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!

We are going to have our final quarterly social dinner for 2016 this Friday October 21 at Lake Bryan Ice House. Lake Bryan Ice House web page
My plan is to arrive between 5:30-6:00PM. There is 5$ (cash) admission to the lake but with the stub on the bottom of you windshield tag you receive $5 off your order. There is no cover if you leave before 8:00pm or pay the cover and stay, the band this week is Texas Unlimited.
It looks like the weather is going to cooperate and it should be mild and dry. Plan is to get seats on the patio and try to enjoy the atmosphere, and watch the sun set over the lake.

The club will be having its Fall time Radio In The Park event October the 15th following the BARC club meeting. Time starts at approx 12 pm until 4pm. Bring your portable radio gear & antennas and come out and operate and have some fun doing so. Power (120v ac) will be made available. Food and drink is not provided so bring your own. You may wish to bring a chair. All 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 st 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 (22nd) is the make up day..

The Bryan Amateur Radio club will be participating in the annual Texas Qso Party Sept 24th and 25th 2016.  Contest runs from 9am-9pm Sat and 9am-3pm Sun local time. Location will be at W5VUI/KF5HUY and KF5LPT’s house in Bryan. Go to Events Calendar to pull up map for actual location. Food (fajitas) will be served but drinks are BYO. Coolers & ice provided. We will also have tv avail to watch the Aggie football game Sat night.

We will have 2-3 hf radios set up for all who want to contest. Ares Comm Van will be out there to operate out of, as well as a table setup outside (under cover). If you have your own favorite rig you want to use then bring it.

Even if you’re not into contesting come on out anyway for fun, food and fellowship, even if its just for an hour or two or during the game. We’d love to have you!

Any questions please direct to n5gqb (at) arrl (dot) net

BARC is having its quarterly social dinner night out this Friday the 29th at Koppe Bridge Bar & Grill on Harvey road. Meet up time starts 6/6:30pm but come when you can. Everyone is invited, members, non members, family members, new hams, etc.

Address is 3940 Harvey Road. About a mile east of Hwy 6 bypass on Hwy 30/Harvey Rd.

http://www.koppebridge.com/index.html

Hope to see you there!

Set-up Crew Link: https://doodle.com/poll/bqiv99wh5zth78iz
Tear-down Crew Link: https://doodle.com/poll/8r62th5tnxnndpr6
Operators/Loggers Link: https://doodle.com/poll/2p4mgb939tabtywm

FOOD! FUN! RAFFLES! RADIOS! PEOPLE! Come see what is happening in your Community!
This Saturday, June 25th 1pm – Sunday, June 26th 1pm (at Brian Bachman Park in College Station) is the ARRL Field Day 2016! Come out and see all that Amateur Radio has to offer. Talk to the Amateur Operators from the Brazos Valley, and listen to radio communications from around the United States and beyond!
Do you have a question you have always wanted to know, or are just curious about how to obtain your Amateur Radio License? Then this is the perfect time to get your questions answered!
Have you been studying for your first license exam, or want to test for an upgrade? Come on down then at 3:30 pm in the Pavilion area and test at our hosted VE session. One lucky person who passes their Technician’s exam will win a Baofeng handheld amateur radio!
There will be a BBQ dinner at 6pm (tickets are $10 available at the event). You do not want to miss out on all the fantastic food that will be available! There will also be a raffle with prizes for everybody! Tickets are $5 for 1 ticket, $25 for 7 tickets, $50 for 15 tickets, and $100 for 30 tickets plus 1 yr of W5BCS membership.

Prizes for this raffle will include:
-1st Place – Escape Room BCS (1 room for up to 8 people) – Donated by Jeff Keys (KG5IAD)
-2nd Place – Softrock RX/TX Ensemble HF SDR, Assembled for 20m/30m/40m
-3rd Place – Softrock RX/TX Ensemble HF SDR, Unassembled
-4th Place – $100 VISA gift card
-5th, 6th, and 7th Place – $50 VISA gift card
-8th, and 9th Place – $50 Saltgrass Steak House gift card