BCARS Meeting Minutes - November 7th, 2024
A meeting of the Bedford County Amateur Radio Society was called to order at 1930 hours at Bedford American Legion by President Zachary Pepple and a quorum was declared.
In attendance were (12):
John KB3DFZ, Gary KC3HKZ, Kenny WB3JEK, Bernie W3DRW, Steve KE3ZT, Zach KC3KHK, Steve KC3DNB, Steve KA3UDR, Kip K3IP, Robert KC3SOH, Ellis KC3WMI, Jay K3SCM
Meeting Minutes were presented by John KB3DFZ. Motion to approve was made by KA3UDR and seconded by KC3HKZ.
Treasurer’s Report was presented by Steve KC3DNB. Steve discussed various checks received, checks issued and cash deposits. The ending balances are:
| Account | Ending Balance |
|---|---|
| Petty Cash | $0.00 |
| Checking Account | $4,015.11 |
| Savings Account | $3,826.12 |
| Total | $7,841.23 |
A motion to approve was made by KB3DFZ, seconded by W3DRW. Motion carried. The full treasurer’s report is on file.
Old Business
Zach provided an update on the Holiday Dinner, the current head count is still at 25. Please let Zach know if you will be attending. The dinner is at Hoss’s in Bedford on December 5th at 6:30PM.
Western PA Set exercise was discussed. KB3DFZ reported that there were 13 operator checkins, 8 Fire Departments Activated, and 2 Ambulance companies activated.
November 9th is our next VE session and workshop. The VE session is at 9:30AM, the workshop is at 11 AM. We have 2 registered test takers.
New Business
KB3DFZ discussed the UPS at Martin Hill. The Eaton UPS at 3.5 years now has a dead battery and is out of warranty. The UPS itself runs a bit over $200 and replacement batteries cost $50. The same model of UPS at Kinton Knob is still working, but is also out of warranty and almost as old as the Martin Hill one. Jerry N3RT donated a pair of large long lasting batteries for the club’s use. After discussion it was decided to replace the existing UPS batteries and additional work on supplementing the UPS at either Martin Hill or Kinton knob with the heavier batteries. KE3ZT motioned to purchase up to two sets of batteries at $50 each. Seconded by KA3UDR. Motion carried.
KC3DNB discussed equipment insurance. Our previous carrier stopped offering equipment insurance earlier this year. The club is currently self-insuring our repeater and EOC equipment and should decide on if that’s how we want to proceed moving forward.
Summer Field Day was discussed. W3DRW recommends that we select Blankley Picnic Area on Martin Hill for the summer 2025 field day. This is a fairly nice remote area with lots of trees and open area. No running water or power, we would need to bring generators. After some discussion, Kip K3IP and Steve KE3ZT decided to do a trial run via POTA activation to evaluate the site, along with any other members that can attend.
Nominations for office were held. Elections will be held December 5th.
- KA3UDR and W3DRW nominated Lloyd Roach, K3QNT for 2-year Trustee.
- KA3UDR and KE3ZT nominated Bill Grover, N3EYF for 1-year Trustee.
- KC3HKZ and KA3UDR nominated Steve Wurm, KE3ZT for Activities Manager.
- W3DRW and KA3UDR nominated Steve Stiffler, KC3DNB for Treasurer.
- WB3JEK and KE3ZT nominated Gary Metivier, KC3HKZ for Vice President.
- KA3UDR and W3DRW nominated Christopher Berge, KC3ZKL for Vice President.
- KA3UDR and W3DRW nominated Zach Pepple, KC3KHK for President.
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2028 hours.
Respectfully Submitted,
John Hogenmiller, KB3DFZ
BCARS Secretary