Important meeting and event details.

The Columbia Amateur Radio Club invites all members and guests to join us for our October Monthly Meeting! This is an important meeting you won’t want to miss as we prepare for the upcoming months of amateur radio fun and service.

📅 Date: 10/6/2025
🕖 Time: 7pm
📍 Location: ETV Building, 1101 George Rogers Blvd, Columbia, SC 29201

Can’t come to the meeting in person? Join us via google meet by the link below.
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jzb-zctq-iee

📋 Club Officer Elections

It’s election time! The November club meeting is when we hold club officer elections, and your participation matters. This is your opportunity to help shape the direction of our club for the upcoming year. Please be present and cast your vote! Please send any nominations for elected positions to John W4SFX or Clay K3VCR by 10/17/25.

🍳 Ham & Eggs – October Location Change!

This month’s Ham & Eggs breakfast social will have a special location:
➡️ Sesquicentennial State Park.
Come enjoy a great breakfast, fellowship, and the chance to enjoy the outdoors with your fellow hams. We will be meeting at shelter 2 by the ball field.

🏃 Harbison 50K Volunteers Needed

The Harbison 50K trail race is coming up, and the Columbia Amateur Radio Club is proud to support the event once again by providing communication and safety support. We need volunteers to help make this event a success! If you can assist, please let us know at the meeting or reach out to a club officer.

❄️ Winter Field Day 2026 is Coming Soon

Yes, it may be a few months away, but Winter Field Day 2026 will be here before we know it! Planning is already underway, and this is always a highlight of our operating year. Start thinking about your gear, antennas, and how you’d like to participate. Stay tuned for details at upcoming meetings.

🎄 Columbia Amateur Radio Club Christmas Party

Mark your calendars! Our Christmas Party will be held on:
📅 Monday, December 1, 2025
📍 Little Pigs BBQ

Come enjoy a festive evening of food, fun, and fellowship as we celebrate the holiday season together. More info to come on this wonderful event.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the October meeting and at our upcoming activities. Amateur radio is all about community, service, and fun—and there’s no better time to get involved!

📻 73, Columbia Amateur Radio Club

Dear Members of the Columbia Amateur Radio Club,

I hope everyone is doing well. I want to bring to your attention a recent announcement from the ARRL that has significant implications for our rights as amateur radio operators — and how we can help ensure these rights are protected.

The article “ARRL Launches Nationwide Grassroots Campaign to Pass Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act” (Sept. 19, 2025) describes a new push in Washington to pass legislation that would give us, licensed hams, the same protections to install antennas on our property that people already enjoy for TV antennas, wireless internet antennas/systems, and even flagpoles. (ARRL)

WeatherWise

Whether you’re reporting severe weather in real time or keeping your community safe, the WeatherWise app is built to support SKYWARN members and weather-savvy users who need fast, reliable, hyper-local weather data anytime, anywhere.

ARRL Digital Contest

June 7-8 2025

Amateur radio operators, enthusiasts, and tech lovers, it’s time to mark your calendars for the ARRL Digital Contest, an exciting event hosted by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). Whether you’re a seasoned digital mode operator or a newcomer eager to dive into digital communications, this contest offers a unique opportunity to showcase your skills, connect with operators worldwide, and earn recognition in the ham radio community.

What Is the ARRL Digital Contest?

The ARRL Digital Contest is an annual competition designed to encourage the use of digital modes in amateur radio. Digital communication methods, including popular modes like FT8, PSK31, RTTY, and more, have become vital in ham radio. They allow operators to make contacts with minimal power, even under challenging propagation conditions, and the contest provides a platform for enthusiasts to challenge themselves and improve their digital mode proficiency.

Participants in the contest are tasked with making as many valid contacts as possible with other operators using digital modes, which can include short-range local exchanges and long-distance contacts across continents. The event is a great way to engage with a global community, exchange QSO information, and compete for awards and recognition.

From the ARRL Division News Roanoke Division Email:

ANTENNA RELIEF BILL REINTRODUCED – Identical versions of The Amateur Radio Emergency Preparedness Act have been reintroduced in Congress in both the House and the Senate. If passed and signed into law, the legislation would require homeowner associations to accommodate the needs of FCC-licensed Amateur Radio operators by prohibiting the enforcement of private land use restrictions that ban, prevent, or require the approval of the installation or use of Amateur Radio station antennas. Among other provisions, this legislation would prohibit homeowner association rules that would preclude or ban Amateur Radio antennas, specify an approval process for installing Amateur Radio antennas, and provide a federal private right of action to Amateur Radio operators in disputed cases. The bill numbers are HR1094 for the House version and S459 for the Senate bill. ARRL will be coordinating a grassroots campaign to have members contact their congressional representatives for support.

The text of the House Bill can be found at the link below:

About Michael from his Youtube bio:

Hi I’m Michael‚ KB9VBR‚ and I’m on a mission to inspire and educate the amateur radio community. I’ve been a ham radio operator since 1999‚ so my interests are varied and run deep. But most of all‚ ham radio is more than a hobby; it’s a lifestyle that I enjoy and love to share with others.

My goal is to share positive and uplifting videos. I’ll answer your questions and take deeper dives into some of the mysterious parts of ham radio. Whether you are a new ham or a grizzled veteran‚ I’m sure there will be something you’ll like. Ham Radio Q&A answers your amateur radio questions and explores the different aspects of the hobby.

Ham Radio Q&A is brought to you by KB9VBR Antennas: Supplier of Amateur Radio, Land Mobile, Scanner, Low Power FM, and Airband VHF/UHF Antennas.

Find out more at: http://www.jpole-antenna.com

KB9VBR Youtube Channel

Additional Meeting Topics & Upcoming Events

• Winter Field Day 2025 Review
• SC QSO Party
• Ham & Eggs / New Lunch and Learn
• April CARC Swapfest
• ARRL Summer Field Day 2025

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85333006112?pwd=SIMA5UTJzYEEf1RPh8rfmIjWbyZMzP.1

Meeting ID: 853 3300 6112
Passcode: 132652

Below are some pictures from the different check point (CP) stations.

CP 13- Paul N4PRF & Adam W4AEL

CP 9- Joe K04WAA

CP 3- John W4SFX & Caden W3DEA