CONTACT US If you have a question or want to contact us, send an email to, PARC@n4pow.com . If you have a question about ARES or would like more information, send an email, to PowhatanARES@proton.me

PARC Summer Field Day 2025 Be Radio Active June 28-29, 2pm - 2pm Fighting Creek Park, Large Shelter, Powhatan, VA Field Day Date: June 22 & June 23, 2024 Time: 2:00 PM - 2:00 PM Location : Fighting Creek Park, Large Shelter 2505 Mann Road Powhatan, VA 23139 Directions J-Pole Raffle Date: June 22, 2024 Time: 6:00 PM Tickets: $2.00 Must be present to win. Drawing will be June 22nd at 6 pm. Sign Up Transmit or Log: Click Here to reserve your spot to transmit on the air or log contacts for 60 minutes. Dinner, June 22: Click here to RSVP for the Dinner on Saturday at 6 pm. For more details, click here. Set Up Date: June 28, 2024 Time: 9:00 AM Tear Down Date: June 29, 2024 Time: 2:00 PM Site Setup Tour Date: June 22, 2024 Time: 1:45 pm Join us for a tour of the equipment and antenna's before the event kicks off! What is it all about? ARRL Field Day is the biggest on-air event for ham radio operators in North America! Every year on the fourth weekend of June, PARC transforms ARRL Field Day into a unique blend of fun, practice, and community outreach. This year's theme, "Be Radio Active," captures PARC's spirit for ARRL Field Day. With Solar Cycle 25 nearing its peak, favorable conditions promise an exceptional year for radio communication. We anticipate extremely high activity, especially on the upper HF bands like 15 and 10 meters, which means you could be talking to hams across the country and even the world! Field Day at PARC For PARC, Field Day goes beyond just a competition. It's a chance to hone our emergency response skills by setting up temporary stations and operating under simulated emergency conditions. We also use this opportunity to educate the public about the capabilities of amateur radio and its potential to support the community during times of need. This year we will be setting up in the large shelter at Fighting Creek Park and operating the radios on batteries. We will be using two end fed half wave wire antennas for HF and a j-pole for VHF/UHF operation. One HF antenna will be for the “Bring Your Own Radio” station. So bring your own HF radio and plug in! The other antenna will be used with a Yaesu FT-991A. One hour time slots are reserved on a first come, first serve. Be sure and sign up! Anyone can operate a ham radio during Field Day! Curious about ham radio but you heard you must have a license to operate? No problem! PARC lets everyone have a chance to talk on the radio at our ARRL Field Day event. You can experience the fun of ham radio under the guidance of our licensed members. Make your own calls on the airwaves and connect with hams across the US and the World! The PARC Field Day operates under the club's N4POW callsign. As a Field Day participant, you'll use our club call sign and a control operator's license privileges to operate under their supervision. This means if you have no license at all, you can operate the radio. Even if you have a technician class license, you can operate on the HF bands at our event. Dinner The highlight of PARC's Field Day is the dinner on Saturday evening at 6 pm. It's a time to relax, share stories, and celebrate ham radio with fellow club members, family, and friends. Everyone is welcome and please RSVP for planning purposes. After dinner, we will draw the winning raffle ticket for a copper J-Pole antenna. Raffle tickets may be purchased at Field Day. Get Your License or Upgrade! If you're looking to obtain or upgrade your license, we host a VE testing session in conjunction with the KC4TS VE team from 10 am to 12 pm on Saturday. Walk-ins are welcome and we stay until everyone is finished. For fees and what to bring with you to the test, check out the KC4TS VE website or contact David Thomas - WD3O, at thomasdavida@gmail.com . Where to Find Us The PARC Field Day is held in the large shelter at Fighting Creek Park, 2505 Mann Road, Powhatan VA. The park normally closes at 8 PM, but we secure permission to remain in the park for the entire 24-hour period. Restrooms are just a few steps away from the Field Day site.

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AREA Repeaters (Repeaterbook Search 25 miles from Powhatan)

Join the Powhatan Area Radio Club Join PARC! Welcome to PARC! Complete the membership application and email it to us. Membership is $30, payable at any meeting or any club event. Check the calendar below for upcoming activities. Parc Calendar Download application Ready to join? Download the membership application below and email it to us or bring it to our next meeting or event. Download Application> Submit application & Pay Dues Email your completed application to parc@n4pow.com or bring it to the PARC monthly meeting or event. Club dues are payable at the monthly PARC meeting, or any event. Mail

