{"id":1781,"date":"2021-08-22T18:36:08","date_gmt":"2021-08-22T23:36:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/?page_id=1781"},"modified":"2026-02-24T15:50:44","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T20:50:44","slug":"mt-beacon-club-meeting-minutes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/mt-beacon-club-meeting-minutes\/","title":{"rendered":"Mt. Beacon Club meeting minutes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>January 8, 2026<br>19 members in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:38 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance.<br>He reported that he had received correspondence from ARRL asking if MBARC would like to<br>be listed in a new digital directory of clubs, for a fee. A show of hands was taken and the<br>members present unanimously wanted to decline the offer.<br>Rich reported that the Club will again provide volunteers for emergency communications at the<br>annual Dutchess County St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade in Wappingers Falls on March 7. Adam,<br>AE2AN, discussed the need for as many volunteers a possible and detailed what their<br>responsibilities would be.<br>Officer Reports<br>Treasurer Jeff, KE2I, gave a summary of the Financial Report and circulated a copy of the full<br>report.<br>Financial Report<br>Income 9\/1\/2025 through 12\/31\/2025 $ 2,004<br>Expenses 9\/1\/2025 through 12\/31\/2025 $ 1,642<br>Net $ 362<br>Total of All Accounts as of 12\/31\/2025 $21,882<br>Jeff reported that at this point the September hamfest had taken in $1,477, with $1,072 in<br>expenses, for a net of $405. Since there is food left over there is still the potential to recover<br>some additional food costs.<br>Jeff also reported that he has been unable to get a Google For Non-Profits account for the<br>Club and will pursue other free alternatives.<br>There were no new applications for membership.<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZD, encouraged members to become net control stations for the<br>Monday Night On-Air meetings. It\u2019s a great way to learn how to be a net control station and is<br>a valuable service to the Club.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the minutes for the November 13, 2025 meeting. The minutes were<br>approved unanimously.<br>Director and Trustee Reports<br>There were no Director or Trustee reports.<br>Committee Reports<br>Adam, AE2AN, gave details for the January 24 Winter Field Day. The location was changed to<br>60 Wigsten Road, Pleasant Valley, NY, in the property maintenance building. Set up is 9:00<br>am, operations begin at 11:00 am. A lengthy question and answer discussion followed. Many<br>thanks to Brian, N2BRY, for obtaining the location for Winter Field Day!<br>New and Old Business<br>Discussion of purchasing a projector, originally planned for this meeting, was tabled until the<br>March meeting.<br>The meeting was adjourned at 7:12 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC Joint In-Person Meeting With The QSY Society<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>November 13, 2025<br>27 members and 2 guests in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm, leading the Pledge of<br>Allegiance. He then asked for a round of self introductions.<br>President Rich asked that we forgo the usual financial report and reading of the minutes to<br>allow time for the presentations by our guests from ARRL. He then opened the meeting for<br>updates, comments, and questions.<br>Treasurer Jeff, KE2I, reported that he had reserved the Community Room for all our 2026<br>meetings. The dates are January 8, March 12, May 14, July 9, September 10, and November<br>12.<br>QSY President Shirley, N2SKP, announced the birth of her first great grand child.<br>Congratulations Shirley!<br>Shirley also invited all to the QSY holiday party, December 6. She also reported that a<br>volunteer to help with the QSY website is needed.<br>John, N2OXV, reported that he had recently replaced cables for the 970 repeater.<br>Adam, AE2AN, reported that he hopes to have Field Day at the Dutchess County training<br>center again in 2026. He also reported that Winter Field Day is January 24 and that the<br>whitewater races on Wappingers Creek will resume in 2026; details to follow.<br>John Fritze, K2QY, ARRL Eastern New York Section Manger, began his presentation with a<br>description of a section manager\u2019s responsibilities. There are 71 sections and 15 divisions.<br>Section Managers serve a 2 year term. They recruit section level staff. liaison with the Division<br>Director, and are responsible for correspondence between section members. They also<br>oversee ARES\/RACES activities in their section and ARRL orientation.<br>John led a quiz session which brought out some fascinating facts, such as:<br>There are 3 million amateur radio operators worldwide, and the average age is 65-70. The<br>average age in the US and Europe is 70, and 26.4 in Canada!<br>The first wireless club was founded in 1908 at Columbia University.<br>Government licensing of amateur radio operators in the US began in 1912.<br>ARES\/RACES was established in 1935.<br>John\u2019s presentation was followed by Dave Galletfly\u2019s. Dave, KM2O, is Vice Director for ARRL\u2019s<br>Hudson Division. Dave explained that the divisions run ARRL as a legal corporation. Vice<br>directors sit in for the Director in his\/her absence. The divisions write rules for the sections and<br>propose and conduct projects. A current project is the establishment of more ARL codes for<br>radiograms.