Total contacts:

• W7P: 232
• W7O: 208
• W7L: 190
• W7I: 670
• W0O: 235

Modes used: SSB, CW, FM, FT8, FT4.

Operators: K3QB, N0YNT, AF0AJ, N3VEM, KB6NU, KC2IHX, VA3PRR, and NA1CL.

Our incredible custom QSL cards for this event were designed by AF0AJ. Scroll down to see them!

As promised, we sent QSL cards to everyone whose address we could get in HamQTH or, as a fallback, Callook. We sent 1373 QSL cards, but were unable to find contact information for the rest; if you want to make sure you get your QSL cards, please email nars@narwhal.be after adding your information to HamQTH!

Thanks to everyone who participated by getting on the air as an operator or communicator, or by telling others about the event!

Once again, we will take over a group campsite at a state park for our festivities; this year, it’s the lovely Penrose Point State Park, complete with shoreline, views of the Salish Sea, hiking, swimming, sailing, etc. We’ll be in the Group Camp (G1) site:

The park offers a group camp which accommodates people in tents or RVs. Facilities include a shelter with picnic tables, a fire ring with benches, water, and vault toilets. Restrooms with flush toilets are located nearby in the day-use area. Restrooms with showers are located on the campground.

So for the first time we’ll be able to set up our food area under permanent housing, saving our portable tents for Field Day use (per our 1AB rules).

Once again we plan to operate as a 1AB station: 5 watts, solar-powered, one transmitter on HF at a time, and primarily digital; that said, we’ll have time for anyone to try voice or digital contacts, and we’ll likely have a plethora of satellite attempts, kite-strung antennas, and other hijinks. If you have kids, bring FRS/GMRS radios if you have them; they’re great fun for the unlicensed crowd, and someone usually keeps a radio on at the site to listen to traffic.

One change from previous years: food coordination has always been a bit murky, so (especially since we’ve got a hard-roofed food prep area) we’re asking that people bring sufficient food for their party, or coordinate among themselves, rather than doing group meal prep. This also ensures food allergies and the like are taken into account. As always, however, bringing extra to share, along with snacks, drinks, and the like is highly encouraged!

The other thing that’s encouraged this year as part of the “Gathering of the Narwhals”: bring art, experiences, or other things to play with or do or share or experience. We don’t have hardline power for you, but we’ll likely have quite an excess of solar power and 12v hookups (and we can charge your USB devices effectively forever). We’ll have lots of space, many trees to hang things from, and generally we want to see what people bring. (If you’ve been to ToorCamp, think that, but just our group site from 2024. Although we wouldn’t say no to a tacocopter….)

Please sign up so we know to expect you!

See you in June.

We’re hosting an on-the-air contest in April 2025! For more information, checkout the Polio on the Air page!

Yep, that’s the motto of Field Day 2024: “Be Radioactive.”

While one of our Eastern Washington members suggested that we operate from the Hanford Site in honor of this year’s motto, we are instead going to operate from a (probably?) less radioactive site: Dash Point State Park, between Seattle and Tacoma. We will once again operate in the AB division (5W max power), but hope to field multiple transceivers this year, along with our intrepid NARS Space Force once again working the satellites.

All NARS members are extremely welcome! We have a giant group campsite, so if you’d like to camp (including in a van), that will be no problem at all. Come play with us, even if you don’t have HF privileges (but if you do, we’ll get you on the air!).

Setup will begin on Friday around 3pm (help would be wonderful!), and we’ll operate 11am Saturday to 11am Sunday! Then we’ll tear down and be gone from the campsite by 1pm on Sunday.

Signups aren’t strictly required, but signing up helps us plan for food and operator schedules.

Questions? Email nars@narwhal.be. Want to join in planning? Email us for a Slack invite. See you on the air!

Each year, the Museum Ships Weekend Ham Radio Event gets ham radio groups to go activate museum ships and ship memorials around the US and world as a fun event to call attention to these interesting pieces of history.

The USS Narwhal is, of course, close to our hearts, but sadly it has been decommissioned and does not have a memorial for us to operate from. However, many of its near-sister ships in the Sturgeon class called the Salish Sea home. One, the USS Parche, has its sail preserved in a memorial in Bremerton which is often activated as part of MSW. Several of them are preserved in a unique public art installation called “The Fin Project: Swords Into Plowshares” in Seattle, WA, at Magnuson Park.

