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Hi Richard, NN7ET

You are receiving this short newsletter as you are an active or expired subscriber with HamSphere. HamSphere 5.0 was released 1 April 2023 and it is a combination of the older HamSphere 3.0 and 4.0 systems.
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73

The HamSphere team

Views: 2

All,

This update covers a host of material that we hope you will find informative.

New Officers – At the last Club meeting (Saturday, March 25), three new officers were elected. With the adoption of the Club constitution in 2022, and with the clear membership direction to get as much administrative business accomplished away from Club meetings as can be done, a board of directors system was put into place. To promote continuity there will be an election at each March Club meeting, but in alternating years executive (president, vice president, secretary and treasurer) and non-executive/general officers will be elected. The body as a whole serves as a board of directors. This year the election was to fill the three non-executive/general officer positions. The term of office began on April 1 and the term of office is two years. All three members serving (Mel Toye (K5KEY), Dan Beard (KB7JZI) and Kelly Collins (W5KJC)) opted to not run for a subsequent term and so three new members were elected to fill their very large shoes. Elected were Haskell Maroney (KI5VGQ), Vicki Ross (KG5YWO) and Mark Perrine (KI5KNX). We all owe Mel, Dan and Kelly a huge thank you for their service. We also thank Haskell, Vicki and Mark for their willingness to step up and help with this important task. Kelly Collins continues in his capacity as Club station trustee.

This coming Saturday, April 15, we will conduct a board of directors meeting. The agenda items reflect a mix of discussion points covering myriad topics. The tentative agenda items are:

Dues – Cut dues ($25 to $24 and $37 to $36), expire everyone in January and prorate mid-year joiners. Club Treasurer George Haneke (NV7Z) has advocated for this to ease the administrative effort required to manage and monitor dues for the Club as it continues to evolve and grow. With nearly 50 members the challenges are getting pretty big and so he believes this approach would simplify things.

Hardware Insurance – Increase our insurance to better cover Atlas or hold what we have until next year?

Business Development Plan – Briefing to fully bring the new officers up to speed and develop details for how to move forward.

444.500 Operation – A comprehensive discussion of how the UHF repeater is operated, the NCTC link specifically and a more general discussion reference the upcoming Club station license renewal, control operators and their training adequate to the task of ensuring FCC compliance, and other administrative details.

WB5RDD versus RRVARC – A comprehensive discussion about how to best market the Club going forward, particularly with the business development plan.

Band Plan Printouts – ARRL has put out band plan documents that we have all seen in training books, online and occasionally as a handout. These can be printed out on your home computer. RRVARC is hosting these plans as a PDF to ease people finding them. If you want to take a look at the various offerings, please click this link.

50th Anniversary Speakers – We have invited a number of people to come to the 50th Anniversary Club meeting on Saturday, May 20. Family of Alvin and Bertie Todd, original Club members, plan to attend as our guest and their grandson (and ham) Steven Walker (WB5EJV) agreed to share some comments with the group. We also reached out to Pete Delkus (Chief Meteorologist, WFAA-TV Channel 8 Dallas/Fort Worth) and Steve LaNore (KB5DEY) (Chief Meteorologist, KXII-TV Channel 12 Sherman) and invited them to come and speak to the group, but both graciously declined. Storm chaser Reed Timmer was a recommendation, but looking into inviting him we discovered that he uses a booking agency and seeks $10,000-20,000 per speaking engagement. We have two other invitees pending replies and will update you on them once we know.  In the meantime, if anyone in the Club has a personal connection to LaNore or Timmer and would not mind reaching out to them, we would all appreciate the effort.

We also wanted to emphasize that we are still looking for:

1) Two volunteers to review available ARRL awards and determine and nominate to the board anyone in our Club worthy of something ARRL gives someone for their efforts in amateur radio.

2) One volunteer to help coordinate programs to be presented at Club meetings.

3) High resolution pictures of weather, ham shacks and you or another ham operating.

To volunteer, please click this link and send an email to the Club officers. To submit pictures please click this link and send them to the admins.

