. The host, Barry Porter, KB1PA,  will mute everyone while reports are given. Please use the raise hand button to ask a question or make a comment. Thank you.

GOD BLESS THE USA!!

Welcome to 2021 in Ham Radio!! Introduction of guests in attendance.

 Secretary Charlie Artner KN4VDW:

Minutes of previous meeting on _November 24, 2020___

          Draft minutes on website.      Motion to approve?    Second?

          All in favor say “aye.”  Opposed, “no.”

Treasurer Erik Olmer W4EJO:

Treasurer’s report. Erik Olmer W4EJO – Current status of funds, news from Board Meeting regarding the 501(c) (3) work board is doing. Please discuss the option of PayPal to circumvent the PO BOX.

Discuss Invoicing option for dues and donations.

Membership Chair Joe McGee NX4T

 

Membership report. Joe McGee NX4T –  Accepting dues now to be sent to the PO BOX until PayPal in effect in late December 2020.

VE report  Jeff Stahl K4BH

Testing report. Jeff Stahl K4BH – Plans for testing 2020-2021 as they are in progress.

Repeater Trustee Ricky Eaton KJ4HGR

Repeater report. Ricky Eaton KD4HGR – Give progress on:

Repeater?

DMR repeater?

Boca site?

Any further info on Coral Springs site?

WEB ADMIN  John Cole N1QFH

Webmaster report, John, please review changes to website and plans for 2021.

Call for old business.

We still have not heard when the hospital will be allowing our club to meet yet so we will continue with Zoom meetings. As far as our quarterly dinners and biannual picnics, they are on hold until the dust settles from the latest rise in COVID-19 cases. It does not appear to be safe to meet in public with groups larger than 10, masked or not.

Announcements:

Joe McGee, NX4T  Membership Chair, will discuss this year’s policy on 2021 dues in light of COVID-19.

Jeff Stahl K4BH – Let people know about the BCEPN Net and new host.

(Introduce DAVE WARNER KB4ICU)

Carol Sjursen KJ4AWB – Introduce need for Emergency Volunteers now to help staff the new Hurricane/Disaster Season for Broward EOC. Explain purpose and need. Tell about AresRaces opportunities.

Melanie Fernandez KJ4VCT –  Ask for Volunteers for the SUNSHINE COMMITTEE

Mail Chimp Announcements are being handled by Charlie Artner KN5VDW. IF you wish to get a message out to the group, kindly email Melanie @ earthmother1950@gmail.com and she will copy Charlie Artner. This includes info on Silent Keys, Items for  Sale, etc.

We are looking for Hams who would like to do presentations this year. IF you have a good idea for a topic or you would like to speak, please contact Melanie at the aforementioned email address.

SPEAKER THIS MONTH:   Joe McGee NX4T and Ricky Eaton KD4HGR

 *Winter Field Day Reporting after operating from home station.

** HF Remote Station Review by Joe McGee NX4T

QUESTIONS ABOUT TALK. HOST UNMUTE Members.

Thank the speaker.

NEXT MONTH SPEAKER:   DAVE WARNER KB4ICU on practical use of VNA in building an antenna.

“The chair will entertain a motion to adjourn.”

 

Board Meeting Minutes, January 23, 2021

Meeting Date: January 23, 2021
Minutes Submitted by Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT)
Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association

Board Meeting Minutes

I. CALL TO ORDER:

The meeting was called to order by President Melanie Fernandez in the ZOOM format at 3:21PM. Absent was Secretary Charlie Artner. Resource people in attendance was RIcki Witte and Carol Sjursen.

II. OLD BUSINESS:

It was decided after much discussion to make it a rule in the bylaws that only people with Amateur Radio Licenses be Members of GCARA. Others will be referred to as Guests. This was done so that member’s privileges would be reserved to hams only including, but not limited to, the use of the repeater, voting on club business, using HF Radio, etc.

