2025–2026 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the September, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1RV, K1OP, K9HI, KB1EKN, KC1TFJ, KC1WRM, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1ICN, N1PHL, N1PNG, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1PAC. Guests: KB1NCR, W1DYJ (speaker), Tommy, Jason. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:33 p.m.

Following introductions, Phil, K9HI, announced that the ARRL is starting an effort to get the HOA bill passed. You can support this effort by going to arrl.org/hoa and entering your call. This will generate a physical letter that they will hand deliver to your representative and senators. You do not have to be an ARRL member to participate.

A presentation on FT8 by Larry, W1DYJ, followed.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Artisans Asylum was not logging our payments. This is now sorted out. Our new member services contact is Amber Halt.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Gave a recap of Field Day.
  • Secretary (NV1W): Excluding honorary members we have 130 members, of which 33 are new this year.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The repeater fund has $1925. The checking account has $9231, not including $575 we received today. The A2 account has $12,192, and the total is $23,348. Next month we should vote on moving $500 from the checking account to the repeater fund. Hale Education has not yet cashed our check for Field Day; we will ask Scott, K1SU, to look into it.

Old business

  • Antenna committee (from Shirley, KE1L): No updates on the electricians. Other groups have added 40 and 80 meter OCF dipoles on the roof. Nothing has been done on grounding.

New business and announcements

  • Mark, KB1EKN, asked about the state of the club’s insurance. Brendan, NW1S, described the policy we have through the ARRL.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, asked if we want to do SKYWARN Recognition Day at the Blue Hill Observatory this year. A considerable amount of work is involved, and it only results in about four hours of operating. Others asked if we might consider doing the event, but scaling the effort back. This was tabled until the October meeting.
  • A motion to participate in Winter Field Day 2026 was made, seconded, and passed unanimously
  • A motion to allocate $500 for the Holiday Party was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Details will be worked out later.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, made announcement about a private service for BARC’s founding President, Bob Salow, WA1IDA (SK) that he will be attending.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:02 p.m.

Minutes of the October, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1UT, K1SU, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC1PWO, KM1P, N1ICN, N1PHL, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1PAC, W4RD. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:34 p.m.

Following introductions, a presentation on DMR by Joe, N1QD, followed.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Nothing to report
  • Vice President (N1QD): Gave a recap of NEAR-Fest.
  • Secretary (NV1W): Excluding honorary members we have 131 members. As a reminder, there will be a dues increase for 2026. The website will open for renewals on November 1.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $10,401. The repeater fund has $1925. The A2 account has $13,453, and the total is $25,779. A2 has not yet cashed the check for July–September. KE1L will confirm the proper address for sending payments to A2. The Hale Education issue (uncashed June, 2025, check for Field Day) has been resolved.

Old business

  • SKYWARN Recognition Day (December 6, 2025). N1QD gave a history of the event. KB1EKN asked if we were interested in doing it. The sense was that the major effort we’ve done in past years is not practical. Perhaps we could do one HF station or a POTA-style activation. Tabled to the November meeting.
  • Winter Field Day: we should get a body count. K1SU will put out a survey.

New business and announcements

  • The K1USN club will be operating on Veterans’ Day (November 11) from the Bare Cove Fire Museum in Hingham.
  • Richard Hoffman, K1DJ, became a silent key in October. He was a member of the K1USN club and known to many in BARC.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:52 p.m.

Minutes of the November, 2025 General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: KB1EKN, KB1ISG, N1ICN, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1PAC, W1ZQI, W4RD, Ellen Simmons. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Nothing to report
  • Vice President (N1QD): No news on the repeater. Noted that the post-Halloween HF contest season is upon us.
  • Secretary (NV1W): Membership renewal mailing will be going out soon.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $10,231. The savings account has $1925, and the A2 account has $12,193. We are six months behind on payments to A2; KE1L has a contact.