<br>Dave gave ARRL\u2019s definition of affiliated clubs, such as MBARC. He then elaborated on<br>ARRL\u2019s major initiative for 2026, \u201cThe Year Of The Club\u201d.<br>A Q&amp;A session followed Dave\u2019s presentation.<br>Dave and John left 2 ARRL books for MBARC to use as prizes or give aways at a future event<br>New and Old Business<br>Adam, AE2AN, suggested the Club buys a projector. The suggestion was well received and it<br>was agreed to pursue the issue further at the January 2026 meeting with costs and<br>descriptions available for the discussion.<br>The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm.<br>Many attendees remained and mingled and talked with others.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>September 11, 2025<br>17 members in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:37 pm. Before leading the Pledge of<br>Allegiance he asked us to remember Sept. 11, 2001 and the murder of Charlie Kirk, Sept. 10,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2025\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Rich reminded us that there is no place for violence in our nation and we need to<br>respect each other more. He asked us to please reflect on the meaning of the words in the<br>Pledge.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the minutes for the July 10, 2025 meeting. The minutes were approved<br>unanimously.<br>Officer Reports<br>Treasurer Jeff, KE2I, gave a summary of the Financial Report and circulated a copy of the full<br>report.<br>Financial Report<br>Income 7\/1\/2025 through 8\/31\/2025 $ 1,318.75<br>Expenses 7\/1\/2025 through 8\/31\/2025 $ 209.41<br>Net $ 1,109.34<br>Total of All Accounts as of 8\/31\/2025 $21,520.52<br>Jeff outlined a proposal to improve the rate of return on Club funds. His proposal is to move<br>$15,000 into 3 separate Flex CD\u2019s. Jeff passed out copies of the proposal which described its<br>objectives, approach, benefits, risks, and a timetable for implementation. He asked that<br>everyone read over the proposal and then, later in the meeting, he would bring it to a vote.<br>As approved at the last meeting, Jeff submitted a request to get a Google For Non-Profits<br>account. The request is pending approval.<br>Four applicants for membership were voted on and unanimously approved:<br>Cady Atlas<br>Phil Porteus AD2KD<br>Ian Porteus KE2GER<br>Ryan Edmundson KE2BBS.<br>Jeff reported that he had set up a VHF packet radio station and asked that anyone wishing to<br>get involved with packet radio let him know.<br>Director and Trustee Reports<br>There were no Director or Trustee reports.<br>Committee Reports<br>Adam, AE2AN, gave details for the September 14 hamfest. He reported that he still needs a<br>few more volunteers and that all volunteers should arrive at 6:00 am. He said he also needed a<br>few more tables. Since the forecast was for good weather, there would be indoor and outdoor<br>dining. One of the Club\u2019s Bao-Feng HTs would be a door prize. So far, there were no preregistered<br>vendors.<br>Lynn, KV2J, reported that three people, and possibly a fourth, would be taking the VE exams at<br>the hamfest.<br>New and Old Business<br>Jeff asked if there were any questions or comments regarding his proposal for improving the<br>rate of return for the Club\u2019s funds. A brief discussion followed, with the overall response to the<br>proposal very positive.<br>Adam moved to go ahead and implement Jeff\u2019s proposal. The motion was approved<br>unanimously.<br>The meeting was adjourned at 7:29 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>July 10, 2025<br>18 members and 2 guests in attendance<br>Treasurer Jeff, KE2I, called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm and led the Pledge of Allegiance.<br>Officer Reports<br>Jeff called for a vote for a new membership applicant, Ryan Zygmunt, W2RZD, who was<br>elected unanimously.<br>Jeff gave a summary of the Financial Report and circulated a copy of the full report.<br>Financial Report<br>Income 5\/1\/2025 through 6\/30\/2025 $ 1,687.18<br>Expenses 5\/1\/2025 through 6\/30\/2025 $ 505.16<br>Net $ 1,182.02<br>Total of All Accounts as of 6\/30\/2025 $20,411.18<br>Jeff also circulated a copy of the audit he performed on the Club\u2019s finances after he assumed<br>the office of Treasurer. He reported that the audit found all finances in good order.<br>Jeff reminded everyone that some membership dues had not yet been paid.<br>Jeff said that he would like to acquire (at no cost) and use the not-for-profit version of Google<br>Workshop. Carol, KC2BOC, made a motion to permit Jeff to do so and the motion passed<br>unanimously.<br>Michelle, K2MJR, suggested taking whatever funds we don\u2019t anticipate using in the near future<br>and move them into CD\u2019s. CD\u2019s pay better interest than checking and savings accounts, and if<br>we purchase several small ones, we can cash them in if needed and not suffer penalties as<br>great as if we had only a few large ones. There was general acceptance of this idea and it was<br>noted that former Treasurer Andrew, W2BOS, had already purchased some smaller CD\u2019s.<br>Jeff suggested we also investigate money market funds, but we should continue these<br>discussions when all officers are present.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the May 8 meeting minutes, which were accepted unanimously.<br>New and Old Business<br>Bill, KB2SSP, passed around some radio related books he was willing to loan to members.<br>Jeff circulated detailed statistics and charts from data collected at the June Field Day.<br>Together, MBARC and QSY had a total of 784 contacts. Jeff showed breakdowns of contacts<br>by time and by operator.