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The Central Michigan Amateur Repeater Association Inc. is a non-profit organization (founded in 1975) that operates 2 meter amateur (HAM) radio repeaters at 3 locations in Michigan. These 3 locations, allow us to provide reliable mobile communications throughout the majority of the Central Michigan area.
Last but certainly not least, we wish to thank our friends at The Independent Repeater Association (IRA), with whom we share antennas and coax with at the PV site. Their contributions of equipment and knowledge are greatly appreciated.
A weekly information and swap net is held every Sunday evening on the Pleasant Valley repeater at 9:00 PM. Please join us whenever you are in the area. If you have any questions about CMARA, please feel free to contact any of the below Board members.
The CMARA repeaters are located at; Pleasant Valley (wide area) 146.720 MHz, Edmore 146.800 MHz, and Farwell 147.200 MHz. All of our repeaters operate with the standard offsets and none of them require a PL tone to access. Click on the map at left to see a full screen map marking the locations of the repeaters and their approximate mobile coverages.
All of our repeaters are supported solely by our members. Their dues ($15.00 annually) are the only funds that keep this equipment in operating condition. For this reason, we would like to thank the members for their support. We also wish to thank our Board of Directors and Officers. They are uncompensated and spend many hours maintaining the equipment and working on improvements.
| President | Eldon Hall | N8STF |
| Vice Pres. | Del LaFevor | WB8FYR |
| Treasurer | Chuck Norisez | KA8IBY |
| Secretary | Manley Palmer | WA8FCP |
| John Hackman | WB4VVA | |
| Ray Peterson | WB8VWK | |
| Richard Wilkes | K4CI | |
It is the basis if not the purpose of the Central Michigan Amateur Repeater Association to provide a home in which those interested can share in and enjoy the brotherhood of Amateur Radio. For this reason it is hoped that these Bylaws will be interpreted and applied with common sense, compassion and appreciation of our most valuable Corporation asset, our fellow man.
A. Any person having an interest in pursuing the objectives of the Corporation is eligible for membership.
B. To become a member of the corporation , the prospective member must furnish his name, address, telephone number, call sign (if applicable) and annual dues to the Secretary or Treasurer.
C. Honorary membership may he bestowed on any person by a majority vote of the members present and voting at any regular meeting. Honorary memberships shall not be for more than one (1) year.
D. Any person who has joined this Corporation prior to 31 December 1974 shall be a Charter Member.
E. Members shall adhere to : All applicable Federal Communications Commission Rules and Regulations, the requirements of the Corporation Charter and these Bylaws, and the Code of Ethics adopted by the Corporation.
ARTICLE II - CERTIFICATION OF MEMBERS
A. Upon receipt of application for membership with the required dues, the Treasurer or his designate, shall furnish the member with a certification of membership in the form of a membership card upon request.
A. The annual dues of the Corporation shall be proposed on a yearly basis ('97-'98 $15.00) by the board of directors to be approved by the membership at the Annual meeting, to take effect for the next membership year. Membership years shall run from August 1 to July 31.
B. The annual dues of all additional members of households not requiring newsletters or other membership services shall be proposed on a yearly basis ('97-'98 $20.00) by the board of directors to be approved by the membership at the Annual meeting. Persons covered by such memberships shall be known as "Family Members".
C. Members shall be notified at least thirty (30) days prior to when their membership dues are due.
D. The Board of Directors may waive all, or any portion of the dues on an individual basis.
E. Donations will be gratefully accepted.
ARTICLE IV - VOTING PRIVILEGES
A. All fully-paid members shall have voting privileges. Family Members shall not have voting privileges.
A. Numbers of the corporation may be expelled for violating the provisions of the corporation Charter, These Bylaws, the Code of Ethics, or for conduct which would cause discredit to fall upon the Corporation or Amateur Radio as a whole.
B. A member may be expelled as follows: Proposed expulsion of a member shall be discussed openly at a regular or special meeting and the reasons for the proposed expulsion explained. The Secretary shall notify the affected member of the election at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting at which the proceeding is to take place. A majority vote of the members present and voting at this meeting is necessary for expulsion.
