The club began a busy year in January with 16 students in the largest Morse Code Class we've had in years, as well as a number of Technician  License students in an on-line class.

     Also in January, although weather didn't permit the usual activities at Del's antenna facility, club members were successful in making a large number of contacts celebrating Kansas Day. I encourage you to enjoy our club comrade in the variety of events we have planned for the coming months. Join the group attending Hambash24 April 20th, and if you like field trips,  join the group traveling to The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve for an all day trip and POTA (exact date will be announced in the next weeks). EnsorFest24 is set for May 11th, and like last year, will have a wide variety of easy going activities at the Museum site. Field Day is the last full weekend of June(22nd & 23rd). Come enjoy the club activities and casual visiting beginning with site preparation on Friday the 21st.

     Don't forget to order your official club logo clothing in the next week or so, and wear it at all of our club events throughout the year (see our website for ordering information).  Later this year, watch for opportunities to help present tours at The Ensor Park and Museum, it's a great way to learn more about  the rich Amateur Radio history of the Ensor Family.  As usual, watch for emails on event updates.   

     The sftarc.org web site will be undergoing several changes in the next few days. On or around 2/15/2024 the web site will be upgraded to a new version of software (Joomla 4).

Once I migrate the site to Joomla 4 the following will occur:

• Nets menu item will be disabled. I will work on a replacement after the PHP 8.x changes.
• Roster menu item will be disabled. Same issue as the Nets Menu.
• Membership Application menu item will be disabled. I will replace the Membership form with an article giving instructions on how to submit a membership application by email.
• Ham Classes Registration menu will still be active. The form link in the article is already disabled. I will work on a replacement forms application after the PHP8.x migration late this year (lower priority vs. the membership application form).
• Ham Classes Students List and Check In menu items will be disabled. Same issue as the Nets Menu.

     All student, member and nets data is still in the site database it just will not be accessible from the web site. Data can be extracted via administrator access methods.

     The missing menu functions are a result of non-compatibility with the existing Joomla extensions and Joomla 4. The replacement extensions identified will require a change to PHP 8.x software that may create additional compatibility issues that need to be tested over a period of weeks. I will be asking for input on each of the missing menu items to identify how they are replaced or in what form we replace them.

     Once the migration is complete please let me know if you get any errors or find something that I missed. I hopefully will have disable any non working menus items or links.

 MEETING TO ORDER:

    President George WBØCNK called to order the February 2024  business meeting of the SFTARC at 07:45 AM CST. A total of 27 members attended, 19 joining in person at the Gardner Perkins and 8 joining via Zoom. There was one guest.

SECRETARY-TREASURER REPORT: 

    Marty KEØPEZ reported the current bank balance, the expenditures, and the receipts for the past month. The major expenditures were for trailer registration and a donation to the Salvation Army. He reported that a total of 126 QSOs were made during the KS Day operating event. Unfortunately, snow, ice, and slush prevented the club from operating at the SAF in Edgerton. Operators were Marty and Del KØDDS (30 SSB QSOs), Howard NØAZ (42 FT8 QSOs), and Larry KDØRIU (54 FT8 QSOs).

OTHER BUSINESS:

ENSORFEST

     Marty outlined the plan for the 2024 Ensorfest. There will be a variety of vehicles on display, bluegrass music, food truck, BioBlitz, and other activities. The Ensor farmhouse will be open for tours. Del moved that the club be an official sponsor of Ensorfest and provide liability coverage for the event. Rex seconded the motion. Following discussion, a vote was called. The motion passed unanimously.

MEMBERSHIP COMMITTEE

     President George described the need for a Membership Committee for our club. The purpose of the proposed committee would be to communicate with club members and to make sure that the SFTARC website member data is accurate. Joe KRØUT moved to create such a committee. Tom moved to amend the motion. Rob KØRAR seconded the amended motion. The motion was passed unanimously. George appointed Jason KFØISL and Marty to this committee with Jason as Chair. 

Repeater Update

     Jim KØNK reported that he has not heard from Olathe City officials, who we were going to meet late in January to discuss possible repeater sites.

Tech Night Program

     Howard will give the February Tech Night program on digital modes, from CW to SSTV to FT8 to FLDigi. Please contact any club officer if you would like to suggest a topic or theme for future Tech Night presentations.

2024 Ham Classes

      The CW Class attendance is variable, from 6-12, depending on weather. Classes are starting with a presentation to all students and then breaking up into small groups. Students are having fun. The Tech Class, taught via video conference by Rob, is going well. Although our club will not offer a license exam, there will be a number of testing opportunities available in the KC area after they complete the course. 

SFTARC Website

    Greg KIØKK urged members to post announcements of operating events to the club calendar with plenty of lead time. George will create a system for reminding us to post these announcements. Jim KØNK also reminded members to post club events to QST in sufficient time for them to appear on the QST calendar and in QST.

Club Merchandise

     Howard gave a status update of the merchandise order. Items will be embroidered by Deborah N2LZN. So far the order is for 10 shirts and some hats. If you are interested, there is still time to order. Please check availability at the SFTARC website and then send an email to Howard specifying the items and sizes that you would like to order. A tactical shirt was on display. The orange shirt has no pocket. Brands are Cornerstone, Port Authority, and one more. In a couple of weeks, Howard will notify the people who placed an order and submit the order to Deborah. Greg will push an announcement to website banner and then turn it off when the ordering period of over.

TALLGRASS POTA EVENT

     Jim KØNK will work out a date with ranger Heather, who is always pleased to have SFTARC hold this operating event at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Strong City. We will avoid May 11 and May 18.

HAMVENTION

     A group of members will leave Wednesday, May 15, at 8 AM to travel to Xenia, Ohio, to attend Hamvention. Joe KRØUT described the 2 1/2 day event. There is a lot to do, including the Air Force Museum and the VOA Bethany Museum. Accommodations have already been booked, and there is room for one more. Members share costs of travel and group accommodations. If you are interested in joining the group that is going, please contact a club officer. 

APPRECIATION

     George thanked Joe for donating straight keys to the club. These were sold to students in the CW class. He thanked Noel KF0DVQ for donating a soldering station to the club. If you need a soldering station (HK-109), please contact a club officer.

ADJOURN:

     President George adjourned the meeting at 8:27 AM.