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Who and What WCRA Is

The Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs is a not-for-profit corporation organized under the Illinois Not For Profit Corporation Act of 1986. The club has existed since its founding in 1948, but current records show that the club was not incorporated until June 14th, 1984. The club is currently classified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as a hobby club as defined in section 501(c)7 of the Internal Revenue Code. Under current laws at the time of this writing, gifts and / or donations to our club are NOT tax deductible.

There are 5 club officers, who also act as the board of directors for the corporation. To find out who are current officials are, please take a look at our club officers web page.

If you are interested in further information, or seeing copies of our current Articles of Incorporation, or By-Laws, please contact a club officer to arrange this.

Purpose

Per Article II as recorded in our Articles of Incorporation, WCRA has the following purposes:

  1. To further the interests of Amateur Radio through active participation therein.
  2. To improve radio proficiency
  3. To develop better public relations
  4. To prepare for any communications emergencies.
  5. To aid in the training and development of future Radio Amateurs.

Based on the above, WCRA should neither be considered a 'repeater club'; however, WCRA currently maintains several repeaters.

Mail Address

Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs (may be abbreviated to WCRA)
PO Box QSL
Wheaton, IL 60189-1055

Membership

Full WCRA membership is open to all licensed radio amateurs in good standing with the FCC and with the club. Associate membership is available to persons not currently holding a valid FCC Amateur Radio License, that are interested in supporting and promoting the purposes and activities of the club.

To join WCRA club as a new member, please print out theMembership Application Form (PDF format)and fill it out. Also, for full membership applicants, please attach a photocopy of your current Amateur Radio License. For renewing members, it is not necessary to attach a copy of your current Amateur Radio License. Please include the appropriate dues, in U.S. funds via check or money order. When completed, please mail the completed package to:

WCRA
P.O. Box QSL
Wheaton, IL 60189

If there are any questions on joining the club, please contact a club officer.

Meetings

WCRA meetings are normally held on the first Friday of the month. Membership meetings are normally scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM Central Time. From time to time, it is necessary to adjust either the date or specific room location for the meetings due to other activities and holidays, so it is advisable to check the main page of our web site, or listen in on our nets to confirm when and where exactly the meetings will be. Visitors are always welcome to attend the meetings.

Dues

WCRA is a federal 501(c)7 tax exempt and Illinois not for profit corporation with operating funds obtained entirely from member's dues and the annual Hamfest.

Annual dues for a Individual WCRA membership is $26.00. Family memberships, for multiple family members living in the same household, are $39.00 annually.Full time students and senior citizens dues are $13.00 per year. Dues are payable in full at the beginning of each calendar year.

Activities

Members of WCRA participate in the following activities during each year: (Click on the activity title for additional information on each activity.)

ARRL Field Day

WCRA participates in the ARRL Field Day event held in late June. Gasoline generators are typically used for electrical power for the weekend event. Club members may put a station on the air for the event, but this must be coordinated through the Field Day committee (Dale, NJ9E). Visitors and persons interested in Amateur Radio are invited and encouraged to come out and see what the fun of Field Day is all about!

Amateur Radio License Classes

WCRA conducts classes for individuals interested in obtaining an amateur radio license.

VEC Exams

Examinations for amateur radio licenses are given throughout the year by WCRA VEC volunteers.

Public Service Events

WCRA club members provide communication support to a number of area public service events during the year. The supported events include walkathons, bikeathons, various parades, etc.

Emergency Services Support

WCRA club members are active in local and area amateur radio emergency service (ARES) activities. The emergency service activities include supporting the DuPage County Office of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service. Several of our members are trained weather spotters affiliated with SKYWARN. Several of our members also participate in local weather spotting nets hosted on one of our sister club's repeaters (Bolingbrook Amateur Radio Society, 2 meter repeater, on 147.33 MHz, +, no PL), which works with the Romeoville, IL NWS office.

Social Events

Several of our members get together for breakfast on Tuesday mornings between 7:00 AM and 9:00 AM at the Glen Oaks Restaraunt in Glen Ellyn, IL. Everyone is responsible for their own checks, but this is a nice gathering of some of our folks. Stop by and see some time!