2024–2025 Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the October, 2024, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC1PWO, KE1L, N2TIQ, NT5SM, NV1W, NW1S, W1PAC, W1TJF. Guests: K1KI, KC1VOP, KC2PSE. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Following a round of introductions, Tom Frenaye, K1KI, gave a presentation on his candidacy for New England Director of the American Radio Relay League.

Officer reports

  • The President and Vice President had no report.
  • Secretary (NV1W): The website will be updated for 2025 renewals on November 1. The Volunteer Exam (VE) team will be going through some changes in 2025 to prepare for changes at the ARRL VEC and to introduce the use of ExamTools for administering exams. The ARRL VEC will no longer be printing paper exam booklets, which will first apply to the July 2026 Technician exam update. Volunteer Examiners are always needed; contact Joe, NV1W, at joechapman@alum.mit.edu if you are interested.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $7591, the repeater account has $715, and the A2 account has $13,913. Our rent at A2 is paid through December. A motion was made, seconded, and passed to accept the Treasurer’s report.

Old business

  • Brendan, NW1S, will ask Scott, K1SU, to be webmaster for the club.
  • Mark, KB1EKN, reported on the status of the new VHF repeater antenna, which has been ordered.

New business

  • Holiday party: Shirley, KE1L, will investigate the availability of the A2 classroom for this year’s holiday party. A date of Saturday, December 14, was proposed.
  • Artisans Asylum: Shirley, KE1L, reported that there is still no progress on antennas.
  • Regarding the APRS node, the main obstacle is that the wifi at A2 is unreliable; every hour you lose connections for a minute or two.
  • We are proposing a wired connection for the APRS node. I.T. at A2 is not opposed. Shirley, KE1L, will be making a proposal and expects approval, perhaps by the end of the month.
  • Repeater fund: A motion to move $1000 from the general fund into the repeater fund, to replenish money spent replacing the VHF antenna, was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.
  • Winter Field Day: This year’s Winter Field Day is January 25–26. We intend to use the same site and setup as last year.
  • Shirley, KE1L, will start planning.
  • A discussion was had about planning for adverse weather.
  • A motion to allocate $500 for Winter Field Day was made, seconded, and passed unanimously.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.

Minutes of the November, 2024, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. In attendance: AC1JL, AC1RV, KB1EKN, KC1NOS, KC1PWO, KC1QHV, KC1UPF, KC1UPQ, KC1VCG, KC1VCH, KC1VDP, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1ICN, N1QD, N2TIQ, NV1W, NW1S, W1JJF, W1PAC, W1ZQI. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:31 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Nothing to report.
  • Vice President (N1QD): The replacement antenna for the VHF repeater was shipped last week and is on a truck.
  • Secretary (NV1W): Described the renewal process and mailing schedule for 2025.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $7499. The repeater account has $714, and the A2 account has $13,093. Advanced members are asked to keep their payments current.

Old business

  • There was a discussion of the proposed dues increase. Action on this was tabled until January.
  • Scott, K1SU, has accepted his appointment as webmaster.
  • Shirley, KE1L, has reserved the A2 classroom ffrom 12:00 to 6:00 on December 7 for the Holiday Party. The party is scheduled to start at 1:00 pm and will be BYOB.
  • Because of the Holiday Party, there will be no December meeting.

Announcements

  • Shirley, KE1L, reported that we have approval for a static IP address but it’s not installed yet.
  • Shirley, KE1L, has tested the Baofengs that we got for fox hunting and they passed with flying colors.
  • Winter Field Day is on the 25th and 26th of January.
  • Joe, N1QD, noted that there are rules changes for Winter Field Day.
  • Chris, AC1RV, will be teaching a fox fox hunting class.
  • Chris, AC1RV, has got funding from the ARDC for a CW class.

New business

  • There was an open discussion on club activities.
    • POTA outings
    • contesting
    • microwaves (AREDN)
    • project and presentations for Technicians
    • J-pole building
    • Gnu radio
    • software workshops

The meeting was adjourned at 9:06 p.m.

