Upcoming Events

Check out our events below:

The weekly Williamsburg-James City County ARES net is each Wednesday at 7:30pm on the '76 repeater.
The next VE Testing Session will be held on Saturday, June 4. Please see the testing sessions page for details.

Event Calendar

WAARC Recent News

- 2022 Jamestown Special Event This Saturday
  May 10, 2022This Saturday, May 14th is the Annual Jamestown Special Event. Unlike in years past, we will not be at the Jamestown Island. Instead, we will be operating from the Jamestown Beach Event Park across from the Jamestown Settlement. The map is attached below. Setup will begin at 8am and the plan is to be on the air by 10am. Planned operating frequency is on 40m at or around 7.265 MHz +/- QRM. If conditions allow we may get on 20m, around 14.265 MHz +/- QRM. QSL information is available on our Contact Us page. We also have our Historic Triangle certificate, which you can read more about on the Special Event Stations page. Map to Jamestown Event Park... Read more...
- WAARC members attend 2022 MPARC tailgate
  May 10, 2022At least 12 WAARC members attended the Middle Peninsula ARC’s 2nd Annual Tailgate/Hamfest on Saturday, May 7. It was a gray morning but the rain cooperated. They offered hot dogs and BBQ while Pedro KM4INA provided tunes from the back of his truck. There were at least a dozen sellers with a wide variety of ham gear and other knick-knacks. The $1 admission included a raffle ticket. Scott KE4WMF won one of the two grand prizes, a Elecraft K1 QRP radio. MPARC treasurer Will K4MI said the club is planning for a larger event next year.... Read more...
- Live Meeting Sharing project progress
  February 22, 2022Several members of the “Live Meeting Sharing Project” team gathered Sunday afternoon to work on equipment setup and testing. After discovering a software issue in the prior test session, Chuck, AI4WU, worked with the ATEM switching vendor and successfully resolved that problem. It was now time to test again. With all the pieces put in place, new issues were discovered and resolved. There was lots of discussion about how different situations would be addressed. The team believes two operators would be best for a combined meeting. Meeting logistics were also discussed including the setup and takedown requirements. Packing and transporting needs and cable requirements are also progressing. More work will continue with the hope of having a successful first live meeting in March.... Read more...
- Presentations at the February Zoom Meeting
  February 8, 2022While we have not resumed in-person meetings quite yet due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant, there were two virtual presentations made at the February club meeting. First, the club’s KB4ZIN award recipient for 2022 was announced. This award was conceived in late 2017 by Bill Conkling NR4C as a way to honor the late Jim Bailey after his passing in April of that year. Jim was the architect of the repeater network in Williamsburg that is still in operation today. This year’s recipient of the KB4ZIN award is someone that has spent a lot of time mentoring and helping hams in the local area. He has taught license classes and is currently the club’s training coordinator. The recipient orchestrated the creation of a emergency preparedness group in his housing development, and helped the members of the group get their amateur radio licenses. Most importantly, the recipient is known for his enthusiasm for the amateur radio hobby. His welcoming demeanor and knowledge of a wide variety of subjects has left a lasting impression on many club members, and has prompted several new members to join. The club is pleased to announce that Wally Frank WA3RWP is the recipient of the 2022 KB4ZIN award. Traditionally, the KB4ZIN award is presented at the club’s annual dinner. However, with COVID-19 the recipient has been announced at a club meeting via Zoom. This year it made it possible for Wally’s family back in Maryland to join in and see the presentation of the award. Wally’s son Rodney is also a licensed ham, with the call sign KA3OZF. The other presentation made at the February meeting was an award for Toby KL0SS in recognition for serving as the club’s president the past two years. Toby’s leadership helped keep the club alive while COVID-19 brought the world to a standstill. While some volunteer organizations dwindled or even disappeared during that time, WAARC has grown to more than twice the size as it was before the shutdown. She has mueller the club embrace using Zoom to keep the club going when in-person gatherings were not possible. Most importantly, her emphasis of YL involvement in ham radio has increased the amount of YLs in the club. Several of them have volunteered to run nets, and have even gone on to run for club office. The club is grateful for all that Toby has done over the past two years.... Read more...
- First VE session of 2022. Steve KO4PQL upgrades to General
  January 31, 2022Congratulations to Steve KO4PQL for passing his General upgrade test with flying colors in our first VE session of 2022. I think he completed his test in near record-breaking time. He said that Don N4DJ has already been to his QTH surveying wire dipole antenna configurations. He also took a gander from the bay window at my inverted L set-up and it got him thinking some more about what kind of antenna to erect. We’re looking forward to hearing him on HF soon. (He also borrowed a VE Manual!) Thanks to Cissy N4ZRW, Dan W4GF, Dave N4MW, and Anita KH2FX for volunteering to be the invigilators for this exam. This test session was one of our mini exams. Steve contacted me last week and said he was ready to go. He asked to do it today at 13:00. Can do! We have 30 volunteer examiners on our team. It’s not hard to find 3 of them to volunteer for any particular date and time. I had 8 volunteers right away when I put out the call. My thanks (and apologies) to all who offered but weren’t selected. When you are ready to upgrade, or you are ready to get your first license, give me a call. By the way, Steve studied on his own and knew the material inside and out. Well done Steve! NH2A... Read more...
- New club officers and other news
