The Maple Valley Amateur Radio Club
KC7KEY
The Maple Valley Amateur Radio Club (MVARC),
an ARRL Affiliate club,
is a group of amateur radio enthusiasts in the greater
Maple Valley area who meet and engage in activities to further the
advancement of this hobby for the good of ourselves and the community.
What is Amateur Radio?
-
Amateur Radio is a non-commercial radio communication
service whose primary aims are public service, technical training and experimentation,
and communication between private persons. Amateur Radio operators are
commonly called hams. Hams generally communicate with each other recreationally
but also provide communications for others at public events or in times
of emergency or disaster. Hams are licensed to operate radio transmitters
by the Federal Communications Commission, and are assigned call letters.
The call letters KC7KEY are assigned to the Maple Valley Amateur
Radio Club. Licensing involves taking a test demonstrating knowledge in
radio theory and the rules and regulations that govern the use of radio
spectrum.
What does the Maple Valley Club do?
-
Emergency Communications
-
In the event of a local disaster, Hams are often the
first and only line of communication into or out of the affected areas.
Using their own equipment, Hams work together with the police, fire and
other relief organizations to provide communication. Several members of
MVARC are also members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and
are available on call to the King
County Office of Emergency Management. In addition, MVARC maintains
a club station at the King County Emergency Operations Center located in
Maple Valley.
-
Special Events
-
Hams also provide communications support for special
events. In the past, MVARC has provided support for Maple Valley Days,
and various other bike races, runs and other community events.
-
Field Day
-
In order to hone their emergency operation skills, Hams
operate an annual special event called Field Day. On Field Day, individuals
and clubs all over the United States, set up stations at remote locations
using emergency power and attempt to make as many contacts with as many
other Hams as possible in a 24 hour period. Every year, MVARC operates
a Field Day station at a public location in the Maple Valley area. (school, park, etc)
The station includes HF phone and CW, VHF and UHF FM and SSB operating
positions. This event is held on the last full weekend in June, and
the club welcomes non-club members and non-Hams to come and join in the
fun. For more information, contact one of the club officers.
-
Newsletter
-
MVARC produces a monthly Newsletter to keep the membership
up to date with current events. Articles of general interest are submitted
by club members. Copies of the Club newsletter are available for viewing and
downloading.
-
Weekly Net
-
The club meets weekly "on the air" for an informal information
net. The net is held on146.540 MHz simplex on the two meter band, Tuesday
evenings at 8PM, and is open to all Hams. The net preamble is available
for download here.
-
Monthly Meeting
-
Monthly club meetings are held on the fourth Saturday
of each month at 10AM. The location of the meeting varies from month to month so
be sure to check the newsletter and this site for directions. Club meetings are open to all, you
do not need to be a member or even a Ham Radio operator! For those so equipped,
talk-in is available on 146.540MHz simplex.
Web Page by NS7C
