136 results for author: Scott Toth

Watch the March GARA Meeting Live

If you're not able to attend this month's GARA meeting in person, you'll still be able to view it right here.  Check out the player above, and assuming everything works properly, you'll be able to see the meeting beginning at 7:15pm EST.  See you then!

GARA Gear

GARA is making items like shirts, mugs, tote bags, etc. that bear the club logo available via SpreadShirt- an online custom printing shop.  These items will help you show your support and encourage camaraderie among our members.  Many of the products can even be customized with your own call sign!  And besides, when you purchase one of these items, 20% of the purchase price goes directly  to support GARA.  To take advantage of this opportunity, point your browser to https://shop.spreadshirt.com/gara/ and show everyone how much fun ham radio, alongside GARA, can be!  We will add new items periodically, so check back often to see what else ...

March GARA Meeting: Guilford County Auxcomm

You won't want to miss this month's GARA meeting.  Greensboro is blessed to be home to Guilford County Auxcomm (formerly ARES), a great group of people who train, prepare, and stand by to assist with emergency communications at a moment's notice.  Jim Waynick N4JLW, the Guilford County Emergency Coordinator, will be presenting on Auxcomm activities, preparations, and achievements, and let us know how we can become involved to serve our community in times of need.  Be sure to set aside the time to meet at Cooper's Ale House this coming Monday.

February GARA Meeting: Echolink

Put February's meeting on your calendar now as you won't want to miss it.  GARA's own Tom Bertolino, KB1P will be teaching us how to setup and use Echolink, the global repeater linking system that lets hams communicate even when their radios aren't nearby.  GARA has its own Echolink node (currently named "K2CPR-R" in Echolink) that will let you use the W4GSO 145.150 repeater via your computer or smart phone, so understanding the system will help you to keep in touch even when you're away.  As an added bonus, the K2CPR-R Echolink node works with both analog and Fusion/C4FM transmissions, so you can join in digital conversations even if you don't ...

Join GARA for the North Carolina QSO Party

GARA will be participating in the North Carolina QSO Party on Sunday, 2/26. We will be using the Club Call Sign, W4GSO. Operating with two transmitters, we are going to compete in the category “Club In-State.” GARA is also an award sponsor for NCQP. Everyone in the club is invited to attend and participate in operating on the air, with plenty of opportunities for new operators to get on the air and learn the ropes of contesting. We will meet at Strandberg Engineering, located at 1302 N. OHenry Blvd. in Greensboro, on Sunday, 2/26 at 8 AM. The contest runs from 10 AM to 8 PM. We apologize for the late announcement but the logistics were ...

Support GARA when you Shop at Amazon!

Amazon is one of the largest online retailers in the world and many people use it on a regular basis.  Those of us who do are now able to support GARA without any cost to us.  Amazon's "Smile" program donates 0.5% of qualified purchases to any eligible charity, and GARA has recently registered to receive these donations.  All you need to do to contribute is shop at smile.amazon.com (instead of amazon.com) and select GARA as your charity of choice.  We've made it even easier- all you need to do is click on the banner in the center of the w4gso.org homepage to take you to smile.amazon.com and automatically choose GARA.  Each purchase won't amount ...

January Meeting: Learn About the “Odyssey of the Mind” Event!

Hams are always looking for opportunities to serve their community.  It seems that the need for amateur communications has waned with the advent of personal electronic devices, but hams in Greensboro have an opportunity to put their skills to good use on April 1.  An event called "Odyssey of the Mind" is coming to Greensboro that day and a number of volunteers will be needed to help fulfill communications needs.  This event has been held in Raleigh and served by hams there for a number of years, but this year, it's our turn! Brian Young, KA9QJT, who has organized hams for the event in Raleigh in the past, will be speaking to the club via Skype ...

Santa’s On the Air!

Many hams might not realize it, but Santa is an avid amateur radio operator and loves to talk to children around Christmastime!  There are multiple ways to get in touch with Santa, so we thought it might be helpful to list them here.  Here is the list as we know it: November 27 through December 24: The 3916 Net hosts Santa Nets starting at 8:30PM EST on, you guessed, it 3.916 MHz.  You can find more information here. December 19 through December 31: Keep an eye on the spots for Old Father 9 Christmas (OF9X) from Santa Claus World throughout this time.  There is no set frequency, but you can QSL and get a great card for the little ones to ...

November is Election Month

Dear GARA Member, The election for the 2017 Greensboro Amateur Radio Association Officers is almost upon us, and we need your help. The Nominating Committee is actively seeking people interested in running for office in your club. The officers to be elected are: President Vice-President Engineering Chair Financial Chair Operations Chair Treasurer Secretary Member-at-Large (2 positions) Each officer is elected each year at the November Annual Membership Meeting, currently scheduled for November 28th, 2016. The annual meeting convenes at 7:15 PM at our new meeting location of Cooper’s Ale House, 415 S. Swing Road, Greensboro, NC. We meet ...

GARA Meetings Are Changing Location

While Captain Bills has been a gracious host for many years, the GARA board thought that it might be time for a change of scenery.  After a lot of searching and discussion, a new meeting location has been found: Cooper's Ale House, part of the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Greensboro, located at 415 S. Swing Road.  The meetings will take place in the "Salon D" room where you'll be able to enjoy a delicious dinner before the meeting.  The room even has built-in projection and audio capabilities, so viewing the presentation will be easier than ever. We're very excited about this change and hope that you are too.  Come check out the new venue at ...