This past Thursday, August 30th, marked the beginning of regular club operating hours for W8EDU for the semester. With many members returning and many new members visiting the station for the first time, the Case Amateur Radio Club is operating as strong as ever. We had about 40 people in attendance and around 25 new members visit the ham shack. See some exciting highlights from the night below:
The meeting started off with a series of introductions to the club and all of the new members. The new members in attendance were from many different majors and years from across the university, and though most were completely new to amateur radio, some already had callsigns of their own. In fact, some of the new members at the meeting had met the club at admitted student events in the spring and got their callsigns over the summer, so it was great reconnecting with these students! Following a short presentation we went to get everyone on the air. Some people went up to the roof, while others operated a remote station that the club had set up on the 3rd floor of Glennan building in the Sears Undergraduate Laboratory. This smaller temporary station allowed for contacts to be made with the main W8EDU station as we worked to help new members make their first contacts.
The night was filled with all sorts of exciting learning opportunities for the new members, as seen in the above pictures. New members were able to make their first contact on the air, see digital radio modes in action, and learn about the club’s research and resources. It was also great to see returning members meet after being away from the summer and to get to know so many new people as well. The environment was electric in more ways than one, with everyone socializing and enjoying the fun of amateur radio together.
We are so excited for the prospects that such a successful first meeting has for W8EDU this academic year, and we hope to see everyone at the next operating hours and some new faces as well. Next week’s office hours will include some time dedicated to helping members prepare for our upcoming license exam session on September 13th and future exam sessions that will be held in October and onward.
We hope to see everyone in future operating hours this semester, and be sure to bring a friend along with you! It’s always great to have more people on the air!
W8EDU 