<br>A motion was made to declare 2025 Field Day a success. It passed unanimously. Also, there<br>was a strong consensus to use the same location for next year\u2019s Field Day.<br>Cady Atlas was a guest in attendance. She came to the meeting because she wanted to learn<br>how, when, and where to take an amateur radio licensing exam. She was warmly greeted and<br>her questions were answered. Jeff called for a round of self-introductions and he asked each<br>member to also state her\/his other radio activities and affiliations to show Cady how broad and<br>diverse our hobby is.<br>Jeff reminded all of the need for volunteers for the September 14 hamfest.<br>The meeting was adjourned at 7:20 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>May 8, 2025<br>14 members in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:35 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance.<br>Officer Reports<br>President Rich, W2REV, said he enjoyed the latest issue of The Repeeper.<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZC, said he is looking for additional net control stations for the weekly<br>club on-air meetings.<br>Treasurer Jeff, KE2I, discussed the format he will use for financial reports. He reported that he<br>will be doing an audit of the Club\u2019s finances to make sure everything is in place now that he<br>has assumed the office of Treasurer.<br>The Financial Report<br>Sheet1<br>Page 1<br>Mount Beacon Amateur Radio Club (MBARC)<br>Financial Report<br>March 1, 2025 through April 30, 2025<br>Balance Sheet Income\/(Expense) Month SUB Balances<br>March 1 Starting Combined Account Balance $19,307.70<br>Donations (including 50-50) $101.50<br>Dues 62.50<br>Interest 18.44<br>Annual Quicken Subscription (77.76)<br>Hamfest Venue Expense (225.00)<br>Month SUBTOTAL (120.32)<br>March 31 Combined Account Balance 19,187.38<br>Interest $17.49<br>VE Fees Collected 325.00<br>ARRL VE Fee Paid (165.00)<br>VE Tablets Purchased (300.71)<br>Month SUBTOTAL (123.22)<br>April 30 Ending Combined Account Balance $19,064.16<br>Rolling 12 Month Income\/Expense Attached<br>Submitted by<br>Jeffrey Baker<br>Treasurer<br>8 May 2025 in person meeting<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the March 15, 2025, minutes. Adam, AE2AN, pointed out a mistake in the<br>minutes: QSY is selling equipment donated to QSY by the family of a recently deceased<br>member of QSY. With the correction, the minutes were unanimously approved.<br>Steve suggested we set up a procedure for lending radio-related books among the<br>Membership. A number of members pointed out that that was not necessary: books and other<br>items are already easily requested and shared via the reflector and the weekly on-air meetings.<br>Director and Trustee Reports<br>Marty, KA2R, had nothing to report<br>Adam, AE2AN, reported that QSY Society was unable to reserve the site they wanted for Field<br>Day and was looking for another site.<br>Adam asked that every Member attending MBARC\u2019s September hamfest bring something for<br>the Veterans\u2019 Food Bank.<br>Adam and Lynn, KV2J, reported on the recent license preparation seminars and the VE test<br>session. Seven attended the seminars and all earned a license. One went from no license to<br>Amateur Extra! The exam sessions resulted in 13 new Technicians and 4 Amateur Extras.<br>The new electronic testing proved great for both test takers and test examiners.<br>A motion was made and accepted, to hold aside $3 of the Club\u2019s $7 portion of the ARRL $15<br>testing fee as a donation to the Exam Tools testing company since they don\u2019t charge us to use<br>it, but other clubs using the testing platform also send a donation several times a year and it<br>makes testing very easy, accurate and fast! Also, a motion was made and accepted to<br>purchase 4 more tablets totaling $150, giving MBARC a total of 10 tablets to use for testing.<br>Marty, KA2R, said we owe Lynn a show of appreciation for all she did to make our transition to<br>electronic testing go so smoothly. A loud round of applause followed.<br>Lon, KB2UPZ, commented on how difficult the FCC\u2019s on-line license renewal application is to<br>use. He said you must have a Microsoft browser to use it.<br>Jeff, asked if the Millbrook repeater was having problems. Lon reported that it was and that<br>John, N2OXV, was aware of the problem and working to correct it.<br>Wayne, KC2EPS, mentioned an article about amateur radio in a local publication which<br>included an interview with Anesta, KD2YFF.<br>Jeff mentioned the Armed Forces Day cross band event Saturday, May 10.<br>The meeting adjourned at 7:25 pm.<br>After the adjournment, Frank, W2GIO, did a presentation on batteries and battery charging and<br>discharging. He also demonstrated a small 2P3 AM radio assembled from a kit.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>March 13, 2025<br>26 members and 1 guest, who became a member, in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:34 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the January 9, 2025 minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved.<br>Officer Reports<br>President Rich, W2REV, noted that a new trustee is needed for the 895 Millbrook repeater. A<br>motion was made to elect John, N2OXV, trustee of the 895 receiver, since he is also the trustee<br>of the 045 repeater and the two are linked. A phone call to John was made and he agreed to<br>serve as trustee for both repeaters. The motion was unanimously passed.