About CCARC
Amateur (or Ham) radio is a licensed and noncommercial system of communication and is as old as the medium of radio itself.
If you are interested in contributing during a disaster but do not belong to a recognized Emcomm group, click here to see how you can 'report what you see' and your information will be sent to the Clark County Emergency Managers via the Clark County Amateur Radio Club's "EYEWARN" net.
Domestically and internationally, hams are licensed by their respective government to communicate on a wide variety of radio frequency bands.
If you’ve ever wondered where the term ‘Ham’ came from…By 1901, the terms "ham" and "plug" were used by landline telegraphers to describe an operator "who lacks ability" or who had poor or "ham fisted" skill. "Ham: a poor operator. A Pig."
That's the definition of the word given in G. M. Dodge's 1901 book The Telegraph Instructor even before radio. The definition has never changed in wire telegraphy. The first wireless operators were landline telegraphers who left their offices to go to sea or to man the coastal stations. They brought with them their language and much of the tradition of their older profession.
[radio] Amateurs, possibly unfamiliar with the real meaning of the term, picked it up and applied it to themselves in true "Yankee Doodle" fashion and wore it with pride. As the years advanced, the original meaning has completely disappeared. The term "Pig" was replaced with "Lid" in the amateur radio domain.
Please take the time to explore this website page and learn more about the long and proud heritage and the many activities of the Clark County Amateur Radio Club. For an informative brochure about the Clark County Amateur Radio Club, click here.
2024 Club Officers and Directors
Officers
| President | David Snyder | K7DES | 2024 |
| Vice President | Dave Cherba | WZ8T | 2024 |
| Secretary | Jason Dinsmore | K7BPM | 2024 |
| Treasurer | Wendy Cherba | W8WTC | 2024 |
Board of Directors
| Records | Tim McLaren | AF7TM | 2024 |
| Technical | Rick Smith | KT7G | 2024+ |
| Liaison | Marilyn Melhorn | AF7MM | 2024+ |
| Community Relations & Club Services | Rick Aragon | NE7O | 2024 |
| General | Ron Kahler | KA7RON | 2024 |
| Operating | Tim Kuhlman | KD7RUS | 2024+ |
President's Staff
| Past President | Marilyn Melhorn | AF7MM | |
| Pubic Information Officer (PIO) | Dan Melhorn | W7JCO | |
| Membership | Judith Ames | N7SRS | |
| EYEWARN | James Newsome | KE7ZAC | |
| Leadership Working Group (LWG) | Barbara Yasson | AC7UH | |
| Chaplin | Ben Lee | K7BLE | |
| Advisor | Wayne Schuler | AI9Q | |
| Emergency Response Coordinator | Rick Aragon | NE7O |
CCARC Bylaws
Click here for a downloadable copy of the current CCARC Bylaws.
CCARC Purpose and Goals
Click here for a downloadable copy of the current CCARC Purpose and Goals.
CCARC Officer, Director, and Staff Position Job Descriptions
CCARC Leadership Task Matrix
Click here for a downloadable copy of the current year Leadership Task Matrix.
CCARC Policies
| Activity Coordinator | Membership Management * |
| Club & Estate Equipment Sales | Non-Discrimination |
| Conflict of Interest | Non-Harassment |
| Complimentary Memberships | Position Continuity Books * |
| Emergency Response Coordinator | Media |
| Equipment Loaner Program | Repeater Use |
| Leadership Working Group | Use of CCARC Public Service Support Kit * |
| Life Membership | Video Teleconferencing * |
| Meetings | W7AIA License Trustee |
| Member Recognition | Officers & Directors On-Boarding Policy |
| Transition of Authority | Policy Review |
Note: * indicates in-work by the LWG
CCARC Forms
Click here to open, fill-in and print the club reimbursement form.
To save the form, highlight the link above and right click to 'save as' to your computer.
