1)  Call to Order

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called to order the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association’s regular meeting at 19:30 EDT (23:30 UTC) over ZOOM on April 26, 2022. A quorum was present with 22 members.

2)  Pledge of Allegiance

3)  Member Introduction

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) introduced Brandy Coolidge(N1HO), Alan Lisler (NT4AL),

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

Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) moved to approve the minutes from the last general meeting as posted on the website. The motion was seconded by John Cole (N1QFH) / motion carried unanimously.

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

The current PayPal Balance is $448.10; The current checking balance is $8,000.81.

We had an issue with PayPal last few weeks. As new members signed up or existing members renewed, they were not sent to PayPal. Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) will look into this issue and try to fix it ASAP. The members who did not get redirected to PayPal will receive an invoice from Erik Olmer (W4EJO) for their membership dues. This invoice will include a link and instructions on how to pay.

6)  VE Status Report – Jeff Stahl (K4BH)

Our new test site is at Church on Atlantic, and the address is listed at www.w4bug.org. Sessions start at 10:30 EDT.

The FCC is now collecting $35.00 for new licenses and Vanity Calls.

During our first session, we had a few issues. We only had two VEs showing up, and Charlie Artner (KN4VDW) had a problem with his schedule, and because he didn’t make it to church, we couldn’t use the facility. He is a member of Church on Atlantic and must be present.

Jeff Stahl (K4BH) also mentioned that in cooperation with Carol Sjursen (KJ4AWB), he is creating an online class for technician license.

The FCC is now charging $35.00 for new licenses. There are no charges for an address change, changing a name, or upgrading your license. Charges do apply to renewals and vanity calls.

Email address is now mandatory for all applications. The FCC will send you an email regarding the charges. The $35.00 FCC fees are not collected by the VEs.

7)  Repeater Report – Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR)

All repeaters are up and running. We are looking into purchasing a repeater to replace the .820 machine. The original repeater stopped working, and we currently have a spare repeater in place. The goal is to replace the .820 repeater with a Motorola repeater this time. We had a deal going with a gentleman, but the deal fell through. Ricky Eaton (KD4HGR) is still trying to negotiate.

The remote station is moving to JKV and should be back up by the weekend. Ricky is still working on the computer for the remote station.

8)  Election of Vice President

Ricki Witti (KJ4FSJ) is nominated for the position of Vice President. Barry Porter (KB1PA) called for any other nominations. None heard. Ricki Witti (KJ4FSJ) was declared elected by acclamation.

9)  Announcements

a)    SPRING Picnic

The SPRING picnic will be on Saturday, May 21, 222. All are welcome. Set up at 0900 hrs; picnic will start at 1000 hrs and end around 1600 hours. We will have a “show and tell” during the picnic” Bring your go boxes. Food will be served with a donation of $10.00

Please RSVP on W4BUG.org so we can plan on how much food to purchase.

Address:
4001 SW 142 Ave
Davie, FL 33330

b)   Summer Field Day 2022

Summer Field Day will be held at Quiet Waters Park. We need volunteers to help with setup and breakdown. The SFD is on June 25, 26. On Saturday, coffee and donuts will be provided for the morning crew, and sandwiches for lunch for the breakdown crew on Sunday.

10)      Speaker of the month: Robert Molleda

Robert Molleda talked about hurricane preparedness.

11)      Adjournment

Melanie Fernandez (KJ4VCT) called adjourned the meeting at 20:37 EDT (00:37 UTC).

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