<br>Rich asked Lynn, KV2J, to give an overview of the computerized EXAM TOOL VE testing. Lynn<br>said there are two version at present: one for practice testing and familiarization and a<br>production version for actual test taking. She explained how each worked and said digital VE<br>testing will move to tablets. Lynn said we have 3 immediate issues to address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">How many tablets will the Club need?<br>It was noted that we sometimes have as many as 20 test takers. It will be possible for test<br>takers to bring their own devices and monitors, both on-line and in-person, should be able to<br>spot cheating rather easily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">How will tests be monitored?<br>It was noted that monitoring could be done by on-line monitoring and by in-person monitors<br>walking around in the test area.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">How will the test fees be transferred to ARRL? ARRL will only be accepting electronic<br>transfers and credit cards\/debit cards. There was considerable discussion about this point and<br>it was determined we could do this without a dedicated credit card or a separate account.<br>President Rich asked Lynn how much money was needed to start moving to the use of EXAM<br>TOOL. Lynn estimated $300. Rich moved that:<br>Up to $300 of Club funds be made available to Lynn, KV2J, to begin the transition to<br>use of EXAM TOOL.<br>Adam, AE2AN, seconded the motion. A vote was take and 24 voted in favor, 1 opposed.<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZC, said he was looking forward to the trip to ARRL headquarters<br>March 20. He also said he\u2019s looking for volunteers to be net control stations for Monday night<br>MBARC on-air meetings.<br>President Rich asked everyone to please stand. He stated that this would be Andrew\u2019s,<br>W2BOS, our long time treasurer, last meeting. He reflected upon Andrew\u2019s many years of<br>membership in the Club and upon his dedicated, responsible, and accurate service as Club<br>Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary. He noted the tremendously positive impact his<br>management of the Club\u2019s finances has made and how it has enabled the Club to grow and<br>prosper. The room exploded in applause.<br>Rich presented Andrew a farewell card and a gift of a Visa gift card of $150. Another round of<br>applause took place.<br>Treasurer Andrew, W2BOS, provided his last Treasurer&#8217;s report as his term ends at the<br>end of the month.<br>The current bank balance as of the end of the preceding full month (28 February 2025)<br>was $19,307.70. The meeting before (31 December 2024) was $19,203.60.<br>Over the past rolling 12 months (1 March 2024 to 28 February 2025), income was<br>$5,523.04, expenses were $1,589.39 for a net gain of $3,933.65.<br>Two applications for new memberships were received:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Bryan Plog N2BRY, a returning previous member<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Thomas Kulaga KE2FAP, a new member<br>Both were voted in unanimously. Welcome back Bryan and thank you Thomas for<br>joining.<br>Andrew distributed flyers that Adam, AE2AN, Lynn, KV2J, and he had developed for<br>both the Technician Review Class next month on Friday through Sunday 25-27 April<br>2025 and the hamfest to be held on Sunday, 14 September 2025. A question was<br>asked if the flyer was on our club website; Andrew replied that we had just finished it<br>earlier in the day and he will provide it to Tom, N2FZC, for website posting.<br>Subsequently, it was emailed to Tom on the next day, 14 March 2025.<br>The annual club election of Officers and two Directors for the term 2025-2026 took<br>place. The following slate, all running unopposed, were voted in unanimously. Their<br>terms of office begin on 1 April 2025:<br>Officers for a one year term:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">President: Rich Valentine W2REV<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Vice President: Tom Quackenbush N2FZC<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Treasurer: Jeff Baker KE2I<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Recording Secretary: Steve Force KB2TAT<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Director of Engineering: John Davison N2OXV<br>Two new Directors for 2 year terms:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Marty Lifgren KA2R<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Jeff Grey, K2JDG<br>Thanks to those members above who volunteered to serve.<br>Andrew addressed the Club and offered his thanks for the generous Club&#8217;s ovation and<br>gift card donation for having served for many years in various roles as Director,<br>Treasurer, Secretary. He appreciated the Club&#8217;s generosity and appreciation.<br>Director and Trustee Reports<br>Adam, AE2AN, gave details and answered many questions regarding the September<br>14 hamfest. He stressed the importance of the participation of as many Club members<br>a possible. We not only need enough volunteers to cover all the operations and<br>activities, but also to relieve each other so that every volunteer has the opportunity to<br>experience the hamfest: visit the vendors, enjoy the food, talk with fellow hams and<br>visitors, etc. Set-up will begin at 6:00 am.<br>Adam reported that an ARES\/RACES meeting will be held March 29, 10 am-12 pm, at<br>the Duchess County Emergency Management offices on Creek Road in Poughkeepsie.<br>The primary topic is a review of the Dutchess County St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade on<br>March 1, in Wappingers Falls. There will be other topics, as well. Adam invited and<br>encouraged all to attend, regardless if he\/she participated in the parade event.