The meeting was called to order at 14:00
The club officers and board members in attendance were:
- NY4I – Tom (President)
- AB4YI – Carol (Vice President)
- W7WMS – Will (Treasurer)
- K2BHS – Bruce (Secretary/Newsletter Editor)
- KR4U – Dave (Club Station W4GAC Trustee)
- N4GD – Dee (Board Member/Repeater Maintenance Manager)
- KI4UIP – John (Board Member)
- KA4IOX – Paul (Events Coordinator)
- KO4CEE – Alex (Repeater Trustee)
- AAØO – Pat (President Emeritus)
- KZØJ – Nick (Board Member)
A handful of club members were in attendance as well.
Minutes from the last Board Meeting have been approved as distributed and are on the website.
KR4U (Dave) reported that a tower raising fixture was purchased and that work is being done on the pulleys. He further reported that the winch needs to be repaired as the controller is waterlogged along with other necessary tower repairs. Replacement of the 15-meter element is slated along with repairing of the rotor. The club’s single-pulley raising fixture will be listed for sale.
Tom (NY4I) reported that something was done to the club station’s network, that resulted in the club’s network being disabled. He added that the remote is almost operational at this time.
Tom (NY4I) also addressed Winter Field Day with the three area clubs will be ok. He further reported that planning is set to begin the first Wednesday in January 2026.
Upcoming Meeting Programs – Scheduled
- September 2025 – CW
- October 2025 – DXCC Card Checker
- November 2025 – Elections / SPARC Fest Preparations
- December 2025 – Reverse Beacon Network (proposed – Pat, AAØO)
- January 2026 – Winter Field Day
- February 2026 – Homebrew Night
A Bylaws Review is slated for October 2025 – very important. Some of the key changes that were mentioned were as follows:
- Three votes per family (as applies to family memberships)
- Limit the Board to authorize no more than $2500 in expenditures between monthly club meetings.
- Would need the membership to approve any expenditure greater than $2500.
- VE & Contest Coordinator added to the board.
- Adding a provision to make meetings (both board & general meetings) electronic.
- No Membership Committee to approve new members
Upcoming Presentations/Programs:
Alex (KO4CEE) reported that the new repeater will be installed when the weather gets cooler. He further reported that all repeaters are working & operational.
SPARC Fest – Dee, N4GD will reach out to the City of Pinellas Park to reserve space at Freedom Lake Park for November 8, 2025. Other points that were discussed included:
- Food – coffee will be ok.
- Tables will be available to vendors on a First Come/First Serve basis.
- Try to sell the equipment that the club no longer uses (e.g.: FT-1000, IC-746 & various amplifiers and tuners).
- Notify and give club members the opportunity to purchase first, at the October Club Meeting.
- VE Testing will be available
- Set up a table to test any equipment for sale.
Will (W7WMS) reported that Harold “Pete” Petersen, KB9LXM became silent key in early August. He addressed the importance of making a plan for the disposition of equipment if/upon becoming a silent key.
Bruce (K2BHS) had nothing to report at this meeting.
Paul (KA4IOX) reported that the next contest is the CQ Worldwide RTTY Contest, beginning on 9/26/25 @20:00 and to continue for a 48 hour duration, ending on 9/28/25. Two stations will be available for this contest (The Flex radio and the IC-7610). He also raised a need to build an antenna for 80-meters that will be substantial for contesting, possibly an off-center fed antenna.
SPARC website – making the website more user friendly, including mobile access to the website, making it easier to access as a whole, making items on the website searchable.
Tom, NY4I is primarily in control of the club’s website. He mentioned that Zach, KO4WPO is no longer the webmaster and is looking for someone to assume that role. The ideal candidate is someone who demonstrates a solid familiarity with Word Press.
The Executive Board Meeting was adjourned at 15:16
73’s
Respectfully Submitted,
Bruce H. Solov, K2BHS