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 2022 WAARC Picnic will take place on September 13, 2022. Please visit the Annual Picnic Page for more details.

Event Calendar

WAARC Recent News

- IC-9700 Reference Board Installation Party
  August 12, 2022A small group of Icom IC-9700 owners got together this past Saturday, August 6 at Kerry NH2A and Anita’s KH2FX house to make a small modification to their radios. Andrea N8VBN dropped by to observe, and Robert KO4YFE and Kadi KO4YEN also came by to get his mobile antenna checked out with Dave N4MW’s antenna analyzer. John W5JMC, Dave N4MW (with Cissy N4ZRW), Steve KO4ENU, Kenzie KO4GLN, and Kerry NH2A all purchased a reference injection board, specifically designed for the IC-9700, from Leo Bodnar Electronics in England. The IC-9700 tends to drift slightly off frequency, particularly on the radio’s 1296 MHz band. A 10 MHz reference signal can be input but the radio checks this signal infrequently and the radio will drift slightly between checks. The injection board, combined with an external GPS, allows the radio to stay on frequency. The installation did not require any serious modifications to the radio other than screwing the injection board into place and changing the 10 MHz ref SMA connection on the back of the rig. No soldering. The radio’s warranty, if still covered, remains valid. Modifications were checked against the 1296.280 beacon signal that Dave N4MW has up in Kerry’s attic. All in all, the modifications were completed under two hours…30 minutes for the modifications and 90 minutes for kibitzing, coffee and donut breaks, and checking Robert’s antenna SWR. The IC-9700 is a fabulous tri-band radio. The drift becomes a potential issue only when doing weak signal work on the upper bands. Per time honored club tradition, coffee and donuts (Krispy Kreme!) were offered and, also per club tradition, devoured.... Read more...
- Big news announced during the July WAARC Meeting
  July 13, 2022The Big News we learned at last night’s WAARC club meeting is that Dino, KL0S, won the June 2022 QST Cover Plaque Award for his article “A Go-Box for the Icom IC-705”. This award is bestowed monthly and is based on QST readers voting for the best article they liked in each issue. Thank you to all who took the time to go online and casted your vote for Dino. It was officially announced on the ARRL website Tuesday July 11. ARRL’s Roanoke Division Director Jim Boehner, N2ZZ, and the division’s vice director Bill Marine, N2COP, both attended our meeting via Zoom to ‘present’ the award to Dino. Their presence was a nice surprise. Jim commented that Bill wrote the comments because Bill is an experienced copy writer. Indeed, Jim’s presentation was well done. As many of you know Dino is a frequent contributor to QST (and a few other publications). This is the second time he has been awarded the QST Cover Plaque Award. He previously received the award for his February 2019 article “Installing Coax Crimp Connectors”. If you are an ARRL member you can access most all of Dino’s articles through the QST portal. Also, if you are new to the club, you may not realize that our groups.io Files section has two folders, ‘KL0S Shack Notes’ and ‘KL0S Tech Tips’, that are chock full of information that Dino has written. Congratulations Dino! That was a very informative article for 705 owners. Kerry, NH2A... Read more...
- Two Radio weekends in a row
  July 10, 2022We have had a busy couple of weeks with lots of radio activity. We had a very well attended Field Day 2022 on June 25-26 followed by our Colonial Williamsburg Special Event the next weekend, July 2, also well attended. There was lots of work, food, fellowship, and radio. A record setting number came out to help setup, operate, log, coach, plan, and feed all of our team for Field Day. Overcoming several issues at the beginning of Field Day it was certainly a huge success just like many others in the past. Our satellite specialists led by Steve, KO4ENU, racked up satellite contacts for bonus points and QSO credit, and while not counting as a satellite QSO, there was a special rare DX contact with NA1SS, the Space Station! Our VE team provided testing opportunities and generated a new Technician and an upgraded General and several members presented educational activities. Our phone and CW operators raked in the QSO’s. Our Field Day chairman, Chuck, AI4WU, had created new displays for all to watch the contacts mount up with live map and score screens. Our food committee worked hard preparing all the meals to keep the team going strong. Field Day can be exhausting but many members turned out the next weekend for the Colonial Williamsburg Special Event. This second of the three special events the club hosts each year always comes right after Field Day, but it is always a fun event. With setup, operation, and takedown happening within nine hours, it proved to be another great radio event with lots of conversations both among members and over the air. Field Day and Colonial Williamsburg snapshots ... Read more...
- Successful test session
  June 6, 2022New Amateur Radio licenses were earned at the June test session. Some are shown here receiving their CSCE certificates. There were 14 people taking license tests at the June 4 VE session. Everyone passed at least one test. Congratulations to all. New Technicians (call signs pending):Karen EversolRobert VenableLoretta VenableDavid McGinnisMichael StanleyDoug DompkowskiPatrick MacintoshMark PlumbMike PoliskNew Generals:Matt Maney (passed Technician and General!)Mike Giblin WS4BDNBruce Burkett KN4DRBMason Rumble KO4ROVNew Amateur Extra:Jim Sturm KO4GVM Congratulations to Wally WA3RWP and his team of instructors. Many of the above examinees were students in either his Technician course or his General course, or in the case of Matt, both courses. And thanks to all the VEs who helped make it a smooth session. (photos from Wally, WA3RWP).... Read more...
- License classes finishing up
  June 1, 2022The WAARC Instructor team is finishing up our Technician licensing and General upgrade courses this week with the mega-exam session scheduled for Saturday June 4th. One General student, Barbara KN4ZMD took her exam early last Friday and passed with flying colors. Thanks to all the instructors for their many hours of preparation and presentation! KL0S ... Read more...
- Congratulations to KN4ZMD
  May 28, 2022Congratulations to Barbara KN4ZMD for easily passing her General exam Friday morning! This was a pop-up session before the big session because she was not able to attend the open session Saturday, June 4 at the James City-Bruton VFD at 09:00. My thanks to Dave N4MW, Cissy N4ZRW, and Anita KH2FX for being the other VEs for this session. Make sure to give Barbara an over-the-air chuck on the shoulder next time you hear her on the repeater. NH2A... Read more...
- 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...

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