<br>Vernon, KD2VQP, gave details on the trip to ARRL headquarters on March 20 (details<br>available on the Club website). He said about 10 to 12 members said they were going.<br>Adam reported that he had discussions with the QSY Society about joining them for<br>this year\u2019s Field Day in June. He said Wilcox Memorial Park in Stanfordville is a site<br>under consideration by QSY. Adam also mentioned radio equipment for sale by the<br>widow of a QSY member.<br>Andrew brought up the fact that as Treasurer he had been using his own copy of<br>Quicken software for keeping records of the Club\u2019s finances, generating reports, etc.<br>He recommended acquiring Quicken to facilitate a smooth transition of the Club\u2019s<br>financial files and record keeping for the incoming treasurer, Jeff, KE2I, and for future<br>Club treasurers. This seemed like a good idea to those present and Jeff was in<br>agreement with using Quicken. A motion was made to purchase a subscription to<br>Quicken at approximately $70 per year. It was passed unanimously.<br>The meeting adjourned at 7:46 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve Force KB2TAT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>January 9, 2025<br>21 members and 3 guests in attendance<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:37 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance. Following the Pledge, he asked everyone to remain standing for a moment of<br>silence for the late Former President Jimmy Carter.<br>President Rich called for a round of self-introductions.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the November 14, 2024 minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Officer Reports<br>President Rich, reporting for Adam, AE2AN, said Adam has been in contact with the Knights of<br>Columbus regarding the rental of their Hopewell hall for MBARC\u2019s spring hamfest. He hopes to<br>have a date finalized soon.<br>President Rich mentioned news reports of someone who was charged with interfering with the<br>radio communications of the US Forest Service while it was coordinating firefighting efforts<br>during a forest fire in Idaho. That individual was fined approximately $34,000. An article<br>detailing the incident can be found in the ARRL Newsletter for June 9, 2022. Other members in<br>attendance also commented on this incident.<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZC, reported that he is looking for net control stations for the weekly<br>MBARC on-air meetings.<br>Treasurer Andrew, W2BOS, provided the Treasurer&#8217;s report:<br>The current bank balance as of the end of the preceding full month (December 31, 2024) was<br>$19,203.60. The meeting before (October 31, 2024) was $19,482.50. Expenditures since the<br>last meeting were for the Post Office box renewal, 045 tower rental fee, and club insurance.<br>Over the past 12 months (January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2024), income was<br>$5,616.16, expenses were $1,526.49, for a net gain of $4,089.67.<br>Andrew confirmed the membership numbers he reported to the Membership after the<br>November meeting: 148 members, consisting of: 26 Family Members, 64 Full members, 2<br>Honorary members, and 56 Senior members.<br>The members present voted unanimously to purchase a half page ad in the Annual Dutchess<br>County St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade program for $50. (The ad was subsequently purchased).<br>Two new members were voted in unanimously:<br>K2CAT, Adam Iannazzone<br>K2DTW, David T. Warshaw<br>Lon, KB2UPZ, asked if we should continue to hold funds for the upcoming antenna<br>project. Andrew responded that they are not held in a separate account and there is no<br>need to do anything special with them before the project is completed.<br>Andrew reminded everyone that nominations for Club Officers, Directors, and Trustees<br>were due to him by January 31. There were two director positions open and Jeff,<br>K2JDG, offered to fill one and Marty, KA2R offered to fill the other. There were no<br>candidates for Treasurer.<br>Andrew also reported that MBARC will offer another Technician License Review<br>Seminar in the spring at the Dutchess County Office of Emergency Management on<br>Creek Road in Poughkeepsie. A VE testing session, open to all, will be held following<br>the seminar.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Trustee and Director Reports<br>Vernon, KD2VQP, reported that an amateur operator on the Hudson Valley Net recently<br>suggested that the Club charter a bus for a trip to ARRL headquarters in Newington,<br>Connecticut. A discussion followed and there was considerable interest in such a trip.<br>There was almost unanimous agreement that driving and carpooling would be more<br>practical and affordable than chartering a bus. Vernon offered to put together a trip to<br>ARRL headquarters.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">New and Old Business<br>Lon, KB2UPZ, brought up a suggestion from a previous meeting that new Club<br>members be required or encouraged to volunteer for Club events. He suggested<br>participation in at least one event be required in the first year of membership.<br>Considerable discussion followed. Jeff, KE2I, a returning member, said he thought it<br>was a good idea, but thought it could turn off individuals who wish to join the Club as a<br>way of supporting the repeater, but are not necessarily interested in participating in club<br>events or meetings. This was viewed as a good point. Andrew, W2BOS, and Marty,<br>KA2R, said we do have different categories of membership and suggested this could be<br>addressed by designating one or more categories as \u201cnon-volunteering\u201d. A number of<br>possible events and activities for fulfilling a volunteer requirement were mentioned. One<br>was acting as Net Control Station for an MBARC on-air meeting.