Hello BVARC! I hope we're all having a great February. I know there's been a lot of commotion on the reflector lately so I hope this can bring a small semblance of normalcy to your inbox. There will be some changes, but Anthony (W5LIC) and myself will still be going out to the parks throughout the year and all are welcome to join us. We have many other things to discuss and do this month and my goal here in *this email *is to get them on your radar. This month is one of those that starts on a Thursday, so that has ramped up the timeline for our events (most of our monthly events revolve around our general meeting that occurs on the second Thursday of the month). Our monthly VE test session was yesterday and we had a few attendees all successfully passing an exam. Tonight is our club Board of Directors meeting at 5pm, so join (Zoom link here <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89414810251?pwd=d2xia0lVMklSOGJPTDJNMmhBSXROUT09>) if you'd like to see what we're up to.
The biggest event on the radar is of course the *Greater Houston Hamfest.* There are a few more planning meetings before the event so join them if you are interested in volunteering. The *GHHF will be held March 1st and 2nd this year at The Fort Bend County Fairgrounds.* Contact Mike Hardwick N5VCX for more info on the event and volunteering. There are a few more details below. As always, please check out our website BVARC.org <http://bvarc.org/> for updates, and for information on our weekly in-person events, nets, and other resources. The February Newsletter has been posted on the website (link here <https://bvarc.org/newsletter/202402.pdf>). Don't forget about our social media as well! We have a Facebook Page <https://www.facebook.com/groups/bvarc/>, a Discord Server <https://discord.gg/kwVGeXM7UH>, and YouTube channel <https://www.youtube.com/bvarc> for the club. Add the BVARC Calendar to your calendar app (by clicking the link here <https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=YTk0YTkxYmRhNWU3ZmY3ODhkNjFjOWExNWVjNzY5M2VlYjUzM2IxYTE1YTc4NDlmNDM4MTRmNzI3NzZlNWNmY0Bncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t>), all events for the next 30 days should be on that calendar as well as others as we confirm their dates. Updates for the calendar and the website should be done within 24 hours if anything is currently missing or out of date. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> *BVARC Calendar for February 2024:* *BVARC VE Test Session* *Saturday February 3rd at 10:30am* While it may be a little late to catch this one at the time of sending this email, I do want to remind you that we do these test sessions every month, and next month we will have another session on *March 9th* (same time, same place). We will also have testing on-site at the Greater Houston Hamfest (see below). You can sign up now on our website (BVARC.org <https://bvarc.org/home/ham-radio-license-testing-houston/>) to take an FCC license exam to get your ham radio license or upgrade to General or Extra. *Where:* Bayland Community Center 6400 Bissonnet St Houston, TX 77074 *BVARC Board of Directors Meeting* *Sunday February 4th at 5:00pm* The BVARC BoD is now meeting on the Sunday before the Second Thursday of the month at 5pm (with few exceptions). This meeting will take place on Zoom only, and all members are encouraged to attend so they can check out what the board is up to. The BVARC BoD is here to serve you, so please attend and let your voice be heard.. *Where:* On Zoom Zoom link here <https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89414810251?pwd=d2xia0lVMklSOGJPTDJNMmhBSXROUT09> *Brews with BVARC* *Tuesday February 6th at 6:30pm* For the next Brews with BVARC we will be heading out to Equal Parts Brewery in Houston! Please come out if you can. There’s always great conversation and camaraderie out at these events, and we hope you can join us this time around. Give us a call on 146.520 MHz FM Simplex if you need directions when nearby or if you have trouble finding our table. Equal Parts Brewing is a brewery that has been around for a while and used to be called Sigma brewing company. They do have food during the week but they rotate through food partners all the time. So food will probably be a surprise. Please check out their website EqualPartsBrewing.com for their great selection of brews. Please be safe, be responsible and arrive when you can. Hope to see you there! *Where:* Equal Parts Brewing 3118 Harrisburg Blvd. Houston, TX 77003 *BVARC General Meeting* *Thursday February 8th at 7:00pm* The February BVARC General Meeting will be on February 8th and our topic will be Homebrew night! So please bring out any homebrew projects you’ve been working on and show the club! There will be prizes for the best homebrew projects. As usual, the doors open at 7pm, and the presentations start at 7:30pm. *Where:* Volunteer Fire Station #4 16005 Bellaire Blvd. Houston, TX 77083 *POTA at Brazos Bend State Park* *Sunday February 25th, from 10am to 5pm* Returning again to our favorite park for February, Anthony (W5LIC) and I will be at Brazos Bend State Park for POTA. Like always, we expect to have about 4 radios on the HF bands available for folks to use on 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m. You can join us no matter your license class. We can help get you on the air and introduce you to the various ways to make your own Parks on the air (POTA) setup, and how to log contacts. Reach out on 146.520 MHz FM simplex if you need directions when pulling into the park if you need help finding us. More than likely we will be at the back of the Elm Lake area of the park. *Where:* Brazos Bend State Park 21901 Farm to Market Rd 762 Needville, TX 77461 *******The Greater Houston Hamfest******* *Friday March 1st Noon - 8pm and Saturday March 2nd 8am - 3pm* This is the largest event of the year put on by the club and there will be lots of opportunities to find some great deals on ham equipment from individual sellers at the tables and from vendors who will be on-site selling new equipment and accessories. Tickets are $10 if you buy them online, or $15 if you get them at the door. There will be door prizes and a raffle with some great equipment you can pick up if you win. You can find more information about vendors and sponsors on the website HoustonHamfest.org or contact Mike Hardwick N5VCX for more info on the event and volunteering. *Where:* Fort Bend County Fairgrounds 4310 TX- 36 S Rosenberg, TX 77471 <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> That's the rundown that I have for now. I will keep the updates coming throughout the month, so stay tuned. Please reach out to me or any BVARC board member if you have any questions or concerns about our club events, volunteering, or anything else ham radio related. We're here for you! Thanks for being a member. Thank you for your time and 73 everybody! Kori Rahman, WX5KR *Brazos Valley Amateur Radio Club* *Vice-President and Club Call Sign KK5W Trustee* Cell: (770) 298 8516 kori...@gmail.com
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