Member Portal My Profile Member Directory Membership Dashboard Log out Member Login Reset Password Join BARC

Help — Using the BARC Website

Jump to: Using the site News & documents Members Joining & renewing Coordinators Admins

Finding Your Way Around

  • The top menu has dropdowns. Hover over (or tap, on a phone) Home, Events & Programs, Resources, Ham News! or Members to see the pages underneath.
  • Home holds the club's own information: About BARC, Officers & Coordinators, Bylaws, Past Membership Meetings (with Meeting Minutes under it), the Communication Center, Other Club Documents, and the Privacy Policy.
  • Events & Programs has two columns: On the Air (Field Day, Parks on the Air, Digital Radio, Hamfests, Public Service & EmComm) and Club Programs (Tech Night, Presentations, Educational Programs, Other Area Clubs).
  • Repeaters & Nets and Contesting/QSOs/QSL/DX go straight to their own pages.
  • The amber items — Newsletter, Calendar and Ham News! — change most often.
  • Most pages have a left-hand sidebar with related pages. Breadcrumbs above each title ("Home › Page") show where you are.
  • On phones and tablets the menu folds into the ☰ button in the upper right.

News, Newsletter & Documents

Ham News!
  • Headlines shows the latest stories from ARRL News, Amateur Radio Weekly, DXZone, SDR & Digital Radio, the Digital Library of Amateur Radio and Amateur Radio Newsline. Each list updates by itself; click a headline to read the full story on the source's site.
  • DX Section shows live DX cluster spots, updated every minute. Pick a band or mode, or tick Hide US & Canada for real DX. Click a call sign to look it up on QRZ.
Newsletter (Full Quieting)

The Newsletter page shows the current issue at the top and every issue from this year under Recent Issues — new issues appear automatically. Older issues are in the Archive by year. Each issue has Read Online (opens the PDF) and Download. The sidebar's Article Index lists every article that has run in Full Quieting.

Presentations

The Presentations page (Events & Programs › Club Programs) is a searchable library of past club presentations. Search by title or presenter, click a category to open it, and use the PDF button to view a file. Have a topic idea? Use Submit a Topic in its sidebar.

Meetings, Minutes & Club Documents

Home › Past Membership Meetings lists past meeting presentations by year, with Meeting Minutes beneath it. Bylaws and other official documents are under the same Home menu.

Members: Logging In & Out

  • Open Members › Member Login and sign in with your username and password. If your account was set up from the club roster, your username is your first initial + last name, all lowercase (for example jadams).
  • First time, or forgot your password? Use Members › Reset Password and enter the email address the club has on file. A link to set a new password arrives by email — check your spam folder if you don't see it.
  • Once you're logged in, the Members menu shows Member Portal, My Profile, Member Directory and Log out.
  • When you're finished, choose Members › Log out — especially on a shared or public computer.

Members: Portal, Profile & Directory

Member Portal is your members-only home page: a welcome with your membership status, the What's New box, meeting minutes, forms and documents, net-control resources, and the officers.

My Profile is your club record. Keep your contact details, call sign, license class and expiration, ARRL membership and interests up to date, change your password in the Account card (which also shows your username), and click Save profile. The Membership Details section is kept by the Membership Coordinator — contact them if anything there looks wrong.

Member Directory lists current members with call sign, license class, member type, email, phone and city. You can hide your email, phone or city — or leave the directory entirely — in the Member Directory card on My Profile. Only logged-in, current members can see the directory.

The badge next to your name shows your status:

  • Active — paid up for this year
  • Pending approval — a new application waiting for the Membership Coordinator
  • Renewal due — January and February, when last year's membership has ended; renew by March 1
  • Expired — not renewed by March 1; members-only pages are closed until you renew

Joining & Renewing

Join: choose Members › Join BARC. Dues are $15 individual or $18 family (your whole household). Membership runs January through December; join after July and dues are half price. Newly licensed hams can choose a free first year or a low-cost handheld radio.

Renew: dues for the coming year can be paid from November and must be paid by March 1. Pay at a monthly meeting, by PayPal (Friends & Family) to treasurer@bellbrookarc.org, or mail a check made out to BARC to BARC Treasurer, P.O. Box 73, Bellbrook, OH 45305. Your status updates once the Membership Coordinator records the payment.