<br>Bill, KB2SSP, told a story about a positive use of drones involving hams using a drone<br>and their HT\u2019s to locate a lost dog and guide its owner to it.<br>Joe, W2BCC, asked how many of those present had read the most recent issue of QST.<br>Only a few raised their hands. Joe said he asked the question to point out changes at<br>ARRL and in its membership. He also mentioned that VE exams were going to be<br>paperless.<br>Steve, N2JXL, reported on an experience he had with working with Central Hudson to<br>solve a serious RFI problem. Steve said he would do a presentation on the problem<br>and solution at the next in-person meeting.<br>The meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve, KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>November 14, 2024<br>25 members and 1 guest in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:31 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance.<br>President Rich shared remembrances of long time club member Rich Bodin, N2EYH, who<br>passed away November 6. He was well known, liked, and respected by many of today\u2019s club<br>members for his helpfulness and his many contributions to radio in the Hudson Valley,<br>particularly with Skywarn, the Weather Underground, and his own weather website. President<br>Rich asked for a moment of silence to remember N2EYH and also to remember Veterans Day.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the September 12, 2024, minutes taken and written by Andrew, W2BOS.<br>The minutes were unanimously approved.<br>Officer Reports<br>President Rich, reporting for Adam, AE2AN, said there will be another Technician Class review<br>seminar and VE test session this spring. President Rich reported that Adam had been in touch<br>with two possible sites for a spring hamfest: the American Legion hall in Rhinebeck and the<br>Knights of Columbus hall in Hopewell. President Rich said the Knights of Columbus hall did<br>not have a room for VE testing but the Club could use the bar room for testing. Both sites had<br>adequate suitable parking. A discussion of the pros and cons of each site followed. A vote<br>was taken and the majority of voters chose the Hopewell site.<br>President Rich reminded the membership that for the hamfest to be successful members had<br>to turn out to help run it. A quick show of hands indicated that 12 of those present could<br>attend and several others felt they probably could once the date was established.<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZC, reported that he needs net control stations for the MBARC weekly<br>on-air meetings.<br>Treasurer Andrew, W2BOS, provided the Treasurer&#8217;s report:<br>The current bank balance as of the end of the preceding full month (31 October 2024) was<br>$19,482.50. The meeting before was $19,407.87.<br>Over the past 12 months, income was $5,610.49, expenses were $1,569.66 for a net gain of<br>$4,040.83.<br>Our club&#8217;s annual financial report (IRS Form 990-N) was submitted and accepted by the IRS on<br>23 September 2024.<br>Andrew recommended that the $10,000 from the recently matured CD, now temporarily held in<br>a savings account, be re-invested in a CD, which are now returning 4.25%. Frank, W2GIO,<br>suggested a stock-based fund could yield a higher return. Considerable discussion followed.<br>Lon, KB2UPZ, made the following motion:<br>\u201cThe Treasurer is permitted to invest this $10,000 in increments in any investment<br>vehicles paying at least a 4% annual percentage rate.\u201d<br>The motion was seconded by Vernon, KD2VQP, and passed unanimously.<br>The club voted in four new members:<br>KE2I Jeffrey Baker<br>KE2EFN March S. Gallagher<br>KE2EFP Ernest William D&#8217;Ambrose IV<br>KE2EEY Patrick Becker<br>Andrew reported that he has booked the following 2nd Thursdays of every other month in 2025<br>for our club meetings:<br>Thursday, January 9th<br>Thursday, March 13th<br>Thursday, May 8th<br>Thursday, July 10th<br>Thursday, September 11th<br>Thursday, November 13th<br>Recording Secretary Steve, KB2TAT, was given the key to our club&#8217;s PO Box in Wappingers<br>Falls in lieu of Andrew&#8217;s physical absence from Poughkeepsie in the future. He will coordinate<br>the mail pickup with Andrew for the remainder of the current officer&#8217;s term.<br>Fred, WA2GZW, asked how many club members we had; Andrew did not have that figure<br>immediately in front of him, but relayed the following information to Fred via email the next day:<br>148 members, consisting of: 26 Family Members, 64 Full members, 2 Honorary members, and<br>56 Senior members.<br>Bill, KB2SSP, asked for the members to express their opinions about skipping a holiday party<br>this year and saving the money for a party next year. A discussion followed. President Rich<br>made a suggestion that most were in favor of: since it is already very late in the year to start<br>planning a holiday party, let\u2019s build some sort of party or event around the spring hamfest.<br>Trustee and Director Reports<br>Frank, W2GIO, reported that the 220 repeater was working well and encouraged<br>everyone to use it.<br>Vernon, KD2VQP, did not have a formal report but saiid he was available to help the<br>Club and members any time and all should feel free to contact him.<br>Comments<br>Al, K2ATY, reported that the K2ATY DMR repeater, 441.01875, is working well and now<br>supports Starlink. He encouraged all to use it.