CQ, CQ, CQ Calling all hams!
GCARA is entering a troublesome period at this time. While many hams are still enthusiastic and happy to join in on activities, we are experiencing a lack of participation from many hams in the club. This begs the question: are we still a viable club with a useful purpose and are we still interested?
I invite every GCARA member to respond to the questions. Please feel free to give me the reason I do not see you at club meetings or dinners or the picnics. This is merely to accurately understand the problem and to find some ways to bridge the gap. As I have spent less time communicating with you directly, I seem to have lost sight of the difficulties, desires, and concerns. For my part, I apologize. 😭
Two years ago, once the threat of COVID was gone and it was safe to venture out into public again with common sense precautions, many of you ( over 50% ) stated they wanted in person meetings again. It was said, people enjoyed meeting and talking to their fellow club members as well as feeling closer to others. Yet, although we have had several meetings thus far, there is a very low turnout to the hospital auditorium for the meetings. I am wondering why? 😳
The Board and I try very hard to get us interesting and useful speakers so that we can learn more in a casual setting while enjoying coffee and donuts with our fellow hams. We advertise well in advance and offer a split opportunity with in person and ZOOM availability for those who are homebound or ill so that we all may share the experience. Are we doing something wrong? Could we do things better? Is your absence from either venue a statement we are not anticipating? 🤷🤷🤷
Furthermore, while most of the younger hams are okay with volunteering and that is understandable, we are not seeing our older hams participate or attend to support us. We love everyone and want us all to enjoy our times together while learning, socializing and supporting our fellow hams.😀
I am finding that it is difficult to get people to pay their dues on time, too. Is that a personal reason or are you confused as to when they are due? Please help me understand how we can help to make this a more successful undertaking.🙏
While I am talking about volunteering, let me take this opportunity to advise everyone that I am helping out this year as President and Ricki Witte is helping out as Secretary as well. Neither of us anticipated being a fixture and would enjoy the flexibility in our schedules to attend to other interests and home life duties now. Is there any way anyone can look into their skillset and volunteer for a Board position? It is rewarding and if everyone will volunteer to help us out, it is really not that much work. 👍
Well, what do you think? Can we all take a look at our situations and make an effort to support the club a little better? I need a Sunshine committee. You will just need to send cards out to the indisposed people or people who have lost a relative. A couple of phone calls to people in need is also a boon to keeping the group in the loop with everyone’s status. I have enjoyed being the point person for many jobs in the club as I always have fun, however, I can no longer do it all. Please consider helping us out!❤️
Because we are running out of volunteers to help with the Hospitality Committee, we are scaling back our efforts this year at FIELD DAY. We will offer less food and it will primarily be prepared off site and brought in. We will not have a grill available to use this time. Kenny needs space in his van to bring his free flea equipment and we have no one willing to man the grill anyway.😒
I do not want anyone to think of this note to the membership in a negative manner. I am just trying to understand the situation so I can facilitate a better solution for everyone concerned. Your comments will be greatly appreciated and I promise to consider all reasons with a hope of finding palatable solutions. I look forward to hearing from you either by phone (954)560-3706 or by email earthymel1950@gmail.com, at your earliest convenience. Thank you and God Bless! 👌
-Melanie KJ4VCT.
REPLY to Your CQ CQ CQ
From: Jesse Shannon
Date: May 1, 2025,Hello Melanie, I wanted to take this opportunity to reply to your plea to our members asking each one of us to explain what we thought about the apparent lack of interest and lack of active participation in club activities and affairs.
When I was interested in HAM radio communication started when I was nine or ten years old. This was just as World War II was coming to an end. My dad built a shortwave receiver and he and I would listen to overseas broadcasts from England and other English speaking stations from that war torn area of the world. As I grew up I read about Morse Code and how the HAMS of those days needed to be able to use the code and it was a requirement to get a license.
During the fifties one of my assignments was in Panama and then a temporary duty in Costa Rica. My Job in Costa Rica was to be the Army’s Contracting Officer’s Representative in San Jose, Costa Rica where I had to communicate with the supply base in The Panama Canal Zone to coordinate the shipment of repair parts for my aircraft in Costa Rica undergoing refit and repairs. This communication was done through HF radio. AH6AA and AH5AX were our call signs back then. I used them so frequently that I remember them after seventy years.
Later, while still in the Army in the seventies I had a second posting in the Panama Canal Zone and the CB craze was going strong and I bought a J.C. Penny SSB CB. An Air Force Sergeant was my Elmer then in 1974 and we built a three element beam and with that antenna and my CB I was able to talk to other CB stations in the United States and ships at sea. It was all illegal of course, but we all did it. To make a long story shorter, I was hooked. But, and it was a big but, I did not know Morse Code. The radio activity for me cooled down for me for many years. After my Army career and several other careers I finally retired here in Hollywood in 2003.
Guess what…the code requirement was dropped and as soon as I could I looked for a HAM radio club somewhere and found the Gold Coast Amateur Radio Association with their meetings being held at the Imperial Point venue. I applied, took my Tech. test. I met up with Mike’s Electronics and bought all of my initial radio gear from him with the exception of my HF antenna, this I bought on line from GAP. When the antenna arrived I assembled it next to my house and started to talk on 10meters. The thrill was there and I loved it. When I passed the General exam I settled down and did a lot of SSB work. During that time I attended all of the meetings, bought my shirt and because I was so new at the HAM game I just sat back and listened but never participated except for the 50-50 which I won once and donated all back to the Club.
Fast forward quite a number of years to now. While I still am active with my KJ4FKK station I find that age and home personal responsibilities have caused my interest to be lost. During these last years Joe McGee and Ricky have been out to my place many times to help me with antennas and three years ago, I dug trenches for thirty or so radial wires in my yard to support my vertical antenna. Thanks again to Joe, I learned to build dipole antennas and now my backyard looks like a real antenna farm. I put up the vertical 14 ft with the radials, cut and installed two sets of fan dipoles and ran all of the antenna leads under ground to a three way switch outside. One main lead goes into my shack and I have two complete sets of HF transceivers.
Before COVID I was a regular attendee at our meetings but never raised my hand to volunteer however I tried to give the Club back something and all that I could do was to buy and donate a small, quiet generator for our Field Days and contribute $800 to the Club.
When you asked for volunteers I sat on my hands and felt very sorry that others did not offer their time and help you. It was always the same people who, over the last ten years, have carried the burden, always the same ones. You and they are tired. Since my activity building up my station I have grown tired personally. I will turn 90 in September and I have become painfully aware of my physical limitations and no longer can do many things. My wife of 67 years needs help now and I find myself running the house, and planning and preparing all meals. I am tired and no longer feel the need or want to do much of anything except a day to day life.
So Melanie, if you have read to this point, I just have no energy or desire to participate. The Club has given me the opportunity to join the HAM community but I will enjoy it from home now. Maybe the world situation and the present economy is a cause for a lack of interest in Club activities. Since Mike’s Electronics is no longer in existence maybe this has caused less informal companionship between members.
Could you possibly check with the other Clubs in the area and see whether or not they are experiencing the same lack of participation? I admire you for your leadership and give a special thanks to Joe for being my friend and for helping me along.
Sincerely, Jesse
KJ4FKK
73