Raleigh Amateur Radio Society

06/28/2025

RARS Field Day setup went great today! All antennas are up and preliminary testing complete. 3 Spooltennas (one a backup), a doublet, and another EFHW are up and in use. The storms nearby were noticeable and there was light rain late. We're looking forward to a great day of visitors tomorrow and 24 hours of radio fun!

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06/25/2025

Come join RARS at our 2025 Field Day! The event is this coming weekend, June 28-29, 2025.
ARRL Field Day is the single-most popular amateur radio operating event of the year in the US and Canada! Around 35,000 radio amateurs (and the friends and families of many of them) head out into the field, set up temporary stations, and make as many contacts as they can in a 24-hour period from 2PM Saturday to 2PM Sunday.
Field Day combines public service, emergency preparedness, community outreach, and technical skills all in a single event. It demonstrates ham radio's science, skills, and service to our communities and our nation.
We want the participants and the public visiting our site to feel welcome at our Field Day event, which is also the club’s annual “open house”. We will have food, snacks, and refreshments in the building to help keep our volunteers fed and watered. The building has air conditioning to help folks keep cool, and an indoor public information table staffed with amateur radio operators who will answer questions you may have.
Field Day is also a great, low-stress introduction to contest-style operating and DXing. You do NOT have to be a member of RARS or any amateur radio club to participate in RARS's Field Day operation! You do NOT even have to have a license. In fact, we will have a special “Get on the Air” station for newly licensed hams and even non-hams to, you guessed it, get on the air! You can come and help operate a station or just learn how it all works. Everyone is welcome!
This is an opportunity to learn how radio works and become self-sufficient communicating during the next tornado, hurricane, ice storm, or other natural disaster when the power can be out for weeks at a time.
Check out our website Field Day Page for more details. Sign up for an operating spot there or just stop by when you can to see how it all works.
We will be operating at the Raleigh Police Club, 3500 Leonard Road, Knightdale, a location at which we have operated many times before.

06/19/2025

Are you looking for something radio-related to do on July 4th? We've got an excellent opportunity for folks to enjoy the holiday with fellow hams by supporting the summer's largest local fundraising bike event, the 2025 Firecracker Ride.

This ride attracts over 500 riders in Holly Springs and benefits the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. We need lots of help to provide communications support along three routes and at three rest stops.

For information about the ride, visit https://firecracker.capitalcyclingclub.org/, and go to hpsnc.org/events to sign up as a communications volunteer.

See you there!

09/30/2024

**NC Mountains Update**
From Bill Morine, N2COP
ARRL Vice Director – Roanoke Division
------
Dear North Carolina Area Hams:

The following is a synopsis of policies and procedures regarding Health & Welfare (H&W) traffic in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene as it impacts North Carolina.

North Carolina AUXCOMM Coordinator and ARRL North Carolina Section Emergency Coordinator (SEC) Tom Brown N4TAB has stated North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) will not accept inbound H&W traffic. Resources in western NC and across the state in support of damaged areas are overloaded, and so the standard policy that inbound H&W traffic through ESF-2 Emergency Communications channels will not be accepted is in effect. The mission of AUXCOMM is in support of government agencies and these assigned resources must remain dedicated to this mission.

North Carolina National Traffic System (NTS) nets are presently accepting inbound H&W traffic. However, traffic handlers are trying to move large volumes of traffic, and turnaround time could be lengthy. Rather than tie up NTS, those with inquiries on individuals in affected areas are encouraged to contact the Mt. Mitchell repeater group directly by sending an email to [email protected] or call 211 on your phone inside North Carolina. Out of state call (888) 892-1162.

The extent of damage is overwhelming, with many communities in western North Carolina lacking any form of communications, especially cell service and internet. Everyone is urged to have patience as volunteer Amateur Radio (Ham) radio operators try to deliver and receive messages from impacted zones.

