PVRC Potomac Valley Radio Club

Potomac Valley Radio Club

The mission of the Potomac Valley Radio Club is to promote excellence in radiosport by:

Competing and winning in club competition
Stimulating the development of operating and technical skills
Sharing information and knowledge
Attracting, mentoring and supporting new contesters
Developing a spirit of camaraderie and fun

In May we announced the formation of a team under the leadership of Mark, KD4D to consider revision of the PVRC bylaws. That team has been working diligently on this most important and difficult initiative. The team has decided to offer possible revisions that address one issue at a time rather than proposing a multifaceted, overall revision. They have proposed a revision to Article IV of the bylaws dealing with the Board of Trustees. That proposal has been studied by the Officers and the Trustees and has been fine-tuned in accordance with the advice received during that review. The Officers have decided that this proposal will move forward. That process will involve:

30-day review and comment period by the general membership as specified in the existing bylaws
Consideration of the input received by the Bylaws Team and Officers
Finalizing the proposal considering input received and a final review by the Trustees
Submission of the proposed bylaws revision for membership vote. A two-thirds majority of votes received are required for approval as specified in the existing bylaws

The 30-day comment period will commence on September 1. The key document is the "Frequently Asked Questions - PVRC 2019 By-Laws Update" prepared by the team. It contains some background information and rationale for the proposal, along with a draft of the revised Article IV. Access to that document will be provided through a link published on the home page of the PVRC web site.

Please take the time to study this important matter. Click here to read the PVRC 2019 By_Laws Update revised 9-13-2019. You can also find it in the main menu above under the member

We strongly encourage discussion at upcoming chapter meetings. You are welcome to submit your comments via e-mail to: [email protected]. All comments received will be carefully considered. In addition, we will be holding a Town Hall Webinar to discuss the proposal and member comments on Thursday, September 19. Details on that webinar will be provided via the reflector and PVRC web site as the date approaches.

The vote on the proposed bylaws revision will be taken along with the 2019 election of Officers and Trustees. Voting will occur during the months of November and December. In accordance with the provisions of the existing bylaws, the President will call for nominations for Officers and Trustees sometime during the month of September. Nominations will remain open until October 31. Please note that this election schedule is in accordance with the existing by-laws, Article II, Section 2.

If the proposed bylaws revisions are approved, they will go into effect on January 1, 2020. Therefore, the 2019 elections for Trustee will be conducted under the existing bylaws.We owe a debt of gratitude for the thoughtful, professional and difficult work that the Bylaws Team has undertaken. I would like to recognize all those team members:

Team Leader: KD4D, Mark Bailey: PVRC Past President, 2010 and 2011
Members (in callsign order):
AA3S, Doug Hart: PVRC Chapter Head, Laurel
K4ZW, Ken Claerbout: PVRC President, 2008 and 2009KE3X,
Ken Low: PVRC President, 2014 and PVRC Trustee 2015
N4KN, Kay Craigie: ARRL President, 2010-2016
N4YDU, Nate Moreschi: North Carolina East Chapter Chair 2016-2018
W4YE, Buddy Smith: PVRC President, 1973 and 1974

73, Tom K3AJ President, PVRC

	September 2019 Newsletter
		A long list of contributors to thank this month: Mike N4GU, Rich K1HTV, Bud W3LL, Jim N3JT, Mike W4AAW and yet another Mike W3IP! Good examples of good writing and interesting photos showing the depth and breadth of PVRC-land. The quality and usefulness of the PVRC newsletter depends on contributions from members. If you have photos from club meetings, screen shots of new contest software, or brief writeups on station improvements or contest war stories, send them in any format to jpescatore at aol dot com. Click Here for the September 2019 Newsletter
	The Galactic Pig Fest is coming!
		The 2019 Galactic Pig Fest is September 21 at the NR4M Goat Farm in Locust Grove, VA. Click here for full announcement.
	2019 By Laws Revision Review and Comment Period Now Open
		In May we announced the formation of a team under the leadership of Mark, KD4D to consider revision of the PVRC bylaws. That team has been working diligently on this most important and difficult initiative. The team has decided to offer possible revisions that address one issue at a time rather than proposing a multifaceted, overall revision. They have proposed a revision to Article IV of the bylaws dealing with the Board of Trustees. That proposal has been studied by the Officers and the Trustees and has been fine-tuned in accordance with the advice received during that review. The Officers have decided that this proposal will move forward. That process will involve: 30-day review and comment period by the general membership as specified in the existing bylaws Consideration of the input received by the Bylaws Team and Officers Finalizing the proposal considering input received and a final review by the Trustees Submission of the proposed bylaws revision for membership vote. A two-thirds majority of votes received are required for approval as specified in the existing bylaws The 30-day comment period will commence on September 1. The key document is the "Frequently Asked Questions - PVRC 2019 By-Laws Update" prepared by the team. It contains some background information and rationale for the proposal, along with a draft of the revised Article IV. Access to that document will be provided through a link published on the home page of the PVRC web site. Please take the time to study this important matter. Click here to read the PVRC 2019 By_Laws Update revised 9-13-2019. You can also find it in the main menu above under the member We strongly encourage discussion at upcoming chapter meetings. You are welcome to submit your comments via e-mail to: [email protected]. All comments received will be carefully considered. In addition, we will be holding a Town Hall Webinar to discuss the proposal and member comments on Thursday, September 19. Details on that webinar will be provided via the reflector and PVRC web site as the date approaches. The vote on the proposed bylaws revision will be taken along with the 2019 election of Officers and Trustees. Voting will occur during the months of November and December. In accordance with the provisions of the existing bylaws, the President will call for nominations for Officers and Trustees sometime during the month of September. Nominations will remain open until October 31. Please note that this election schedule is in accordance with the existing by-laws, Article II, Section 2. If the proposed bylaws revisions are approved, they will go into effect on January 1, 2020. Therefore, the 2019 elections for Trustee will be conducted under the existing bylaws.We owe a debt of gratitude for the thoughtful, professional and difficult work that the Bylaws Team has undertaken. I would like to recognize all those team members: Team Leader: KD4D, Mark Bailey: PVRC Past President, 2010 and 2011 Members (in callsign order): AA3S, Doug Hart: PVRC Chapter Head, Laurel K4ZW, Ken Claerbout: PVRC President, 2008 and 2009KE3X, Ken Low: PVRC President, 2014 and PVRC Trustee 2015 N4KN, Kay Craigie: ARRL President, 2010-2016 N4YDU, Nate Moreschi: North Carolina East Chapter Chair 2016-2018 W4YE, Buddy Smith: PVRC President, 1973 and 1974 73, Tom K3AJ President, PVRC

