1) DESIGNATION AND OBJECTIVES
i) The Group shall be known as the “Bittern DX Group” an Amateur Radio Group, also may sometimes be referred to as the “Bittern DXers” or “BDXG” as appropriate.
ii) The aims of the group shall be to stimulate the interests of its members in all aspects of Amateur Radio and directly associated activities, and in particular to operating portable activities.
iii) The Group may be affiliated to other organisations as considered meaningful in the pursuance of its objectives.
iv) The Group may become involved in Dxpedition sponsorship, if considered beneficial to its members.
v) The Group shall be non sectarian and non political.
2) OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE
The Group’s affairs shall be administered by a Committee elected at the Annual General Meeting, in whom the Group’s property shall be vested, it shall consist of 3 Officers and 2 Ordinary members, as follows:
a. A Chairman or Chairperson who will preside at all meetings at which he/she is present. No member may hold this position for more than one year. In the event that no other member is willing to stand, he/she may be re-elected if willing to stand.
b.Group Secretary who will be responsible for:
i) Act as Chairman in the absence of the Chairman.
ii) Keeping the minutes of all meetings of the Group.
iii) Ensuring that all correspondence is correctly handled.
iv) Maintaining a master roll of members and honorary members.
c. Treasurer, who will be responsible for:
i) Keeping the Group’s accounts.
ii) Advising the Committee on all financial matters.
iii) Preparing the accounts for audit and presenting them at the AGM.
iv) Maintaining a register of Group equipment.
d. Two Ordinary Committee Members.
e. Not more than one co-opted member who has full voting powers, and not more than one who is permitted to vote.
f. Any officer or Committee member who fails to attend at more than 4 consecutive committee meetings without explanation, shall be deemed to have resigned, and his post will be offered to other group members.
g. Sub committees may be required when deemed necessary on specialist aspects i.e. Training, Special Events, Contests etc. however they must consist of 3 members minimum and have at least one main Committee member serving to monitor and report its activities.
The following positions can be held by a member of the Committee, but it is not deemed necessary:
a. QSL Manager, who will be responsible for the throughput (in and out) of all QSL card activity of the Group.
b. Group Liaison Officer, who will be responsible for external (to the Group) negotiations regarding special events and other Group activities.
c. Webmaster, who will be responsible for the Group website and all its content.
e. Membership Secretary
3. MEMBERSHIP
a. Ordinary Members
i) Membership shall be open to any person with a genuine and not solely commercial interest in Amateur Radio. Application for Membership shall be ratified by the Committee who shall have the power to veto any such application without necessarily stating their reason. Any fee paid by the unsuccessful candidate shall be refunded.
ii) The period of Membership shall be from 1st June to 31st May inclusive in any one year. In the case of new members the period shall at first be from the date of payment of their first Subscription to the following 31st May. Members joining after 31st December will pay a reduced Subscription.
iii) Membership shall be terminated through resignation, non payment of the subscription within the stipulated time, (See Rule 4c) or through the following action by the Committee.
iv) The Committee shall have the power to terminate the Membership of any individual if his/her actions are considered to be prejudicial to the interests of the Group or generally unacceptable to the spirit of Amateur Radio. In such an event the Committee shall deliver a written statement to the member setting out the reason why the termination of his membership is under review. The member shall then be given the opportunity to select a date within the following thirty days, convenient to both himself and the Committee, on which a meeting shall be held to discuss this matter. At this meeting the member shall have the right to invite a third party to assist in the presentation of his case. He shall also have the right through the Chair to question those initiating the complaint. At the end of the meeting the Committee shall hold a secret ballot as to whether or not he should remain a member, and the Chairman shall advise the member privately of the outcome of the ballot.
b. Associate Members
i) An Associate Member may make occasional visits to the Group, or any external function when he will be a guest of the Chairman. At such times, they will comply with the rules of the BDXG and those of the organisation where the meetings/event are held. The Committee of the BDXG has the right to invite the Associate Member to apply for Ordinary Membership if it considers such visits become excessive and outside the intention of the scheme. A maximum of three meetings per annum is deemed acceptable.
ii) Associate Members may attend Annual General Meetings and Extraordinary General Meetings if they so wish, but will not have the right to vote at such meetings.
iii) Associate Members can be those from Overseas.
c. Student Members
i) Student members must be under 25 years of age and in full time formal education.
ii) Full voting rights are permitted.
d. Honorary Members
i) Honorary Life Membership may be granted to any person, who, in the opinion of the Committee, has rendered, outstanding service to the Group, either directly or indirectly.
ii) Such membership shall carry the rights of Ordinary Membership, but shall be free from any subscription.
e. Junior Members
i) Junior members must be under 16 years of age and are free of subscription.
i) No voting rights are permitted.
f. Family Membership
i) This category only includes those family members that reside at the same address.
All member groups shall abide by the Constitution and Rules 3a(iii) and 3a(iv) shall apply concerning the termination of all membership groups.