Minutes of the January, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: AC1JL, AC1LL, K1SU, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC1PWO, KC1VCG, KC1VCH, KC1VJH, KC1VPI, KE1L, KE2DZM, N1DXN, N1PNG, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1AKM, W1MJ, W1PAC, W1TJF. Guests: KC2PSE. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:30 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): We are soliciting ideas for things the membership would like the club to do. Contact NW1S if you have suggestions. We will try to do a “Ham Radio 101” class.
  • Vice President (N1QD): We have things in the works for the VHF repeater. We have the new antenna in hand and will schedule the installation after the winter. We are also going to schedule the installation of the replacement Quantar VHF repeater.
  • Secretary (NV1W): So far we have 47 early renewals and 9 new members for 2025. The discount period ends on January 31. So far we have received $341 in donations.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $5776 after paying for the Winter Field Day cabin rentals, but not the $200 insurance bill. The repeater account has $1925, and the A2 account has $14,713. Two advanced members have already paid a full year’s dues.

Old business

  • Brendan, NW1S, reported that our old insurance company dropped us as they are getting away from insuring small non-profit organizations. We have gone with ARRL sponsored insurance as a replacement. The Executive Committee will investigate adding equipment insurance which we estimate would cost $77 annually.
  • Shirley, KE1L, reported that Harvard has signed off on new wire antennas but we need to hire professionals to do the installation. Workers near the edges of the roof will need to be tethered, and we will require a hoist operator; estimated cost is $1800.
  • Shirley, KE1L, reported that we have Ethernet cable run for our wired APRS node connection but it needs equipment configuration here. She will discuss what needs to be done with Dan, KZ2X.
  • Scott, K1SU, talked about timing and logistics for Winter Field Day.

New business

  • Joe, NV1W, presented some of the alternatives for dues increases and what they would yield. Alternatives included raising dues by $5 or $10 and eliminating the early renewal discount. The consensus was that two alternatives are promising:
    • Increase dues to $30 regular/$15 senior, with early renewal discounts of $25/$12.50. This gives an estimated total dues income of $2000, $375 over 2024.
    • Increase dues to $30 regular/$20 senior, early discount $25/$15. This gives an estimated total dues income of $2100, $475 over 2024.
  • Joe, NV1W, also noted that the responsibility for setting dues amounts lies with the Executive Committee, and that the 50% prorated amount for renewals on or after July 1 is set in the Bylaws.
  • Gordon, KC1VCH, suggested that we have different levels of membership, with perks for those who join at a higher level than the regular membership, and possibly a discount for multiple years. A request was also made for a budget or at least an explanation of major expenses.
  • Jerry, KC1PWO, suggested that we emphasize the value of a BARC membership. Tom, W1TJF pointed out that even at $36 annually we are still only asking for $3 per month.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:28 p.m.

Minutes of the February, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: K1SU, KB1EKN, KB1ISG, KC1PWO, KC1VJH, KE1L, N1QD, NT5SM, NV1W, W1ATO, W1JJF, W1MJ, W1PAC. Guests: ex-KA1HAI, KC1WEP, KC2PSE, KE2DZM, John F., Victoria N. The meeting was called to order by Vice President Joe Harris, N1QD, at 7:32 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): No report.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Winter Field Day was a success. We had 12 people participating with 3 stations, all QRP.
  • Secretary (NV1W): No report.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $6111, the repeater account has $1925, and the A2 account has $14,713. Total is $22,749.

Old business

  • Joe, N1QD, reported that the Executive Committee will have a discussion on dues for 2026 soon.
  • We intend to set up a committee to deal with antennas at the Artisans Asylum.
  • Shirley, KE1L, had no update on the APRS node.

New business

  • A motion to hold Field Day once again at Hale Education in Westwood was made, seconded, and passed unanimously. Scott, K1SU, with contact Hale Education to see how early we can reserve space for that weekend.

A presentation by Joe, NV1W, on Logbook of the World followed.

