Date: Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Location: Zoom
Directors and Officers present: Ralph W1DAR, Bruce KO4XL, Jay S N2ELG, Mike K8BQ, Bonnie KC2JVS, Barry KO4FBU, Henry WA2ROA, Lou K4LA
Members present: Art WA8VSJ
President Ralph W1DAR called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm local.
Secretary’s Report: Mike K8BQ
Minutes from the March 13 Board meeting have been posted to the BLOG. Motion to accept by Jay S. seconded by Barry. Motion carried. The tax-exempt certificate is on the way. Looking to find out if the hot-spot replacement we are considering is ok being plugged in 24/7. T240-31 toroids are on order to see if they will help with the interference to the Station 1 computer.
Treasurer’s Report: Bonnie KC2JVS
Cash Flow April 10, 2024
December 31, 2023 Available Balance $12,927.58
March 31, 2024 Available Balance $15,736.03
April 10, 2024 Available Balance $15,524.51
Income: $167.62
Income is memberships
Expenses: $244.14
Expenses include $223.86 for Zoom subscription and $20.28 for new lock
Above amounts include reserve funds of $5,000.
Balance available for operating capital after deposits and expenses: $10,524.51
Not included electric bill for first quarter and new repeater.
Director at Large: Jay S N2ELG
Jay reported that he worked with Bruce to build a CPU for use with the satellite station. He organized the shelves in the closet. One shelf is loose so be careful. Gerry Gawaldo donated multiple items to BRARA and needs the appropriate donation letters.
Director at Large: Lou K4LA
We can’t get access to Walt’s Facebook page. Alternate approach is to create a new group with a different name such as Boca Raton ARA. We should get 5 administrators to help run it to avoid the current situation where we are locked out.
Director at Large: Bruce KO4XL
He’ll be away 4/14 – 5/1. WhatsApp should work if you need to contact him.
Director at Large: Barry KO4FBU
Ladders hung up on the wall of the shed to get them out of the way. Kirk was contacted about the Q1 electric bill. We have a couple of options for the 160 meter antenna that cost between $175 and $225. The first option is to use a 1:1 balun for a dedicated 160m inverted L. The second option is to use a 9:1 balun and have an antenna that will cover 160 to 6 meters. He suggested extending the existing wire for 160 and if it still doesn’t work use the 9:1 all band approach. The existing coax for the 160 antenna should be replaced.
President’s Report: Ralph W1DAR
Ralph reported that Art recommends getting a YIHUA 939D soldering station for the Shack. We don’t need to approve a motion to purchase this as it is only around $100. When we get our tax-exempt certificate we should put a copy on the Director’s shared Google Drive.
Larry Beame’s (SK) son-in-law is looking to sell Larry’s equipment. He is not local. After our previous experience selling a member’s equipment, it was decided not to get involved.
Barry needs to clear some brush to move the fan dipole to create room for the satellite antennas. Help is appreciated.
Vice President’s Report: Henry WA2ROA
Bill, WA2NCH gave permission to use his email in the BRARA shirt announcements. It has been suggested to remove some of the long term items in the weekly blast. This would be items such as the AED announcement, cut the new member portion down to the last two months, shorten the badge ad, and redo the Good and Welfare to contact Directors.
There was a discussion to allocate funds to fix the website. It was decided that we would have a committee to determine the requirements first to see if what we may want to spend is reasonable. The committee will consist of Henry, Bruce, and Mike.
Old Business
Field Day-we have had very little interest expressed in FD. Only one operator so far. It was decided that if we don’t have at least 6 operators by the end of April we’ll scrap the major effort and revert to a low-key approach.
Motion to adjourn by Bruce, seconded by Jay S. Meeting adjourned at 7:54 pm. Next BOD meeting May 15.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike Greenfeld K8BQ, Secretary