Officers: Creating a Post

  1. Log in at bellbrookarc.org/wp/wp-admin, then choose Posts → Add New.
  2. Add a title and your text. Use + → Image for photos; select words and press Ctrl+K to add a link.
  3. On the right, pick a Category (tick What's New to show it on the Member Portal), set a Featured Image, and write a short Excerpt — that's the summary shown in post lists.
  4. Preview, then Publish (or Schedule for a later date). Edit later from Posts → All Posts.

Membership Coordinators

You see this section because you manage membership. Members don't.

Members › Membership Dashboard is your workspace:

  • Tiles at the top count members by status (Active, Renewal due, Pending, Expired and so on). Click one to list those members. Search always looks through every member, by name, call sign, email or phone.
  • New applicants arrive as Pending. Use Approve or Reject. Approving opens the members-only pages to them and emails them a welcome.
  • Open any member by clicking their name. You can edit everything, including the Membership Details card: paid-through year, member type, household link, approval status, notes and payment history.
  • Record a payment from the member's record. The rates box shows $15 / $18 and the half-price rule after July. Payments made in November or December count toward the next year. A household payment renews every linked family member.
  • Families: each person has their own record. Anyone with their own email gets their own login; others are linked to the household's primary member.
How status is worked out
  • Active through December 31 of the paid-through year · Renewal due January–February · Expired from March 1 · Life members never expire.
Reports

The Reports tab has nine reports — Current Active Members, Inactive/Expired, New Members, Members by Type, Renewals/Expiration, Contact List, Membership History, Members Missing Information and Membership Counts. Each one can be printed or downloaded as a CSV for Excel. The dashboard's roster CSV exports every member and field — a good monthly backup.

The Contact List shows details members have hidden in the directory. Keep printouts and CSV files private.

Site Administrators

Only administrators see this section. Before any big change, take a WPvivid backup.
Everyday jobs
  • Newsletter: upload each issue to the /newsletter/ folder with File Manager, named Full_Quieting_MonthYear.pdf (e.g. Full_Quieting_November2026.pdf). It appears automatically. In December, add the year's issues to the Archive widget.
  • Ham News feeds: add a feed in Aggregator › Sources, then a Display for it (5 items, no pagination), and paste its shortcode into a new card in the Ham News Shortcode widget.
  • After editing a page: click Update, then LiteSpeed Cache › Purge All, and check it in a private window.
  • Roster import (CSV) is at the bottom of the Membership Dashboard, visible to admins only.
Page-building rules
  • Standard page: Container 1 (title bar + styles), Container 2 row with a 210px sidebar and a content column set to Size: Default — never Grow.
  • Shortcodes go in Shortcode widgets, never HTML widgets. Internal links use /wp/page-slug/ with the trailing slash.
  • Members-only pages: edit the page, set Simple WP Membership Protection to Yes, tick all levels.
Security & settings
  • Wordfence: two-factor login is required for administrators. Locked-out users are unblocked under Wordfence › Tools › Blocking.
  • Email Hold snippet: while active, no email reaches members. Blocked messages are listed under Tools › BARC Email Hold. Deactivate it to send member email.
  • Keep your admin login separate from your member login — never give an admin account a membership level.

Something not working? Let us know — no detail is too small.
Email the webmaster — webmaster@bellbrookarc.org

Home › Events & Programs › Hamfests

Hamfests & Conventions

Local, regional, and national amateur radio gatherings — BARC W8DGN
Dates and locations can change year to year — always verify with the official event website or the ARRL Hamfests & Conventions Calendar before making travel plans.

🏆 Major National Hamfests

These events draw the largest crowds, the biggest vendor halls, and hams from around the world. Worth a road trip.

🏆 World's Largest
Dayton Hamvention
📍 Xenia, Ohio — Greene County Fairgrounds
📅 May 15–17, 2026

The world's largest amateur radio gathering since 1952. 500+ indoor exhibits, 2,500+ outdoor flea market spaces, forum tracks, VE exams, and prize drawings. Theme for 2026: Radio Adventure. Talk-in: 146.940 (-) PL 121.0

30,000+ attendees annually hamvention.org →
🏈 2nd Largest in US
Orlando HamCation
📍 Orlando, Florida
📅 February 2027 (next event)

ARRL Southeastern Division Convention. One of the world's largest hamfests — held in February, perfect for escaping winter. Massive indoor exhibit hall, flea market, forums, and VE testing.

