The club will be having its Spring time Radio In The Park event April the 14th (Sat). Start time is at approx 10:30am and event runs until approx 3pm or when everyone is ready to pack it in. Bring your portable radio gear & antennas and come out and operate and have some fun doing so. Power (120v ac) will be made available. Bring your own food & drink if desired. You may wish to bring a chair. Everyone is are invited to come out, members, non members, guests, families and those just curious about amateur radio and want to learn more or see communications in action and/or portable radio setups.

We tend to setup on the south east end of park closest to East 29th but table availability may vary.

See map in event calendar section on right side of webpage for location of park.

If weather is not favorable for this outdoor event then the next Sat the 21st after the club meeting is the make up day..

W5BCS will be having a breakfast social gathering at the Bryan IHOP on Saturday March 24 at 8am. All is invited to come. So stop on by and say hi and socialize while dining on some pancakes and such. See calendar to right and click on the 24th for location.

We will have our annual BBQ club meeting at C&J BBQ in Bryan on January 20th 2018 beginning at 11am. Lunch begins at 11 and meeting to follow about 12.  See “next meeting” info to right for location.  We will be meeting the large party room and  will be welcoming the new officers and cover past year’s events as well as this year’s events & plans.  All is welcome to attend.

Also 2018 membership fees are due now. Please renew or join at this time. Please attend the bbq meeting and pay your dues then. If you cannot attend then please mail in your form with appropriate fee. You can find the membership form under the “About Us” tab above and then click on “Join Barc” and then “Club Application” for the pdf form. You can also pay at any of the monthly club meetings. Membership fee is due by March 1st.

The Houston/Galveston National Weather Service will be having a Skywarn training class Thursday April 6th. Two classes will be offered, one at 1pm and another at 6pm. It will be held downtown Bryan at the CEOC. Here is the NWS schedule link. http://www.weather.gov/hgx/skywarn_schedule.

Here is the link for the CEOC about Skywarn. However looks like it has not been updated since last year, so ignore the dates. http://brazosceoc.org/index.php/2016/02/26/skywarn/

In the past it was recommended to preregister. Recommend to contact the person listed at the CEOC in either link.

Our annual bbq lunch meeting is January 21st at C&J bbq in Bryan (location is 1010 south texas ave). Time is from 11am to 1pm. Large meeting room has been reserved. Several business items to be discussed and voted on. Also since a quorum was not met at the December meeting, officer elections could not be held  thus will be done at this meeting. Membership payments will also be taken for the 2017 year. Cost is $15 for individuals or $20 for family memberships. Forms will be made avail. This is one of our more popular events so be sure to come and bring your family and friends as all are invited!

Per Rod Hotz K5BGB:

CW Academy

The CW Academy, a program created and offered by the CW Operators’ Club (CWops), is aimed at increasing the number of competent CW operators on the HF CW sub-bands. The Academy addresses all levels of CW operating; i.e., from those aspiring to become licensed operators who want to learn and use Morse code, to experienced CW operators who want to improve their CW skills, sending/receiving speed, and operating ability.

CW Academy semesters are 8 weeks in length and held three times per year (Jan-Feb, Apr-May and Sep-Oct). Two weekly sessions are held on Mondays and Thursdays, each week, typically starting at 7 PM CST. Students are given daily assignments prior to each session, and the twice weekly sessions are held online using Skype group calling (audio/video). During the online sessions, students and advisors can all see and hear each other, as well as Morse code being sent by any of them. Using Skype creates, in effect, a virtual training room.

Students are grouped into one of three levels:

Level 1 (beginners and operators whose code speed is 10 wpm or less; meetings are held online only)
Level 2 (intermediate, operators who know Morse and can operate comfortably at speeds between 11 and 15 wpm; meetings are held online and on-the-air)
Level 3 (advanced, operators who can operate at speeds between 16 and 20 wpm; meetings are held online and on-the-air)

There is no cost or obligation to participate in CWops CW Academy classes, and membership in CWops is not required. Enrollment is open to anyone with the desire to learn or improve their proficiency in Morse code.

Anyone wishing to sign up for the CW Academy should go to www.cwops.org, click CW Academy in the navigation bar, and then click “SIGN UP AS A CWOPS STUDENT.“ Be sure to provide all requested information, especially your estimated code speed. If you have not yet learned Morse code, then simply input “0.” The advisor will use the data you provide to organize the upcoming training sessions. Students are organized by levels and time zones.

If any BARC members have questions about the CW Academy, feel free to contact Rod, K5BGB, at hotrodz42@suddenlink.net or contact Jerry, AC4BT, the CW Academy Manager, at jweisskohl@gmail.com. Sign up early because the training sessions fill up quickly!