Greetings! It’s June already! There are many options for great eating and fun ham radio activities. So which comes first: hamming or eating?

Can’t we do both?

Of course we can! Want a demonstration? Come to the June meeting of the Decatur Amateur Radio Club. We’re heading up Priceville Mountain for our quarterly “eatin’ meetin'” at Libby’s Catfish and Diner on Highway 67 in Priceville. We are planning to start the discussions and feastings (not necessarily in that order) at 6:00pm on Tuesday, June 2nd, so that we can order food, eat, talk, laugh and do all of those other things that accompany a good meeting. Come up the hill and meet with us.

If you’ve never been there (and why not??), take the Beltline (Highway 67) out of Decatur towards I-65. Keep going east past the Interstate and head up the hill towards the large white cross. Libby’s is just past the cross on the right side of the highway. Someone will likely be on the 147.00 repeater if you get misplaced and need to be pointed in the right direction.

Don’t show up in the regular meeting place in the basement auditorium of the Morgan County Courthouse, The building is closed for renovations at the moment. And don’t go to the Aquadome in southwest Decatur like we did for the last several months unless you’d like to go swimming.

Do you remember what happens on the last full weekend of every June? FIELD DAY! At the present time we are planning to operate from North Park in Priceville as we did the last couple of years. Please plan the weekend of June 27th and 28 to help out with our club’s 73rd Field Day event. Further details will come later in the month. We will be making some plans at the meeting during and after the meal.

And if you’d like to try your hand at CW for some FD contacts but don’t really know how, here is a great FREE resource from the Long Island CW Club. They are offering CW training via ZOOM that is specifically geared towards Field Day contacts. Check them out at https://longislandcwclub.org/2026fieldday/. Remember, CW contacts count for double the points per contact.

It’s still not too late to pay your dues for 2026 and beyond. Dues are only $20.00 per year, and additional family members are $5.00 each. See a club officer at the meeting or mail it to DARC, PO Box 9, Decatur, AL 35602-0009.

Please continue spreading the word to fellow hams or those wanting a new or upgraded license that the Decatur club is still giving amateur radio license tests every month on the first Saturday of each month. The testing sessions will be held in the Decatur Public Library on 6th Avenue NE (Highway 31) at 1:00. Please bring ID (especially your FRN, which is required on the license application) and your $5 fee (please note the reduced price). And, most importantly, PLEASE send an email to DecaturHamTest@w4atd.org so we can have the testing materials prepared and available for you. June 6th is our next scheduled testing dates. PLEASE NOTE: WE ALWAYS NEED VOLUNTEER EXAMINERS TO HELP WITH THE TESTING PROGRAM! If you want to help in some way (an Extra class license is normally required), please let us know! And if you send an email and do not get a timely response, please let the Secretary know.

NOTICE!! – the July license testing session has been cancelled. No one wants to take a test on July 4th, and the library is closed anyway. We will resume the regularly scheduled testing on August 1st.

Check out the roster of current club members online at www.HamClubOnline.com. Set up your free account and if you have paid your dues (and the Secretary has updated the database) you should see that you’re associated with the DARC. If there’s an issue, let us know.

See you on Tuesday evening, June 2nd, 2026, at 6:00 at Libby’s Catfish and Diner in Priceville! Be there, be on time, and be hungry!

And start thinking about Field Day and get “radio-active!”