73

RRVARC Officers

Views: 2

On Saturday, March 11, 2023, the Club officers met for a Board of Directors (BOD) meeting.  In attendance were:
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Officers in attendance:
Wayne Moore (KC5KOH), President
Mark Johnson (W5PTX), Vice President
Rick Leonhardt (NN7ET) (DDR for George Haneke (NV7Z), Treasurer)
Phillip Beall (W5EBC), Secretary
Kelly Collins (W5KJC), Board Member
Mel Toye (K5KEY), Board Member
Dan Beard (KB7JZI), Board Member
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Also in attendance:
Mike Rice (WB5KWK)
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At that meeting some pretty momentous items were settled and we will pull them out and brief them first:
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1. Revenue: Lion’s Club fair participation – As a part of the Business Development Proposal there was a cost/benefit analysis done on the Lion’s Club fair part of our revenue process. That analysis showed that at best – at best – the Club realized $1 per hour for every hour of labor expended by our Club members.  That process served to pay for the needs associated with the Atlas site, but the annual toll it took to get that process done was simply deemed to no longer have an adequate return.  Many options were considered, but in the end the BOD opted to sever the relationship.  We all owe Kelly Collins a huge thank you for making the event happen for several years.  It literally paid for our Atlas project.  Recognizing the facts, even Kelly voted with the group to terminate the arrangement.
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2. Expense: Club hardware insurance policy – The membership directed the board to look into the cost of hardware insurance by motion last year. ARRL insurance is $1.40 per $100 of replacement cost value.  On the low end our Atlas site hardware is valued at greater than $10,000, so insuring it against total loss would be $1,400 per year.  UPDATE: We had a couple of members reach out to us and point out that this number is in error.  The correct figure is $140, so the officers will revisit this item in short order.  We have already reached out to the ARRL hardware insurance plan administrator (Risk Strategies Company) and once we get a couple of things answered reference our Atlas site gear, we will update everyone. – Phillip)  Even though we currently have ample funds to do that, there are other expenses throughout the year where the BOD deemed it imprudent to fully insure it against 100% loss.  Instead, the BOD decided to insure it up to $5,000, which will cost about $700 per year.  Going forward this will be reevaluated periodically.  Further, a review of Club history reveals that we have infrequently had hardware insurance.  A variety of factors influenced this, ranging from cost, to not having much equipment, to having repeater sites located at Club members homes, to us now having more expensive equipment.  While it was less important in the past, it is becoming more important with the cost of replacement gear.  We have added this to our ongoing list of recurring events/items that have to be constantly reviewed.  That list can be seen by clicking here.
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3. Expense: Mesquite TX HamComm Sponsorship – Club member and ARRL North Texas Section Manager Steven Lott Smith (KG5VK) had briefed the January 28^th Club meeting about efforts to secure a HamComm at the Mesquite Rodeo facility in Mesquite, Texas. He is attempting to raise more than $50,000 to pay for the venue, but must secure a $5,000 deposit just to reserve the dates.  In follow up conversations it was determined that another club about our size had donated $500 to the effort.  Steve must raise the $5,000 to secure the weekend date they wish…as their second choice.  Their first choice was taken by another group while they were seeking the $5,000.  After review of the facts the BOD decided that we could not make a contribution to that effort.
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Dues:  During this process there has been no, zero, discussion of raising dues.  To the contrary, there has been brief discussion of lowering dues by $1 so that we could again prorate dues ($24÷12=$2 per month, $36÷12=$3 per month, our current $25/$37 do not divide out equally).  But that has only been discussed in passing.  The larger point is that we are about to embark on a sponsorship program that the officers believe will replace the Lion’s Club fair revenue and then some.

Other items covered and/or briefed at the meeting:

• Merchandising – Our website will soon have the ability for Club members to go to a “Store” page, see a list of items that are available and then click a link and go make a purchase.
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• The State of Texas Franchise Tax submission has been accomplished.
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• The ARRL Club records have been updated to reflect current membership numbers and the ratio of ARRL members in order to keep us within compliance as an affiliated club. The numbers are 45 active members and 29 ARRL members, giving us a 64% membership rate (51% required).
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• Love Civic Center Pavilion – The Club paid $63 and secured a permit for the Love Civic Center Pavilion for Field Day 2023 (June 24-25).
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• A 50^th Anniversary Press Release for distribution to ARRL and local media has been drafted.
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• A “Media Contact” page has been started on the site. It is a non-public page that can be used going forward when Club leadership needs to do something like issue a press release.  Local media and ARRL contacts are the ones so far listed.
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• Eagle Eyed Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA) was looking over our list of recurring “things” and contacted the Club leadership to inquire about hardware insurance. The officers had been formally requested to look into it by a motion passed last year.  The outcome of that review was covered as one of the three bullet points at the first of this briefing.
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• Club policies, rules that have been adopted throughout the years, rules adopted during the BOD meetings that were conducted since the inception of a BOD leadership structure over the last year; they have been gathered and placed into a Policies Draft 1 document. At only two pages long it is very succinct, but they are for the first time since adaptation of our new Constitution where they have been combined into one working document.  That document will be submitted for review as an agenda item for the next BOD meeting.
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• A “pass down book” for new officers has been started. This book is intended to help a new officer to know what all functions they are expected to perform, and when.
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• Broadcastify is live but not yet incorporated into our Club website. Initial discussions have been held with weather radar providers seeking an economical radar feed that could be incorporated into a weather page with Broadcastify so that storm spotters and chasers’ radio broadcasts via our repeater(s) might be listened to while simultaneously a radar could be viewed.  Those efforts will continue.
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• We were recently requested to help an Extra to get an “official” copy of his license. He was fighting the somewhat difficult FCC website trying to get it.  As a result, we developed a stand-alone web page – How to obtain an official copy of your FCC license – that a person can use with step-by-step instructions for how to get one.
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• An initial tri-fold slick and glossy pamphlet has been developed. That handout is for use in recruiting sponsors as outlined by the Business Development Proposal.  It will be ready for distribution very soon.  First draft, too wordy and being rewritten, it is available on the Club site with the meeting minutes from the BOD meeting.
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• An initial tri-fold slick and glossy pamphlet to be used as a handout to newly licensed hams and/or new members joining the Club is being designed.
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• The “Donate” button on the website is about to be changed to “Contributors” or “Sponsors” and will be reformatted in anticipation of us getting some corporate sponsors, but while also giving individuals the opportunity to make a one time or even ongoing contribution. If anyone – anyone – says that they do not believe that we have the website traffic to leverage into support, tell them the facts are this – We average over five hundred web hits a week.  We are working hard to get our site traffic up because that is what we want to leverage to generate revenue to pay for all the things that we need to pay for and the fun stuff we all want to do.
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• We have researched and sourced some options for corporate sponsors, things such as decals or plaques with the ability to add subsequent years to it. Examples of how we might do both are in the Business Development Proposal that accompanies the meeting minutes for the March 11^th BOD meeting.  These are not just a reward to Club sponsors, but also a recruiting tool seen by persons perhaps unfamiliar with what we do.

