LRA Board corner
Those of you who have been following the “Great Dot ORG hijacking event” probably have noticed that our old URL, KR9RK.ORG has finally been returned to us. The offending material that was posted there has been taken down and it is finally under control of the LRA. We will continue to use KR9RK.COM and .ORG will simply point to KR9RK.COM .
After numerous attempts for an orderly transition resolution, it became clear to the board members that a “public hanging” approach for posting website material damaging to the LRA was not going to enable us to achieve our goal of KR9RK.ORG URL control. Another approach was necessary.
Such was the case when we were trying to negotiate the LRA website release. To resolve this dispute, we unfortunately had to get lawyers involved and a further veil of attorney/client privileged information fell upon our shoulders. We were looking at potential litigation over this matter and our actions had to remain private under advice of counsel.
In the end, LRA prevailed in this matter. All of the offensive material was taken off line and the codes to the website were finally transferred to me in an email from Mike Waschbisch, aka W2WAY, on 19-Sept-2022. We immediately took action to transfer ownership of the site and the offensive material was deleted. Domain ownership transfer took several days and it is now complete. Both domains are currently valid and point to the same location.
A written agreement detailing the verbal settlement is being drafted by our attorney. Once fully executed, the detailed content will be disclosed to the membership.
It should be noted here that the Lakeshore Repeater Association is a corporation organized under the definition detailed in section 501(C)3 of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is not, as one person has incorrectly asserted, a “PUBLIC” corporation. It is a PRIVATE organization. Discussions held in private meetings within private organizations have reasons that they are not made public. Details of LRA board level discussions, especially when personnel matters are concerned, cannot and will not be disclosed to a wide audience.
A Personal Note:
As this incident was playing out, it appeared to some that we were not taking sufficient action on the matter and demanded that potentially humiliating public actions be taken. It appeared to others that we were carrying out a personal vendetta against one person. Neither could be further from the truth and until now, we haven’t been able to openly discuss the actions that were taken.
For those who angrily resigned from LRA or demanded GoFundMe donation refunds while all of this was unfolding, I hope you will reconsider your actions and continue to be valued members. This is a time we all need to pull together and heal. This has not been pleasant for any of us.
I am very sorry that Mike’s LRA legacy will probably be remembered by this incident rather than all the good things he did for our organization over the years. Nevertheless I wish him well.
Board Actions:
As has been announced in the last newsletter, Matt, AF9Q was appointed interim Secretary by the board following the resignation of Jen, KD9UET. Matt set up the new KR9RK.COM domain and posted temporary site data there. He also established permanent email addresses for the association officers:
and BOARD@KR9RK.COM (which will go to all board members)
Please use these email addresses when discussing LRA issues with any board member.
These email addresses will flow to the next generation of officers and will provide a certain level of continuity of records for the next officers of the association.
Matt also assured that the Domain registrations are now with Lakeshore Repeater Association, L.L.C. rather than with one person as was done in the past. All board members have the access codes and will be changed during the next transition of officers. These actions will prevent any single person from hijacking the website or holding it hostage to achieve their own ends in the future.
Matt has also been working hard on the website. It’s starting to look good again.
Since a trusting relationship with the past President no longer existed and with the likelihood that he may still have had financial account access, we closed the existing bank accounts and the old PayPal account. New accounts have been opened under sole control of the current Board of Directors and the Association Treasurer.
LRA NETS and Discussion Groups:
Kenosha/Racine ARES/RACES will be holding their PUBLIC SERVICE net on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. This will be held at 7:30 pm on the 147.270 repeater.
The LRA PUBLIC INFORMATION net will continue to be held every Wednesday at 7:30 pm on the 147.27 repeater except where it conflicts with the Public Service net. On those days the nets will be combined.
Tune in for Amateur Radio News program immediately following these nets on 147.27 MHz.
The Happy Hour un-net is a casual discussion group that meets on 442.000 (and linked to 147.270) every day at 5:00 pm. We have recently been getting between 25 and 35 check-ins every day to share their happy thoughts. It’s sure to brighten your day. This is the place to ask your questions about radios and antennas. Happy thoughts only please! We’re going to pass the 14,000 check-in mark very soon.
Dave, NP2I, has been presenting a beautiful 8-1/2 x 11 HH certificate with our mascot, the Fat Squirrel, in the watermark to those who pass the 100 check-in mark. Over 40 local Hams now proudly display their “Century Club” certificate.
The Happy Hour group also has a very active email chain. If you’d like to be included, please send an email to me at WA9MVZ@YAHOO.COM or to Matt, AF9Q. We also have a couple of other groups.io chains that represent some club projects of wide interest.
If you’re commuting in the morning, join in the conversation group on the 442.000 repeater. Activity is intermittent but usually peaks between 5:00 am and 7:00 am every day.
Upcoming Events
The next quarterly LRA membership meeting will take place at the usual location at the Sturtevant Police station at 7:00 pm sharp. Important activities at this meeting will include:
- Election or confirmation of an interim Secretary. Matt, AF9Q, has been filling this position for the past two months following his board appointment and I have nominated him for election. Floor nominations for the Secretary position will be taken and followed by a vote of the members present to complete the term which ends in October, 2023. New membership applications will not be accepted at this meeting.
- Thanks to Secretary Matt, AF9Q, who set up a GoFundMe site, we have received donations that will allow us to purchase three Motorola repeaters that have been leased to the association. Per the by-laws, the membership must approve this $4000.00 expenditure.
- By-laws review committee appointments. A new committee is being formed to review the LRA by-laws, perhaps looking into membership voting methods during meetings. Other issues have also been suggested for review. We will be looking for volunteers and a chairperson to lead this activity.
While the exact date hasn’t been finalized, don’t forget the LRA Christmas party usually held the first or second week of December. We should have more details at the meeting.
Hey! Look At This!
A lot of club activity continues around POTA, IOTA, BOTA, WINLINK, APRS, multiple digital modes, and Remote Operating. Some members have even had voice-to-voice contacts with the Hams on the International Space Station. New antennas are being prepared for the winter season and satellite ground stations are going on the air all the time. What endless opportunities this “hobby” presents us. Tell us what you’re doing during the Happy Hour !
But this month’s homebrew award has to go to Tom, W9FL who made BOTH a pneumatic wire antenna launcher and a modernized version of my “RetroRig”. His new UltraRig is an IC-706MKiig control head linked to the radio part at his home. Full “radio” feel and completely battery operated remote capable. What a terrific job! Pictures are below.
A QST article inspired the launcher build
Meeting Minutes
Minutes of the July 26 Quarterly Membership meeting are attached to this email as well.
One Last Thing
All of our email addresses have been compromised when one member included everyone in the cc: list instead of using bcc: in a flame email. If you know of anyone who is not receiving this email please send a note to Matt at Secretary@KR9RK.COM. Also, if you wish to change your email due to the breach please let Matt know.
73 for now,
Fred Glenn, K9SO
VP, Lakeshore Repeater Association L.L.C.