W3HAC welcomes everyone in and around the Nation’s Capital, including people at all levels of amateur radio licensing and from every walk of life.
Founded in 2009 by five licensed area hams, the HacDC Amateur Radio Club (HARC) has all types of Hams — from builders and makers to operators who want to connect with people around the globe.
Our members have brought ham radio to rural Malawi, launched and tracked weather balloons, hosted members for frequent contests, supported field days and lighthouse weekends, and operated a UHF repeater with coverage of most of the District of Columbia. And we do it in such a way that hams from all backgrounds can do it together.
Today, we focus on serving District of Columbia hams and the D.C. community at large. We’re engaging new hams and helping them be active operators in the District. We’re rebuilding the ARES emergency communications service in the District of Columbia to be a full partner with local officials and neighboring organizations. We’re also working to provide D.C. hams, most of whom live in buildings with antenna restrictions, the opportunity for remote and hands-on local operation.
W3HAC is co-located with HacDC on the second floor of St. Stephen’s and Episcopal Church, in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. (Yes, that St. Stephen’s — the church that was the center of the D.C. music scene in the 1980s and 1990s and has been an open congregation committed to social change for decades.)
Members come from many walks of life. Membership is open to all those interested in amateur radio, and we never let a membership fee get in the way of hams being active and vibrant members of our community.
Remote Controlled H.F. Station
As part of our effort to help local hams who cannot mount their own antennas, W3HAC keeps a remote-controlled H.F. Station available for member use. The setup includes a Kenwood TS-590S, a Cushcraft A3S three element yagi (20 15 10 meters), and a seven element M2 6 meter Yagi — and uses software from www.remotehams.com.
If you’re interested, please email w3hac.hacdc@gmail.com for more details and to sign up.
HacDC
W3HAC is formally known as HacDC Amateur Radio Club. HacDC is a community organization in Washington D.C., devoted to collaboration in the creative use of technology.
Founded in 2008 by a diverse group of engineers, artists, and hobbyists, HacDC hosts free and open activities to share knowledge, skills, and ideas. Amateur Radio has been alongside HacDC from the beginning, first as KB3TEA, then as W3HAC starting in 2015. For more information about HacDC and to get involved, check out https://www.hacdc.org/.