Club Info
CLICK HERE to view or download our club flyer.
History of our club
Founded in 1948 as a nonprofit club dedicated to the advancement and enjoyment of amateur radio operators in the northern Shenandoah Valley, the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club, Inc. (SVARC) is one of the oldest established radio clubs in the U.S. We are an ARRL-affiliated Amateur Radio Club, we support the local A.R.E.S. (Amateur Radio Emergency Services System), and we are the home of the famous annual Berryville Hamfest, now in its seventh decade of operation, always the first Sunday in August.
How to join SVARC: https://svarc.us/how-to-join-svarc/
When we meet
The S.V.A.R.C. meets at 7:30pm ET on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Traditionally, we meet at the clubhouse at 2925 Grace Street in Winchester, VA, but we are meeting by Zoom until the COVID risk is diminished. Members will receive the Zoom link by email. Guests may request the link using this website’s contact page. After a short business meeting, there is often an interesting and informative program. Visitors and guests are very welcome to attend a meeting and learn more about joining the club.
Our Clubhouse
The club is fortunate enough to own it own clubhouse. It is located at 2925 Grace Street in Winchester, VA 22601. To get to the Clubhouse, from WalMart on Pleasant Valley Rd. head south. When the road turns into two lanes, it will bend to the left. Go 1-1/2 blocks and turn right onto Grace St. The clubhouse is the fourth house on the right. You’ll be sure to see the towers and antennas if you look up!
Our Ham Shack
We have two well-equipped rooms available so members can come and operate the club station. When contests and special events roll around, we’re ready! We also enjoyed having the station available for elmering (teaching new hams) and for demonstrating our hobby when visitors come.
W4RKC Main HF Station:
The Flex radio at the clubhouse is capable of remote operaton for the use of club members.
Equipment: Flex Model 6400 Radio with SmartLink, ICOM 746PRO, ICOM IC-2KL 500 Watt Amplifier, ShackLan SM-8 Shack Master, ShackLan 2X8 Antenna Switch, ShackLan AS-419 Bandpss Filter, Yaesu FTM-100/DR 2M/440 Tranceiver, Heil HM-12 and Finn Microphones, Heil Proset Headsets, Custom-Built Automatic Antenna Disconnect Panel, SGC 239 Inverted “L” Antenna Coupler.
2 PCs Windows 10, WSJT-X, JT Alert, N3FJP Logging Program, Node Red Remote Control Software.
Antennas: 119 Ft. Inverted “L” for the 160, 60, 17 and 12 Meter Bands, 75 Meter Radiowavz Inverted “V”, 40 Meter Inverted “V”,
Force 12, C3 Tribander (20, 15 and 10 Meters),
Cushcraft 5-Element 6 Meter Beam
Our open repeaters
The club also owns and operates two Yaesu Fusion (Digital/Analog) VHF and UHF Repeaters:
2 Meter, 146.82 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz
70 CM, 448.775 MHz, PL 146.2 Hz
CLICK HERE to learn all about them, their coverage, their location, their usage, and who can operate them.
American Radio Relay League Affiliation
The Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club has been affiliated with the American Radio Relay League for a very long time. The club recognizes the contributions and efforts made by the League to ensure the existence of the amateur radio service be perpetuated with much of the work done predating this club’s existence. It is likely that without the League being there in the early days of 20th century to intervene on behalf of, and represent the interests of the hobbyists, that amateur radio as a service recognized worldwide wouldn’t exist as we know it today. There are so many facets of amateur radio that the League has bolstered and supported through time that overlap with the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club’s charter and purpose that it seems natural to affiliate with a fine organization such as the American Radio Relay League, to the point of recognition at the Special Service Club level.
Many members of the Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club are also members of the American Radio Relay League, with some being life members. Others have hold or have held positions within the ARRL organizational structure and the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), with one member having served on the ARRL Board of Directors, currently holding the title of Honorary Vice President.
This club values its relationship with the ARRL, and encourages all ham radio operators to consider joining the ARRL membership.
