Club Activities

The Arlington Amateur Radio Club holds a monthly hybrid meeting -- both a live in-person and a virtual club meeting via video conference -- on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM local / 2300 GMT. Details are published on the front page of the club web site and sent out to members via the club's e-mail distribution list.

The Arlington County Net is held every non-third Tuesday at 8:00 PM local / 2400 GMT on the club's VHF repeater.

The club holds an annual Spring Picnic in a local Arlington County park. The club provides the soft drinks, hamburgers, and hot dogs while members bring a side dish to share.

Club members gather at 8:00 AM on the Saturday following our monthly club meeting at Metro 29 Diner located at 4711 Lee Highway Arlington, VA 22207 to discuss ham radio projects and activities, get to know fellow club members, find an Elmer, and enjoy some great food.

Club members gather outdoors, weather permitting, in a local Arlington County park at 10:00 AM after the monthly club breakfast for a Day In The Park, held on the Saturday following our monthly club meeting, to mentor newly licensed amateur radio operators, set-up and operate radio equipment, and answer their questions about ham radio.

In addition to the guest speaker presentation at our monthly club meetings, we occasionally offer "Tech Talks", a technical presentation on an amateur radio related topic during the Day In The Park event or via a special video conference.

The Arlington Amateur Radio Club and Arlington County ARES/RACES provide communications support to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) during the FAA triennial exercise, APEX, held every three years at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to test the airport's disaster response plans. Amateur radio operators track the mock disaster victims as they are transported to and from local hospitals and provide the on-scene Incident Commander with situational awareness reports.

Our club provides instructors for the Boy Scouts of America Radio Merit Badge and participates in the Jamboree On The Air (JOTA) event held anually in October.

The Arlington Amateur Radio Club participates in Public Service activities such as walk-a-thons and bike rides where communications is required for participant safety and our members provide radio communications support each year to the Marine Corps Marathon.

The Arlington Amateur Radio Club participates in the Arlington County Fair with a booth and demonstrating amateur radio to the public.

Field Day, sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), is held annually during the fourth full weekend in June. The objective of Field Day is to set up and establish amateur radio communications in a location where none exist, to establish radio communications with as many other ham radio operators around the United States in a 24-hour period as an emergency communications preparedness exercise, and to demonstrate the capabilities of amateur radio to elected officials and the general public.

The Arlington Amateur Radio Club (AARC) and the Pentagon Amateur Radio Club (PARC) conduct a joint "Field Day on the Potomac" on the grounds of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport at a location near the southern tip of the airport on the Potomac River. The clubs participates in the Class 2A category and operates CW, voice, and digital modes along with a Get on The Air (GOTA) station.

In lieu of our December club meeting, we hold our annual club Christmas Party and dinner at a local area restaurant. Food will be catered by the restaurant and a cash bar is available. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Please consider bringing a small unwrapped toy to donate to "Toys for Tots", a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which distributes toys to children whose parents cannot afford to buy them gifts for Christmas.

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