<br>Frank, W2GIO, circulated an economical lithium iron phosphate battery and discussed<br>its construction and features. Rob, K2ROB, circulated an HT badly burned from a<br>lithium ion battery not intended for use in that device.<br>Bill, KB2SSP, commented on the Israeli Defense Force\u2019s use of iCom HT\u2019s as exploding<br>devices.<br>Frank showed a portable antenna he made using PVC pipe cap and telescoping rods.<br>Andrew reported that Adam suggested that the Club purchase a portable repeater.<br>There was some discussion but no action was taken.<br>Roxanne, KD2URJ, asked a question regarding antenna placement in her townhouse.<br>Frank responded.<br>The meeting adjourned at 7:35 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve, KB2TAT<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>September 12, 2024<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.<br>Twenty-nine members and guests were in attendance.<br>In lieu of Recording Secretary Steve KB2TAT\u2019s absence, Treasurer Andrew<br>W2BOS recorded these minutes.<br>Director Adam AE2AN indicated the club still maintains an inventory of<br>Baofeng radios and that they were not being loaned to new students as we<br>originally thought as demand was not there. (We thanked Joe W2BCC on<br>behalf of the Orange County ARC for donating a radio to one of our<br>students in the earlier 2024 Technician License review class). Adam made<br>a motion to donate one of these radios to a worthy student (picked by the<br>instructors) during each subsequent MBARC Technician License review<br>session. The motion passed unanimously.<br>Adam also reminded the club of the upcoming Technician License Review<br>Seminar to be held at the Dutchess County Department of Emergency<br>Response\u2019s operations center in Poughkeepsie over the weekend of<br>October 4-6, 2024.<br>Treasurer Andrew W2BOS gave his report:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Because of the pending technical presentation by Steve N2JXL, the<br>reading of the July meeting minutes was withheld, and Andrew<br>distributed a hard copy of those minutes asking for any corrections to<br>be indicated. None were provided, and Andrew subsequently asked<br>Vice President Tom N2FZC to post them on the club\u2019s website as<br>accepted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">He indicated that he and his wife have closed on a residence in<br>Westchester County after being a Dutchess County resident for over<br>40 years. He has been an officer for the club in various capacities for<br>many years, and Treasurer (with a year\u2019s break) since 2014. He will<br>be leaving the Poughkeepsie area this fall or early winter after being<br>a club member for over 30 years.<br>a. He will remain Treasurer until his term ends in the Spring of<br>2025, assisted by Club Recording Secretary Steve KB2TAT<br>who will hand the PO Box once Andrew moves south.<br>b. Andrew mentioned that anyone who wishes to learn the ropes<br>of being either the Corresponding Secretary and\/or Treasurer<br>should get ahold of him as the club will need to replace him<br>early next year. He mentioned that any candidates would need<br>to be approved by the Board if done in mid-term and voted on<br>in the next election.<br>c. Lynn KV2J has taken on the role of the club\u2019s VE team liaison<br>to the ARRL, and the league\u2019s VE office has been notified of<br>this change.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">New club members George KE2DXO and Matt KE2ANN were voted<br>into the club unanimously.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Andrew distributed a letter of endorsement of Ed Wilson N2XDD from<br>our ENY Section Manager John Fritze Jr. K2QY. Ed is running for the<br>Hudson Division Director position. Andrew mentioned that he would<br>distribute the same type of endorsement for any other candidate as<br>well to the membership should he receive same.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Andrew distributed a letter to the New Hackensack Fire Department<br>that he wrote on August 12th acknowledging and thanking them for a<br>$500 donation to the club. We had aided in their recent event by<br>cooking hot dogs for their participants.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Andrew provided the current Treasury report:<br>a. The current bank balance as of the end of the preceding full<br>month (as of August 31, 2024) was $19,407.67.<br>b. Two months before was $17,792.88<br>c. Last year, at August 31, 2023, the balance was $15,312.48.<br>d. Over the past 12 months, income was $5,493.02, expenses<br>were $1,397.63 for a net gain of $4,095.39.<br>The business meeting closed, and Steve N2DXL gave a well-received<br>slide presentation on \u201cGrounding and Bonding: A practical Overview\u201d of<br>antennas and electrical systems in the amateur\u2019s home. The club<br>thanked both Fred WA2GZW and Joe W2BCC for providing and<br>assisting in the video projector procurement and other visual aspects of<br>the presentation.<br>The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Andrew W2BOS<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">MBARC In-Person Meeting<br>Poughkeepsie Galleria Community Room<br>July 11, 2024<br>29 members and 3 guests (2 of whom were voted in as members) in attendance<br>President Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:40 pm and led the Pledge of<br>Allegiance.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, read the minutes. The minutes were unanimously approved. He also reported<br>that he would order MBARC logo apparel again. An order form and instructions will go out on<br>the reflector.