Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club
Houston's Largest Ham Radio Club
Welcome to BVARC!
The Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club (BVARC) is the largest, most active ham radio club in the Houston Area. It was organized in 1978, primarily as an emergency communications group available to assist the communities of Stafford and Missouri City when required. Since that time BVARC has grown and expanded its activities to bring together many diverse interests all over Texas.
Today, BVARC is truly a general interest club with an impressive record of public service. This commitment to service has been recognized by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) with the coveted status of Special Service Club. We are proud of our members who represent the finest in Amateur Radio. Membership is not limited to licensed operators, but is open to anyone with an interest in Amateur Radio.
In becoming a member of BVARC you are joining a family of ham radio enthusiasts that have decades of knowledge and experience to share. We strive to be welcoming to all people licensed or not. If you are looking to get into ham radio, this club will be a great asset to your introduction into the hobby. We are here to assist you and answer any questions pertaining to ham radio that you may have. We encourage you to be active and be a part of the BVARC “Hamily”.
What is Amateur Radio?
Amateur radio, often called Ham Radio, is both a hobby and a service in which participants, called “hams”, use various types of radio communication equipment to communicate with other radio amateurs for public service, recreation, and self-training.
Amateur radio operators enjoy personal (and often worldwide) wireless communications with each other and are able to support their communities with emergency and disaster communication if necessary.
How Do I Become a Ham?
Before you can get on the air, you need to be licensed and know the rules to operate legally. US licenses are good for 10 years before renewal. There are three license classes: Technician, General and Extra.
BVARC holds VE exam sessions for anyone who wants to get their technician license or upgrade an existing license.
BVARC POTA Event
December 11th, 2022
10am – 5pm
Stephen F. Austin State Park
Park Rd 38 San Felipe, TX 77473
BVARC Winter
Field Day
January 28th – 29th, 2023 Contest Hours: Saturday 1pm – Sunday 12:59pm Brazos Bend State Park 21901 Farm to Market Rd 762 Needville, TX 77461
BVARC Board Members
Kori Rahman, WX5KR – Vice President
Michael Manciaz, W5SPC – Recording Secretary
Jeff Greer, W5JEF – Corresponding Secretary Dave Ely, N5EKW – Treasurer
Anthony Morones, W5LIC – 1 Year at Large Scott Medbury, KD5FBA – 1 Year at Large Drew Dasher, N1ER – 2 Year at Large Terry Leatherland, K5PGF – 1 Year at Large
BVARC General Meetings
The club meets every month, usually on the second Thursday of the month. Meeting locations will be announced as they are known if they are in person or on Zoom or both. Everyone Welcome.
This Month's Topic
BVARC December general meeting, IN PERSON & ON ZOOM, takes place on Thursday, December 08, 2022 at 7:00 PM
Home Brew night. This is to bring the best of something that you have built or modified for show and tell. Whether it is a stealth antenna concealed in a broom stick or a 1000 watt hand-held radio that fits in a cigar box, bring it to show the club and tell us how you built it. There will be prizes for the best and second best of the home-built equipment so get the soldering iron out and start building. If you would like to bring your super-duper quad-conversion, ceramic housed extravaganza radio, please drop me an email and let me know. Entries can be the night of but it would be helpful to have a list of everyone that is bringing something.
LOCATION:
Community Volunteer Fire Department Station 4
16005 Bellaire Blvd, Houston, TX 77083December
BVARC Business Meeting - December 03, 2022 9:00AM
2022 BVARC Awards Banquet Jan 20th 2023
The BVARC Awards banquet will be held on January 20th, 2023 at the Bayland Community Center, 6400 Bissonnet Street, Houston 77074 between 6:30 pm and 9:00 pm. The banquet will have a meet and greet time starting at 6:30 pm with dinner being served at 7:15pm.
Cost for the banquet for members and one guest will be $35 per person. Non-members or a second guest will be $50 per person. Tickets are available at the BVARC.org PayPal link. The menu is still being finalized and will be on the BVARC web site for selection when you purchase your tickets. This banquet, besides having great food, is a time to honor club members that have excelled helping the club and supporting amateur radio. Besides awards of appreciation and presidential certificates, awards are also presented to those members that have excelled in their service over the past year (this time it will be two years since no banquet last year). The awards and an explanation of what they are for are:
The LOOP AND ZEPP – A club member excels on promoting HF operation
The K1JT – A club member excels on promoting VHF and UHF operation
The DOCTOR BILL – A club member excels in their service for amateur radio testing
The ORDER OF THE KEY – The clubs highest honor – A club member excels in supporting amateur radio and the club. If you have someone that you would like to nominate for an award, please let someone on the board of directors know. All nominations must be received no later than January 6th. There can be multiple winners of all awards except for the Order of the Key. If you have any questions about the awards, please contact me or Rick Hiller, W5RH. Let’s give those who promote various aspects of the hobby the recognition they deserve
Advertise with us:
Rates for Biz card size;
$10 monthly
$50 for six months
$100 for one year
Rates for 1/2 page;
$25 per monthly
$125 for six months
$250 for one year
Rates for full page
$50 per monthly
$250 for six months
$500 for one year
web@bvarc.org
713-569-8799
Callsign Lookup
BVARC Weekly Social Gatherings
Wednesday Lunch
LUNCH BUNCH: LUBY’S CAFETERIA
11:00am to Noon
10575 W Airport Blvd, Stafford, TX 77477
General Club News & Events
Newest Life Members
Michael Doerge – KI5SKL
David Reed – W5SV
Howard Barnwell – KI5WNN
Richard Weeks – KI5JML
Brad Phillips – KD8YOP
Peter Mendoza – KD6QZH
Terry Leatherland – K5PGF
Mary Ann Pearce – KB5MVL
JC Luppens – KG5BBF
Brian Shircliffe – AD5OS
Ronald Bosch – KE4DRF
Keith Till – KG5MHF
David Cox – KD5IBM
Pete Norris – KJ5SS
Recent Silent Keys
Michael Scarcella WA5TWT
Chris Heustis – W5GX
Howard Hargrove – KF5EYX
Ross Lawler – W5HFF
Tom Morton – W5TOM
Dan Gannon – WA5ANF
Tom Matthews – K5SAF
Clint Gilliland – N5FNA
Beth Brown – N5PKW
Andy MacAllister – W5ACM
Tom Matthews – K5SAF
Bud King – K5CEK
Richard Hagerman – WB5SRN
BVARC Blog Articles
Let’s Build an EFHW Antenna!
Let’s Build an EFHW Antenna If you attended Field Day 2022, you may have been one of the students that learned how to build an
What is the Youtubers Hamfest?
What is the Youtubers Hamfest? 2022 Youtubers Hamfest Playlist The Youtubers Hamfest was formed in 2020 as a way to reach more hams worldwide in
THE HISTORY OF THE 146.88 REPEATER IN HOUSTON
THE HISTORY OF THE 146.88 REPEATER IN HOUSTON PART OF THE STORY I wish I could tell you the rest of the story, but all
Current Propagation and Solar Terrestrial Data
Get Involved - Ham Radio Activites
Parks on the Air
A.R.E.S.
R.A.C.E.S.
