President Rick Johnson WB4RLJ

The Kingsport Amateur Radio Club will operate a special events Amateur Radio Station the weekend of October 3 and 4 from 2 to 5:30 PM from the pavilion at the historic Netherland Inn site on Netherland Inn Road in Kingsport honoring the NETHERLANDS INN HARVEST CELEBRATION.  The station will utilize the especially assigned call sign "N4I" and will operate on multiple frequencies.  Short wave contacts are expected to be made with other amateur stations across the U.S. and the world.  The primary frequencies used will be 7.185 and 14.250 megaHertz.  Additional detail can be found at the club's website, W4TRC.org.   Visitors to the special events station are welcomed.

The history of the Netherland Inn is fascinating.  William King of Saltville, VA. established King’s Boat Yard later known as King’s Port, a  facility for the building of flatboats and shipping salt from his salt works in Virginia and other goods west.  Between 1802 and 1808, King built the large, three-story building, which became the Inn, as a dormitory for the men who built his boats. In 1818, Richard Netherland purchased the property.  Guests at the Inn and tavern included U.S. Presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James K. Polk.  The property was occupied at different times during the Civil War by both Union and Confederate troops.  The first charter for the new city of Kingsport was signed at the Inn.   Tours of the Inn and outbuildings will be conducted during the same hours radio station “N4I” will be operating. 

The Netherland Inn Association maintains the campus.  It is an all-volunteer organization supported entirely by donations, memberships, group tours, and fund raisers.  

The Kingsport Amateur Club was established shortly after World War II.  Its voting members are FCC-licensed amateur radio operator or “hams.”  Unlicensed individuals are invited to join as Associate members.  The club meets the second Thursday night of each month.  Details on the interim meeting time and place during the pandemic are available on the club’s website, W4TRC.org.  FCC tests for perspective ham licensees are periodically conducted by the club.