W4CA

Roanoke Valley Amateur Radio Club (RVARC) is dedicated to the advancement of amateur radio, serving Southwest Virginia, since 1932

April 10, 2026 General Business Meeting Minutes

  1. Open the Meeting
  • Call to order
  • Pledge of Allegiance
  • Moment of silence
  • Introduction of members 
  • Mission Moment – Pat N3AYW Lewis told about how he started in radio. He was a child and got acquainted with shortwave radio because of the military connection of his father.  He learned how to make a foxhole radio. (You can learn how to make a foxhole radio HERE).  Later, Pat was in the Marines in the late 1970’s and learned Morse Code.  Pat brought some items to show the club.
    • Linda KQ4VGS Cheek will do the mission moment next month on how she got interested in ham radio.
  • Ben Burch shared some old 1980’s newspaper articles of him on radio.  One was on a fox hunt and another one on a radio competition.
    • We are planning on having a special program for constructing an antenna for a fox hunt, and then have a fox hunt activity later in the year. Pat N3AYW Lewis and FD K4FDS Singleton will lead a fox hunt. Pat explained the 2 methods of fox hunting. One is with a 2 element 2 meter Yagi.
  • Pat N3AYW Lewis talked about his dad working on mobile airplanes.  He caught his house on fire with a lithium battery exploding.  He showed a metal ammo box that he adapted. He drilled 2 holes in the top, and stores his lithium batteries in the ammo box.  If they blow up, they blow out the silicone holes.  Advice: don’t charge LI ion batteries if you aren’t home.  Don’t store at 100% charge or 100% discharge.

  1. Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes
  • Minutes from the March 2026 meeting were approved.

  1. Treasurer’s Report
  • Doug N4MGW Kabler gave the summary of current financial status
  • Motion to accept as presented by Ben KK4EWT Williams, seconded by Cathy K4NIT Williams. Approved as presented
  • Request was made to renew the w4ca autotest.  Motion by Ben KK4EWT Williams to renew if under $100. Second by Linda KQ4VGS Cheek.

  1. Event Reports
  • Past
    • Radios in the Park went well.  Pat showed a video of the Mobil DX Commander.  Jaden held the antenna in the back of a car, that then moved around the park.  A picture of this activity is on the March Radios in the Park segment, soon to be moved from the home page to the Special Events page.
  • Upcoming
    • April 25 – Auction (Lead: Doug N4MGW Kabler, Ben KK4EWT Williams  Contact Ben (activities@w4ca.com) for listing donated equipment. The seller donates 10% of the sale to RVARC.  Tables will be set up Friday night, April 24 from 6:30-8PM.  Then the final setup will be Saturday at 7AM.  Auction will start at 9:00AM with Ben Burch and Pat Lewis as Vanna Whites.  Get your equipment listed for the auction so we can put it on the website.f
    • May 15-17 Dayton Hamvention. Ben KK4EWT Williams, Marty K4EQS Rosendale, and Pat N3AYW Lewis are going to the Hamvention. They will find the best grand prize item for our August Hamfest.
    • Field Day June 27-28 at VA Western
    • August 1 Hamfest—The venue will be at the Roanoke Fire and EMS training center at 802 River Avenue SE. A motion for a budget up to $2000 for expenses was made by Ben KK4EWT Williams and seconded by Linda KQ4VGS Cheek. The budget includes $500 for donation to the Roanoke Fire and EMS, and the grand prize.

  1. Updates
  • VE and education update (Ben Williams): 10 potential hams are being tested this weekend.
  • W4CA website and social media (Linda): The website is going well. Any additions/corrections are appreciated.
  • Membership (Linda KQ4VGS Cheek): Ben KK4EWT Williams made a motion to use Paypal for digital membership for the club, and continue to use Square for in-person card purchases.  Motion seconded by Linda.  Doug N4MGW Kabler informed us that the Credit Union we have an account with is merging with another credit union and we will be given a new account number.  So we will wait to make these digital additions for 2 weeks until we have the new account.
  • Next Meeting With Eating–Golden Corral April 11, 8:30 AM main floor.

  1. New Business
  • W4CA Trustee: The appointment of Bill W4TIO Overstreet is pending.
  • We will not have a program meeting on 4/24 because of the set up for the auction. Please come and help with setup.

  1. Open Discussion
  • Bill W4TIO Overstreet brought up the effort to get the 4 mile loop road open on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 119.  It has been closed since 2018 when the exit road washed away.  There is an article on what needs to be done on the homepage.

  1. Adjournment
  • 50/50 drawing won by KQ4VGS, donated to club
  • Formal conclusion of the meeting