Last updated May 26, 2026 at 1400 EDST.
View from the WA4NC DMR Sugar Mt. Repeater site. In the distance is Rich Mt. and Howard’s Knob near Boone – Rich Mt. Is the home of the WA4J repeater and the other WA4NC DMR repeater.
WELCOME! Looking for information about Amateur Radio?
Are you a newcomer to amateur radio and would like to learn more about this amazing hobby? Here are a few resources and suggestions that will help:
To become an amateur radio operator, you will need an FCC–issued Technician Class License. This requires passing a FCC test, administered locally by many amateur radio clubs, including ours,
We recommend you take advantage of the large volume of learning opportunities online. Using online material allows you to study at your own pace. We strongly recommend http://hamstudy.org/ Be sure to “sign in” there (it’s free). When you start taking the practice exams, the site will keep track of your progress and recommend areas where you need more study.
The same entity also offers a very nice Technician study guide, free to read online at https://hambook.org.These two sites are all you’ll need to get your technician, or higher class, license.
Our club meets monthly, on the first Monday of the month. We welcome you to attend one, or more, of our meetings and get to know us.
For more information, visit the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) website at arrl.org.
A VERY BUSY MAY 16!
On Saturday, May 16, WARC once again participated in the Watauga County Emergency Fast held at Watauga High School in Boone. This was a great opportunity to show the general public what amateur radio is capable of doing an emergency situations. Thanks to all club members who participated
At the same time, other club members were assisting the ASHE County amateur radio club in providing communications for the New River 100 Marathon. Thanks to these members as well.
Remarkably, WARC was able to cover both events, even in the absence of some club members who were attending the Dayton Hamvention.
If you missed the February 16 presentation by Terry Ketron covering the history of the WA4J repeater, hey link will be hopefully published soon.
WA4J NC QSO Party results
On Sunday, March one, 2026, WARC operated in the North Carolina QSO party. This annual event, held each March, is a fun, but intense, contest in which stations in North Carolina attempt to contact as many US states and North Carolina counties as possible and to make as many additional contacts worldwide. This year we operated from K2SD’s station in Fleetwood. The following club members participated: K2SD, K2ODV, K4ANC, K1HE, NI4E, WB0RXQ, and KQ4ZHY.
The results are in – WARC Took second place in the High-Power Multi-Op category. The NC QSO Party website has extensive comments on the results. The following is a small excerpt, describing our effort
“First, using High Power, its no jolt that Bruce and Laurie Meier using their club call NC4KW, the North Carolina Kilowatts, came in with the leading score resulting from nearly 1000 Q’s and 115 different county/state/provinces/dx multipliers. WA4J, Watauga Amateur Radio Club, took second place running their amplifier from Ashe county. These ops did a great job compiling 847 QSOs and 103 multipliers.”
It should be noted that although we were in the high power category, only one of our two stations actually ran 1KW. The other station was running 100 W. jNext year, we hope to have both stations at the KW level and we shall see how that works!
Coming Events
| Date | Time | Event |
| May 30, 2026 | 10: am | Practice FOX HUNT |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 6:00 pm | REGULAR CLUB meeting |
| JUNE 6, 2026 | 10:00 AM | FOX HUNT |
| Jun 15,2026 | 11:30 am | LUNCH at Cracker Barrel |
| Jun 27, 2026 | 10:00 am | ARRL FIELD DAY |
| July 6, 2026 | 6:00 pm | REGULAR CLUB MEETING |
| JULY 20, 2026 | 11:30 am | LUNCH at Cracker Barrel |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 6:00 pm | REGULAR CLUB MEETING |
WATAUGA AMATEUR RADIO CLUB NETS
| NET NAME | DAY/TIME | REPEATER | NOTES |
| WARC 2-METER NET | EACH THURSDAY 8:00 pm | WA4J 147.36 103.5 Hz | WIDE AREA COVERAGE |
| HIGH COUNTRY DMR NET | EACH TUESDAY 8:00 PM | WA4NC 443.0375 DMR | ALSO ON MANY OTHER AREA DMR REPEATERS |
| WATAUGA SKYWARN INFORMATION NET | FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH 8:00 pm | WA4J 147.36 103.5 Hz | PROVIDES TRAINING AND INFORMATION FOR WATAUGA COUNTY SKYWARN MEMBERS |
Our club meets on the first Monday of the month. If the first Monday falls on a holiday, the meeting will be rescheduled.
Beginning September 8, 2025, the club will meet at the Blue Cross Blue Shield office at 2640 highway 105, suite 1 01, Boone, NC 28607. You may also attend remotely via ZOOM
If you want to get involved in Ham Radio in the High country, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO STOP BY. If you would like to attend remotely, please email k2sd@arrl.net
WARC 2026 OFFICERS
President Corey Brown WB0RXQ
Vice-President Danny Horney KE4AAP
Secretary Rob Thompson KQ4OYC
Treasurer George Bartholomew, Jr. K2ODV
NEW WARC HAT, SHIRTS, AND JACKET NOW AVAILABLE – ORDER TODAY!!
WARC members may now order custom, hats, shirts, and jackets from JSE Custom Embroidery. These very stylish and affordable items feature the new WARC logo. No amateurs wardrobe is complete without one of these items. Visit https://www.jse-repair.com/product-category/club-apparel/watauga-arc-wa4j/
WARC MONTHLY LUNCH – JOIN US!
We gather at 11:30 AM on the third Monday of the month at the Cracker Barrel restaurant in Boone. No business is conducted, just a chance to talk about any and all topics related to Amateur Radio. Everyone is welcome!