The North Carolina Capital Area Hamfest

2026 RARSfest Event Schedule

The schedule was last updated on March 31, 2026, at 8:07 AM.

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Location	8:30 – 9:50		10:00 – 10:50	11:00 – 11:50	12:00 – 12:50	1:00 – 1:50	2:00 – 2:50
Location
Forum Room No. 1 Sales Arena	ARRL Bill Morine N2COP James Boehner N2ZZ Marv Hoffman WA4NC Rick Niswander K7GM		NWS SKYWARN® Storm Spotter Training Virginia Enzor NC4VA	AMSAT Ernie Bauer N4AEW	“ARISS - Current Status and Future Plans” Frank Bauer KA3HDO Jackie Blumer KC9LEH	“The Anatomy of a Mass Telecommunications Failure” Zach Thompson KM4BLG	NC CERT James Wong N4NCX Rod Warren KO4ZFO
Forum Room No. 2 West “Hall of Fame” Meeting Room	(nothing until 9:00 AM)	“Activating Parks, Summits, and Islands” Jeremiah Jones N0NV	“Introduction to Radio Sport” Bill Axelrod K3WA	“Remote Operation of Your Station - Why and More Importantly HOW” Eric Wagner NR4O	“Cheap Thrills: Regional Messaging with LoRa Mesh” Magnus Hedemark KI4OTK	Amateur Radio License Exams administered by the RARS and FCHRE VE Teams. Pre-registration here before 5:00 PM on April 3 is required. Pre-registered candidates should arrive at 1:00 PM SHARP! Walk-ins will NOT be accepted. Hamfest admission is not required to take an exam. See the RARSfest License Exams page for what to bring and other important information.
Forum Descriptions

RARSfest Prize & Information Center	Prize Barrel, Information Table, PA Announcements, Prize Pick-Up, Lost & Found “Early Bird” (Preregistration) Prize at 9:00 AM, First Prize at 1:00 PM, Grand Prize at 2:00 PM “Hourly” Prize drawings throughout the day! Winners of “Hourly” Prizes will have until 3:05 pm to collect them in person at the Prize & Information Center. Ticket stub and ID may required.
Commercial Area Adjacent to the Vehicle Entrance				HPSNC Communications Trailer Jeremy Lindsley K2HJX, RARS Public Service Director
Commercial Area Adjacent to the Vehicle Entrance	AMSAT, ARISS, ARRL, NTS, AFMARS, QCWA, and HPSNC Booths. QSL card checking for ARRL and CQ awards by K4CIA. Central Carolina SKYWARN/NWS Booth, Virginia Enzor NC4VA and her staff				Visit the ARRL booth to meet our Roanoke Division Director and Vice Director, and the NC Section Officers and appointees and update your membership.
Restaurant Northeast Corner	The restaurant will be open from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM The restaurant will be accessible via the hallway in the vestibule from 7:30 AM to 8:00 AM so people waiting in line can get a beverage and a snack. Once the hamfest doors open to the public at 8:00 AM, the restaurant will be accessible only from the show floor.						Restaurant Closed
Outside the Jim Graham Building Northeast Corner	Satellite Communications Demonstration, with John Brier K4EB (ex KG4AKV) Generally between 9:30 AM and 2:30 PM. Pass times change, though, so see the Satellite Demonstration page for the latest info. Spectators are advised to arrive at least a few minutes prior to the noted times of the satellite passes.
Southwest Corner (Rear Right Flea Market Corner)	Bargains to be had at the Consignment Table at the rear west corner of the Flea Market, beyond the “milking parlor.”
Vehicle Static Displays NW and SE Corners	The JARS EmComm Vehicle \| Scott KE4WMF's “Stealth GTI” Rover \| The IEEE Emergency Response Vehicle \| NC CERT Trailer \| The NBARC Emergency Communications Trailer

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