GNARC Meeting Minutes, January 8, 2025
Location: Westport Library, Conference Room 216
Attending: Officer members –Hugo AA1XV, President; Marty K1MGD, Vice President; Dave N1DPD Treasurer; Tom KB1FBX, Secretary
Other members in attendance: Toy K1WYQ; Steve W1SMS ; Steve K1RF; Rusty K4SAA; Mark N1MG; Jeff KB1C; Pete KC1PWH and Chuck K1CWT
Minutes: Meeting called to order at 7:30 PM by President Hugo
Election of New Officers for 2025:
Nominating committee: Toy K1WYQ and Paul W1PPL (who was not present) reviewed their slate of candidates:
Current officers – President Hugo AA1XV, Vice President Marty K1MGD, Treasurer Dave N1DPD, and Jeff KB1C for Secretary. Nominations from the floor were sought by Toy: Mark N1MG nominated Steve W1SMS for Vice President, which was duly seconded and who was elected by majority vote of attending members. Remaining officers and candidates in the proposed slate were also elected by majority vote.
Treasurer’s Report:
Treasurer Dave N1DPD reported 25 attended the Holiday Party in December, which after costs were subtracted from expenses was a net cost of $569. A financial statement form 2024 was presented which showed income from club dues, donations and sale of equipment against expenses related to taxes, form 990 filing,UPS mailbox, picnic supplies, holiday party, website, insurance, and new repeater and antenna at a cost of $2800, which overall meant( a net loss of $1553 for the year).
So far in 2025, 3 members have paid annual $35 dues. Members are asked to PLEASE pay using PayPal, via the link on the club website: http://gnarc.org/join/.
Dues can be mailed to:
Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Club, 304 Main Avenue #115, Norwalk, CT 06851
Overall the club is in good shape financially.
There was some discussion of moving the club PO mailing address to someone’s private residence which would save $300 per year. Currently we are paid through March. Disadvantages of this would be the need to change mailing addresses registered to the club in lots of places, and this would need to change whenever the hosting member required us to change it (i.e., moved, quit the club, etc.) We would also need to retain both addresses for a one year overlap. Advantage of keeping things as they are is that the address remains permanent, No conclusions were reached.
Old Business:
Steve W1SMS reported the new repeater is working and will undergo a bit more testing. There was some discussion of antennas located at Norwalk Hospital and FOX radio station. The current tower on Strawberry Hill Ave is still in use though the site has been sold twice and we have had no contact with the present owners. We should wait until the new antenna is in place and has been tested before removing anything from anywhere.
Our trailer, which currently stores Field Day equipment, is currently located behind Fire Station #4 and we must find a new home for it within the next 6 months. There may also be some club “stuff” still stored in a closet there, and some antennas, which must be removed. We are seeking a volunteer or someone with contacts who can assist with this. Rusty K4SAA and Marty K1MGD may be able to help with this. (Update: on 1/9 we received an email from Marty K1MGD relating that there is in fact nothing in that room.). The trailer itself needs to be power washed and unusable “junk” inside remove, a possible springtime club project.
New Business:
Hugo AA1XV related a conversation he’s had with Steve N1CM, president of SARA about possibly connecting GNARC more with the Stamford club. SARA has their own way of doing Field Day, and so far we have not found common ground. The idea of trying other joint activities was explored but needs further research, GNARC and SARA did join forces to work at last summer’s “Bloomin Metric” bike race, which was successful in some ways but had some technology glitches. The question was raised: could we pair with SARA on other (non Field Day) activities, maybe contests?
A more general discussion followed revolving around the question posed by Steve W1SMS: What do GNARC members want? The idea of a survey of membership asking for thoughts/ideas/reactions was advanced.
More specifically, some discussion of exploring moving our Field Day back into Vets Park, but perhaps not as extensively as we’ve done it in the past. A lot of discussion and volunteering of antennas that would be simple to erect and give us good coverage of the band we need, perhaps making setup easier. No conclusions were reached; Hugo will survey the membership before the next club meeting. We have 4 meetings before FD to discuss and plan.
Next Meeting: Wednesday, February 12, at the Westport Library, room location TBA
Meeting adjourned 8:55 PM
Jeff KB1C, Secretary
(Note: Thank you for this opportunity to serve the club. Please address errors and corrections directly to me at gnarc.webmaster@gmail.com so I can keep accurate records!)
On the menu, hover over PHOTOS and then click on GNARC Holiday Party
GNARC 9-11-2024 Meeting Minutes.
Westport Library.
Meeting was called to order by Hugo – AA1XV at 7:35 PM.
Attending:
Steve W1SMS, Paul W1PPL, David N1DPD treasurer, Hugo AA1XV president, Jim KC1FB, Martin K1MGD vice president, Tom KB1FBX vice president.
The meeting notes of the last meeting were approved.
Old Business:
Don Hudson SK. Estate donated equipment to club and family, in addition donated funds.
Treasurer’s report. The picnic cost, approximately $800, the club sec. is unsure if the gift card to the party host, is included in the $800.
Discussed at meeting: Christmas party, various options reviewed.
The repeater at the hospital is to be inspected, visit to be announced.
Club trailer at FD has to be moved. Perhaps to Fairfield Ave FD. Trailer contents to be cataloged.
Mike N1PLH is believed to have some club equipment at his house.
Hugo would like to sell extra “stuff” at Oct 13 Nutmeg Ham show. He could use another ham to attend show and help with tag sale area.
