The meeting was called to order at 19:30
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 (Board Member)
- KI4UIP – John (Board Member)
- KO4CEE – Alex (Repeater Trustee)
- KA4IOX – Paul (Events Coordinator)
- N4GD – Dee (Board Member)
- AAØO – Pat (President Emeritus)
- N2ESP – Bob (President Emeritus)
All members introduced themselves
First Time Attendees: Ed Goodner (KB4TJQ), Daryl Bortel (KR4IKH), Cody Martin (KR4IUT), Chris McCollough (KC3CJU)
Recognition – DXpedition-25th Worldwide, Pat – AAØO (using multiple modes) Desecheo Island, Joe – W4GGJ earned Worked All States (WAS), POTA Activation (Alex – KO4CEE activated several parks: Kissimmee Prairie Preserve, Homosassa Springs, Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins & Sawgrass Lake)
The minutes from the January 2026 meeting were posted on the website. It was determined that a correction was needed as to the location of where the tower is being stored.
Vice President, Carol, AB4YI asked that she be notified regarding presentation requests at future meetings
Club Treasurer, Will, W7WMS gave the monthly Treasurer’s Report. He reported the balances for the month. He also reported membership stats for this month.
The club welcomed new members. The new members are:
- Danielle Palmer, KR4JCF
- Mike Fuller, KR4JCE
- Ed Goodner, KB4TJQ
- Michael Hadden, Jr., KQ4WIY
- Bernard Martin, N1RYY
A motion was made to approve the new members. Bruce – K2BHS motioned and Mike – K4HN seconded. The new members were approved by unanimous consent.
Club Secretary/Newsletter Editor, Bruce, K2BHS reported that he will amend the January 2026 Meeting Minutes. He also reported that he hopes to tentatively have the latest newsletter out by March 2026. He further asked for article submissions and/or volunteers to assist.
Dave – KR4U reported that the club will start building the new club station.
Repeater Trustee, Alex, KO4CEE reported that all three repeaters are working and gave the Net Manager’s report for both nets for January. The totals were as follows:
- QNI: 780 total check-ins (733 for the 2-meter net & 47 for the 220/440 net)
- QTC: 30 messages passed (27 for the 2-meter net & 3 for the 220/440 net)
- QND: 1110 minutes (18.65 hours) (1042 minutes (17.37 hours) for the 2-meter net & 68 minutes (1.13 hours) for the 220/440 net)
- There was a total of 36 (31 for the 2-meter net & 5 for the 220/440 net) sessions for January.
- Net Controllers with the most check-ins: 1st – W4XXI (JoJo), 2nd – KM4LTG (Brad), 3rd – WZ4GW (Bill)
Pat, AAØO reported on VE Testing for January 2026 – It was reported that there were 4 candidates yielding two new Technicians and one Technician upgrade. Next session is on 2/17/26.
Paul, KA4IOX – Events/Activities Coordinator, reported that he and Bob (N2ESP) created and distributed a survey of the membership regarding the building of a new club station. He further noted that he will tally the results of the survey.
Presentation: Homebrew Night – The presenters were as follows:
- AAØO, Pat (P25 Trunking Scanner)
- KO4CEE, Alex (Comm Radio CTX-10 (modified))
- NZ1Q, Ed (multiple items)
New Business:
SPARC After Holiday Party is scheduled for 2/22/26 at Kristina’s Café @ 14:00. Attendees will be responsible for their own tabs.
Carol, AB4YI asked for suggestions and/or discussion regarding the construction of the club station. Some of the possible vendors mentioned were Wally Watt, Florida Sheds (both of which would be a 12’ X 20’ bungalow style building). Shipping containers were discussed as well, however for just the shell, the cost was prohibitive. She further noted that:
- The requirements will come from the membership survey.
- There was extensive discussion on this subject.
- The Wally Watt is constructed of aluminum
- The club will need to move forward on the construction sooner than later.
Will, W7WMS added that the current PODS Storage will be free until 6/1/26, and thus will need new storage after that.
Orin, KG1S expressed concern over the possible need for multiple software packages vs. one being needed with regards to remote operation.
Marty, W4AFP suggested looking into Tough Sheds as well. Ron, N2SKH questioned as to whether or not a concrete slab would be needed. Paul, KA4IOX confirmed that a concrete slab is not necessary and that the building will be on 18” blocks
A Motion was made to spend up to $20,000 to build a new club station. Tim – KR4ESB motioned and Fred – KI4GYI seconded. The motion passed.
Tom – NY4I also mentioned that if you want to operate W1AW/4, you will need to sign up/register to operate at hamqtv.com to get a slot.
Daryl, KR4IKH won the 50/50 with a total jackpot of $35. Congratulations Daryl!
The Meeting was adjourned at 21:15
73’s
Respectfully Submitted,
Bruce H. Solov, K2BHS