Club Call Sign (W7AIA) Trustee
To see a copy of our current FCC-660 license, click here.
| Tim Kuhlman, KD7RUS | Dec 2014 - Present |
| Don Unruh, NX7J | Jul 2004 - Dec 2014 |
| Bill St John, NW7L | Feb 2001 - Jul 2004 |
| Robert J Groth, WA2PRB | May 1997 - Feb 2001 |
| Ken Weber, K7CLL | Nov 1995 - May 1997 |
| Murray Dow, AA7HT | Dec 1991 - Nov 1995 |
| Columbus U Matsler, N7ANP | Nov 1985 - Dec 1991 |
| James R Townsley, K7SUX | Apr 1934 - ? |
Club Meeting Location
American Legion - Smith-Reynolds Post 14
4607 NE St James Rd, Vancouver, WA 98663
Club Heritage
| Vancouver Amateur Radio Club | June 1930 - April 30, 1951 |
| Clark County Amateur Radio Club | May 1, 1951 - Present |
| ARRL Affiliation | August 2, 1932 |
| W7AIA Call Sign | April 6, 1934 |
| Articles of Incorporation | August 28, 1956 |
| CCARC Bylaws | January 7, 2011 |
| 50 Year ARRL Affiliation | August 2, 1982 |
| 75th Year Anniversary Celebration | October 1, 2005 |
| 75 Year ARRL Affiliation | August 2, 2007 |
| ARRL Special Service Club (SSC) | November, 1995 |
The CCARC is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, so your contributions are tax deductible.
Past Club Presidents
Click here for a downloadable copy of the past CCARC Presidents.
Life Membership
The following members have been selected to receive Life memberships by the CCARC Board of Directors because of their dedicated service. Some of the recipients are now Silent Keys. The collective contributions to this club by these individuals would take pages to list.
To see the criteria for Life Memberships, click here.
To see the recipients of Life Memberships, click here.
| Year | Recipient | Call Sign |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Stanley Nelson Mark Gaunt Kayra Seitlinger |
KF7OJA KG7CS KC7LOK |
| 2022 | Tom Barton Bruce Bullis Dan Melhorn Marilyn Melhorn Don Peter |
WB7TZD KG6CI W7JCO AF7MM ND7P |
| 2021 | Rick Aragon | NE7O |
| 2020 | Tim Kuhlman | KD7RUS |
| 2019 | Paul Van Dyck April Van Dyck |
K7VWH (XYL) |
| 2018 | No recipients | |
| 2017 | Chris Frye Phil Peterson Gary Takis |
N7VJY AC7NB K7GJT |
| 2016 | Rick Smith | KT7G |
| 2015 | No recipients | |
| 2014 | Dave Phemister Delvin Bunton Jim Fenstermaker Shirley Fenstermaker |
WB7ESV N7QMT K9JF W7SAF |
| 2013 | No recipients | |
| 2012 | No recipients | |
| 2011 | No recipients | |
| 2010 | Judith Ames Ron Ames Doris Barratt Jack Barratt Barbara Yasson Phil Yasson |
N7SRS N7SRT KA7BKH W7JB AC7UH AB7RW |
| 2009 | No recipients | |
| 2008 | No recipients | |
| 2007 | No recipients | |
| 2006 | No recipients | |
| 2005 | Bob Goodale Joyce Goodale Marianna Kearney Wayne Schuler |
K7YFJ N7TTV W7WFO AI9Q |
| 2004 | Murray Dow Dale Lyndes George Milner Harriett Milner Richard Mudd William St. John |
AA7HT KC6NOZ N7OTW (XYL) KC7WGS NW7L |
| 2003 | Jack Ellis Charlotte Ellis Dick Pooley Carolyn Pooley |
K7SUQ K7SUR W7HUY WB7VBK |
Club Logo Design
The current logo was designed by Marianna Kearney, W7WFO in 1996.
Marianna also created the 75th & 80th anniversary logos.
Greg Shuster, KI7DTS created the 90th anniversary logo.
Club Newsletter
Our monthly newsletter, W7AIA Rocking Chair Copy, contains many articles of interest to the membership. The newsletter title of ‘W7AIA Rocking Chair Copy’ was created in 1966 from a contest won by Ty Kearney and son Alan.