Next meeting Oct. 8,2024 at Westport Library 7:30 PM.
Submitted by Tom R. KB1FBX
We’ve been closely monitoring the weather forecast over the past few days, and the chances of rain are high, with a 50/50 chance of getting wet and sticky. As a result, we’ve decided to postpone the picnic to next Sunday, August 25, at 1 PM.
If you’d like to update your attendance, side dishes, or the number of guests in your party, please let us know by using the link you were originally sent or by email.
No need to reconfirm or take any further action if your plans remain the same.
We hope to see you all there for a sunny and pleasant afternoon on Sunday, August 25, at 1 PM.
Best regards,
Hugo W. Catta – AA1XV
President, Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Corporation
July 17, 2024.
Westport Library
The meeting was called to order by Hugo – AA1XV at 7:35PM.
Attendance:
N1DPD, treasurer; K1MGD, vice president; AA1XV, president; W1PPL, WG1HM, K1WYQ, W1SMS, K1ARF.
Treasurer’s Report:
The club is solvent. Sixty two paying members reported so far this year. Treasurer presented expenses for the new repeater and accessories.
Previous meeting minutes:
Held on June 12 were reviewed and two corrections approved:
– Typo: W1DPD, should read: N1DPD.
– Under new business, it should be noted that Jon, AI1V, took over as the permanent webmaster, not temporary. There was a misinterpretation by the board.
After these corrections, the minutes were approved.
Old Business:
A progress report on the new 2M repeater was presented by Steve, W1SMS and Paul, W1PPL. In the next weeks, The new Yaesu Fusion repeater and antenna will be field tested. A controller provided by AI1V will be incorporated into the system.
New Business:
A few words were expressed by several members on the passing of Don Hudson, KA1TZR, his long time work and influence in the life of GNARC. Marty K1MGD will provide Don’s information to the ARRL in order to include him in the Silent Keys section of QST.
N1DPD, K1RF and K1MGD commented on the Field Day participation at the Westport Astronomical Society, this year.
The ARRL grants offered to clubs were discussed. There will be no action taken.
Announcement:
This year, like in the past, many will gather for the summer picnic. To that end, we will be contacting the generous member who has lent the house and their time for us to enjoy this tradition. It will be on August 18th and we will provide the time and location very soon.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 PM by AA1XV, who is submitting these minutes.
Hugo W. Catta – President
Greater Norwalk Amateur Radio Corporation
Monthly Members Meeting
June 12, 2024 – Meeting Minutes
This month we were unable to secure a room at the Comstock Center of Wilton. A virtual meeting was held.
Called to order by the president, Hugo AA1XV, at 1930 hours.
Attending: Officer members – Hugo AA1XV, President; Dave N1DPD, Treasurer. Other members and guests in attendance: Pete, KC1PWH; Paul, W1PPL; Jon, AI1V; Toy, K1WYQ; Steve, W1SMS; Dan (callsign?); Jim, KC1FB; Steve, K1RF; Johnny,W1DYN; Andre,W2ART.
Treasurer’s report: Our club is solvent. No changes since last meeting. No new paid members nor new expenses.
Committee Reports:A committee previously appointed on the matter of club assets, credentials, and technological evaluation of the repeaters and GNARC licenses and coordination, integrated by Steve W1SMS, Paul W1PPL, and Peter KC1PWH, presented a report on the current state of GNARC’s repeaters. This is a first step towards ensuring continuous availability of VHF communication by creating enough redundancy to address power loss, hardware failure, site inaccessibility, or any other unforeseen situation.
Peter KC1PWH put forward a motion for the Board of Directors (B.O.D.) to consider, and if adopted, authorize the expenditure of funds to cover the purchase of a new Yaesu Fusion repeater, a new collinear antenna, and other necessary hardware complemented with donated material to be installed at the Norwalk Hospital.
Subsequent steps for the broader scope of this committee will include:
- Installing an Echolink node
- Securing access to the current 2-meter repeater site
- Creating necessary maintenance documentation
- Ensuring rights to access the locations of the equipment
- Assuring the club’s rights over these locations.
Old Business:
Johnny, W1DYN, and Dave, W1DPD, provided a brief overview of the Bloomin Metric Bike race held this past month. Firstly, there were no injuries or accidents among the participants. However, it was noted that some areas on the route do not have reliable cell phone coverage, highlighting the convenience and reliability of radio communications to support the event.
New Business:
Toy, K1WYQ, expressed concern about the gnarc.org website. His concerns included outdated information and the vulnerability of membership email addresses to spam and exploitation by malicious actors. In this vein, I’d like to ask again for help: We’d like to have a permanent webmaster or someone willing to take care of our webpage on a more permanent basis.” Jon, AI1V, stepped in to help when Paul, W1IP, stepped down as webmaster after many years of dedicated service, for which we are very grateful. We are looking for volunteers who can dedicate a few hours a month to keep the website current and secure. If you are interested, please step forward and let us know.
Announcements:
This June 22 and 23 is the annual ARRL Field Day. GNARC will not participate as a club, but some members will join the event at the Westport Astronomical Society, collaborating with two other clubs. Setup will be on Friday, June 21st. If you want to reserve an operation slot, please visit: Field Day Signup Form.
The meeting was adjourned at 2100 hours.
We will be holding a VE session on Saturday August 17 at 10am at the
Norwalk Public Library
One Belden Ave
Norwalk CT 06850
VEs needed