This update is a summary.  Please click on this link in order to review the March 11^th Board of Directors Meeting Minutes, Secretary Report, Business Development Proposal and first draft flyer to use when recruiting sponsors.

Views: 0

Technician Class Cancelled – Mel Toye’s Technician class was cancelled. It will be rescheduled once ten confirmed students are signed up. If you know anyone that wishes to take that class, please have them email Mel here.

BOD Meeting This Coming Saturday – We will conduct our quarterly board of directors meeting this coming Saturday, March 11th, at – TIME CHANGE NOTE – 1100 at High Cotton Kitchen. The current agenda items are: Old business – Tabled items: Club Meeting Program Coordinator, Awards Nominating Committee. Items to be updated: 2023 RRVARC 50th Anniversary, Merchandising. New Business: Virtual 903 Phone Number, Lion’s Club Fair participation, Budget, Mesquite TX HamCom Sponsorship?, hardware insurance.  Members are always welcome to attend, but may not participate unless recognized by the chair.

Officer Elections at March Meeting – As a reminder, at the March 25 meeting the three General board members will be elected. We need to make sure and have good turnout for that meeting. All three current officers are eligible to run for another term, at their option. If you are interested in serving, please be ready to raise your hand.

General Exam Pool Changes On July 1st – If you are considering taking the General exam: 1) Reviewers say the new exam pool looks more difficult than the current one. 2) RRVARC will conduct one more scheduled testing on Saturday, June 3. You might try and get up to speed to take the test on June 3 before the new exam pool takes effect on July 1.

Lots of Administrative Details – We know how much you love these administrative details, but they have to be done and reported out to you.  Tax Filing: State of Texas Franchise Tax submission was accomplished well before the filing deadline.  ARRL Affiliated Club: RRVARC’s ARRL Club records were updated to reflect current membership numbers and the ratio of ARRL members in order to keep us within compliance as an affiliated club. The numbers are 45 active members and 29 ARRL members, giving us a 64% membership rate (51% required). PRESS RELEASE: Rick Leonhardt and Phillip Beall have drafted a 50th Anniversary Press Release. Official License: We have posted up a step-by-step tutorial for how to obtain an “official” copy of your ham radio license here – How to obtain an official copy of your FCC license – on the Club website. Right now, why don’t you take your license out of your pocket, or go look at it wherever it is, and see if it has OFFICIAL stamped across it. If not, you can avail yourself of the process, now made easy by this new web page. Website Software Updated: Rick Leonhardt took on the thankless and perilous task of updating the website software.  All aspects of the Club website software have been updated and are now current.  These were both security and operational updates and you hopefully may notice it is faster than it was.  There are also some newly added statistics and other new features. We are trying to add pieces that we think will help to keep the site fresh, informative and entertaining.

February 25 Meeting Minutes and Support Documents – Please click here and load the page that has all of these items at the top of the page: February Meeting Minutes Draft v1, Secretary’s Report Talking Points, Presentation #1 EMP Shield, Presentation #2 Representing our Club Uniformly and three resolutions passed by the membership – All are uploaded and available to review. If you were not present at the meeting and want to see the kinds of merchandising we are exploring for you, please go look at that slide show Representing our Club Uniformly. These and similar items will be available for you to order very soon.

Outreach Program – We have recently attempted to contact former Club members that we had lost contact with. The result was that at least one – John Emmett KI5KC –  rejoined. Not having been a member since 2002 we are excited to have him back. Welcome back John!