Tens of thousands annually hamcation.com →
2026 ARRL National Convention
Huntsville Hamfest
📍 Huntsville, Alabama — Von Braun Center
📅 August 22–23, 2026

Major southeastern hamfest — and the host of the 2026 ARRL National Convention for the first time since 2007. Air-conditioned South Hall, expanded forum schedule, commercial exhibits, and flea market.

Major national attendance hamfest.org →
Ohio

Ohio Hamfests

Ohio has its own ARRL Section. The Cincinnati Hamfest is the ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention — a major event for the region. Full Ohio schedule: arrl-ohio.org/hamfests  ·  arrl.org calendar
Event Location Typical Date Notes
Dayton Hamvention Xenia (Greene County Fairgrounds) May — 3rd weekend World's Largest
Cincinnati Hamfest Owensville, OH Spring ARRL Great Lakes Division Convention
Columbus Hamfest Grove City (Aladdin Shrine Center) August 1, 2026 Talk-in: 146.760 PL 123.0
Cleveland Hamfest & Computer Show Berea (Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds) Late September One-day event, 8AM–noon
Cuyahoga Falls Hamfest Cuyahoga Falls (Emidio & Sons Expo Center) April 11, 2026 ARRL Sanctioned
Johnstown Swapper's Day Johnstown (Sportsman Club) Labor Day weekend Large outdoor swap, 7AM–6PM
Portsmouth / Wheelersburg Hamfest Wheelersburg, OH Annual ARRL Sanctioned
Northern Ohio Hamfest (NOARS) Elyria, OH Winter noars.net
Toledo Mobile Radio Hamfest Perrysburg, OH Annual w8hhf.org
Tusco ARC Hamfest (W8ZX) Dover, OH Annual w8zx.net

Complete Ohio list: arrl-ohio.org/hamfests

Indiana

Indiana Hamfests

Indiana has its own ARRL Section. The Hendricks County Hamfest serves as the ARRL Indiana Section Convention. Find Indiana events at arrl.org/hamfests.
Event Location Typical Date Notes
Hendricks County Hamfest Danville, IN (4H Fairgrounds) February 7, 2026 ARRL Indiana Section Convention Talk-in: 147.015 PL 88.5
Avon / HERO Hamfest Avon, IN Annual ARRL Sanctioned
Dugger ARC Hamfest Dugger, IN Annual ARRL Sanctioned

Full Indiana list: arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

Kentucky

Kentucky Hamfests

Kentucky has its own ARRL Section. The Louisville Hamfest is the largest in the state. Find Kentucky events at arrl.org/hamfests.
Event Location Typical Date Notes
Louisville Hamfest Shepherdsville, KY Annual Largest in KY ARRL Sanctioned
Central KY ARS Hamfest (CKARS) Richmond, KY Annual ARRL Sanctioned

Full Kentucky list: arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

West Virginia

West Virginia Hamfests

West Virginia has its own ARRL Section administered through the WV State Amateur Radio Council. The WV State Convention and Hamfest is the flagship event. Find WV events at arrl.org/hamfests.
Event Location Typical Date Notes
WV State Convention & Hamfest Flatwoods, WV (Days Inn & Conference Center) July 26, 2025 — check for 2026 ARRL WV State Convention Admission $10 · Flea market $10/table
TARA Hamfest (W8VA) Huntington, WV Annual ARRL Sanctioned · w8va.org

Full WV list: arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar

Find More Hamfests

These sources maintain current, up-to-date hamfest listings. The BARC list above covers well-known regional events — use these to find smaller local events and verify dates before you go.

ARRL Hamfests & Conventions Calendar

Official calendar of ARRL-sanctioned hamfests and conventions nationwide. Searchable by state, division, or ZIP code radius.

arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar →
ARRL Ohio Section — Hamfests

Ohio-specific hamfest schedule maintained by the ARRL Ohio Section. The most complete list for Ohio events.

arrl-ohio.org/hamfests →
QRZ.com Hamfest Calendar

Community-maintained hamfest listings. Often includes smaller local events not listed on ARRL.

qrz.com/hamfests →
DXZone — Hamfests

Curated directory of hamfest links and resources. International coverage with regional filters.

dxzone.com/hamfests →
73QRZ Hamfest Finder

Clean, modern hamfest finder with state-by-state filters and year-ahead listings.

73qrz.com/hamfests →
eHam Hamfest Calendar

Community-submitted hamfest listings with comments and reviews from attendees.

eham.net/hamfests →