The Birmingham Amateur Radio Club

06/17/2026

BARC Meeting Reminder

Please join us for the next BARC meeting on Thursday, June 18th at 7 PM.

In Person at the Alabama Historical Radio Society Shop:
1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203

(Google Map Address: 759 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203)

There will be discussion about BARC’s participation in Field Day by joining forces with the Shelby County Amateur Radio Club (SCARC). Field Day is June 27th and 28th at Oak Mountain State Park near the BMX track. There will be some setup on Friday, June 26th.

The plan is to have a CW, SSB, and digital station operating as many hours as possilbe -- as many hours that we have operators! There is also a plan for having a GOTA (Get On The Air) station. Hopefully, there will be someone to set up a satellite operation so that we can claim those bonus points.

Since we will be in a POTA listed park (US-1049) for this, the entire operation will be a POTA activation. Also, if you would like to do your own POTA activation, you can do that OUTSIDE the Field Day operating hours because of interference issues with the multiple Field Day stations.

A cook is lined up for preparing food for lunch and dinner on Saturday the 27th. At the BARC meeting, we need to get a approximate count of the number of those that will be there to eat for each of those two meals. Please think about your participation and prepare to let us know ASAP. If you were at the BARC meeting on June 4th, and indicated that you would be there for lunch and/or dinner. then we have your count. If you were not there or have changed your plans, please send an email to [email protected] and provide the following information: Name, Call, which of the meals you we be there for on Saturday, June 27th.

Meeting Details:
In Person at the Alabama Historical Radio Society Shop:
1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203
(Google Map Address: 759 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203)

Or join us virtually:
(ZOOM) INFORMATION
ID 958 8242 7732
PW 3gUUH6
https://zoom.us/j/95882427732?pwd=UDBHbHIxYUF4MnA1UENNeXNhRVRDZz09

73 BARC

06/03/2026

BARC Meeting Reminder

Please join us for the next BARC meeting on Thursday, June 4th at 7 PM.

Alan Hargrave, WD5FCA, will be presenting a program about ‘GridTracker’ (see gridtracker.org).

Also, there will be discussion about BARC’s participation in Field Day by joining forces with the Shelby County Amateur Radio Club (SCARC). Field Day is June 27th and 28th at Oak Mountain State Park near the BMX track. There will be some setup on Friday, June 26th.

The plan is to have a CW, SSB, and digital station operating as many hours as possilbe -- as many hours that we have operators! There is also a plan for having a GOTA (Get On The Air) station. Hopefully, there will be someone to set up a satellite operation so that we can claim those bonus points.

Since we will be in a POTA listed park (US-1049) for this, the entire operation will be a POTA activation. Also, if you would like to do your own POTA activation, you can do that OUTSIDE the Field Day operating hours because of interference issues with the multiple Field Day stations.
A cook is lined up for preparing food for lunch and dinner on Saturday the 27th. At the BARC meeting, we need to get a approximate count of the number of those that will be there to eat for each of those two meals. Please think about your participation and prepare to let us know on Thursday.

Meeting Details:
In Person at the Alabama Historical Radio Society Shop:
1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203
(Google Map Address: 759 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203)

Or join us virtually:
(ZOOM) INFORMATION
ID 958 8242 7732
PW 3gUUH6
https://zoom.us/j/95882427732?pwd=UDBHbHIxYUF4MnA1UENNeXNhRVRDZz09

73 BARC

05/27/2026

The Shelby County Amateur Radio Club is meeting this Thursday. We will meet virtually over Zoom, as well as in person. For those attending in person, we meet at our new location, 1449 Court Pl, Pelham AL.

The presentation is set to be by Alan Hargrave WD5FCA about the various replacements available for HamClock.

More information is available on our website at www.w4shl.com. Doors will open at 6:00 pm for fellowship. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and will last about an hour.