Newsletter Editors:
The current club newsletter is sent directly to members in good standing. For copies of past editions 2 years past their publication date, click here.
| Wayne Schuler | AI9Q | Jan 2010 - Present |
| Bob Goodale | K7YFJ | Jun 1989 - Dec 2009 |
| Edgar Smith | N7CEY | Mar 1987 - Jun 1989 |
| Bill Dewar | KA7YXE | - Mar 1987 |
| Howard Calderwood | K7DYG | Nov 1985 - |
| Lee Stewart | KA7JTM | Aug 1984 - Jun 1989 |
| Wade Knight | KA7HND | May 1983 - Aug 1984 |
| Carolyn Nelson | WA7VBK | Nov 1982 - May 1983 |
| Carol Westby | WA7YEC | Apr 1978 - Jul 1982 |
| Sandy Shaddinger | WB7YNQ | May 1975 - Apr 1978 |
| Virginia East | WA7SOW | Jan 1974 - Nov 1974 |
| Norma Bullock | WA7QOA | 1972 - Apr 1975 |
| Russ Townsley | K7SUX | Apr 1970 - 1972 |
CCARC Silent Keys (SK)
For a list of Club members that are now remembered as Silent Keys (SK), click here.
CCARC Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
Our monthly Board of Director Meeting Minutes are published monthly in our “Rocking Chair Copy” newsletter. Newsletters are made public 2 years following their publication. To view them, click here.
New Member Information
Welcome to the Clark County Amateur Radio Club!
Presented here is information you can view and download to help you become more knowledgeable and comfortable in the world of ham radio.
This is a comprehensive document covering a multitude of subjects starting with what is amateur radio and continuing up through the many varied aspects of amateur radio that might spark your interest. Do take the time to download and read it!
This is a chart provided by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) that visually depicts the many amateur radio frequency bands and their use. A great visual aid to have handy at your station to ensure you stay within authorized frequency and mode boundaries setup for our use.
When you get involved with long distance communication to various parts of the world that bridges many time zones, this chart will help you keep track of what time it is at that distant location!
This is one of many ARRL operating awards that you can earn while operating on the HF bands.
Washington - Worked All Counties Award (WA-WAC)
For the Excel tracking form, click here.
For the PDF tracking form, click here.
To see a sample certificate, click here.
To see the past recipients, click here.
For more information, contact us at
WA-WAC@W7AIA.org.
Work all 39 counties of Washington State after 1 Jan 1995 and receive a beautiful certificate.
Washington counties are: Adams, Asotin, Benton, Chelan, Clallam, Clark, Columbia, Cowlitz, Douglas, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Klickitat, Lewis, Lincoln, Mason, Okanogan, Pacific, Pen Oreille, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Spokane, Stevens, Thurston, Wahkiakum, Walla Walla, Whatcom, Whitman and Yakima.
Purpose: To acknowledge and recognize the achievement of contacting radio operators in each of Washington state’s 39 counties.
Rules: Any Amateur who confirms two-way QSO’s via CW, SSB, FM, RTTY or Satellite with stations in each of the 39 Counties in Washington may apply for this award. There are no endorsements for single band, single mode, or multiple distinct contacts at this time. Cross Mode, Cross Band (except Satellite QSO’s) Repeaters, Echo Link, CQ100 and IRLP contacts do not count.
Submission: There is no time limit on earning this certificate. Send a completed copy of either tracking form below to either email wa-wac@w7aia.org or mail along with a $5.00 handling fee to CCARC WA-WAC Chairman, PO Box 1424, Vancouver, WA 98668.
Membership Information
Our membership year runs from January 1st to December 31st.
Membership Fees
General Adult - $15 a year - or - 5 years for $70.00
Under 18 - or - over 60 for $12 a year
Family Group membership - $20 a year
Current Members
Check your current membership status by clicking here.
New Members
See above prices except during the following months:
June thru September - 1/2 price!
October thru December - Full price but you get the next year in addition!