	PVRC News/em>
		PVRC Calendar Year started July 1st! - Stay tuned for a listing of the 5M contests and the 2020 PVRC Olympic Rules.
		*PVRC Brochure* *PVRC Brochure- A new PVRC Brochure to introduce the club to new members was introduced at Frostfest. You can view a copy of it by clicking here. Inter PVRC Sweepstakes Awards* - A new program is being rolled out to increase participation on the Chapter level as well as offer a little in house competition. Full details available here! We had earlier announced that PVRC had decisive wins in the January CW and January SSB events. SMC won the February NAQP RTTY portion of the 2019 NAQP Challenge, bringing the overall 2019 Challenge to the half way point. At the break, PVRC is in first place followed by SMC in second and NCCC in third. You can check the standings at http://naqpc.org/2019.htm. That page also includes a link to a participation report that allows individual club members to track their contributions to their club's score. The second half of the 2019 Challenge kicks off on July 20 with the summer NAQP RTTY, followed by the CW and SSB NAQPs in August. The August 17 SSB NAQP, will be super important to PVRC - please make room on your calendar to put in a big effort for this one! *PVRC Dues* - PVRC has chosen not to implement an annual Dues requirement. We depend on the generosity of all our club members to finance our annual budget. In addition, active PVRC members are expected to participate and submit logs for at least two PVRC Club Competition contests per year. When contemplating your donation to PVRC, each member should consider the benefit you are receiving from PVRC and its many opportunities for your personal growth in our wonderful hobby, then donate accordingly. Direct donations to PVRC via Credit Card or PayPal may be made by clicking the "Donate" button above or below. Donations to PVRC are not tax deductible.

	Introduction to PVRC
		PVRC has a rich history going back to its foundation in 1947, with valued traditions defining our club. "Once PVRC, always PVRC" expresses a positive open-ended membership policy reflecting the many lifetime friendships formed in the club. Many of these friendships now span the US and the globe, with PVRC alumni found in nearly every other major radiosport club. Though we began as a small local club in the DC metro area, over the years we grew to in-territory membership in six states and DC. To foster the original local experience all across the PVRC territory, we are organized in local chapters. Over a dozen chapters provide members easy travel to meetings for the face to face experience that is the source of tower parties, physical help, elmering, personal encouragement, and just plain fun - the glue that bonds us together. PVRC members are e-wired, in constant communication via the PVRC e-mail reflectors. We use the reflectors to organize and function as an entire club, schedule club-wide events, set ourselves up for contests, share experience and access the incredible knowledge base of our members. We draw our officers and trustees from all across the club territory, and they largely communicate across this geography via electronic means. The PVRC 5 Million Award Program recognizes our members' contribution to club competition by awarding points for scores submitted on behalf of PVRC. We award a very neat plaque for reaching 5 million points with endorsements for levels beyond. Please explore the PVRC web site to learn more about us, and we cordially invite you to contact an officer or a Chapter Chair to begin exploring how membership in PVRC can benefit you as a radiosport player and competitor!
	Officers for 2019
		Check the contacts page for full details President K3AJ Tom Valenti, Vice President N4GU Mike Barts, Vice President W3MMM Jay Horman, Secretary N3QE Tim Shoppa and Treasurer K2YWE Dan Zeitlin