For those attending virtually over Zoom, you will find the link below. This is a static link and should be the same for all meetings for now. We will begin the Zoom meeting between 6:15 and 6:30.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2677909365?pwd=NWJxMHdNZkhiNE1ZdWZCb3JiVFBwdz09

Meeting ID: 267 790 9365
Password: 797980
One tap mobile
+13017158592,,2677909365 #,,1 #,797980 # US (Germantown)
+13126266799,,2677909365 #,,1 #,797980 # US (Chicago)

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd4uGMYsZz

Be aware we're using Robert's work account, so if you see "Welcome to Arcane Code's meeting", you are in the right place.

After the meeting, an informal group goes to eat at a local restaurant. Everyone is invited, do be aware you are responsible for your own meal.

--
73! Darricke - N4ZV
Secretary, Webmaster
Shelby County Amateur Radio Club

05/26/2026

BARC Regular Meeting Notes
May 21st, 2026

At 7PM Vice President Ken WB4FAY welcomed 16 in person (2 of which were brand new Tech licensees) and 12 Zoom attendees.

Ken WB4FAY reported that all BARC repeaters are working normally.

Treasurer Roz KD4ZGO reported that all bills have been paid.

Band Conditions continue to be generally poor with occasional openings on 6 meters.

The Birmingham DX Club meets the 3rd Monday of each month. FMI: BhamDX.org

August AG5AT reported 100% of examines (4 of 4) became new Technician’s at this month’s testing session.

Reminder: The Technician Question Pool will change July 1st. FMI: Technician Question Pool Update

BARC and SCARC plan to join efforts for this year’s Field Day June 27th - 28th at Oak Mountain State Park BMX Pavillion (near mile marker 4). More details to follow.

There was some comments about the Hamvention in Ohio that several attended. It was reported that Dave Cisco, W4AXL, won a grand prize of an ICOM IC-7610. The was the prize given at the SWODX (Southwestern Ohio DX Association) dinner. Congrats to Dave but given that shack that he already has in place, it is rumored that he would make someone a great deal on this brand new 7610.

A recommendation was made to create and publish a local and updated Repeater List. Steven, KG4NSH, volunteered to head up the project. More details to follow including distribution/publication of the completed list on W4CUE.com and other websites.

Ken WB4FAY had a presentation about “HamClubOnline.com – Amateur Radio Club Management System”. Ken demonstrated some of the features and a few limitations of the website that is used by many amateur radio clubs including SCARC for membership management and online dues payment. The presentation was designed to be informational only, and a recommendation to use/or not use would need to come from the BARC Board of Directors. FMI: HamClubOnline.com

The meeting adjourned at 8:21 PM.

05/14/2026

The Shelby County Amateur Radio Club is meeting this Thursday. We will meet virtually over Zoom, as well as in person. For those attending in person, we meet at our new location, 1449 Court Pl, Pelham AL.

More information is available on our website at www.w4shl.com. Doors will open at 6:00 pm for fellowship. The meeting begins at 6:30 pm and will last about an hour.

For those attending virtually over Zoom, you will find the link below. This is a static link and should be the same for all meetings for now. We will begin the Zoom meeting between 6:15 and 6:30.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2677909365?pwd=NWJxMHdNZkhiNE1ZdWZCb3JiVFBwdz09

Meeting ID: 267 790 9365
Password: 797980

05/06/2026

BARC Meeting Reminder

Please join us for the next BARC meeting on Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 PM.

In Person at the Alabama Historical Radio Society Shop:
1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203

(Google Map Address: 759 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203)

Or join us virtually:
(ZOOM) INFORMATION
ID 958 8242 7732
PW 3gUUH6
https://zoom.us/j/95882427732?pwd=UDBHbHIxYUF4MnA1UENNeXNhRVRDZz09

04/20/2026

BARC Regular Meeting Notes
April 16th, 2026

At 7:00 PM Edmund Sunnasy K4DZC welcomed 18 in person and 7 Zoom attendees.

We were glad to see Roz KD4ZGO back at the meeting and on the mend.

Ken WB4FAY reported that all BARC repeaters are working normally.

Ken reported that all bills were paid.

The band conditions discussion revealed that 10 and 12 meters were quiet, though the Far East had opened up briefly with stations from Cambodia and Laos being detectable. Central Kiribati that was expected to have gone off the air in April is still active.

