Field Day is an annual activity in which Amateur Radio Operators across the United States get together on the same weekend to simulate operating their radio stations under emergency conditions. This is done to help train and prepare Amateur Radio Operators to operate under emergency conditions in case they should be called upon for assistance during and after a local, state, or national emergency.

This month the meeting will focus on Field Day. Field Day will be June 24^th and 25^th, with setup beginning on Friday around 5 or 6 PM. Setup will resume Saturday morning around 9 am and Field Day will begin at 2 PM. FD will last till 2 PM on Sunday. This year as with the last few years Field Day will be at Bridgersville, NC. Exact location will be the Bridgersville Campground at Jimmie Bridger’s farm on Hwy 42 east of Wilson. Mr. & Mrs. Jimmie Bridgers, Rod (N4BNO) & Peggy Bridgers will be our Host. Here is the URL link for the rules http://www.arrl.org/contests/announments/rules-fd.html
 
 

May

19-21   Dayton, OH 

27 VE Session, Rocky Mount(cancelled)

The next VE exam session will be held on Saturday, May 27^th at 9 a.m. (This session has been cancelled as of May 21, 2000)

Exams will be held at J.C. Penney conference room, Golden East Crossing Mall, NC Hwy 43 and U.S. 301, Rocky Mount, NC. Please use the catalog pick-up entrance.

Please bring the following items when attending a testing session.

• Photo identification (drivers license)
• Social Security Number
• Original amateur radio license
• Copy of amateur radio license
• Original certificate(s) of successful completion
• Copy of certificate(s) of successful completion
• Test fee of $ 6.65 payable to ARRL/VEC (checks preferred)

• Element 1 5 wpm code 10 questions (or 1 minute copy)
• Element 2 Technician written 35 questions (No Code)
• Element 3 General written 35 questions
• Element 4 Extra written 50 questions

A special VE exam session will be held in Greenville on Friday, May 5^th at 6:30 PM. This test session is for paper upgrades only. NO EXAMS will be given. Candidates must have the proper CSCE's or other licensing proof to upgrade.

The test session will be held at Saint Peter's Catholic School, 2606 East 5^th Street in Greenville. Contact Brother Simon Jaworski, KQ2V at petervillen@sprintmail.com or Bill Thomas, N2BT at 442-6131 for further information.
 
 

If your ARRL membership is about to run our, please renewal via the Tar River Amateur Radio Club. It is easy, just complete the ARRL renewal form and send that form and the renewal fee payable to TRARC to me and I will do the rest

Mail to:

TRARC
C/O Lonnie Pridgen
P.O. Box 267
Sharpsburg, NC 27878-0267
 
 

May 19-21 Dayton Hamvention

May 27 Durham Hamfest

June 10 Winston-Salem Hamfest

July 15 Cary Swapfest

Sept 2-3 Shelby Hamfest
 
 

May 27-28 CQ WPX CW Contest

June 10-12 ARRL VHF QSO Party

July 8-9 IARU HF World Championship

Check the latest issue of QST Magazine for further information.
 
 

There are 2 new DXCC entities added.

The ARRL DX Advisory Committee and the ARRL Awards Committee have voted to add the Chesterfield Islands JX) of New Caledonia to the DXCC List. For DXCC credit, contacts made on or after March 23, 2000 will be accepted. Cards for this new entity may be submitted after October 1, 2000.

4W, EAST TIMOR (New one to work!). East Timor is now a new DXCC entity. This brings the DXCC entities total to 332. The 4W prefix may confuse some old timers in DXing because this prefix used to belong to the Yemen Arab Republic before the North and South Yemen reunited as one country (Democratic Republic of Yemen, prefix "70") in May 1990. For DXCC purposes, UN Temporary Administration of East Timor will be added to the DXCC List with the effective date of March 1, 2000. QSL cards for QSOs made after that date will be accepted starting October 1, 2000.
 
 

• 10. The first tine I noticed it wasn't working was when I tried to radio in that my antenna got hit by lightening.
• 9. It seems to happen every time I drive into a tunnel.
• 8. The little transmit light on my handheld made a dandy flashlight when I spent a few hours looking for my keys.
• 7. Well I did wire it to the battery backwards but it was only for a minute.
• 6. What on-off switch?
• 5. The mic cord is a little frayed but that shouldn't matter'cause I talk real loud.
• 4. Rather than blow a lot of money on an amplifier. I figured I could get more power by wiring it to 24 volts instead of just 12.
• 3. I just made 3 or 4 dandy splices in my antenna coax.
• 2. The wind kept blowing my antenna over so I put an old copper pipe over it for support.
• 1 Why run all over town looking for a fuse when you got a perfectly good wad of tinfoil in your lunchbag?

The 146.805MHz W4DCG Repeater has it third anniversary coming up. On May 2, 1997 (Friday night) the W4DCG/R was put on the air at Louisburg on the Channel 47 TV Tower site.

If you have not tuned in the W4DCG Repeater, here is the frequency, 146.805 minus, with CTCSS 118.8 tone.
 
 

Many thanks to Robin WA4WPD, Anica KC4SEV, David KR4AA, Steve WA4FJK, Chris KG4CZU, Jim N4PE, and Bobby NF4C for the help this past weekend cutting and cleaning up at the repeater site.
 
 

Don’t forget to check out the Club’s web site at: http://www.qsl.net/w4dcg/
 
 

Anyone interested in 2000 Field Day Tee Shirts this year. The ARRL Field Day 2000 is fast approaching, we need to make many decisions this meeting dealing with Field Day. Only the May and June meetings are left before the big date. Come to the meeting and let’s have a successful Field Day for 2000.

73 Lonnie

April 2000 Newsletter

March 2000 Newsletter

February 2000 Newsletter

January 2000 Newsletter

December 1999 Newsletter