Winter Field Day is more than just a contest; it’s an essential emergency communications exercise. Our aim is to sharpen our skills by operating under "less-than-optimal" conditions—demonstrating we can keep communications going despite freezing temperatures, snow, or ice. It’s about preparedness, technical skill, and, most importantly, community.

 The Meet-Up Event: Winter Field Day

After breakfast, join us at our president Corey, KN4YZY’s home to operate, observe, or just enjoy some "eyeball QSOs." We will be reaching out to several emergency preparedness groups to join us, but if you can’t make it to our location, we encourage you to check out the great setups hosted by our friends at the Alexandria, Woodbridge, or Vienna clubs. More than anything, we just love to get you on the air!

When:

• Saturday, Jan 24th & Sunday, Jan 25th  at 10:30 AM (Post-breakfast)

• Duration: As long as the coffee is hot and the company is good!

Where:

• 8619 Lea Lane, Alexandria, VA 22309

• Parking: Feel free to park in the driveway or along the curb.

What to Expect:

• Cozy Warming Shelter: Provided by Ed (N2EC)! We’ll have a heated area to stay warm while working the bands in my backyard.

• Tasty Snacks: Hot drinks and snacks are available all day. If there's something you'd like to bring, feel free.

• Hands-on Learning: We’ll be practicing portable/temporary setups. Our main goal is to help you get on the air and feel confident!

Whether you want to hunt for QSOs, test out winter gear, or just relax and enjoy the company, you are more than welcome. No pressure to bring equipment, though feel free to bring a favorite handheld.

Important Note: Please dress appropriately for the weather, as we will be outside!

Please RSVP to president@mvarc.org if you’re planning to come so we can make sure we have enough refreshments for everyone.

We’re excited to see you there!

Maintenance

Here is the website with the rules for Winterfield Day for you to review.  https://winterfieldday.org/sop.php 

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 24 January at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

The January business meeting will be held on Thursday, January 8 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

Please join us next Thursday (Dec. 11) at 5:30 p.m. at Denny's in Hybla Valley (7214 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306) for the annual MVARC Holiday Party.

Logistics: 

• We will gather at 5:30 p.m. and plan on eating around 6 p.m. Working late? Come when you can! We'll be there for awhile socializing.

• Yes, you can bring family/friends/spouses! The more the merrier!

• Each member will be responsible for paying for their own food/drinks. This is not a MVARC-paid event.

• For those who have been to our holiday parties before, please note NO GIFT EXCHANGE. 

This month’s in-person gathering is at the Mount Vernon Government Center, 2511 Parkers Lane, Alexandria, VA 22309. Our speaker this month is club member Ed N2EC who will be talking about the 3D printed antenna he designed, the N2EC VersaHex. It is a portable antenna designed for versatility and experimentation and supports use as a v-dipole as well as a vertical with the ability to add loading coils, extensions, tripods, and ground plane systems for resonant operation from 40 meters to 6 meters.

If you’ve joined us for our recent POTA activations, ARRL Field Day, the George Washington’s Birthday Special Event Station, or the Masonic Lodges on the Air event this year, you’ve seen it in action. Now learn how it was designed and tested and how you can 3D print and build your own for a modest investment in parts. More information about the VersaHex Antenna can be found on Ed’s blog at https://n2ec.us/project/the-n2ec-versahex-antenna/. We look forward to seeing you in-person or online at tomorrow’s meeting. Email social@mvarc.org for the link.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 22 November at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

The November business meeting will be held on Thursday, November 13 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

The October business meeting will be held on Thursday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

Purpose

To promote public awareness of ham radio and Freemasonry; to promote fraternal bonds within the ranks of Free & Accepted Masonic Lodges and its many Amateur Radio operators who are also brothers in the fraternity; and to encourage contact with other Amateur Radio Operators around the state, country, and world. You do not need to be a Mason to participate.

Join us at the Mount Vernon Lodge No 219, 8717 Fort Hunt Rd, Alexandria, VA 22308.

In the event we get weathered out of this event, we have confirmed reservations at the FFX County South Building located, 8350 Richmond Hwy.  Our confirmed reservations at the South Building  are for 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.  A presentation will be made at this location.  Starting time will be 10:30 AM. 

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 27 September at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

The September business meeting will be held on Thursday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

This month’s in-person gathering will be at Belle Haven Park. We'll go over how to get set-up for portable operations, from setting up antennas, getting your station on the air, and with luck, how to work a pile-up as we activate 7 parks at once for Parks On The Air (POTA). Also, we'll be running a full 100 W station on battery power and the band conditions have been favorable recently. This should be a lot of fun.

If you've ever had interest in doing portable operations but weren't sure how to get started, come out and join us. There will be Extra Class licensees on hand, so if you're a Technician (or even unlicensed) and want to see what it is like to operate on the HF bands, this will be a fun way to dip your toe into the world of HF.

After the club breakfast we’ll try to find a picnic table to set up on the North side of the Belle Haven Park between the water and the bike path. You may want to bring a camp chair if you have one just in case tables are limited on what is looking to be a beautiful morning. We'll activate with our club call K4US, and if you have a call of your own we can add it to the operator log so you'll get credit for your part of the activation, too. Family, friends, and the ham-curious are welcome to join in the fun as well.

Even if you don't want to operate, come out and have fun with us on the banks of the Potomac River at Belle Haven Park. The park is located just South of Alexandria City on the George Washington Memorial Parkway with the entrance between Belle Haven Road and Belle View Boulevard. When you make the turn to the park, make your first left for the parking lots (not the Marina) and park wherever you can. We'll probably be down on the North end of the lots, but that will depend on what tables are still available when we arrive. There are restrooms, water fountains and bottle filling stations in the park and plenty of antenna supports ... you may call them trees, as well. An area map is below. We'll also try to have an HT or two on hand to monitor the club's repeater for anyone that needs talk-in.

If you're not able to join us but will be near a radio look for us on the spotting page at https://pota.app/ -- we'll be using the call sign K4US and the page will have our current frequency so you can contact us while we're out in the park.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 23 August at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

The August business meeting will be held on Thursday, August 14 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 26 July at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 28 June at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

The June business meeting will be held on Thursday, June 12 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

The May business meeting will be held on Thursday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

Location: Mount Vernon Governmental Center, 2511 Parker Lane, Alexandria, VA, 22309, Room 119

Topic: Andy K1RA, will be discussing "Multi-band, Multi-Mode Digital Decoding and Reporting Using SDRs". Andy runs one of the biggest SDR based listening stations in our area, reporting data to the Reverse Beacon Network and providing web-based Software Defined Radios as a service to the community.

This is a hybrid meeting. Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the meeting link.

Join us for breakfast on Saturday, 26 April at 8 a.m. at IHOP (Mount Vernon Plaza) 7694 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria, VA 22306.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

Join MVARC for an informal virtual meet up. No Ham radio topics are off-limits.

Members, check the reflector for an email with the Google Meet link.

Not a member? Email social@mvarc.org to obtain the link to join us.

The April business meeting will be held on Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. It will be a VIRTUAL meeting. The short business meeting will include our annual officers election and will be followed by our weekly informal meet up for those who stick around.

Please email social@mvarc.org to obtain the virtual meeting link.