Andy Ludlum – K6AGL

I recently discovered an interesting bit of CVARC history. In a 2008 newsletter, then President Greg Lane-K7SDW was calling on members to take on leadership roles in the club. Greg was anticipating, for various reasons, most of the club’s board positions were going to turn over in 2009. The current BOD is in a similar position for the 2018 club year.

Not wanting to be a doomsayer, Greg pointed out how much CVARC had grown since he first joined the club. He said in 1987 the club had a Treasurer who was 16 years old, a President who had served in that role for six years and a membership of about 30 hams!

While we have 156 members today, we face some of the same issues Greg faced in 2008. Club by-laws prohibit a six term President, limiting us to two terms. I will be termed out at the end of the year. While I’m willing to help out in some other role, it cannot be as President.

That’s a good thing. With 156 club members today, it means there are a lot of new people with a lot of new ideas. The only way for CVARC to fully reflect their interests and concerns is for these new people to get involved and run for office. Their new ideas are the lifeblood of CVARC. We need to have a club leadership team that understands and embraces these ideas and injects them into club activities, projects and events.

Let me stress, none of the club’s board positions are difficult or time consuming. It is not a requirement to be a long time club member or to have an advanced license. Because we have so many long time members, there are more than enough people to provide advice in any role you might want to take on. You are never alone!

I’ve established a team or committee approach to most tasks so no job falls on the shoulders of just one person. That has worked especially well with the Speakers Committee. In the old days, the club Vice President would be scrambling each month to come up with a speaker. Now, working as team, we can brainstorm topics and find the best speakers months in advance, giving us time to promote each topic to the membership and to the public.

We’re going to include detailed descriptions of the roles of the various Club officers starting in this month’s newsletter. I urge you to give them careful consideration. CVARC is a vital and active club. We have a lot to be proud of. I know your personal contribution will help make the CVARC that much better for years to come.

On another subject very important to us, you may have noticed ARRL President Rick Roderick-K5UR, is calling on hams to urge their US Senators to support the Amateur Radio Parity Act of 2017. ARRL has opened up a page to make it easy to for you to lobby like the big boys!

The new bill, S. 1534 was introduced in the US Senate on July 12. Senators Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are the Senate sponsors. The measure will, for the first time, guarantee all radio amateurs living in deed-restricted communities governed by a homeowners association (HOA) or subject to any private land-use regulations, the right to erect and maintain effective outdoor antennas at their homes, while protecting the aesthetic concerns of HOAs. Some hams are concerned the bill doesn’t go far enough as HOA aesthetic concerns and outdoor antennas are often at odds. Others believe, despite the bill’s flaws, that something is better than nothing, which is what we have now. Lobbying Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris now can’t hurt. A similar bill died in the last Congress because it was tied up by one Senator until the session expired.

73,

Andy
K6AGL