The Amateur Radio and RF Communications Club at the University of Virginia is a club dedicated to the advancement of Amateur Radio at the University, as well as public service, emergency communication, and fun activities for club members. Any student, faculty or staff member of UVa is welcome to join W4UVA as a club member with a dues fee of $15 per semester, with the stipulation that club membership is to be maintained at greater than 51% enrolled UVa students. It is encouraged that members without FCC Amateur Radio Licenses work toward at least a technician-class license. Those from outside the university who are interested in W4UVA are welcome to attend meetings and join us for our activities but cannot receive official membership.
Our club repeater is on 443.000 MHz, +5 MHz offset, PL = 151.4 Hz. It is open to anyone on or off grounds in the Charlottesville area (give us a call!).
For spring 2012, our meetings are being held each Wednesday at 5:15 PM at our shack in the nuclear reactor building on Observatory Hill (see map below for details). We also have a weekly on-air net on our club repeater on Thursdays at 5:15 PM. All are welcome, members or non-members.
For all major club activites, please refer to our club calendar below.
The club station currently consists of 40 and 20 m dipoles and a multi-band HF off-center-fed dipole, both mounted in the woods. Our repeater antenna is currently a dipole mounted 75 ft high in a tree. A 6m/2m/70cm whip antenna for APRS and other uses is mounted at rooftop level at the shack. Antenna projects are often underway at W4UVA so these are subject to change.
For more information about our club and membership, please feel free to contact club president Bert Herald WF7I, at dlh7t - at - virginia.edu.
Official statement regarding the University of Virginia:
Although this organization has members who are University of Virginia students and may have University employees associated or engaged in its activities and affairs, the organization is not a part of or an agency of the University. It is a separate and independent organization which is responsible for and manages its own activities and affairs. The University does not direct, supervise or control the organization and is not responsible for the organization's contracts, acts or omissions.
Pictures and Links:
Meeting minutes (partial) spring 2011
Meeting minutes fall 2010
Pictures from club activities (updated with November, 2010 foxhunt with Virginia Tech)
Pictures (cellphone) from our table at the 2010 Fall Activities Fair
Check out some cool pics, links and information on homebrew and kit construction from club VP, WF7I.
Club History:
Ham radio has a long history at the University of Virginia. Read more.
Contest Logs:
View who we worked in recent contests.
Officers:
Bert Herald (WF7I) - President, Treasurer
Karolina Sarnowska (KD5SDQ) - Vice President
Ben Kreuter (KK4FJZ) - Secretary
Faculty Adviser:
Dr. John Knight, AB4XT
Members:
Alex Olihovik, KJ4YWP
Peter Thorsen, W4PRT
Dale Castle, KD4EAP
Rikki Whitworth
Alumni Members:
Mike Benonis, KI4RIX
Mike Watkins ("Wahoo Mike"), W4HOO
Club Trustee:
LeRoy Moyer, K4ISW
Former W4UVA Club Presidents:
Fall 2011 Alex Olihovik
2010-2011 Mark J. Colombo (KJ4IEA)
2009-2010 Dan Tran, K4DNT
2006-2009 Mike Benonis, KI4RIX
1989-1992 Jay Campbell, N4YMY
1982-1983 Jim Mankin, KB3KJ (need confirmation on callsign)
1981-1982 Ken Keyseear, W4KK (ex-WD4EIS)
1980-1981 Glen Allen, W4GKA (ex-KQ4Y and ex-WD4KIS)
1977-1979 Peter Briggs, K3ZM
1976-1977 Biff Franks, WB4PMG
1975-1976 Gilbert DuVal (need callsign)
1974-1975 Jim Morgan, W4QE (ex-WB4QEB)
1972-1974 (need names)
1971-1972 Bill Hughes (need callsign)
1955-1956 Henry Gould, K4CQA (need confirmation on precise dates)
Tower Project Pages
The W4UVA Club Shack is located on University grounds, at the decommissioned Nuclear Reactor facility on Observatory Hill.
(Photo courtesy Nathan Watson N1TCP)
View W4UVA Club Shack in a larger map
Directions to the shack by car or foot
From Central Grounds, take McCormick Road up towards Observatory Hill. As soon as you pass O-Hill Dining Hall, take a left at the fork with Edgemont Road. Take the next right onto Old Reservoir Road (signs for the High Energy Physics Building) and follow the road until you see a fence; go straight and drive up the steep incline. You're welcome to park in any free space you find.
Club members are eligible to receive a key to the club shack, and must go through a mandatory safety orientation with the Nuclear Reactor building manager; please contact the club officers to set this orientation up.
Mailing Address (for US mail)
W4UVA: The Amateur Radio Club at the University of Virginia
UVA Nuclear Reactor Building, Room 128
PO Box 400750
Charlottesville, VA 22904
Physical Address (for UPS/FedEx)
W4UVA: The Amateur Radio Club at the University of Virginia
UVA Nuclear Reactor Building, Room 128
675 Old Reservoir Road
Charlottesville, VA 22903
Calendar
Subscribe to this calendar in iCal here.
Repeater Map
| Location | Frequency | Owner | Notes |
| Observatory Hill (Charlottesville) | 443.000+ | W4UVA | This is the W4UVA repeater, which was lit up in February 2010. Its range is limited while it is on a temporary antenna. |
| Carter's Mountain (Charlottesville) | 442.075+ | KF4UCI | This machine is located on Carter's Mountain and has a large coverage area. |
| Brown's Mountain (Charlottesville) | 146.760- | WA4TFZ (AARC) | This machine is the most commonly used machine in the Charlottesville area. Coverage is very good to the north and east, fairly good to the west, and OK to the south. |
| Buck's Elbow (Charlottesville) | 146.895- | WA4TFZ (AARC) | This machine is high up on Buck's Elbow near Afton. While weaker than 146.76 in town, provided good line of sight, it has very respectable coverage, especially to the west. |
| Bear Den Mountain (Waynesboro) | 147.075+ | W4PNT (WRAV) | This machine has an enormous coverage area from its home above Waynesboro on Bear Den Mountain. Coverage is known to stretch past Appomattox to the south and who knows how far east. It is very close to WCYK 99.7FM, so you can use that station as an indication of the repeater's coverage. |
| Brown's Mountain (Charlottesville) | 224.600- | KG4HOT | This machine is the local "220 hangout", and has very good coverage in Central Virginia. |