CLUB OFFICERS FOR 2006
President: Mark Timblin, AI4HO
Vice President: Brian Cook, KI4HLW
Secretary: Richard Jackson, AB4AZ
Treasurer: Mark Poziomek, W4POZ
Director: Wayne Burkett Sr., KA1VRF
The (VBARC) Vero Beach Amateur
Radio Club was formed on November 1st, 1961 and has been an ARRL
affiliated club since 1968.
Since then it has grown to over 50 members and includes all of Indian River
County.
Since the very first year the club has worked with the Office of Civil
Defense, that agreement to assist the local government in emergency
situations continues to this day with our work for the
Emergency Management Division of Indian River County and the Red Cross.
In 1965 the club received a letter of thanks from the 82nd Airborne
Division for the clubs assistance for providing Emergency Communications
between the Dominican Republic and various groups in Florida during the
Dominican disaster.
'W4OT' Call Sign History
According to the records of the Vero Beach Amateur Radio Club minutes of 1963,
one of the active members was Harold Sever, W4OT, along with Tom
Moyer, W4KEE and Graham Lowe, K4EL. During that year there were 31
active members that appear on the roster. 1963
was also the year that Tom, W4KEE was selected to be the trustee of
the club station. During those years the individual who was the
trustee, used his or her own call. Tom obtained a station license
for the club.
The records are a bit sketchy here, but between 1963 and 1970 Harold Sever became a SK, and in
1970 the club’s license was up for renewal and it was decided to
request a 1 X 2 call and the minutes also showed that Graham Lowe
volunteered to become the trustee. The W4OT call was obtained in
memory of Harold and thus the V.B.A.R.C. had an official call.
Graham was the trustee for about two cycles of license renewal. At that time the license
period was 4 years. In October of 1973 the club received
permission to relocate it’s station location from the house in the
grove ( a story for another time) to the Red Cross Building on 17th
St. and 25th Ave. A unique combination, for emergency
communication, and to work hand in hand with the Red Cross.
Our station equipment was secured from un-authorized use within a
locked box.
Ike Roach, K4QM then volunteered to become the trustee at a meeting in
1975 and renewed the license and held the license for two 4 year
periods, the “Quiet Man,” as he was known, became the holder of the
call. John Larabell, KF4BN, was the trustee from about 1983 through 1988.
John was Eric’s dad. John was vice president in 1991 and president
of the club in 1992 while Eric, (then KB4BYP) was Treasurer. In 1988
AB4AZ renewed the club license and was asked to renew again it in
September of 1998. He is presently the club trustee until September
17th 2008.
The club has had the W4OT call for over 36 years.
Meeting
Location: The club meets on the second Thursday
of the month at 7:30pm in the new Indian River County Emergency Operations Center
located at 4225 43rd Ave, Vero Beach, FL.
MAP
Spread the word about the club to your friends with our new brochure.
Down load it HERE
and print it out. (You will need Adobe Reader to view the page, simply
print one page on each side of a piece of paper and fold it in thirds.)
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