Weekly Club report
The Committee is most grateful for the timely generosity of Ed M7EVM, who in response to the enforced site shutdown has already hosted one Club meeting at his own house and seems happy to have more, and of senior operator John G8VZA who has preserved and is maintaining the Wednesday 2m net (2000 local time, 145.475MHz FM) in the now common absence of Chaz G6UVO who is closely involved with the site renovation project. Thank you both.
Close inspection of the hut floor after the carpet was removed showed that it is in such a poor state that Matt M9MIM, who as the site landlord is its owner, has made a provisional arrangement to dispose of the hut to the nursery next door, whose boss Stan says he would like to have it for keeping things in. M9MIM is able to arrange for a large and powerful telehandler to come and move it.
The question immediately arises of what will replace it. M9MIM is confident that he can obtain a replacement site office type hut which is better appointed (e.g. with its own loo) and not so worn out. The question of how to finance this has yet to arise but as a Glastonbury Club we have faith in the Magic Hat.
Were we to obtain a new hut we might position it in the north-west corner of the site, where it would be significantly closer to both the the intended parking position of the trailer mast and the usual antenna position for Blue Ham, reducing feeder length by more than 50% from the old hut position and concentrating the car parking at the east end of the hard standing, near the 11kV line.
A data set (contained in a spreadsheet) is being prepared accurately to record all of the equipment belonging to the Club and to those Members who have been kind enough to loan things to us. As thanks to the generosity of our donors we have a slight surplus of apparatus for certain bands it is hoped that it might also become possible in the future for the Club to arrange to loan selected equipment to Members who are without it.
If anyone has any equipment belonging, or available for loan, to the Club that ought to be ‘on the system’, or knows anything else relevant to this project, please contact the Secretary Mike 2E0RWW, who will maintain the apparatus spreadsheet once G6UVO has finished creating it.
The trailer mast has been dismantled and awaits preparation for painting; see separate report.
Owing to points arising from the procedure of the last AGM raised by among others G8VZA, M7EVM and M9MIM the Committee has decided to re-run this meeting; the date has yet to be settled and will be announced on the website.
Members having items for the agenda, including those which should have been introduced in the last AGM as ‘AOB’, should please bring them to the attention of the Secretary (2e0rww at gmail dot com).
Among new agenda items is a proposal to modify the Club’s constitution to reflect our permanent move away from the Scout Hut, the implications of Matt M9MIM’s ownership of the current site including his installation as life president, and the introduction of a technical committee chaired by the chief engineer and including the heads of each of several new ‘interest sections’, such as ‘Free Radio’ (CB, PMR446, etc.), ‘HF’, ‘VHF’, ‘UHF and Satellites’ or similar as is found by the Club to be appropriate, the purpose of this being to limit the terms of reference of the Executive Committee, as it is proposed that the Club Committee be henceforth known, to administrative affairs in order that the technical direction of the Club should insofar as is feasible be determined by its practicing Members.
The only other significant proposed change is to include the Webmaster, who is currently Richard G7LEE operating from his new QTHR in Suffolk, in the renamed Executive Committee, this being thought necessary by the Committee owing to the legal implications of any internet presence.
The current draft of this version 4 constitution together with a list of proposed Club officials reflecting it will be e-mailed to all members for comment or correction a fortnight or more before the replacement AGM.