Albemarle Amateur Radio Club

The next regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Albemarle Amateur Radio Club will be on Tuesday, October 11, at 7:30 pm in the National Radio Astronomy Observatory Headquarters facility, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville. The board will meet at 7 pm. The program will be confirmed shortly.

Saturday, September 10, the AARC will sponsor an ARRL VE session at NRAO Rm 230. This is room right behind the screen in the auditorium. So if anyone is interested in getting a license or an upgrade, this is a great opportunity. Bring a photoID, photocopy of your current license if any, pencils, calculator if needed, and $15 cash.

Saturday, September 17 is the VA Beach Hamfest and Roanoke Division meeting. For more information go to: http://www.vbhamfest.com/

Sunday, September 18 is the Boys and Girls Club Cycling Challenge. This should be a very interesting bike event as many young people will be participating, and should be a great opportunity for many young ham recruits. Riders start from the Old Trail Swim Club in Crozet and will ride one of three courses. The "Short Loop" is 29.2 miles, the "Medium Loop" 55.5 miles and the "Long Loop" covers 79.1 miles with all rides finishing at the same Old Trail Swim Club. Riders start at 9AM and there will be only 3 rest stops for these young riders, so plenty of SAG support will be required. See below for Maps and Course Cue Sheets.

The inaugural AARC Beacon prepared by our new Beacon Editor Marty Wangberg W4MBW is now ready for download at September Beacon.

The regular monthly meeting of the AARC will be on Tuesday, September 13, at 7:30 p.m. in the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgemont Road, Charlottesville. The board will meet there at 7 p.m. prior to the regular meeting. The program will include an analysis of the Four Square Antenna System installed and used by Alan Swinger (K9MBQ). This should be very interesting.

The current issue of the Beacon is ready for download at August Beacon.

A Technician Level Ham Radio License Course will begin on Thursday, August 11, at 7 p.m. Classes will meet in Western Ablemarle at the Cornerstone Church where an audio/video equipped classroom is available. The church is located west of Crozet at the very end of Twinkling Springs Road that is a right turn off Route 250 after passing under the I-64 overpass. The classes will meet two hours per week for a total of four weeks for eight hours of total classroom time on August 11, 18 & 25 and on September 1. An examination for this and all license class levels is scheduled for Saturday, September 10, starting at 9 a.m. at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, 520 Edgement Road, Charlottesville. Qualified volunteer examiners will offer the examination sponsored the AARC. The class is open to all interested persons who would like to obtain their entry level Amateur Radio Station License. Information and registration can be obtained from the class coordinator by contacting K4JEC by email at jecrosby[at]comcast[dot]net or by telephone at 434 823 2277.

The AARC UHF repeater on 444.250 MHz has been removed from the old Martha Jefferson Hospital site for its eventual location at the new hospital site on Pantops Mt. Look for this repeater to be back on the air in coming weeks.

The K4DND 145.450 MHz repeater has also been removed from its location at the Martha Jefferson Hospital to be relocated along with the WA4TFZ 444.250 at the new hospital site. The IRLP node 4703 is temporarily attached to the WA4TFZ 146.760 repeater.

The AARC VHF repeater on 146.925 MHz has been taken down from its Heard's Mt site for maintainence and can be heard on the air from the QTH of K4CGY.

The club's Annual August Picnic/Auction is just around the corner and now is the time to screen your ham gear and decide if there is something you would like to place in the auction. The picnic is a great event for fellowship and visiting with your fellow members, as well as getting rid of your surplus gear while picking up something new. Members are asked to bring a dish to share representing a salad, dessert, or vegetable. The club will furnish the burgers and hot dogs. To have an accurate count for food planning, please make your reservation including the number in your party and what you plan to bring in an email to deason[at]comcast[dot]net.
The auction is to include only ham gear and be of the Silent Auction type where you place your bid on the item's bidsheet in sequence until the cut-off time of 7:30 p.m. At that time the highest bidder has the right to claim the item and settle directly with the seller. All negotiations are between the seller and the buyer. We must be out of the park by sunset. See you there!

The current issue of the Beacon with stories about Field Day is ready for download at July Beacon. Sorry for the delay.

The AARC invites the public for Field Day. On June 25-26, the club will be at its traditional site, the Earlysville Fire Station, 283 Reas Ford Rd., Earlysville, VA 22936 (Google Maps). Members are invited to drop by and support the effort anytime during the 24-hour operating period, as well as, Saturday at 6 p.m. for a club picnic at the site. All are invited to bring a covered dish to add to the menu.

Photos from last year's Field Day