Pay at any meeting or online or print and mail membership form and send payment to:
Clark County Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 1424
Vancouver, WA 98668
Please include a SASE if you wish to have a membership card or receipt mailed to you.
To pay online via or credit card, complete the information below and select the membership option from the drop-down box below.
Please note: You DO NOT have to have a PayPal account to use this service.
Donation Information
You can donate to any specific area, or directly to the general fund via PayPal. Recommended areas and amounts are listed below, but you can choose to donate any amount as you see fit.
General Fund
$25, $50 or $100
The General Fund keeps our club operating with administrative costs such as web site hosting, office supplies, etc.
Scholarship Fund
$25
You can choose a specific scholarship such as the "Jack Ellis Scholarship Fund", "Youth Amateur Radio Scholarships", or "ARRL NW Division STEM Scholarship".
Repeater Fund
$25, $50 or $100
Donations to the "Repeater Fund" help to pay for the maintenance, site leases, and other operational costs.
Pay at any meeting or here online
To pay online via or credit card, click on the Donate button below.
Please note that you DO NOT have to have a PayPal account to use this service.
Note: Please enter your name and call sign, if any, where PayPal says "add note to seller”.
For any questions about donating to our club, click here to send an email.
ARRL NW Division STEM Scholarship
The ARRL Foundation has announced a new scholarship, the Joel R. Miller (W7PDX) and Martha C. Miller STEM Scholarship. Endowed through the generosity of Joel R. Miller, W7PDX, and Martha C. Miller, this scholarship is intended to supplement the educational expenses of an Amateur Radio operator pursuing higher education. The ARRL Foundation will administer the scholarship, which is $1,000 annually to fund the costs of tuition, books, fees, and other educational expenses. The first scholarship from this endowment will be awarded in 2019. For more information, click here.
The Jack Ellis Scholarship Fund
CCARC sponsors the Jack Ellis Scholarship Fund!
This scholarship is made available to amateur radio operators who are members of the Clark County Amateur Radio Club.
Scholarship Rules Application Form
You may either donate online here or by mail using the Scholarship Donation Form
CCARC is a 501c3 non-profit organization. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by IRS law.
Questions? Click here to send an email to the "Scholarship Committee".
Past "The Rocking Chair" Newsletters
The following underlined year links below will take you to our newsletter archive.
Dues current members received the newsletter monthly. Newsletters 2 years and older are presented here. To request copies within the last 2 years, contact us at newsletter@w7aia.org.
Just click on the decade you are interested in and it will take you to the list of years from which you can access the past newsletters. If you have copies of CCARC newsletters that are not captured here and you would like to see presented herein, please let us know at newsletter@w7aia.org and we'll arrange to get them added!
The following underlined year links below will take you to the pictures from the events recorded in that year. To save one or more pictures, if you are looking at the thumbnail view of all the pictures you can download them all in one big zip file by clicking the ‘Download” button on the top right. If you just want one picture at a time, click on the first picture and the picture viewer will start from which you can download one at a time as you desire using the same “Download” button.
If you have pictures from past CCARC events that you would like to see presented herein,
please let us know at pictures@w7aia.org and we'll get them added!