For those who wish to monitor and help, where appropriate, here’s a list of nets and HF frequencies available at this time:

LOCAL TIME
0745 North Carolina Morning Net (NTS) 3.927 MHz
1830 (6:30 PM) North Carolina Evening Net (NTS) 3.923 MHz
1930 (7:30 PM) Tarheel Emergency Net 3.923 MHz

THROUGHOUT THE DAY UNTIL CONVENTIONAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE RESTORED: 7.232 MHz

Updates will be posted when available

08/26/2024

RARS Gathering

This Tuesday, August 27 at 7:00 pm
Ridge Road Baptist Church, 2011 Ridge Road, Raleigh, NC 27607.

Part show-and-tell, part maker fair, part operating event, the in-person RARS Gathering on the fourth Tuesday of each month is the place to be if you want to find out about the local ham community, meet other ham radio operators, see hands on demos of old and new ham radio equipment, get on the air, and exchange ideas in a fun forum. Members and non-members are welcome. Even if you're not a ham (yet), come to learn about the hobby and the community. Children are welcome to come with their family as long as they can be trusted around a hot soldering iron!

The meeting starts at 7:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall, but we start setting up at 6:00 pm, and you are welcome to bring your own ham radio equipment and projects to demonstrate, show off, or just work on with other like-minded hams -- we have plenty of tables. You might also find sources of coax, connectors, zip cord, Powerpoles®, and whatnot. Snacks and ham advice are free.

We already know there will be several interesting projects demonstrated!
We also have cool vintage magazines to share. Come get an old QST, 73, or CQ magazine and own a piece of history.

Zoom In!
We'll be testing our Zoom capabilities! If you can't make it or want to see what the Gathering is all about, Zoom in at 7:30PM with the regular club meeting link on the RARS website main page.

License Exams on Tuesday before the Gathering
The RARS Volunteer Examiner Team will conduct license exams on Tuesday. You do not need to be a RARS member to test with us. Exams start promptly at 6:00 pm so applicants can attend The Gathering afterwards. Please see our License Classes and Exams web page for important information, including the exam requirements. Preregistration is preferred.

Also this week:
RARS Technician Licensing Class starts next Saturday
August 31, September 7, and September 14
Have you always wanted to get your amateur radio license? Now is the time! RARS is pleased to announce that we will be offering a Technician licensing class on three consecutive Saturdays, starting on August 31! You do NOT need to be a member of RARS to take the class. More details on the rars.com website main page.

Further out:
In-person meeting!: Don't forget the in-person (and Zoom) meeting will be on September 10th at Ridge Road Baptist church. Door prizes, food, and a great presentation. New ham meeting at 6PM, Social time at 7PM and meeting start at 7:30PM.

State Fair Exhibit: Sign up now to help out at the multi-club State Fair Exhibit and also a weekend special event station.

Where can you find details on these (and everything)? You guessed it: the RARS website at rars.com

73 and see you soon!

07/31/2024

The HPSNC Public Service Net is tonight at 7:00 p.m. on the 146.64 repeater. We will discuss promoting amateur radio through public service. We hope you will check in and add your voice to a lively discussion.

73.

06/27/2024

The Raleigh Amateur Radio Society 2024 Field Day was a resounding success! Our 9 stations and the Get-On-The-Air (GOTA) station worked hard to show how hams can help during emergencies. Braving extreme temperatures, our dedicated team of experts practiced their skills to set up and run effective stations. Led by our organized chairmen David Burt W4OFO and Curt Phillips W4CP, the event went as smoothly as can be!

The GOTA station and Info table saw constant traffic. We had 7 youth make HF calls and several dedicated new hams calling and logging throughout the event. Did you talk with them at N4RAL? They learned how it all works in a welcoming environment. To quote one 11-year-old “This is funner than it looks”.

Thanks to all involved in our Field Day operations. You truly showed what a ham can do!

Check out our pictures. We also have several videos. One showing our layout in a Field Day Walkaround. https://youtu.be/6hQl99bnad8 Another of almost an hour of a GOTA Station Zoom. https://youtu.be/1xmId5xpPl0 And an excerpt of a young visitor's first calls. https://youtu.be/F7NYXgwrZrw