Elections were held on January 7, 1999 with the following results:

In addition to the normal offices four EX-Offico positions for the different systems were elected. These positions report to the Transmitter Trustee.

At the January 7 meeting a motion was made to amend the by-laws to allow minors under the age of 21 to become associate members. The proposed as well as the current article are included in a separate attachment in this newsletter. A by-law change requires a two-thirds vote by the members. A post card with a stamped envelope has been provided for your vote. If you would, please consider your vote carefully. Our hobby is in need of younger members and this is the best way to get them started in our hobby. After two-thirds affirmative votes are counted the by-law will take effect. Currently we have one possible candidate to be our first associate member. And with future plans of youth activities this my grow.

Last year many club members voiced the desire to hold field day at Kelley’s Island, Ohio and we did with great success. This however took much planning by all, especially Denny McMannon KC8HAB in procuring the site. This year a decision needs to be made early so plans can be laid for the 1999 Field Day event. Last year Ken Hill N8WXD expressed a possible site near Willard. Jim Dean mentioned he would be willing to host Field Day in 1998, maybe he will be willing in 1999. We are planning another Fall Island on the Air so there may not be the desire to go to the islands for Field Day as there was last year. Keep your eyes and ears open for a possible site. Maybe we could even hold this event in a public place.

Saturday April 10, we will host another fox hunt. The hunt will start at 5:00 P.M. and go till 9:00 P.M. The signal can be heard on 146.565 with normal information traffic on 146.655-. For more detailed information check the club’s packet mailbox, W8LBZ-1 or the web page www.qsl.net/w8lbz closer to the date of the event. Refreshments will be available at the end of the hunt.

The annual Christmas party was held this year with over 30 people attending. The club provided the Roast Beef and the pop. The members and family that attended then brought a covered dish so all in attendance my sample.

The highlight of the evening was when Santa made a special trip from his vacation spot in Florida. Santa brought gifts for all of the children and even some very special family members.

Over all the party was a success, hopefully more people will be able to attend next year. The tentative date for next years party is Saturday January 8^th at 6:00 P.M.

Below is the 1999 budget as approved by the board on February 11. Unfortunately as you can see by the numbers our bills are getting larger. You will notice we spent a large amount on equipment. The major equipment purchase was our 53.35 repeater and the retunning and shipping of the duplexers. One item the club did not plan for in 1998 was the purchase of the 9913 coax. This coax was purchased in a large quantity so we could get a price break. The club will then sell to the members at the price at which it was purchased. With this system the club members can save money on the coax and so can the club. Tom Troike is currently responsible for the coax inventory. If you would like some coax contact Tom for arrangements.

Some large scale plans for this year is the purchase of a repeater controller for the 53.35 system, partial siding of the building and new carpeting. In addition, it was noticed that the club needs new fluorescent bulbs in all the fixtures. Ken made note that F40CW tubes will be hard to get and the replacement bulbs will require new fixture ballasts. It was recommended by the board, we purchase two cases of bulbs to ward off the major expensive of reballasting the lights.

Another increase was in our insurance. This increase includes additional coverage to cover the affects of inflation on replacement cost of our contents. Based on the excellent treatment we had with our lightning strike the members agreed it would not be worth shopping around for cheaper insurance.