Club Stays Amateur Radio-active

The Briarpatch Amateur Radio Club (BARC) of Galax had an active Winter. Beyond weekly on-air ‘net’ meetings communicated on local 2-meter repeater N4VL/R, the club held in person monthly meetings. BARC also sponsored 30 region ham radio operators and family members for the annual fellowship meal and Christmas party at Fiddler’s restaurant in Hillsville. The gathering culminated with one fortunate and happy radio operator winning a very nice 50W TYT dual band transceiver donated by club president Frank Howard.

In January, newly elected and re-elected club officers were seated. Several 2024 initiatives were discussed, including the potential relocation of the W4BRC/R repeater into Carroll County. This meeting also saw long time radio operators Junior and Sue Diamond nominated and awarded Lifetime Memberships in recognition of their 50 years of service to the club and community.

The BARC affiliate Virginia Department of Emergency Management Region 4 Auxiliary Communications (AUXCOMM) Team announced their 2024 planned regional and statewide exercises. Weekly nets on the N4DL/R local 2-meter repeater kept all interested radio operators up to date with plans and training. April will prove to be an exciting month with a trifecta of weekend regional and statewide exercises. AUXCOMM leaders invite everyone interested in ham radio community service and all ham radio operators to monthly in-person meetings and all planned 2024 events. Contact can be made using the BARC website, below. Email any BARC executive under the ‘About’ tab who will pass your name and contact info to AUXCOMM leaders.

Finally, ham radio ‘Elmer’ — a term to describe seasoned mentors in the ham community — Glen Sage provided amateur radio Technician training in Hillsville from January through March. Special thanks go to Carroll County Search and Rescue leadership for their cooperation. An exam followed the training with seven newly FCC licensed Technician and one General radio operators passing their exams.

All calendar BARC and AUXCOMM events and meetings are detailed online at www.briarpatcharc.org under the ‘Calendar’ tab. Interested citizens are also encouraged to check out the BARC Facebook page.