Looking/Starting a club

[Ezekiel]

Hello all,

 

I have looked on here many times in the past year and many things have been helpful.  

 

What I am looking for and am having some trouble finding information on, is starting a club.  I know that with Ham we need to have at least 4 people to start a club, is it similar to GMRS?

 

if so where do i find the information and requirements on starting one?

 

 

 in the area that I live and work I have a large group that drives and is around the county a lot.  the best thing is that this county sits in a large valley and GMRS works well.    

 

 

Thank you in advance for the help.

[mcallahan]

> I know that with Ham we need to have at least 4 people to start a club, is it similar to GMRS?

 

That's only if you want to be an ARRL-affiliated club (and honestly, who would want to be affiliated with them anymore after recent headlines..)

[Ezekiel]

> I know that with Ham we need to have at least 4 people to start a club, is it similar to GMRS?

 

That's only if you want to be an ARRL-affiliated club (and honestly, who would want to be affiliated with them anymore after recent headlines..)

 

 

OK I live in a bit of a bubble. what headlines are you reffering.

 

and thank you for the clarification on the ARRL part.   

[mcallahan]

This guy's blog posts sum it up pretty well, but the long and short of it was that a board member was censured for dissenting opinion, all hell broke lose, etc.  Basically revealing what a dinosaur of an organization it is.

 

Part 1: http://www.kb6nu.com/heck-arrl-board-thinking/

 

Part 2: http://www.kb6nu.com/heck-arrl-board-thinking-wait-theres/

 

What I find weird is that the current president is only a tech: http://www.arrl.org/president

 

For me, ARRL membership offers not much benefit so I have never joined. 

[Jones]

What I find weird is that the current president is only a tech: http://www.arrl.org/president

 

 

No, RickRod is an Extra Class license holder, and has been licensed for almost 50 years.  I don't agree with the ARRL's recent actions either, but let's not get the facts wrong.

 

I have been an ARRL member for over 25 years myself, and threatened to quit this year if they didn't change a few things, but at the January meeting, they did; so I'm still going to renew this year.

[mcallahan]

Ah yeah my mistake, I looked up his callsign but definitely misread or confused his license page with another.

[Ezekiel]

Thank you for the help on that and i will look it up as soon as i am able.

 

i am finding that these forums are chalk full of info if you take the time to read down through all the pages.   

 

there are many many pages that i am finding. helpful yes but still a daunting task when i only have an hour or so to be on the computer at one time.

 

i multitask a lot......

[Hans]

When we were starting a repeater/GMRS special interest group, I ran across "Unincorporated Associations" under state law. We did not end up starting a group so, this information may or may not help you as a starting point.

 

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/what-an-unincorporated-nonprofit-association.html

 

"What happens, legally speaking, when a group of people get together and decide to perform some task without filing any legal paperwork or establishing any formal legal structure? Whether they know it or not, they have formed an unincorporated association. “Unincorporated association" means an unincorporated group of two or more persons joined by mutual consent for a common lawful purpose, whether organized for profit or not."

[Durake]

I agree with Matt on the ARRL issue, but to answer your question.. Hans provides good information, my group doesn't really have a structure or ranking or anything, aside from the owner, trustee, and admin of our repeater. We pay a small yearly fee that we all agree on and then when a need or want arises we meet up and discuss what it is, how much it'll cost, and then vote on if we want to spend money on it, so having a club or group of friends and put money together can help get things going.

 

We call ourselfs (not legally of course) the "Motorola Professional Radio Club of Garland" that was our thought but we don't want to get into the legal aspect of using Motorola in our name, but we all only use Motorola radios.

 

So, I guess we are just a "Unincorporated Association" which I had no idea that was even a thing. So, thanks Hans for that.

[Ezekiel]

Hans thank you for the great advice.  I had no idea that there was a difference in the two.  or that it was even a thing.

 

 

I'll let the other guys that I have in mind to do this with me know and we will get going on something.  I also need to find a place that will allow a repeater to be placed.  this might be an issue as all the raised land around our valley is privately owned and locked down.  the only good thing is that if i let the farmers use part of it for their family communications while they are in the fields.

 

 

but i digress.  organization first then we will work on getting the rest of the paperwork finished.

 

thank you to all that have given me some pointers. 

[PB92]

Interesting observation Matt,

I have visited that site plenty, and just from reading a lot of posts, I got the feeling that they felt any radio operator other then Ham is a lower of a person, not able to learn and take the test. I mean months and months I would visit there. My first plan was to get my tech license and become a ham.

 

Obviously, I have changed my mind, as I am here and operate GMRS.

 

No disrespect at all to the hams out there, just the feeling I got visiting there a lot. I "may" at some point get my Ham license, but I'm really not interested in that aspect of radio at this point. 73  

[Hans]

You're welcome, Ezekiel. I hope it helps.

 

BTW, do you watch RFB on Youtube? "but I digress"

[n4gix]

Note to Self: always read the entire thread before replying...
 

What I find weird is that the current president is only a tech: http://www.arrl.org/president

Um, just no...

He is an Extra Class ham:

QRZ Admin K5UR
Last Update 2014-12-10 21:19:41
Class Extra Codes: HAI

See also from the FCC Database: http://wireless2.fcc.gov/UlsApp/UlsSearch/license.jsp?licKey=253782

[Ezekiel]

You're welcome, Ezekiel. I hope it helps.

 

BTW, do you watch RFB on Youtube? "but I digress"

 

 

yes it does help and thank you...

 

RFB?

 

 

I will need to find it.....

[Hans]

RFB?

 

 

I will need to find it.....

It's a YouTuber... I like to hear him talk. It's been a very long time since I've been in Boston and he has all of the mannerism; including "but I digress." He's like a slightly off uncle at the holidays.

[PB92]

I'm in for the GMRS club thing....................

[Soladaddy]

Interesting observation Matt,

I have visited that site plenty, and just from reading a lot of posts, I got the feeling that they felt any radio operator other then Ham is a lower of a person, not able to learn and take the test. I mean months and months I would visit there. My first plan was to get my tech license and become a ham.

 

Obviously, I have changed my mind, as I am here and operate GMRS.

 

No disrespect at all to the hams out there, just the feeling I got visiting there a lot. I "may" at some point get my Ham license, but I'm really not interested in that aspect of radio at this point. 73  

In my county, if you are a licensed ham, you are exempt from tower regulations up to 199 feet. They wouldn't know what type of antennas are on said tower(s). To me that alone is worth the license. Now I just need to find non-deed restricted land that I can afford. 

[berkinet]

...I have visited [the ARRL] site plenty, and just from reading a lot of posts, I got the feeling that they felt any radio operator other then Ham is a lower of a person, not able to learn and take the test...

Don’t confuse the ARRL with amateur radio and don’t judge amateur radio by the attitudes, actions and positions of the ARRL. Just for starters, ham radio is global and the ARRL is in the US only. Even then, the ARRL only represents themselves and their members, not all ham operators. For one, They do not represent me or my views.

[PB92]

Of course berkinet, its was just my initial feeling and by what some folks there said about GMRS.  I remember one fellow there said "you are just lazy, don't want to study for the test". There's always 1 or 2 in a bunch ya know......

[couger100101]

how hard is it to start a group/club?