4. SUBSCRIPTIONS
a. The rate of subscription shall be determined by the Committee following a recommendation for any change put forward by the Honorary Treasurer.
b. Any change in the rate of subscription shall be announced at the following Annual General Meeting or Extraordinary General Meeting and take effect from the following 1st June, or at an earlier date if deemed necessary.
c. Subscriptions shall fall due for payment on 1st June and must be paid by 1st September, i.e within 3 months of its due date.
d. The following categories of membership shall be made available:
i) Ordinary Membership
ii) Associate / Overseas Membership
iii) Student Membership
iv) Junior Membership
iv) Family Membership
VISITORS TO THE CLUB
a. Members shall be encouraged to sponsor visitors to the club.
b. Whenever possible the member sponsoring the visitor shall introduce him/her to the Officers of the Group present and ensure that every endeavour is made to make him/her feel welcome.
c. A member sponsoring a visitor will be responsible for their behaviour while present at the meeting or an event.
d. A member sponsoring an overseas visitor may apply to the Committee for that person to become an Associate Member of the Club.
MEETINGS
(A) Annual General Meetings
a. The Annual General meeting shall normally be held on the last Thursday in the month of June each year.
b. At least 14 days notice shall be given to each member in writing or electronic media.
c. The quorum for the meeting shall be five.
d. The agenda for the meeting shall be:
i) Apologies for absence
ii) Minutes of the previous AGM
iii) Chairman’s Report
iv) Secretary’s Report
v) Treasurer’s Report
vi) QSL Manager’s Report
vii) Election of the new Committee
viii) Election of Auditors
ix) Other business
e. Items (i) to (vi) shall be chaired by the out-going chairman, item (vii) by an acting Chairman who is not standing for election to office, and the remaining business by the newly elected Chairman.
f.Nominations for Committee Members will only be valid if confirmed by the nominee at the meeting or previously in writing.
g. Items to be raised by members under other business must be notified to the Secretary not less than 21 days before the AGM.
(B) Extraordinary General Meetings
a. Extraordinary General Meetings may be called by the Committee, or not less than four members of the Group. The date of the meeting being the earliest convenient as decided by the Committee. At least 28 days notice in writing or via electronic media must be given to the Secretary, who in turn shall give members at least 14 days notice in writing of the agenda. No other business may be transacted at the EGM.
b. The quorum for the EGM shall be five.
(C) Committee Meetings
a. The quorum for the Committee shall be five. In the absence of a quorum, business may be dealt with but any decisions taken only become valid after ratification at the next meeting at which a quorum exists.
ADDENDUM: Agreed at AGM 27th June 2013 – Elected Committee of 5 members, quorum can therefore consists of 4 members.
b. Committee Meetings may be called by the Chairman, the Secretary or any other voting member of the group.
FINANCE
a. The financial year shall be from 1st June to 31st May inclusive.
b. The club funds shall be held in an account with a recognised Bank. The Treasurer shall have “signing powers” on the account providing that his signature is accompanied by that of the Chairman.
c. Any Group expenditure in excess of £250, the Treasurer must seek the approval of a full Committee Meeting.
d. Provision for “financial correspondence pending” to be on the agenda at all meetings.
CHANGES TO THE CONSTITUTION
Changes to this Constitution shall only be made at an Annual General Meeting or an Extraordinary General Meeting called for that purpose.
WINDING UP OF THE GROUP
a. The decision to wind up the Group may be taken only at an EGM.
b. The funds of the Group shall, after the sale of all assets and the payment of all outstanding debts, be disposed of as directed by members at the final EGM.
Any reference in these rules to the male gender shall be deemed to include persons of the female gender.
APPENDIX 1
CLUB TROPHIES
The following awards are open to all fully paid-up UK BDXG members, including the Officers and members of the Committee.
All awards will be presented at the Annual Dinner.
The Bittern DX Chaser Cup
This cup is awarded annually to the individual member with the highest overall total number of DXCC entities worked in a calendar year on any mode/band. Entries must be submitted for adjudication by the following 1st February in the form of an .adi file. Please note that the current holder of the trophy is not eligible to enter a score in the subsequent year. The name and callsign of the winner shall be engraved on the trophy for presentation at the BDXG Annual Dinner and recorded at thefollowing AGM.
The Bittern DX Group Data Trophy
This trophy is presented annually to the member with the most points gained by using data modes RTTY, BPSK31, BPSK63 and BPSK125. Entries must be submitted by 1st February each year and only computer logs in the form of .adi file will be accepted.
The BDXG HF Trophy
This award is based on DXCC band slots worked in acalendar year. There is also a certificate available for the HF Lifetime DX Award.
The G6IPU Trophy (VHF/UHF)
This award is available to the member who works the most QRA locator squares and DXCC entities in a calendar year on 50Mhz and upwards.
The Tropo Award
This is a certificate awarded in recognition of the member who has worked the highest number of QRA locator squares and DXCC entities since licensed.
HF QRP Trophy (160m to 10m)
VHF QRP Trophy(4m and up)
Both the HF andVHF QRP Awards are intended to promote low power operations, in particular with Foundation Licence holders where output power is a limitation. Entries must be submitted by 1st February the following year.
Full rules and regulations are available from the Group Secretary.