MEETING TO ORDER:
The President, Jeff Darby KE0CAZ, called the meeting to order at 7:15 AM. Attendees introduced themselves by name and call-sign. A total of 22 club members and 4 guests were present.
SECRETARY-TREASURER REPORT:
The Secretary-Treasurer Report was given by Marty Peters KE0PEZ. He reported the checking account balance. The amounts of club revenue and disbursements since the June meeting were $50 and $396.86, respectively. The disbursements during June were to reimburse Greg for radio parts, to pay Smokey Hill Catering for Field Day food, and to reimburse Ruth Vano for filing the annual non-profit corporation report with the Kansas Secretary of State. Revenue consisted of dues payments from two new members: Woody Jeffrey and Jeff Cashman. A hearty welcome to Woody and Jeff. Dues payments are always welcome; give them to Jeff, Larry, or Marty at breakfast or send them to our post office box (SFTARC, P.O. Box 3144, Olathe, KS. 66063). Marty will pay Risk Strategies ~$220.00 in September for equipment insurance. Del Sawyer recommended authorizing a donation to support Bob Harder and the Kansas QSO Party in August. It was moved and seconded to authorize the Treasurer to send a check for $200 to Bob for this purpose. The motion passed unanimously.
Ensor volunteers [Marty Peters - KE0PEZ]
Volunteers from our club assisted chief tour guide Larry Woodworth W0HXS during the month of June. Everything went smoothly. Many thanks to all volunteers. A sign-up sheet for the month of September was passed around.
Club 501c7 process [Marty Peters - KE0PEZ]
We continue to await word from the IRS about our application to reinstate our tax-exempt status. Marty E-filed the N-990 postcard report for Tax Year 2018.
Club Newsletter [Greg Wolfe – KI0KK]
Newsletter inputs are due by 7PM Wednesday, July 10th.
Council Grove operating event
Greg reported that things went well, although band conditions were poor. Operators made 6 phone contacts and 9 CW contacts. These contacts have been uploaded to LOTW, and three have been confirmed.
Repeater issues
Over the next few weeks we will be working on how best to locate and operate the repeater at the Olathe Towers. Jim Andera and Larry Hall will be leading the planning effort.
WW1USA POTA operating event
SFTARC will provide a trailer (with A/C) to support the July 6 outdoor event at the WWI Liberty Memorial, sponsored by the WW1USA club. Liberty Memorial is qualified as a POTA. Hams are invited to participate.
Field-Day results
The event went well in spite of significant periods of heavy rain and lightning. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with set-up and tear-down of antennas and equipment. Thanks to the operators who in many cases needed concentration and perseverance to pull the callsigns and required data out of the noise. Although it was originally planned to operate KS0KS as Class 2A, the Class was changed to 3A on Saturday afternoon. It did not appear likely that we would have visitors to entertain with the GOTA station, so it was converted to a phone station. Smokey Hill Catering provided meals for our volunteers. Jim Andera cooked up scrambled eggs and sausage to cheer up the volunteers on a very soggy Sunday morning. A total of 189 QSOs were made using phone, CW, and FT8. These QSOs have been uploaded to LOTW. As of July 9, 47 FD QSOs have been confirmed. A Field-Day Contest report, including the Cabrillo file with the list of contacts, a PDF of the news article in the Gardner News, and the report of the Safety Officer (WB0CNK), was submitted to the ARRL.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Jeff is concerned about how amateur radio clubs are perceived by hams and the public in general. He is going to design a survey to get better information about that subject. The results of such a survey may help us to better accomplish our objectives.
Del is looking forward to the Kansas QSO Party. He suggests operating two stations, one at his QTH in Olathe and the other at the Radio Park in Edgerton.
The annual meeting of the KS section of the ARRL will not be held in Salina this year. The location of the meeting is pending. The ARRL Central Region convention/hamfest will be in O'Fallon, IL (not to be confused with O'Fallon, MO).
ADJOURN:
After a motion, a second, and a unanimous vote, the meeting was adjourned.