Club Meetings. Awards Banquet, Field Day
Club Meetings. Awards Banquet, Field Day
Club Meetings. Awards Banquet, Field Day, Drive and Drop
Club Meetings, Field Day
Club Meetings. Awards Banquet, Field Day, Drive and Drop
Club Meetings, Awards Banquet, Open Tech Class, YL Tech Class, EYEWARN Meeting, MS Walk, Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day
Club Meetings, Awards Banquet, Digital Meetings, Hazel Dell Parade, Jun 24 Field Day, Annual Picnic, Veterans Day Parade, Walk and Knock, Christmas Party
Club Meetings, Field Day Planning Meeting, Award Banquet, Digital Group Meeting, Field Day, Thursday Breakfast Group, Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day, Ham Fair, Veteran's Day Parade, Walk & Knock
Club Meetings, Field Day Planning Meeting, Awards Banquet, Field Day, Ham Fest, National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) Activity, Gee Creek, Veteran's Day Parade, Christmas Party, Walk and Knock, Digital Group Meeting
Club Meetings, Field Day Planning Meetings, Annual Awards Banquet, Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day, Ham Fair Planning Meeting, Annual Picnic, Ham Fair, Veterans Day Parade, Christmas Party, Walk and Knock, Digital Group Meeting
Club Meetings, Awards Banquet, Field Day Planning Meeting, Ham Fair Planning Meeting, Digital Group Meeting, Felida School Science Fair, Hazel Dell Parade, Gee Creek, Field Day, Annual Picnic, Ham Fair, Veteran's Day Parade, Christmas Party, Walk and Knock, Digital Group Meeting
Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day
Club Meetings, MARAC Conference, Gardner Montessori School Demo, Boad of Directors Meeting, Awards Banquet, Digital Group HSMM-MESH meeting, Gee Creek, Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day, Grove Field Promotion, Annual Picnic, WePeeps Emergency Preparedness Fair, VE Testing, Veteran's Day Parade, Ham Basics, Walk and Knock, Christmas Party
Club meetings, Election Results, Awards Banquet, Field Day, Gee Creek, Fred Meyer Street Fair, Annual Picnic, Clark County Ham Fair, Diabetes Walk, Veteran's Day Parade, Christmas Party, Walk and Knock
Club Meetings, Mt St Helens Commemoration, Field Day, Fred Meyer Street Fair, Annual Picnic, K-Rod Run Support, Christmas Party
Club Meetings, Tek Eyeball QSO, Awards Banquet, Hazel Dell Parade, Field Day, Annual Picnic, Tailgate Sale, Gee Creek, Ham Basics Workshop, License Classes, Awards Banquet, Veteran's Day Parade, Christmas Party
Antenna Seminar, Field Day, Annual Picnic, JOTA
General License Class, Field Day, JOTA
Field Day
Awards Banquet, Gee Creek, SEA-PAC, Field Day, Field Day
Field Day, Walk and Knock
Field Day, Walk America
Annual Picnic, Field Day
Field Day, Gee Creek, Ham Fair
Field Day, Ham Fair, Hazel Dell Parade
Annual Banquet, Evergreen Airport Fly-in, Ham Fair, Walk and Knock
Annual Picnic, Christmas Party, VanMall Promotion, Walk and Knock
Lady Washington, Annual Picnic, Walk n' Knock
Gee Creek
Awards Banquet, Evergreen Fly-in
Field Day, River Walk
Field Day
Field Day
50th Aniversary, Ham Fair
Field Day, Ham Fair
Field Day
VA Hospital
Field Day
Field Day
Club Mailing Address
Clark County Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 1424
Vancouver, WA 98661
Message Hotline:
Email Address:
(360) 989-9268
If you are with the media (television, radio, newspaper or magazine) and are looking for information about or from this club, please contact our Public Information Officer (PIO) or President at this email address: publicaffairs@w7aia.org.