<br>Officer Reports<br>President Rich said that he was very pleased at the Club\u2019s turnout and service at the New<br>Hackensack Fire Department event on June 8. He mentioned that there have been a number<br>of major events recently, including Field Day, the Dayton Hamfest, and the Thirteen Colonies<br>special event. He asked if any Members had participated and what were their experiences. A<br>number of Members shared their experiences.<br>Five new members were unanimously voted in:<br>\u25e6 KE2DGY Douglas Ford<br>\u25e6 N3NRT Nicholas R. Trio<br>\u25e6 KE2DIA Jennifer Horan<br>\u25e6 KE2BHG David Mosher<br>\u25e6 N2JXL Steve A Uckerman<br>Vice President Tom, N2FZC, reported that he is looking for Net Control Stations for the Monday<br>night MBARC Weekly On Air Meeting.<br>Steve, KB2TAT, gave the Treasurer\u2019s Report in Treasurer Andrew\u2019s, W2BOS, absence.<br>He reported the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">The current bank balance as of the end of the preceding full month (as of 30<br>June 2024) was $17,792. The month before was $16,371. Last year, at June<br>30, the balance was$14,832.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Over the past 12 months, income was $2,727.66, expenses were $1,197.74 for a<br>net gain of $1,529.92.<br>Extraordinary items:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">$772 check to Steve (KB2TAT) for the apparel order that we did in June<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Our $8,381 CD matured and is in the cash savings account at end of May<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">We had $150 in donations this year from 7 different members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">We&#8217;ve collected a total of $2,187 dues in the 2024-2025 renewal cycle that<br>started on 1 June. 71 people renewed during this period (the difference is those<br>that did not need to renew as they had multiple years left in their membership.)<br>Thank you Members!<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">We have a total of 129 members as follows:<br>\u2022<br>\u25e6 23 family members<br>\u25e6 52 full members<br>\u25e6 2 honorary members<br>\u25e6 52 senior members<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Sometime during the week of 14 July, Andrew will be performing the annual<br>roster cleaning exercise and all non-currently paid up members will have their<br>reflector emails purged, but they also will get an automatic note that says this is<br>happening. Often, we get their attention when this happens.<br>John, N2OXV, reported that he recently went to the summit of Mt. Beacon to inspect our<br>equipment and investigate a few things related to the upcoming antenna project. With<br>that information he will present project details and recommendations to the<br>Membership.<br>Trustee and Director Reports<br>There were no Trustee or Director reports.<br>Comments<br>Joe, W2BCC, asked about the Club holding a hamfest this year. There was discussion<br>on what it would take to do it. Rich, asked Joe to chair a hamfest committee and asked<br>those in attendance who would work at the hamfest. Twelve hands went up. Tom said<br>he would look into renting the Slater Chemical FD firehouse again.<br>Fred, WA2GZW, asked about having a club picnic this year. Most present were in favor<br>of holding a picnic.<br>Rich asked the Members about interest in a holiday party. Again, most present were in<br>favor of holding a party.<br>It was reported that MBARC will offer a Technician Class Review Seminar in October<br>at the Dutchess County Office of Emergency Management on Creek Road in<br>Poughkeepsie. A VE testing session, open to all, will be held following the seminar.<br>Rich encouraged any new or potential members considering taking the exam to read<br>the test manual thoroughly.<br>Roxanne, KD2URJ, offered a 10-40 meter loop antenna at no charge for anyone<br>interested in taking it.<br>Steve, N2JXL, suggested helping those new to the hobby with the very basics of radio<br>theory, operation, and basic math. He suggested these basics could be the topics for<br>in-depth discussions at our meetings. Everyone thought this was an excellent idea.<br>Rich said, as an example, he would like to learn more about lightning and electrical<br>bonding and grounding. A very interesting discussion followed, led by Steve, who then<br>offered to do a presentation on this subject at the next in-person meeting. He<br>recommended \u201cGrounding and Bonding For The Radio Amateur, 2nd edition (or later)\u201d,<br>by Ward Silver, as a great book on the subject.<br>The meeting adjourned at 7:27 pm.<br>Respectfully submitted,<br>Steve, KB2TAT<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>MBARC In-Person MeetingPoughkeepsie Galleria Community RoomJanuary 8, 202619 members in attendancePresident Rich, W2REV, called the meeting to order at 6:38 pm and led the Pledge ofAllegiance.He reported that he had received correspondence from ARRL asking if MBARC would like tobe listed in a new digital directory of clubs, for a fee. A show of hands [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1781","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1781","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1781"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1781\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2453,"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1781\/revisions\/2453"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wr2abb.org\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}