We have a great morning activating park US-9935, the VA Bird and Wildlife Trail at the Rust Nature Sanctuary. Setup started about 815am and we stopped operations just before noon. We had 3 stations and while I don’t have the final numbers, we were between 90 and 100 QSOs. Also 3 operators got their first exposure to FT8 and POTA all in one sitting.
Attendees were:
Steve, KS1G
Ron, KB4IQI
Tareck, K9TRE
Patrick, KR4VZF
Rob, KR4EEV
Jerry, KR4BXO
Dave, KE4S
Jim, K4FW and his wife Cindy.
Steve, N4RAF
We also had some visitors who stopped by as they went out to repair the bluebird houses and expressed some interest in getting their license.
We are almost there. This year we will be a 3A station with 3 HF stations, plus GOTA , satellite, and 6m stations.
Volunteers always needed for setup and tear down – see schedule below.
Or just come out and operate or see what FD is all about. Bring the family – we get points for anybody under 18 who shows up. And more if they get on the GOTA station!
Location: 47 W Loudoun St, Round Hill, VA 20141, at the Sheriff’s Round Hill Station
2026 World Amateur Radio Day is April 18 Theme: “Advancing the Spirit of Amateur Radio Through Innovation”, What: Ham Radio Open House for World Amateur Radio Day 2026 Who: All amateur radio operators worldwide When: WARD is Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 0000 UTC until Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 0000 UTC but the Ham Radio Open House can be held any time in April, as works best for your local club. Where: A global event covering all regions of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) Why: World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.
Some ideas: 1. In April, ask one of our Techs to join you in the shack and let him/her enjoy the hobby. 2. If the spirit moves you .. walk down the street and knock on a door of a (inactive) Ham in your neighborhood and invite them to our meeting or net. You can locate Hams in your neighborhood using the following app: https://haminfo.tetranz.com/map Look at all the Hams in Leesburg!!!
More information about WARD at the ARRL website: https://www.arrl.org/world-amateur-radio-day/