Old business

  • A motion to move $500 from the checking account to the repeater fund was tabled until the January, 2026 General Meeting.
  • KE1L reported on the current antenna setup at Artisans Asylum. There are currently 40–10 and 80–10 meter antennas. None of them is very high.
  • NW1S reported on the club’s current insurance.
  • The Holiday Party will be held on December 6, starting at 1:00 pm. KE1L will reserve the space at A2.
  • Winter Field Day: K1SU did not get much response to his survey. He will get us two cabins. We will consider running only two radios.

New business and announcements

  • NW1S is looking into asking the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea to host a digital node.
  • As a reminder, Circuit hacking night at A2 is on Wednesdays from 6 to 8 pm. You do not need to be an A2 member (or a BARC Advanced Member) to attend.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:46 pm.

Minutes of the January, 2026, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1RV, AC1UT, K1SU, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1PNG, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1MJ, W1PAC. Guests: KC1WRM, KC1YSD, W8FMS, WC1U. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Not much, waiting on Artisans Asylum for cost figures for adding new Advanced Members.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Nothing official.
  • Secretary (NV1W): So far we have 91 renewals for 2026, with 50 to go.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $10,334. The repeater fund has $1925. We have a balance of $2266 in the PayPal account. The A2 account has $10,932, and is paid through December 2025. Recent payments include $490 to NV1W for the membership mailing and Post Office box, $247 for the Holiday Party, and we owe $170 to N1QD for the new 40 meter dipole. The club is in very healthy financial shape, better than ever.

Old business

  • A motion to transfer $500 from the checking account to the repeater fund was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
  • Brendan, NW1S, noted that we need to ask an electrician about grounding our antennas at A2. Shirley, KE1L, said that we really ought to have a VHF/UHF antenna as well with Mark, KB1EKN, concurring.

New business

  • Winter Field Day: Scott, K1SU, gave a presentation on our plans for this event.
  • A motion to fund up to $200 for heating wood for Winter Field Day was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Mark, KB1EKN, noted that this is a one-time expenditure based on the financial health of the club, and that participants should not depend on having wood funded in future years.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:49 p.m.

Minutes of the February, 2026, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1UT, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1ZQI. Guests: KS2G, Lauren. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

After introductions, Mel, KS2G, gave a presentation on “Basics of HF Operating.”

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Have not yet talked with an electrician about grounding at Artisans Asylum. Did reach out to Dan, KZ2X, about the packet node.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Nothing to report.
  • Secretary (NV1W): We have 144 members, with 32 in the grace period who still need to renew for 2026.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): Issues with Artisans Asylum are finally straightened out. The checking account has $10,350. The repeater fund has $1925, excluding $500 to be transferred into the account per a vote at last month’s meeting. The A2 account has $13,358, with the January–March payment still to be made. We sent $200 to the Bare Cove Fire Museum for the Winter Field Day operation (this would have been used for wood at the AMC Ponkapoag site).

New business and announcements

  • Shirley, KE1L, announced that she is working on possible club projects including an analog QRP radio build (the LARCSet from htsignals.com), also a design for a low-cost keyer in the $25–30 range.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:12 p.m.

Minutes of the March, 2026 General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, KB1ISG, KC1WCC, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1ICN, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1ZQI, WC1U. Guests: KC1YWO, WB2IKT, Bek T., Cydni T., Dave C. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:32 p.m.

Following introductions, a presentation on “Anatomy of a VHF/UHF Repeater” by WB2IKT was given.

Due to the length of the presentation, the business portion of the meeting was suspended, and the meeting was adjourned at 9:15 pm.

Minutes of the April, 2026 General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, April 16, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1UT, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1PAC, W4RD, WC1U. Guests: ex-KA1HAY, KB3JCY, KC1PMS, KC1YGA, KC1YWN, KC1YWO. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): We are waiting on electricians for grounding at Artisans Asylum. Gave an update on a possible packet node site at the Soldiers’ Home in Chelsea.
  • Vice President (N1QD): The repeaters will be in use on Monday, April 20, for the Boston Mararthon. The normal DMR repeater cbridge configuration will be off starting on Friday evening of Marathon weekend and will resume on Monday evening.
  • Secretary (NV1W): No report.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $12,181, including a $250 payment from Sci-Tech for their newsletter advertisement and a donation. The repeater fund has $2925. All accounts total $27,204.68. For Field Day, we pay $579 to Hale Education for the site. Food typically runs in the neighborhood of $300–$400.