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

Minutes of the March, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: KB1EKN, KB1TOY, KC1PWO, KC1VJH, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1DXN, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S, W1PAC, W1TJF, Guests: KC1LQY, W4RD, Alex, Fabian. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:33 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): We have an ongoing Ed Fong J-Pole antenna build series at Artisans Asylum which had some challenges at its first session on March 19. We are asking members what topics they’d like to see discussed at meetings or other activities.
  • Vice President (N1QD): No updates on the repeaters. We do have the new antenna for the VHF repeater staged and are waiting to see when it can be installed. We also have a new VHF repeater that was donated but we intend to upgrade one thing at a time.
  • Secretary (NV1W): We have 104 members renewed or newly joined for 2025. Following up with 26 potential renewals that remain. The grace period for memberships ends March 31.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $6259, the repeater account has $1925, and the A2 account has $13,452. Total is $21,636. The A2 account does not reflect payments for May/June. We also have a $1962.29 balance with PayPal.

Old business

  • Brendan, NW1S, reported that an Elecraft KX3 has been donated to the club. We will take pictures and do an inventory.
  • A committee to deal with antennas at the Artisans Asylum has been created, consisting of KE1L (chair), KB1EKN, N1DXN, KD1MU, and W1ZQI. The committee is charged with being the liaison with Harvard, Artisans Asylum, and BURG (the other amateur radio group at A2), representing BARC’s interests and reporting back to the club.
  • Shirley, KE1L, reported that we have approval for two HF antenna stands on the roof. We have antennas but need a better quote for the installation.

New business

  • Shirley, KE1L, asked whether the club wants to participate again in the NewEngland QSO Party on May 3–4. It was decided that we will discuss this via the bostonARC@groups.io mailing list.
  • Brendan, NW1S, mentioned that New England Sci-Tech in Natick has invited BARC to join them for a meeting on May 6.

A presentation by Brendan, NW1S, on multimeters followed.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 p.m.

Minutes of the April, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, April 17, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: K1SU, KB1EKN, KC1AOJ, KC1PWO, KC1UPQ, KC2PSC, KE1L, N1QD, NW1S, W1JJF, W1PAC, W1TJF, W1ZQI. Guests: Margaret, Victoria. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:35 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Reported that summer field day is being planned and will be discussed later in the meeting.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Reports the DMR repeater will be shifted to analog mode for the Boston Marathon from 4/18 through 4/21. Repeater equipment upgrades will not be done until after the Marathon.
  • Secretary (NV1W): No report submitted.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $8,095, the repeater account has $1,924, and the A2 account has $13,813. Total is $ 23,832.

Old business

  • Shirley, KE1L, reported on the antenna work at A2. As reported last month, the antennas have been approved by the building owner, Harvard. Shirley has obtained competitive quotes for the required equipment and operators to move the antenna and supporting materials to the roof. There was discussion about logistics and the technical requirements for mechanical and electrical securement. The club requested the Antenna Committee to provide a budgetary estimate of the total costs before approving the expenditure.

New business

  • Brendan, NW1S, reports there is a meeting of local radio clubs planned for May 6 at the New England SciTech in Natick and BARC has been invited to join. The meeting will address attracting and retaining new people to the hobby. All are welcome.
  • Brendan, NW1S, reminds the club of the upcoming New England QSO Party on May 3–4.
  • Scott, K1SU, reports that plans are underway for Summer Field Day on 6/27–29/2025. The club will return to the Hale Education facility in Westwood as in previous years and a deposit has been made to secure the facility. This will be the 4th year at Hale and Scott reports that planning should be straightforward. A meeting is scheduled for May 8 to review logistics. This year the club plans to set up a GOTA station.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

Minutes of the May, 2025, Executive Committee Meeting

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Wednesday, May 7, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston. Officers attending: KB1EKN, N1QD, NV1W, NW1S. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:09 p.m.

The following dues structure was proposed:

  • $30 annually for Regular Members, $20 annually for discounted categories (Junior, Senior, Family).
  • $5 discount for renewals on or before January 31 of the membership year.