They (along with the non-Sturgeon ships) are:

• SSN 595 Plunger
• SSN 597 Tullibee
• SSN 615 Gato
• SSBN 620 John Adams
• SSN 638 Whale
• SSBN 641 Simon Bolivar
• SSN 650 Pargo
• SSN 652 Puffer
• SSN 662 Gurnard
• SSN 667 Bergall
• SSN 669 Seahorse
• SSN 673 Flying Fish

We’ll be on the air as NR7WL on digital and (if operators permit) SSB during daylight at the site (it’s a city park, so we can’t activate it overnight), and we welcome both members and non-members to come visit, learn about ham radio, and operate!

It’s formatted for duplex printing (flip on short edge) on 8.5x11 paper; if you wish it was in a different format, you’re welcome to contact us to request (or convert it to your own needs!).

POTA Brochure

Well, we’ve belatedly realized “hey, we own a printer and some software, we could write our own thing.” So that’s what we’ve done: we’ve made a simple, one-printed-sheet (folded in half to make a simple booklet) explanation of Field Day for the nerd set, suitable for our Field Day, or yours! We’ve released it as CC-BY-SA, so you’re entirely welcome to remix it for your needs, or use it as-is (while it refers to our Field Day site, it also says “if you’re not on Camano Island, a different group than us handed this to you, so go talk to them!” to encourage use by anyone). We entirely encourage other Field Day teams to print, share, and help keep the weird evangelism in ham radio.

It’s formatted for duplex printing (flip on short edge) on 8.5x11 paper; if you wish it was in a different format, you’re welcome to contact us to request (or convert it to your own needs!).

Field Day 2023 Brochure

• Event: Volunteers on the Air W1AW/7 Activation
• Date: April 1, 2023, 1pm-5pm PDT
• Location: Bloedel Donovan Park - Beach Pavilion
• Weather: TBD
• Mood: TBD

As part of the ARRL “Volunteers on the Air” 2023 contest, W1AW, the ARRL headquarters station, is traveling around the country all year! Each state will have two weeklong activations; Washington’s, as W1AW/7, are in March/April and November. We’ll do a small part of the weeklong activation as a group in Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham, WA; this will be a public, outdoor event to spread the fun, joy, and nerdvana of ham radio to an unsuspecting public!

We plan to operate 1pm-5pm on 20m, 15m, 10m, 2m, and 70cm, and we welcome members and nonmembers alike to join us for a fun day in the park. Bring kids, weather-appropriate clothing, and more radios!

Press release below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bellingham, WA - Amateur radio operators and enthusiasts will gather on April 1st, 2023 for a special event celebrating the 100th anniversary of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and the chance to operate the W1AW/7 station. The event, which will take place from 1-5pm at Bloedel Donovan Park in Bellingham, is expected to draw participants from across northwestern Washington.

Organized by Narwhal Amateur Radio Society (NARS), the event will feature opportunities to operate the W1AW/7 station, one of only a few special event stations that the ARRL has designated across the country to celebrate its centennial. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet and network with fellow enthusiasts, as well as learn about the latest technologies and techniques being used in the field.

“We’re excited to bring together the amateur radio community for this special event,” said Grant Dobbe, NARS Public Information Officer. “Operating W1AW/7 is a unique opportunity for operators to participate in the ARRL’s centennial celebration and be part of amateur radio history. We hope that this event will inspire more people to get involved in the hobby and experience the thrill of communicating with others around the world.”

The event will feature a variety of activities, including:

• Operating the W1AW/7 station and participating in the ARRL’s centennial celebration
• Operating demonstrations showcasing various modes and frequencies
• Networking opportunities with fellow radio operators and clubs

“We’re excited to welcome amateur radio enthusiasts from around the world to this event,” said Dobbe. “Whether you’re an experienced operator or just getting started, there will be something for everyone. We encourage everyone to come out and join us for this historic event.”

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit https://nars.narwhal.be/Bellingham-W1AW7/ or contact Grant Dobbe at press@narwhal.be.

We plan to occupy the enormous group campsite at Camano Island State Park for our most awesome NARS Field Day yet! We have the site Thursday-Sunday, but of course Field Day is Saturday-Sunday as always. Contact nars@narwhal.be for more information or to sign up to join us!