Aug AG5AT announced that we did not have anyone to take an exam at the last ARA Group VE Session. The group discussed scheduling adjustments for future sessions, noting that the next meeting would not be on Mother's Day and would be rescheduled.

Edmund opened the floor for announcements and discussions…

The Birmingham DX Club meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:30pm at AHRS. The meetings are open to any ham interested in DX. More information at bhamdx.org.

The conversation also touched on recent announcements in the ham radio industry, including Flex Radio's new radio and the acquisition of Cushcraft and Hy-Gain from MFJ by Indiana-based ITU Corporation.

Additionally, there was a brief discussion about the process of renewing ham radio licenses, highlighting some challenges with the FCC website.

Several mentioned preparations for Hamvention May 15th – 17th hamvention.org.

The group also briefly discussed upcoming Field Day June 27th and 28th.

You may now pre-order discounted Huntsville Hamfest August 22nd and 23rd at hamfest.org. Pre-ordering will save the inconvenience of long lines and you save $3 a ticket ($12 vs $15).

Ken presented a youtube video on the OpenSpot 4 and the M1KE devices. There was a discussion of the differences between the OpenSpot 4 and M1KE (both from sharkrf.com). He explained that while the OpenSpot 4 is a hotspot device, the M1KE offers additional features and protocols, making it more versatile for different communication needs. The discussion also covered pricing differences, battery considerations, and the ease of use of these devices compared to traditional ham radios.
The meeting adjourned at 8:00 PM.

Reminder:

“Youth Amateur Radio Net” Sundays at 5:30 PM CT on Alabama D-STAR Reflector REF058B

Upcoming Local Ham Events
· BARC regular meeting 7:00 PM May 7th
· SCARC regular meeting 6:30 PM April 23rd W4SHL.com
· ARA Group VE Test Schedule aragroup.org/calendar/calendar.htm
· Field Day June 27th and 28th
· Huntsville Hamfest August 22nd and 23rd hamfest.org

04/15/2026

Please join us for the next BARC meeting on Thursday, April 16th at 7:00 PM.

In Person at the Alabama Historical Radio Society Shop:
1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35203
(Google Map Address: 759 18th Street North, Birmingham, AL 35203)

Or join us virtually:
(ZOOM) INFORMATION
ID 958 8242 7732
PW 3gUUH6
https://zoom.us/j/95882427732?pwd=UDBHbHIxYUF4MnA1UENNeXNhRVRDZz09

73 BARC

04/09/2026

04/09/2026

Mark your Calendar!
Alabama Historical Radio Society
Annual Legends of Broadcast Event
Thursday, April 16, 2026 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

1801 Reverend Abraham Woods Jr. Blvd (corner of 18th Street and 8th Ave. No.) 759 18th Street in your GPS))

Downtown Birmingham, Alabama 35203, plenty of free parking next to the building in Alabama Power Parking Lot #2

Fellowship, Lunch, and a Tour of the Shop Museum & Facility

Our facility includes a state of the art shop, extensive electronics library, broadcast and communication equipment museum and a functional 1960's broadcast studio, and will be open for inspection.

We will have several special guests from the broadcast industry. All are invited.

RSVP : Please respond to this email or [email protected] or phone (205) 305-0679 and let us know you are coming.

The lead-off speaker this year will be Jeff Speegle. Jeff's broadcasting career has come full circle. His first radio job came as a DJ (and of course salesperson) at WKUL (K92) in Cullman in 1982. From there in 1983 we went to WACT AM/FM in Tuscaloosa, beginning as a DJ/MusicDirector and then transitioning into the News Director and later Sports Director role. He began his television career at WCFT in Tuscaloosa in 1987 as a sports reporter. In 1989, he moved to Big Orange country, working at WKXT in Knoxville as a weekend sports anchor. In 1991 he moved back to Alabama (for good) to work at WAAY-TV in Huntsville as sports anchor. In 1996, he joined a start-up TV station, ABC 33/40 as a weekend sports anchor, being promoted to sports director in 2019. He is now in his 30th year working in Birmingham television. Jeff and his wife Julie have two children and three grandchildren. He is also back into radio as the co-owner of WPLX 93.3, The River, a low power FM station servicing Pelham, Helena & Alabaster.