A motion to adopt this dues structure was made, seconded, and passed.

The current situation with Artisans Asylum was discussed and it was noted that Advanced Mmembers may need to be prepared for an adjustment to the annual dues.

Joe, N1QD, gave a report on the antenna.

Minutes of the May, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, May 15, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: K1SU, KB1ISG, KB1P, KC1VJH, KE1L, N1PHL, N1PNG, NV1W, KB1EKN, KC1PWO, N1QD, NW1S, W4RD. Guests: KC1AOJ, KC1HHO, KC1WRM. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, at 7:32 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Many things in progress including planning for Field Day. The ARDC is asking for a final report on the project they funded; will work with KC1PWO on that.
  • Vice President (N1QD): No updates on the repeater. Note that elections will be next month.
  • Secretary (NV1W): Excluding honorary members we have 116 members, of which 24 are new this year. 17 did not renew for 2025 and of those, 3 joined the club in 2024. Only 1 of our current members is not yet licensed.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The checking account has $8115. This includes the amount we paid to Hale Education for the Field Day site in June. The A2 account has $13,813 and we will be writing a $1260 check to A2 before June 1. Repeater fund has $1900.

Old business

  • Antenna committee (from Shirley, KE1L): The anchor point for the antenna went up last week. We need to figure out the grounding situation for the antennas.
  • Brendan, NW1S: An Elecraft KX3 has been donated to the club and we bought some side rails for it.
  • The club participated in the New England QSO Party from Millenium Park in Boston on May 4 and made 30 Qs.
  • NW1S, NV1W, and W1PAC went to the STARS club in Natick as representatives of BARC for a joint meeting.
  • Field Day (from Scott, K1SU):
    – we only have 13 people signed up, so sign up.
    – we may have a GOTA station this year.
    – a logistics meeting was held last week.
    – we need to figure out food, maybe only covering food on Saturday?
    – equipment is all set.
  • The Executive Committee met recently, and will send out email announcing dues changes for 2026.

Peter, KC1HHO, gave a presentation on the National Traffic System and the Radiogram.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:04 p.m.

Minutes of the June, 2025, General Meeting

A General Meeting of the Boston Amateur Radio Club was held on Thursday, June 19, 2025, at the Artisans Asylum in Allston and simultaneously on the Zoom teleconferencing platform. Members attending: NW1S, KE1L, N1QD, KB1EKN, W1PAC, KC1VCH, AC1JL, KC1VJH, KC1PMS, K1SU, KC1WRM, and KC1PWO. Guests: Ivan. The meeting was called to order by President Brendan Baldonado, NW1S at 7:35 p.m.

Officer reports

  • President (NW1S): Reported that recent activities have been centered around the upcoming summer Field Day with details discussed later in the meeting.
  • Vice President (N1QD): Reported on equipment preparation including computers for the upcoming summer Field Day.
  • Secretary (NV1W): No report submitted.
  • Treasurer (KB1EKN): The general account has $8,115, the repeater account has $1,924, and the A2 account has $12,193. Total is $22,232. The PayPal account has $269 which was not included in the total.

Old business

  • Scott, K1SU, reports that plans are mostly finalized for Summer Field Day on 6/27–29/2025. The club will return to the Hale Education facility in Westwood as in previous years. A motion was made and passed to allocate $400 from the club for food.

New business

  • Elections. Scott, K1SU, the chairman of the nominating committee submitted a slate of officers for the coming year consisting of the incumbents, Brendan Baldonado, NW1S, President, Joe Harris, N1QD, Vice-President, Joe Chapman, NV1W, Secretary, and Mark Duff, KB1EKN, Treasurer. There were no other nominations submitted. A motion was made and passed for the secretary to cast a single vote to elect the slate. The members present thanked the officers for their invaluable past and future contributions.

Program

  • Joe, N1QD, gave an excellent presentation on the N1MM logging software which the club will be using for summer Field Day.

The meeting was adjourned at 9:15 p.m.