A. Any member his the prerogative of resignation and any resignation will be recognized and accepted when submitted to the Secretary in writing.
ARTICLE VII - RECRUITING OF NEW MEMBERS
A. The Membership committee as appointed by the President shall send an invitation to join the Corporation to all prospective members.
ARTICLE VIII - DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS
A. The Association shall be governed by a Board of Directors, consisting of seven (7) members.
B. At its first meeting following the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors shall elect from its ranks the officers described below, who shall serve at the pleasure of the Board.
C. The officers of the Association are:
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
D. The duties of officers are defined in Article IX below.
E. The Board of Directors may remove any officer at any time, with or without cause.
F. The Board of Directors may remove any director for malfeasance, or for missing three or more Directors' meetings in succession without adequate cause.
ARTICLE IX - DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
The duties of the officers shall be as general usage shall indicate, specifically:
A. President - shall preside at all meetings of the corporation and shall conduct same in accordance with the rules adopted. He shall enforce due observance of the corporations Constitution and Bylaws; decide all questions of order; sign all official documents which are adopted by the corporation, and none other; and perform all other duties pertaining to the office of the President.
B. Vice-President - shall take over the duties of the President in the absence of the President; have the authority of the President when acting in this capacity; assist the President in all activities and purposes of the Corporation.
C. Treasurer - shall be responsible for the fiscal affairs of the Corporation and shall report the status of same to the membership when requested; be responsible for disbursing money for Corporation projects as directed by the Board and/or the membership; and shall prepare an annual statement of assets.
D. Secretary - shall keep a record of the proceedings of all meetings, and all official Corporation documents, including the membership roster, records and correspondence. It shall be the duty of the Secretary to keep the Constitution and Bylaws of the Corporation, and to have same at all meetings. He shall cause all amendments, changes, and additions to be noted thereon and shall permit same to be consulted by any member in good standing. He shall give all items belonging to the Corporation to his successor.
ARTICLE X - ELECTION OF DIRECTORS
A. Directors shall be elected to two-year terms, except the At-Large Director, who shall be elected to a one-year term.
B. Directors' seats are apportioned as follows:
Two (2) from the Eastern district, comprised of Midland County;
Two (2) from the Northern district, comprised of Clare, Gladwin, Bay and Isabella Counties;
Two (2) from the Southern district, comprised of Gratiot, Montcalm and Mecosta Counties; and
One (1) At-Large, elected from the whole C.M.A.R.A. service area and membership.
C. Directors representing a district shall be elected by the members of the Corporation residing in that district, to two-year staggered terms commencing at the Annual Meeting of the Corporation. Directors must reside within the district they represent.
D. The At-Large director shall be elected by the whole membership and must reside within the State of Michigan.
E. Candidates for Director are nominated as follows:
Candidates for directors' seats must be members in good standing of the Corporation at the time of nomination and must reside within the district.
Candidates for directors' seats are nominated by the Nominating Committee, consisting of the At-Large Director as chairman and at least one member of the Corporation who is not a sitting Director. The committee is charged with nominating one person for each Director's seat coming open at the next Annual Meeting, and with filing the list of such nominees with the Secretary on or before July 20th. The list is public information immediately upon receipt by the Secretary.
Persons not nominated by the Nominating Committee may be nominated by filing a nominating petition with the Nominating Committee or the Secretary prior to August 1st. Such petitions must bear the signatures and call signs of the nominee and at least two (2) members of the Corporation. The petition must specify which district the person is being nominated to represent and all the signatures on the petition must reside in that district. A petition for At-Large Director's seat must so specify and the signatories may reside anywhere.
