W4CQ has now been established as a charity within the Amazon Smile program. If you shop on Amazon, you can choose W4CQ (Charlotte Amateur Radio Corp) as your designated charity. It does not change the amount you pay to Amazon. Amazon makes a donation to your chosen charity.  To set it up, point your browser to smile.amazon.com and look in the upper left for “Amazon Smile”. Click that, and when the next page appears, you can choose (or change) the charity to be “Charlotte Amateur Radio Corporation”. If you have any difficulties or questions, please contact Ed Prentice K4EGP.ham@GMail.com.

The Charlotte Amateur Radio Club is a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This means that donations to the Club are tax-deductible.

To attain this status, we have to meet certain requirements. The types of organizations that can meet these these requirements include the following:

• Religious
• Charitable
• Scientific
• Testing for Public Safety
• Literary
• Educational
• Fostering of national or international amateur sports
• Prevention of cruelty to animals and children

We meet several of the criteria, but our primary focus is educational, with additional focus on testing for Public Safety (Field Day and other operational events) and scientific experimentation.

We certainly enjoy visiting with each other at meetings, but our primary focus must be with those activities that validates our status as a non-profit organization.

if you have ideas for a Club meeting topic, or if there is something you want to learn more about, please get your ideas to Mike Miranda or any other Club officer.

This Club is here for YOU, and we need YOU to help us all succeed.

Dues for 2021 need to be paid by January 31 2021. If you’ve already paid your dues, THANKS! You can now pay your dues electronically by going to HamClubOnline.com and entering the CARC section.  Among the options is the capability to extend your membership.  You can then use PayPal to send in your renewal.

You can also renew your membership here with PayPal at our renewal page.

If you have a question or issue, send an email to officers@w4cq.org and we’ll help you out.

If for some reason you prefer not to pay online, please fill out the printable application for membership and send it in right away to get your membership status up to date.

Dues are only $30 per year for an individual, or $35 for an entire family!

Remember, YOU are an integral part of the club and your dues permit us to finance our activities. We have several recurring bills (website, liability insurance, phone, etc.) that are paid for entirely by the club dues. Don’t keep putting it off!

If you decide to renew or apply by mail, send your dues to Ed Prentice K4EGP, PO Box 78194, Charlotte, NC 28271-7027. Do not mail anything to 501 Archdale Dr., The Salvation Army HQ! Send it to Ed!

Sorry, we had to CANCEL THIS  TEST SESSION DUE TO COVID 19 CONCERNS. Be on the lookout for future Test Sessions.

Masks are required for everyone. You must already have your FRN (see below), and a copy of the Form 605. If you’re upgrading, also bring a copy of your current license., to go with the Test Packet.

You must RSVP with Jeff, KA4WYC at KA4WYC@gmail.com to request a seat for the Test Session. We will limit the Test Session to 10 people total.

So, if you or someone you know is looking for a test session, you’ll need this information:

Bring the following with you:

• A copy, to leave, of your FCC license and/or any CSCE‘s, if you are upgrading.  Your CSCE is only needed if you somehow passed elements out of order and don’t have a license yet (for example, you passed Element 3 or 4, and never passed Element 2).
• Your FRN (FCC Registration Number). If you are not licensed, you can go to WWW.FCC.ORG to request one prior to the test session.
• The Form 605. If you don’t have one, we’ll have copies there, or you can download it here and print it out beforehand. It’s always best to have it filled out in black ink beforehand.
• A government-issued Photo ID, like your State driver’s license.
• A MASK! You won’t be admitted without a MASK.
• FINALLY IT’S NO CHARGE!  IT’S FREE!

If you have any questions, please let me know, by calling my cellphone at 704-577-3619. Stay safe! 73, Jeff KA4WYC

If you have not signed into HamClubOnline to look at the Charlotte Amateur Radio Club (CARC) there, I urge you to do so.