DIRECTIONS to NIHRAC

NIHRAC has a radio station facility at the NIH Central Utility Plant in the center of the Bethesda campus, Building 11, Room 305 . We regularly meet here for monthly meetings, radio contest participation, and other Club activities.

GPS coordinates:  38°59'54.6"N 77°06'11.1"W. See an interactive Google map in our Contact Us page.

 As many other Federal Government facilities, access to the NIH campus is restricted but accessible to the public. Before visiting, please read the NIH Visitor Information page. 

To visit our NIHNRAC radio station and meeting place:

• Bring a government-issued photo-ID. NIH-badge holders can drive right through the security gates, but non-NIH-badge holders must obtain a visitor pass.

• Enter the campus via the NIH Commercial Vehicle Inspection Facility (CVIF) on Rockville Pike--Rt. 355--south of West Cedar Lane, or via NIH Gateway Dr. off Rockville Pike (on the map below, find these gates on the right side near the top and center, respectively). There, your vehicle will be inspected and you will be issued a visitor pass.

• On weekends (remember, we meet monthly on the 1st Saturday), visitors are free to park on regular parking spaces designated for NIH Parking Permit Holders throughout the campus. Please do not park on spaces that have other special reserved designations, unless you have the proper parking permit. There are several parking spaces right outside (West side) of building 11. where our radio station is located. On weekdays, there are a few paid visitor parking locations on campus, but one common choice is MLP 11, accessible through NIH Gateway Dr.

• Outside doors of building 11 and the door to our radio station are kept locked. If you are not an NIH badge holder, let us know in advance that you will be attending a meeting by sending an email to info@nihrac.org so that someone can help you in the building. You can also use the intercom at the door to speak with building staff and explain that you are attending our amateur radio club meeting on the third floor (you would have to do the same again at another intercom just inside the building). If you carry a mobile or HT amateur radio, you can also call someone via our VHF repeater--see our Repeaters page for updated information.

• There is an ingress/egress registration after entering the front door. Register at the station the first time you visit , then check-in when you enter and check-out before you leave. The building 11 is an industrial installation and for safety reasons they must know when you are in the building.