Net Control Training If you have participated in a net and would like to take the next step and train as an NCO, please review the NCO training script that is provided below and the Net Control Station Training Manual, then send an email to PowhatanARES@proton.me. VHF NCO Script HF NCO Script Net Control Station Training Manual ARES Simulated Emergency Training (SET) The Simulated Emergency Test (SET) is an annual nationwide emergency communications exercise sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). During this drill, Powhatan ARES volunteers test off-grid gear, practice tactical messaging, and evaluate local emergency readiness assuming commercial power, cellular, and internet infrastructure have failed. The exercise gives local operators hands-on experience under simulated emergency conditions while demonstrating the reliability of amateur radio to Powhatan County officials, emergency management agencies, and the public. Second Weekend in October Powhatan ARES conducts its local SET exercise during the second weekend in October. This timing allows the group to coordinate with local emergency management schedules, regional radio networks, training activities, and volunteer availability. Core Objectives Identify Strengths & Weakness To find out the strengths and weaknesses of ARES, NTS, RACES and other groups in providing emergency communications . Demonstrate Value Show served agencies, partner organizations, and local media the value to the public that Amateur Radio provides, particularly in time of need. Build Operator Skill To help radio amateurs gain experience in communications using standard procedures and a variety of modes under simulated-emergency conditions. How to Get Involved You do not need to be a seasoned emergency responder to participate. The SET welcomes all licensed amateur radio operators, regardless of experience level. Licensed Operators Join our weekly training nets (Mondays at 7:00 PM on the 147.315 MHz repeater), help pass test messages, or operate your station using emergency power during the exercise window. Community Members Learn how amateur radio serves as a vital communications safety net for Powhatan County when standard systems fail. Question about participating? Contact the Powhatan ARES Emergency Coordinator at PowhatanARES@proton.me . FEMA Independent Study Courses A FEMA SID is required to register for and participate in any training provided by FEMA. What is a FEMA SID? FEMA Student Identification (SID) number is a unique number generated and assigned to anyone who needs or is required to take training provided by a FEMA organization. Your FEMA SID uniquely identifies you throughout the FEMA organization and all of its agencies. The goal is for your FEMA SID to serve as your personal identification number instead of your Social Security Number (SSN) in support of FEMA’s effort to decrease/cease the use of SSN for identifying and tracking individuals. Why do I need a FEMA SID? A FEMA SID is required to register for and participate in any training provided by FEMA. All FEMA training providers’ registration systems and enrollment procedures require a valid FEMA SID. The FEMA SID will serve as your unique identifier and be used to maintain the record of FEMA training you attended. Incident Command Training These four courses are required for ARES Level 2 in accordance with the ARES Individual Task Book. For instance, some government-sponsored activities will require volunteers to demonstrate knowledge by completing certain FEMA ICS courses, which correlate to ARES Level 2. IS-100.c Introduction to the Incident Command System (ICS100 ) IS-200.c ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (ICS200) IS-700.b Introduction to the National Incident Management System (NIMS) IS-800.d National Response Framework Register for your FEMA SID Skywarn Spotter Field Guide Skywarn is a volunteer program in the United States that trains individuals to become severe weather spotters. These trained spotters help to identify and report severe weather events to the National Weather Service, aiding in timely warnings and alerts to communities. Skywarn plays a crucial role in enhancing public safety during severe weather outbreaks by providing accurate, real-time information to meteorologists

Regional VHF and DMR NETs MONDAY: VHF - Powhatan ARES Net N4POW Repeater 147.315+ 74.4 7pm Weekly VHF - Goochland County EMCOMM Net WB4IKL Repeater 147.270+ 203.5 8pm Weekly TUESDAY: VHF - Chesterfield County ARES Net KA4CBB Repeater 147.360+ No tone 9pm Weekly WEDNESDAY: VHF - RATS Club Net W4RAT Repeater 146.880- 74.4 7pm Weekly VHF - Tri-Cities RACES Net 147.390+ 74.4 8pm Weekly DMR – SWVA DMR Net Talk Group – 31513 8pm Weekly THURSDAY: VHF - Metro Richmond ARES Net 145.430 or 146.880 Repeaters 7pm Weekly DMR – Tidewater DMR Net Talk Group – 31515 9pm Weekly FRIDAY: VHF - RVA Simplex Net 146.490 simplex 7pm Monthly on the 1st Friday 9 pm Monthly on the 3rd Friday DMR – SWVA Night Owls Net Talk Group – 31513 10pm Weekly SATURDAY: VHF - C4FM Digital Net – Virginia Room 8pm Weekly

The N4POW Repeater Repeater Trustee: Jim Merritt - KK4IUH Contact or Report Issues: Repeater@n4pow.com VHF Voice: 147.315+ CTCSS 74.4 WiresX Room: 33183 UHF Voice: 443.350+ Linked to DMRVA Network Digital: 145.730 Packet Gateway/Digi (N4POW-10) VHF Coverage Map UHF Coverage Map N4POW Weather Station If You Hear Digital Noise on the147.315 Repeater Wires-X is now turned on and you may need to change the settings in your analog only radio if you are hearing the digital signal through the speaker. Most people won't want to hear the digital signal that sounds like noise. This problem is very easy to correct on all modern radios. It is called CTCSS and is found in the menu where you find the tone setting on your radio. Be sure you have CTCSS turned on. On some radios it is referred to as tone encode and tone decode, check your manual. You want to have both encode and decode turned on. You will still see an indication on your radio when the the repeater is in digital use even though you won't hear anything. Your screen may illuminate, or perhaps the IN USE light will be on. You would never try to "talk over" another analog station, so please don't talk over a digital station either. That is just good radio etiquette. Just because you don't hear the digital signal does not mean a digital QSO is not happening. You should observe your radio before you key up. The VHF repeater operates in both analog and digital modes automatically. Everyone is welcome to use either mode you choose. We will never have this repeater configured for digital mode only. Many of us have multiple radios that are analog only. I don't want to replace my radios and neither does anyone else. Analog will be the mode used for ARES. It is probably best to use analog for rag-chews and long QSO's. That way if someone with analog only needs to break in, they will be able to do it. May I suggest if your digital QSO runs longer than 5 minutes, you switch to analog and see if anyone needs to use the repeater before going back to digital. That is just being courteous to all users. This repeater is intended for use by everyone. Always remember there are way more analog radios in use than there are Fusion radios. Probably will be that way for a very long time. Share the airways and have fun with this new mode.

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