  January 13, 2022The Williamsburg Area Amateur Radio Club held their annual election for officers during the January 11th meeting. Newly elected officers include: Jack Espinal KY4EA – President Donna Ross KO4GLO – Vice President Chuck White AI4WU – Director at Large Reelected to their positions were: Dan Ewart WG4F – Secretary Greg Pula K3RM – Treasurer The club also approved the 2022 operating budget and allocated funds for the purchase of audio/visual equipment that will be used for broadcasting monthly meetings for those members unable to attend in-person. The equipment will also be used for training, special events, Field Day and Builders Group events allowing members anywhere to participate in real-time. The club also thanked outgoing officers President Toby Papas KLØSS, Vice President Randy Altona W4YSN, and Director at Large Dino Papas KLØS for their service. An outgoing presidential memento from the club thanking Toby will be presented at our next in-person meeting, hopefully in February. The announcement of the selectee for the 2022 KB4ZIN Award for Excellence has also been delayed until February as well. kl0s... Read more...
- Election of Officers at the January Meeting
  January 12, 2022The January club meeting is the annual business meeting, which is where the slate of officers for the upcoming year are elected. This is the second year in a row where it took place via Zoom due to concerns in regards to COVID-19. Despite the lack of in-person meetings, we were able to conduct the election virtually. First, the club would like to thank the outgoing officers who have served the club faithfully over the past year, or more. Our President Toby Papas KL0SS, and Director At-Large Dino Papas KL0S have been in their positions for two years, which have been somewhat challenging with all the concerns and uncertainties that COVID-19 have presented. They helped keep the club active during that time and deserve many thanks for their efforts. Finally, Randy Altona W4YSN has been the club’s Vice President for the past year. He has done an excellent job supporting Toby and the club, stepping up to fill roles on committees and even running a couple meetings. Our Secretary and Treasurer, Dan Ewart WG4F and Greg Pula K3RM respectively, have agreed to stay on the job for the upcoming year. This is Dan’s 17th year as secretary, and the club is grateful for his time in office. With that being said, the 2022 club officers are as follows: President: Jack Espinal KY4EA Vice President: Donna Ross KO4GLO Secretary: Dan Ewart WG4F Treasurer: Greg Pula K3RM Director At Large: Chuck White AI4WU Congratulations to the new officers. This looks to be an exciting year as the club meetings transition back to in person, along with a bunch of new exciting activities.... Read more...
- In-Person Meetings resume in 2022
  December 27, 2021UPDATE on 1-5-22: The January Meeting has been changed to a ZOOM meeting due to the recent surge in COVID-19 Omicron cases. Please see the Groups.io email list for further details. We hope that everyone has a fantastic and safe holiday season. There is one great present that everyone has been waiting almost two years for: in person meetings will start again in 2022! There are some important changes that had to be made, in part because of changes in library hours. Club meetings will now start at 6pm and run until 8pm. There will not be an hour of power at the monthly meetings. Stay tuned for future information about potentially rescheduling the hour of power. UPDATE on 1-5-22: In January 2022, we will be using Zoom for the club meeting due to the recent Omicron surge. From February 2022 onward, meetings are scheduled to be at the James City County Library on Croaker Road. This announcement will be updated with further information if plans change again. Because we have members from places other than Williamsburg, as well as some that are still concerned about group gatherings, we are working on continuing to offer a way to join in via Zoom. Please watch the club’s Groups.io email list for more information and meeting credential information. Have a Happy New Year and we look forward to seeing everyone in 2022!... Read more...
- WAARC Annual Dinner – save the date!
  December 24, 2021UPDATE on 1-5-22: The club has decided that due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 we are no longer promoting this as the annual club dinner. While club members are more than welcome to meet at Sal’s for dinner, this is no longer an official club event. Please join us for the upcoming WAARC Annual Holiday Dinner scheduled on Saturday, January 22nd, 2022. We look forward to another wonderful gathering with members, family and friends! Here are the details: What: WAARC Annual Holiday Dinner (Minimum of 30 guests) Date: Saturday, January 22, 2022 Where: Sal’s by Victor 1242 Richmond Rd Williamsburg, VA 23185 Time: 5:30pm – 9:30pm (Event) Cost: Ala Carte menu (guests will receive separate checks) Click on this link for the menu: https://salsbyvictor.com/menu/ RSVP: Friday, January 14, 2022 Click on this link for your RSVP rsvp@k4rc.net Dress: Business Casual For any questions, please reach out to any of the Food Committee Team: Anita KH2FX, Thea KF4CJQ, Donna KO4GLO, Fred KN4ZME, Michael Olds K4MRO, Tracy Wolcott, XYL of Mike K04DQY, Donna KD2FYX, Tricia W0CSZ... Read more...
- 2021 Yorktown Special Event Wrap-up
  November 7, 2021Saturday, October 16 was the annual Yorktown Special Event. We were back at the Yorktown Battlefield this year. Set up started around 8:30am near the visitor center with a K3 rig and a club battery, and an OCF dipole nice and high. The weather was wonderful all day, setup went well, and we were on the air by 10am as planned and operated until 4pm. Take down was fast and smooth and as a storm approached, all was packed and on the road safely. Our log was posted to LOTW with 269 contacts. We also operated a Parks on the Air activation for this event, activating the Yorktown National Battlefield K-8204 site. The log for the POTA activation recorded 259 contacts because there were 10 duplicates. Our QSL Manager will be busy filling out QSL cards with this high number of contacts. In fact, our POTA log resulted in six awards/certificates for our efforts. These included Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond Hunter Awards and the Support Your Parks Activator Award. It was a wonderful day and lots of fun.... Read more...

Previous news posts can be found here.

About WAARC

Welcome to the WAARC web page. We are a general interest radio club in Williamsburg, Virginia, located in the historic triangle of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Club members participate in a variety of activities, including chasing DX, contesting, and public service.

About the Club

Groups.io

The club uses groups.io for its email communications platform. If you are a local ham please sign up for our groups.io page. More information is on the Groups.io info page