A single membership would remain $30.00 and a family membership would remain the discounted $50.00 for a couple who are both hams.
Non HAMs will be guests.

III. NEW BUSINESS:

A discussion was held whether it would be proper to waive the membership fees this year due to Covid-19 and what impact it would have on club finances to do so. A motion was made to waive the fees this year so that all may retain their membership throughout this difficult time. People who have paid already may (1) donate their dues, (2) use them as credit towards the year 2022, or (3) get a refund. The motion was seconded and carried.

The Treasurer, Erik Olmer, Started the Money Minders Program today for the accounting of the club funds. The budget was discussed, and the proposed budget was approved by the whole board present. The budget will be presented to the General Membership on January 26, 2021, General Meeting as it is. (Copy attached)

Treasurer Erik Olmer discussed with the Board the need for submitting the annual report and requested permission to pay the fees associated with it. Permission was granted.

The articles of Incorporation are signed and ready to be employed on Sunbiz.org.

Erik will file the taxes for the 501 (c) (3) submission.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:37 PM

Respectfully submitted by President Melanie Fernandez

Message from the President January 2021

Greetings and Happy New Year 2021!

I hope that everyone had a very nice holiday season in 2020 despite the extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic and political climate.  Let’s all pray that the USA will get over the pain and suffering of 2020 and rise to new levels of greatness for ALL of its peoples.

We will continue our Zoom meetings this year until we have assurances that the risk of infections will be diminished. Meanwhile  the Board has plenty to do this year organizing our Virtual reality.

First of all this year, please keep in mind that this is Winter Field Day Month (Jan. 30, 31). We will practice our skills from home either on our own equipment OR the HF station. Please contact Joe McGee (954-782-3543) at your earliest convenience with what you desires for the weekend are. We need to schedule usage of HF station if it is in high demand. Our first meeting of 2021 will cover what our guidelines for our Winter Field Day will be. For more information, kindly go online to   www.winterfieldday.com       and read all about what we can and cannot do. It is well written and informative and answers everyone’s general questions. We will cover specifics, like reporting your contacts, etc. at our first general meeting and by Mail Chimp for those who cannot attend.

Second, the Board will be doing some cosmetic work on our By-Laws as it had come to my attention that some of the areas had not had the intended corrections made and that some areas were ambiguous. We will vote on the perfected by-laws at our first general meeting and they will be distributed by Mail Chimp before hand for your perusal.

Third, and very important to do, our annual dues are DUE!! It costs $30.00 for a single membership and $50.00 for a couple or family membership. This is a very important time of year as it funds us for our costs and gives us some idea of what we can do for benefit of the club projects. We are limited only by our imaginations and Income. It is nice to see what we will have to work with so our planning can begin. Our Treasurer Erik Olmer W4EJO has set up an invoice system and now our dues can be paid either by Pay Pal, Personal Check or other arrangements can be made for cash payments. As we are becoming a 501 ( c) (3) entity, we look forward to many more perks, like the tax benefits of donating money to the club for Special Projects. Please bear in mind that this concept is new to us and we will have a learning curve with it but proper explanations will be made in due time.

If any of our members would like to feature their history in ham radio and their shack in a Power Point Presentation for the group I am in need of two hams to do so. Hopefully this will be a sort of show and tell of the shack and your ideas to streamline it. It is hoped that not only will we get to know our members better but we will learn from other’s efforts. Please contact Melanie @  Earthmother1950@gmail.com with your ideas and your tentative presentations. This is a good time of year to let me know what you would like to learn this year, as I always try to bring the most information possible to the club.

I want to take this opportunity to say an en masse thank you for each and every member of the club. Many of you have corresponded with me over the years and I have been so honored that you have done so. I count every person as important and thank you for your continued support. I hope that this year is no different.

God bless everyone this year in good health, prosperity to continue on, and with gratitude for all we have in this country. We sometimes forget how fortunate we are to live in the USA. God bless America!

Warmest regards,
Melanie Fernandez, KJ4VCT

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