The Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association: K4KDJ

The Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association will hold its first Ham Radio Licensing Exam on Sunday, February 27th at 6PM in the Dogwood Room of Squires Student Center. All are welcome to come to earn a new or upgraded license without preregistration. Test takers must bring $15 and a valid ID (Driver's License, Student ID, etc). You may also bring a non-programmable calculator. We hope to see you there!

Contact Nathaniel Frissell, W2NAF (w2naf at arrl dot net) for more information.

Come help out at the QSO Party! Sign up here to work the K4M (K4KDJ) station in Squires!
http://doodle.com/n4scd7pq278iwqsa

Learn what we're doing in real time (including what frequency we're on)! Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/k4kdj

The Virginia QSO Party is fast approaching. As in previous years, VTARA will be mounting a large effort to participate in the contest. We will be starting at 2:00 on Saturday and working through the night to make as many contacts as possible from the shack in 347 Squires. Plan on bringing a sleeping bag and something to eat! More information will come out soon, so be on the lookout.

We had a successful amateur radio VE exam last night. 13 people attended, and everyone who came left with either a new license or an upgrade. Congratulations to everyone who took the tests!

We will hold at least one more VE exam this semester. Please e-mail us if you are interested in taking the test.

The annual officer elections meeting will be held on Thursday, February 25th at 8PM in Squires 219. All members are encouraged to attend and vote on our new slate of officers, as well as revisions to the club constitution. We will also discuss the Virginia QSO Party and the U.Va/VT foxhunt.

The Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association will be holding an amateur radio license test session on Tuesday, March 2 at 8:00 PM. The test will take place in the Dogwood Room of the Squires Student Center on campus. The test fee is $14, and you should bring cash (preferably) or a check (make it out to the Virginia Tech Amateur Radio Association). Please also bring photo identification (your Hokie Passport or a Driver's License is sufficient). Please plan on arriving five to ten minutes early.

Due to the impending winter weather event, the VTARA-sponsored trip to Frostfest is canceled. You are welcome to brave the elements by yourself, but the club will not be going.

There is a hamfest at the end of February in Northern Virginia by the Vienna Wireless Society. If there is sufficient interest, we may plan a club trip to this event.

Please keep an eye on the weather forecast by visiting:
http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?CityName=Blacksburg&state=VA&si...

Despite the winter weather we had today, a few VTARA members braved the snow and ice to come contest in the shack Saturday afternoon. Those in attendance included Mike, KI4RIX; Dan, KI4RTE; Kevin, KJ4OAP; Dan, KI4RDA; Mason; and Kevin. While we didn't make a large number of QSO's, we did have a great time and had come cool DX as well (including the island of Cyprus!) Thanks to all that came out, and we look forward to the next contest.

VTARA will have its first general meeting of the semester in Squires 217 on Thursday, January 28th at 8 PM. We will provide a general overview of the club's upcoming activities, talk about potential new ideas (not just contests!), and also get to know each other a bit.

This weekend, we will be participating in our first contest of the semester, the Winter Field Day contest. We start on Saturday at noon and work on through the afternoon and evening (not necessarily continuously). The contest ends on Sunday at noon. Come out and hang with the club in the shack at 347 Squires whenever you feel like it--if the door is open, we're here. No license is necessary to participate, and we'll walk you through how to do everything you need to do.

Come to VTARA's Semi-Annual Open House and Information Session! We'll be in the club's office in 347 Squires with food, drink, and lots of information about ham radio--you can even sit down and use one of our radios as a guest operator! Come by and see what the buzz is all about.

There is no formal presentation so feel free to come and go as you please.

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=420016290601&ref=nf

Our 2009-2010 Meeting schedule has been posted on our calendar page. Meetings as usual will occur every other Thursday night at 8pm in Squires.