The Southern Kentucky Amateur Transmitting Society held the first meeting of 2025 on January 7th at 6pm at the local Search & Rescue building. This meeting’s attendance was lower due to inclement weather conditions.  Bob Harris (WB2UBW) called the meeting to order and the treasurer’s report was reviewed & approved by the club.

Bob brought ARES as a topic of discussion to the club’s attention and agreed when attendance is higher, we will revisit before voting whether to be ARES-affiliated. As it stands, most members agree its involvement is unlikely to be beneficial to the club.

Bob Harris had several positions to appoint, including Club Station Trustee & Registered Agent: currently held by Corey Page (AA4JP), Webmaster: currently held by Emily Page (KO4YQJ), and Net Coordinator. Net Coordinator is currently held solely by Corey Page (AA4JP), and he has requested volunteers to aid in occasional assistance with leading the weekly nets, so responsibility doesn’t fall on one person.

Winter Field Day was a large topic of discussion during the meeting. Scott Smith (KO4DWB) created an informative handout including details regarding operations, bands, modes, QSO scoring and points, and transmissions. Winter Field Day has been extended to 30 hours of contesting and several rules have changed regarding scoring. Happening January 25th & 26th the club will begin setting up during the afternoon of Friday, January 24th. Coax is needed for this event and if you can bring any for the club to use, please be sure to clearly label your pieces. The club is planning to utilize several antennas including end-feds, a G5RV, various verticals, and even a hex beam. The club will also be providing chili and hot dogs on Saturday, and donuts on Sunday morning. If you plan to come and would like to bring an additional side dish or meal, there is electricity for crockpots & a refrigerator, if needed. Operating hours are from 10:00am Saturday to 3:59pm Sunday.

Moving forward, Bob, as president, has opened the club meeting sessions for many new learning opportunities to help members & nonmembers in new skill areas. Ideas were discussed among members, and some ideas included antenna installation, grounding, coax connections, emergency power options, working with Emergency Management in the event of an emergency, POTA, soldering skills, and many more.

Club memberships are also due for 2025. Single member fees are $30, family fees are $35, and we also offer no-cost student memberships. If you need to pay dues before February’s meeting, please contact Corey Page (AA4JP) at (270) -772-4986. We accept cash, check, and Venmo for club membership fees.

Also working with the local hospital, Medical Center of Russellville, the club anticipates helping with antenna repairs to the HF system. More details to come on this. We will also be helping Logan County’s Emergency Management set up their Amateur Station for use during emergency situations when other communications have failed.

Everyone is looking forward to another day of contesting as a team. If you have any questions and would like to join us during this time, please contact Bob Harris at 270-776-5572, Scott Smith at (270) 647-2040, or Corey Page at (270) 772-4986. Our next monthly meeting will be held on February 4th at Logan County Search & Rescue on Thurston Dr in Russellville at promptly 6pm.

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