Greetings and Happy New Year!

Built on a foundation of CARC’s 60+ years, with enthusiasm, encouragement, energy, a plan and a team.  I look forward to a reinvigorated club this year.

• A major focus is enhanced communications within the club.

• You may have already received the first all-club outreach.  I distributed the materials both by eMail and USPS this time, to help ensure 100% receipt.  Its purpose is to share your leadership’s vision and to gather your input.  From everyone!  From YOU!  Your voice matters in our planning, so please complete and return the survey online of via USPS upon receipt.

• Gearing up for this all-club eMailing, Andrew Forsyth AF3I was instrumental in revisiting and configuring the club’s website and webmail server for us.  Thank you Andrew

• In December, I called together your electable board of managers – Charlene Cash WG3Q, Vice President; Doug Stenger KC3CPT, Treasurer; and Maura Smith-Mitsky KC3JJH, Secretary & Membership Secretary.  I’m a team-oriented guy, so was keen on getting together to know each other a bit better, and to bop along  eight-point meeting agenda.  There, we reviewed the CARC Leadership Guide, focusing on initiatives that you should start to see soon,

• You are guaranteed a wide representation of interests in this group!  We intend to incorporate them into our 2026 plans.  Let’s see how much fun our 48 members can have!

p.s.  No CARC funds were harmed by these activities!

   73,

John

Remember January’s hope?  “Built on the foundation of CARC’s 60+ years, with enthusiasm, encouragement, energy, a plan and a team,  I look forward to a reinvigorated club this year.”

What a great start!

• Our leadership team is complete, with Charlene Cash, WG3Q elected our dynamic VP!

• December’s all-member outreach generated an exceptional 57% response rate, including some membership renewals, wonderful notes and great suggestions. It has generated lots of excitement!

• Excitement? January’s meeting brought THREE Members via Zoom and stuffed THREE guests, EIGHT Regular Members and THREE Life Members into Hoss’s! We conducted the Business Meeting in an abbreviated format, followed by an antenna presentation and Slack discussion by members. See January’s Minutes for full stories.

• See the 1-page January President’s Report for updates. [Speaking of CARC] “This is a fun group of people, curious, eager to learn and to share knowledge. My dad, Pops WD4PFJ, spoke regularly on our skeds about having ‘lunch with the smart guys’ (hams, retired engineers, etc.). I get it!”

• Your new leadership is settling into our new roles. With fresh eyes and experiences, we hope to spot possible enhancements and efficiencies as we learn from the past and anticipate the future.

• A group is actively investigating meeting enhancements for both Zoom and in-person experience.

• On my president’s scorecard, I’m excited about the CARC Leadership Guide initiatives that are already underway, one month on: #1 Vision, #4 Club Internal Communication, #5 Meeting Content/Format, #6 Club Management Transition).

   73,

John

“Built on the foundation of CARC’s 60+ years, with enthusiasm, encouragement, energy, a plan and a team, I look forward to a reinvigorated club this year.”

We’re off to a great start!

• We listen!  In December, I reached out to every member announcing our leadership plans and asking for your suggestions.  We received an exceptional 57% response rate!  Thanks for your membership renewals.  We’re responding to your great suggestions (VP Charlene’s analysis – February Minutes pages 4, 5).  Meeting attendance and subsequent Hoss’s parking lot chatter are already way, way up!

• What fun!  In January, we rolled out a different meeting format by streamlining the business portion to allow for scheduled program and discussion activities.  Twenty attended the meeting, including three life members and licensed father and son guests.  See for yourself – January’s Minutes.

• We adapt!  In February we continued the new meeting format while successfully deploying a crucial piece of newer and better audio equipment (February Minutes page 2).  All twenty-two attendees at Hoss’s and via Zoom agreed.  A workgroup will be investigating further technical enhancements.

• CARC 2026 launches a new series of activities — on-the-air and maybe not!  Stay tuned to Beyond the Airwaves listings for times, locations and topics from Charlene Cash, WG3Q, our dynamic VP!  Some annual on-the-air club activities are already finalized.  (March Agenda pages 7-8)

• By now most of us have renewed our membership through 12/31/2026 (or beyond!).  I’ve reached out to the rest for one last nudge.  At March’s meeting, we’ll get an update from our Membership Secretary and move forward accordingly,

• On my president’s scorecard, I’m excited that all six of our CARC 2026 Leadership Guide initiatives are now underway to expand on the fun of our 60+ year tradition! 

   73,

John