Executive Summary:
The main topic of the meeting was related to moving our club website to a new web hosting service. This may mean the site will be down for 1 to 2 days as the site domain name is updated across the internet. The next Tech Night is on February 26th at 7:30 pm on 3D printing presented by Howard. The next business meeting is on March 14th at 8 am.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER:
President George, WBØCNK, called the meeting to order at 7:30 AM CST on February 14, 2026. A total of 25 members attended the meeting. There were 16 members in person and 9 attended via zoom.
SECRETARY-TREASURER REPORT:
Marty gave a short treasurer report. Marty provided an update on club expenses and the current bank balance. Jason provided a secretary report. Jason has been working on filing the N-990 form with the IRS. But with the 501(c)(3) application we moved from calendar year to a fiscal year filing. The next time we can file a N-990 form is in November 2026.
AGENDA ITEMS:
Clothing and Badge Orders [Jason – KFØISL, George -WB0CNK]
George has a few items that have not been distributed. If you have not collected the items you ordered, reach out to George. George also ordered some extra shirts. If you would like a club shirt feel free to reach out to George to see if he has an item in your size. He has a limited number. Marty is working on putting together a new badge order. If you would like to order a badge, please reach out to Marty.
SFTARC Website Changes [Greg – KIØKK]
The club has decided to move to a new web provider. The current one does not support the currently supported version of Joomla. The new web hosting service will cost around $200 per year for three years. George held a board meeting to talk about the different website options. Greg put a lot of time looking into the different options. The club is also planning to move to Google Workspace. The Workspace account will have multiple administrators. This is better than using Greg's personal Google drive for the club.
Ensor Foundation [Marty, KEØPEZ Jeff- KSØJD, Howard- NØAZ]
MEMO is planning ENSORFEST '26. The event is planned for May 9, 2026, and will end around 5 pm. Jeff is organizing the event this year. There will be three bands that will come out. Some car clubs will come to show their cars. There is a plan to have a fox hunt in the morning. If you know someone who owns a food truck feel free to reach out to Jeff. We currently do not have a food truck arranged. If you would like to help volunteer for ENSORFEST '26 please reach out to Jeff.
Report on Kansas Day Jan 24th SFTARC On-the-Air [Trig-KCØRPY, George - WBØCNK]
The club had two SSB stations running and logged 111 contacts. One challenge was that when ARRL Winter Field Day started it was hard to make contacts. Marty helped submit the logs to LOTW.
Report on W1AW/Ø America250 Worked All States [Jeff -KSØJD, George - WBØCNK]
Jeff coordinated this ARRL event for the state of Kansas. Jeff logged around 700 contacts, and he estimated that total contacts by the 10 Kansas stations operating as W1AW/Ø to be about 1400. This event will take place again in November. Jeff would like to communicate about this event earlier next time to get more people involved.
Report on Feb 7TH Mine Creek Hamfest [Greg - KIØKK]
Greg reported that this was a small hamfest that went well. There were meet and greet activities.
Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Planning POTA [Jim – KØNK]
Jim has reached out to Ranger Heather and has not heard back from her. We are hoping to schedule the event in May 2026.
Repeater Update [Jim – KØNK]
Jim gave a repeater update.
Tech Night [George – WBØCNK]
The next Tech Night is on February 26, 2026. The topic is on 3D printers by Howard, NØAZ.
2026 SFTARC Ham Radio Classes [Jim – KØNK] - Extra Class:Date / Location / Status
The ham class will finish up on February 28th. As of this business meeting the class is on week 6 of 8 scheduled classes. Many of the students are dedicated. Some are printing the pdf of all the slides for reference. This can be upward of 100 slides. The high level of student involvement and interest has made it fun to teach the class.
Upcoming Hamfests – See Website Calendar [George - WBØCNK]
- Ozarkcon 2026: March 26th-28th - 3-day convention; seminars & kits; Branson, MO
- Green County OK Hamfest: April 10th-11th. Claremore, OK
- Ham Bash KC 2026: April 25th 8AM-2PM, Raytown High School 6019 Blue Ridge Blvd. Raytown, MO
- Hamvention: May 15th-17th. Dayton, OH
- Reno County Hamfest: Aug 8th; Hutchinson, KS
- Huntsville, AL Hamfest: Aug 22nd-23rd
- Nixa, MO Hamfest: TBD 2026 (was Nov. 18, 2025)
Notes: George would like to coordinate travel to hamfests. This is in an effort to make it easier for people to attend these events. George is planning to bring a clip board for people to sign up for these hamfests and arrange if interested in riding together or caravaning.
You can also sign up here: Hamfest Signup
Christmas Party [Jim – KØNK]
Jim has booked the Gardener Senior Center for the Friday before Christmas, December 18, 2026.
Update on Equipment From Dave Cochran, KBØVRA [Jim – KØNK]
Jim is planning to work on this more once the extra class is completed.
Members Who Would Enjoy A Card Or a Visit:
- Mike Lane, KEØCIS, at: Good Samaritan Olathe Medical Campus
ADJOURN:
After a motion and a second, the meeting was adjourned around 8:05 am.
