What Activities and Events Does the Charleston Amateur Radio Society (WA4USN) Organize?

WA4USN.org is the website of the Charleston Amateur Radio Society (CARS), an amateur radio club that operates under the callsign WA4USN. Its activity calendar centers on a few recurring, publicly visible events: Field Day, Museum Ships Weekend, and special operating opportunities such as W1AW/4. Participation generally means showing up at a scheduled operating site, getting on the air, or checking the club's Nets and Activities pages for times and frequencies.

Recurring events you can plan around

Field Day

Field Day is the club's annual emergency-preparedness operating event, and the site documents that the location can change year to year:

• 2026: Unable to arrange the usual site, the club moved Field Day to member Bryce Myers' (K4LXF) home and backyard. A post dated June 23, 2026 announced the change.
• The day before (June 22, 2026), the club posted that Field Day would not be held on the Yorktown, telling members to "stay tuned for the alternate location."

The takeaway for anyone planning to attend: confirm the current location on the site before traveling, because the venue is not fixed.

Museum Ships Weekend (MSW)

The club activates museum ships for this event. For MSW 2026, held 6–7 June, CARS activated three ships, operating only during museum public hours rather than overnight as it had in past years. The USS Yorktown CV-10 was operated under the club callsign WA4USN.

This is a concrete example of how the club's operations are tied to ship access: when public hours or site access change, the operating schedule changes with them.

Skywarn Recognition Day

Skywarn Recognition Day appears in the club's post history, including a post noting it would not be held "this year" — a reminder that not every listed event runs annually. Check the site for the current year's status rather than assuming it is on.

Ship-based operations and special callsigns

CARS has a long association with Patriots Point and the ships there:

• USS Yorktown CV-10 — operated as WA4USN during Museum Ships Weekend.
• Auxiliary Steering space — the club occupied this area on the O2 deck, frame 1, for decades. A January 15, 2026 post announced a new MOU with Patriots Point after asbestos was found there and required mitigation, relocating the club's space.
• W1AW/4 operating opportunity — the site lists this as an opportunity for South Carolina amateur radio operators, referencing 2023 activity.

If you want to operate from a ship station, the practical path is to watch for the club's MSW announcements and the W1AW/4 opportunity posts, since access depends on Patriots Point arrangements and public hours.

Where to find schedules and how to take part

The site's navigation points to the sections that carry the operational details:

The site also lists a General Class License Class (online), an ISS SSTV event, and APRS/IRLP resources — useful if your interest is learning or digital modes rather than contest-style operating.

Practical notes before you go

• Verify the venue. Field Day 2026 moved off the Yorktown to a member's home; the club posts location changes as separate announcements.
• Expect daytime-only ship operations. MSW 2026 ran during museum public hours, not overnight.
• Not every event runs every year. Skywarn Recognition Day was skipped in at least one recent year.
• Start with Nets and Activities for current times, then confirm details in the most recent posts, since the site's front page is organized around dated announcements.

For the most current schedule, check the recent posts and the Activities and Nets pages directly on wa4usn.org, as event dates, locations, and operating hours are announced there rather than in a fixed calendar.