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!)