New business and announcements

  • Mark, KB1EKN, observed that the club’s generator is twelve years old and is only used at Field Day.
  • A motion to allocate $1100 for Field Day was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
  • The club normally operates in the New England QSO Party from Millennium Park in West Roxbury on Sunday of the contest (May 3 in 2026). We will coordinate this via the email reflector.
  • Some general information on Field Day and the club’s plans for the event was provided.

A presentation by Joe, NV1W, on a “Technician Bucket List” followed.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:22 p.m.


Minutes of the May, 2026, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1UT, K1SU, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KB1TOY, KC1SJR, KC1YPD, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1ICN, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1MJ, W1PAC, WJ1GFO. Guests: KC1AOJ, Greg P. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Our club insurance with the ARRL has been renewed.
  • Vice President (N1QD): It was good to see other club members at the Dayton Hamvention this year.
  • Secretary (NV1W): No report.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $11,442. Recent expenses include $100 for filing our 2024–25 IRS form 990, $579 to Hale Education for the Field Day site, and $60 to the New England QSO Party to fund one of the award plaques. The repeater fund has $2925. The A2 account has $11,792 and we have a balance of $782.72 with PayPal. All accounts total $26,942.60.

A presentation by Brendan, NW1S, on “HF in a Carry-on Backpack” followed.

New business and announcements

  • Scott, K1SU, described our preparations for Field Day. The logistics will be mostly the same as last year. Zoom meetings will take place over the next month. Scott did not know of any purchases we need to make.
  • We are likely to operate four HF stations plus VHF (class 4A) once again this year.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, said that we will have the use of a defibrillator (AED) that was donated to the Bare Cove Fire Museum for both Field Day and Winter Field Day. He recommended that people consider taking CPR/AED training.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:09 p.m.

Minutes of the June, 2026, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AB0YT, AC1JL, KB1EKN, KE1L, N1QD, N7RPY, NK3H, NV1W, NW1S, W1PAC, WC1U, WJ1GFO. Guests: ex-KA1HAY, Steve Provost, Nathaniel B. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): No report.
  • Vice President (N1QD): FIeld Day preparations continued. In addition to our other radios, we will be using a K3 supplied by Eliot, W1MJ. It has been tested under SSB, CW, and digital modes.
  • Secretary (NV1W): The club has 130 members. Half-price memberships for the rest of 2026 begin on July 1.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The repeater fund has $2925, checking account $11,442, and the A2 account has $11,793. Upcoming expenses include $150 for a new 40 meter dipole and a $296 reimbursement to the club President for this year’s insurance payment. Incidental Field Day expenses, mostly for food, are expected to run to $500–600.

Elections

  • As none of the races for club officers were contested, a motion to direct the Secretary to cast a single vote for the slate of officers was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
  • The following officers were elected: President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S; Vice President Joe Harris, N1QD; Secretary Joe Chapman, NV1W; Treasurer Mark Duff, KB1EKN.

Field Day

  • Brendan, NW1S, gave an overview of Field Day for newcomers and people who have never been to a BARC Field Day before.
  • We will be operating four HF stations plus VHF (class 4A) once again this year.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, reported that the 40 meter dipole the club voted to purchase has been acquired. Mark will tune it before Field Day. He is putting off buying the 225 foot cable we voted to purchase until more exact measurements can be made on-site. He noted that the second 40 meter filter will fit in the patch panel.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, recommended that people come prepared for heat and sun, with a hat and sunscreen. People setting up on Friday should consider bringing work gloves and water.
  • Setup on Friday will begin at noon.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:27 p.m.