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ARCUW

The Amateur Radio Club at the University of Washington is a Registered Student Organizations at UW that aims “to promote the interest in Amateur Radio as a hobby and to co-operate with activities that could use Amateur Radio as a means of assistance.” UW’s Amateur Radio Club (callsign W7YD) has been in existence since at least 1915 (operating as call 7XZ), making it one of the first university amateur radio clubs in the world. Like with many other “ham” clubs, our membership has waxed and waned over time. Currently, there is a grassroots, student-led resurgence of interest in the club. We host events such as field day, transmitter hunts, and other activities to promote and share interest in amateur radio. We also hope to offer events to help people earn their amateur radio licenses.

We are currently searching for a location on campus that can serve as a club office (“ham shack”) for operating our equipment and holding meetings.

What: Amateur Radio (known colloquially as “ham radio”) is a non-commercial hobby and service that brings people, electronics, and communication together. Amateur radio can be used to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.

Who: The club is run entirely by students, with membership open to UW students, staff, and faculty, with club activities and meetings usually open to the greater community.

Where: Located on the main campus of the University of Washington, in Seattle, WA.

When: For 2024, We meet the second Wednesday of every month in HUB, Rm 238. All are welcome to attend!

Why: Ham radio is a gateway to learning about science, engineering, electronics, or technology. Ham radio is often the last resort for communications in disaster or emergency situations. Ham radio connects us to people all over the world. But most of all, Ham radio is fun!

Meshcore Workshop hosted by the Amateur Radio Club at the UW

  • Date & time: Wednesday, January 14, 5pm to 7pm
  • Location: eScience Data Science Studio, on the 6th floor of the Physics Astronomy Tower.
  • Open to all, no amateur radio license or experience required!

Meshcore is a community-based network for secure text-based communications using LoRa radios, a long range wireless-communication protocol for low-power, Internet-of-things devices. There is an active Meshcore community in the Puget Sound region that operates in the ISM portion of the 900 MHz band, which does not require a license. Many Meshcore-compatible LoRa client devices are inexpensive (<$50) and integrate with users’ smartphones via bluetooth.

Meshcore could potentially fill critical communications gaps in the event of an emergency that compromises regular communications by allowing users to message each other, share position information, or other data even when the Internet, commercial cell-phone or other systems are inoperable. It’s also just fun technology that can be used every day and provides encrypted off-the-grid messaging capabilities.

This workshop will introduce participants to Meshcore, explain what it is; how the Meshcore network is designed; and demonstrate how Meshcore works from a client user perspective, with hands-on experimentation with Meshcore devices. The workshop is designed to help curious participants get started on Meshcore.

To learn more about the Meshcore community in the Puget Sound area, see the Puget Mesh website and Discord channel. Pizza will be served and there will be door prizes for some lucky students!

How to contact us: The club is reachable via Discord or by email: