God Bless America

Thank you for visiting the Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club. The club is located in Greenville, North Carolina. Meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month.

North Carolina

Jack Kear, K4MI, Bob Knapp, W4OMW (SK), Charlie Wells, K4SKI, Lamar Reed, K4BPF, and Ray Davis (SK) were some that met to organize the Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club in 1967. Why the name Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club? According to Life Member Jack Kear, K4MI, one reason was that the tobacco companies would pay for the QSL cards if the name "Brightleaf" was used. There is more Brightleaf tobacco grown in Pitt County than any other county in the United States. (or was?)   The club callsign, W4AMC, was formerly held by Gilbert Smith (SK) of Robersonville, one of the Charter Members that helped organize the club. 

 General Information

The Brightleaf Amateur Radio Club is located in Greenville, Pitt County, North Carolina. The purpose of the club shall be to further cooperation within the community of Amateur Radio Operators by promoting radio knowledge, operating efficiency and the exchange of information between members. We do so by conducting activities and programs that advance the general interest in the welfare of Amateur Radio in our community. A net is held Monday's at 8 PM on the W4GDF 147.09 repeater. VE sessions are usually held every even month (Feb, Apr, etc) on the third Friday at 6:30 PM.  (Click here for dates.)

Check out "Hello" for more information from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) to get started in Amateur Radio.

The ARRL appointed BARC a Special Services Club on April 25, 2000.  From the ARRL: "Clubs that go the extra mile to provide on-going training and support for the benefit of their community, fall into our Special Service Club category. These extraordinary groups actively pursue all aspects of Amateur Radio: New Ham Development and Training; Public Relations; Emergency Communications; School Club Support; Technical Advancement; Operating Activities; Annual Reports, and more." 

June means ARRL Field Day. Tents, antennas, radios and a generator are set up and several stations are operated. The Saturday evening meal is usually a big cookout with the families joining in. Check out the pictures and videos.

BARC participated in Exercise "Strong Angel"  in June 2000 with communications between the VOA site C and Hawaii.  For more information, click on the link.

Any person interested in Amateur Radio is eligible for membership. The address is P. O. Box 8387, Greenville, NC 27835. An application for membership (pdf) has the latest rates for annual dues. 

A Brochure has been distributed by the club. BROCHURE in PDF format. (414 kb)

Meeting and Membership Information

Club meetings are generally held the second Tuesday of each month in Greenville, North Carolina. The meeting usually starts at 7:30 P.M. Latest information is on the home page.

In the past, the club has occasionally toured one of the Voice of America transmitter sites near Greenville in place of a regular meeting. It was always interesting to see the 500,000 watt AM transmitters and the antenna farm covering over 2000 acres with over 80 towers with heights of 300 feet. What an antenna farm!!  The tours were suspended after 9/11. Check out Jim Hawkins', WA2WHV, Radio Room web site for more pictures of the VOA Site A near Greenville, NC.

VOA Site B	Small part of the 2000 acre antenna farm	One of the many USIA antennas
Click on pictures for larger picture

In December, the meeting is usually replaced by a Christmas social with the families attending.  Annual awards and certificates are presented at this time including the BARC Ham of the Year. 

An occasional meeting will be a field trip or combined meeting with nearby clubs.

Annual dues for regular members are twenty dollars ($20) and it is two dollars ($2) for family members living in the same household. The family member will share the Ham Chatter. Dues for first year new hams over 18 are ten dollars ($10) and under 19, five dollars ($5). Associate members (non-licensed) dues are three dollars ($3). See Application.

Area Nets

See the latest Ham Chatter for area net information.

VE Exams

VE sessions are held every two months on the Friday after the Tuesday club meeting of even months except for special circumstances.   All sessions will accept walk-ins.  Please bring the following:

1. Photo ID
2. ORIGINAL AND COPY of Amateur Radio license if applicable
3. ORIGINAL AND COPY of CSCE if applicable
4. The proper fee ($14.00). 

Also, if you are upgrading from Tech Plus license that was obtained via the General Class exam before March 21, 1987,  a copy of the proof will be required such as an expired license dated before March 21, 1987 or other proof, such as a dated callbook.

Study material at http://www.arrl.org/catalog/lm/.

All VE Sessions are scheduled to be held at Saint Peter's Catholic School, 2606 East 5th Street in Greenville, NC. For latest information, contact person is BARC VE Liaison Tom Parsons, W4TEP, w4tep @ arrl.net.

• Friday @ 6:30 PM - October 10, 2008 * One week early
• Friday @ 6:30 PM - December 12, 2008