Club Email Addresses
| Function | Email Address |
|---|---|
| President: |
pres@w7aia.org |
| Vice Pres/Pres-Elect: |
vpres@w7aia.org |
| Director - Club General: |
general@w7aia.org |
| Director - Liaison: |
liaison@w7aia.org |
| Director - Operating: |
operating@w7aia.org |
| Director - Records: |
records@w7aia.org |
| Director - Services: |
services@w7aia.org |
| Director - Technical: |
technical@w7aia.org |
| ARES: (Clark County) |
ec@ccareswa.org |
| Awards: |
awards@w7aia.org |
| CCARC Challenge: |
ccarc-challenge@w7aia.org |
| Club Information Officer (CIO): |
cio@w7aia.org |
| Club Sales: |
club-sales@w7aia.org |
| Digital Group: |
digital@w7aia.org |
| Elmers: |
elmers@w7aia.org |
| EYEWARN |
info@eyewarn.net |
| Facebook: |
facebook@w7aia.org |
| Field Day: |
fieldday@w7aia.org |
| Gee Creek: |
geecreek@w7aia.org |
| Ham Basics: |
hambasics@w7aia.org |
| Ham License Classes: |
hamlicensingclass@w7aia.org |
| Ham Licensing Class (YL Only): |
yl-ham-license-class@w7aia.org |
| Hazel Dell Parade of Bands: |
hazel-dell-parade@w7aia.org |
| Hotline: |
hotline@w7aia.org |
| Function | Email Address |
|---|---|
| Information: |
info@w7aia.org |
| License Testing (VE): |
license-testing@w7aia.org |
| License Trustee: |
trustee@w7aia.org |
| Logbook: |
logbook@w7aia.org |
| Media: |
media@w7aia.org |
| Membership: |
membership@w7aia.org |
| MS Walk Vancouver: |
ms-walk@w7aia.org |
| Newsletter: |
newsletter@w7aia.org |
| Past Presidents: |
past-pres@w7aia.org |
| Public Information Officer (PIO): |
pio@w7aia.org |
| Repeaters: |
repeaters@w7aia.org |
| Roundtable Net: |
roundtable@w7aia.org |
| Scholarship: |
scholarship@w7aia.org |
| Secretary: |
secretary@w7aia.org |
| Special Events: |
special-events@w7aia.org |
| Suggestions: |
suggestions@w7aia.org |
| Treasurer: |
treasurer@w7aia.org |
| Twitter: |
twitter@w7aia.org |
| Veteran's Day Parade: |
vets-day-parade@w7aia.org |
| VE Testing: |
vetesting@w7aia.org |
| WA WAC Award: |
wa-wac@w7aia.org |
| Walk and Knock: |
walk-and-knock@w7aia.org |
| Webmaster: |
webmaster@w7aia.org |
| Young Ladies (YL) Program: |
yl@w7aia.org |
| Content Section | Bookmark |
|---|---|
| Home Page | https://w7aia.org/index.html |
| About Page | https://w7aia.org/about.html |
| About Us | https://w7aia.org/about.html#aboutus |
| Membership | https://w7aia.org/about.html#membership |
| Donations | https://w7aia.org/about.html#donations |
| Scholarships | https://w7aia.org/about.html#scholarships |
| Contact Us | https://w7aia.org/about.html#contactus |
| Past Newsletters | https://w7aia.org/about.html#newsletters |
| Pictures | https://w7aia.org/about.html#pictures |
| Bookmarks & Site Map | https://w7aia.org/about.html#sitemap |
| Links Page | https://w7aia.org/links.html |
| Content Section | Bookmark |
|---|---|
| Activities Page | https://w7aia.org/activities.html |
| Scheduled Activities | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#scheduled |
| Calendar | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#calendar |
| LCTOTA | https://lctota.org |
| Contesting | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#contesting |
| Field Day | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#fieldday |
| SOTA | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#sota |
| POTA | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#pota |
| Meetings | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#meetings |
| License Testing | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#testing |
| Awards | https://w7aia.org/activities.html#awards |
| Content Section | Bookmark |
|---|---|
| Operating Page | https://w7aia.org/operating.html |
| Ham Basics | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#basics |
| Training | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#training |
| License Classes | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#licenseclass |
| Nets | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#nets |
| Repeaters | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#repeaters |
| Technical Info | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#techinfo |
| Emergency Prepardness | https://w7aia.org/operating.html#emerprep |
| Content Section | Bookmark |
|---|---|
| Groups Page | https://w7aia.org/groups.html |
| CCARES | https://w7aia.org/groups.html#ccares |
| Digital Group | https://w7aia.org/groups.html#digital |
| Young Ladies | https://w7aia.org/groups.html#yl |
| Elmers | https://w7aia.org/groups.html#elmers |
| EYEWARN | https://eyewarn.net |
Website Information
The current W7AIA website was designed and developed by Jeff Langford/KJ7VDP, with assistance from Jason Dinsmore/K7BPM. It utilizes HTML 5 with Twitter Bootstrap, and is maintained by utilizing Bootstrap Studio.