F. Any Director may succeed himself in office.
G. At least fourteen (14) days prior to the Annual Meeting, the Secretary shall prepare and mail to each member in good standing of the Corporation as of August 1st of that year a notice of the meeting and a ballot listing the candidates for whom the member may vote. Each member may vote his ballot by marking it in a suitable fashion, and mail or deliver it to the Secretary at or before the time of counting of ballots at the Annual Meeting. Any ballot, whether mailed or delivered, shall only be counted if it actually reaches the Secretary at or before the time of counting of ballots at the Annual Meeting.
No other nominations shall be accepted or voted upon; provided, that in the event no candidate able and willing to serve is in nomination when a seat becomes vacant at the Annual Meeting, the members of the Corporation present at the Annual Meeting who reside in the district represented by the vacant seat (or all members, if the vacant seat is that of the At-Large Director) may, with the consent of the person or persons being nominated, nominate one or more members meeting residence and other eligibility criteria and elect one nominee to fill the seat.
H. Only members in good standing of the Corporation as of August 1st may be elected to the Board of Directors, may nominate candidates, or may vote in any election.
I. Ballots shall be counted by the Secretary of the Corporation and two tellers appointed by the President, said tellers not being members of the Board of Directors nor candidates in the election.
A. Trustee(s) shall be members in good standing and shall be appointed by and serve at the discretion of the President of the Corporation.
B. The Trustee shall provide to the station(s) to which he is assigned the necessary authorization and license to operate and shall take all necessary measures to insure that the operation of the Corporation's Station(s) complies with the Rules and Regulations of the Federal Communications Commission.
C. The Trustee shall serve as chairman of the Station's Maintenance Committee.
A. In the event of a vacancy on the Board, the Board of Directors shall have the power to appoint a member of the Corporation to fill the vacancy until the expiration of its term. The member to be appointed shall be from within the district the seat represents unless no candidate from within the district can be found.
B. Unfilled seats following a regular election may be filled by appointment by the Board of Directors, or by a special election called for the purpose by the Board and governed by the general rules of election given above. If no candidate can be found from within the district to be represented, the Board may appoint or authorize for election a candidate from outside the district to be represented.
A. The government of the Corporation is vested in the Board of Directors.
B. The day-to-day operations of the Corporation shall be conducted by the Executive Committee, consisting of the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
ARTICLE XIV - CORPORATION RIGHTS
A. The Corporation shall have the right to own property, both real and personal, the right to buy and sell property, the right to borrow money, the right to accept donations of both money and property. The Board of Directors shall approve by majority vote the exercise of any Corporation right.
B. In the event C.M.A.R.A. ceases to exist, the real property is to be distributed to the local amateur radio clubs to maintain through their membership. Should no local club wish to take on that responsibility, the equipment shall be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to the American Radio Relay League Scholarship Fund.
A. An annual meeting shall be held in September of each year to elect the officers of the Corporation.
B. General membership meetings will be held on an as needed basis.
C. Special meetings may be called for any purpose by any Corporation officer.
D. Members shall be notified seven (7) days prior to General or Special membership meetings and fourteen (14) days prior to Annual membership meetings.
E. Board meetings will be called by the presiding officer. Members of the Board must be notified.
F. At any membership meeting a quorum shall consist of 10% of the membership but not less than 10 members.
A. Special or Standing committees may be appointed by the President. These committees will function for the Corporation's advantage and will be dissolved upon completion of their assigned task.
ARTICLE XVII - CONTROL OPERATORS
A. Control Operator(s) for the Corporation's Repeater Station(s) shall follow guidelines established by the Station Trustee.
A. Any amendments or changes to these Bylaws will be published in ballot form at least seven (7) days prior to the next regular meeting at which it is to be voted upon. Ballots must be signed by the member mailing the ballot back to the Secretary.
A. It will be the purpose of C.M.A.R.A. to provide education pertaining to the advancement of Amateur Radio communications, electronic technology , state of the art, and regulatory subjects to the amateur community.
We, the undersigned members, accept these Bylaws, signed this 13th day of September, 1975.
W8IFA - President, W8NDI - Vice-President, K8VXX - Treasurer, W8QOI - Secretary
Last Amended Sept. 27th, 1997