Join Our Club

We now have a couple of ways you can become a member of the JCARC.

• Full Membership

• Probationary Membership

• Associate Membership

Full Member:  Currently our club dues is $50 per year (can be broken in to 2 payments of $25 each) and that helps support all of our activities, pays for insurance for our emergency comm vehicle, as well as other expenses that are needed throughout the year. The JCARC is a 501(c)(3) educational and community service organization so the membership dues may be tax deductible. Being a full member will allow you to run for office and vote on motions and members. At this time it is not a requirement to be a probationary member before becoming a full member. Family members (up to 4) may also join for $10 each per year. All members must hold a valid amateur radio license with the classes Tech, General, or Extra.

Probationary Member: Dues for probationary membership are $25 for your first year. This does not give you voting rights or the ability to run for club offices. At this time, we don't require you be a probationary member to become a full member. Family members (up to 4) may also join for $10 per year.  All members must hold a valid amateur radio license with the classes Tech, General, or Extra.

Associate Member: Otherwise known as a supporting membership at a suggested donation of $25 per year, this membership does not have any specific requirements as far as any classes of licenses. As an associate member, we encourage you to obtain your amateur radio license or at minimum a GMRS license (no test required) and join us on our local GMRS nets.

We do not currently accept payment on our website (that will probably change), but payments can be made by cash or check at any event (some with advanced notice) in which one of the club officers is present.

East Central Indiana Hamfest

Because of planned construction, the Randolph County 4H fairgrounds won't be available for us on July 27, 2024. We will be holding the July 2024 ECI Hamfest at the Jay County Fairgrounds in Portland, Indiana. The location is about 20 miles north of the 2023 location. Click on the link below for more info.

inhamfest.com

1 Jay County GMRS Net - Sunday at about 7:45 PM

Hosted by Tony (KD9KPF), this net follows the 7:30 PM Muncie GMRS net. If you don't have your GMRS license (no test required) yet, this may be the best motivation for you to get one and help populate Tony's Net on Sunday evening! You'll find it on the Jay/Mercer County GMRS repeater at 462.725+ (467.725 input),  PL 107.2 Hz. For more info about the local nets, Click here.

2 Adams County ARC Net - Monday at 8 PM Eastern

This net is normally hosted by Mark (KD9CES) and starts at 8 PM. It is linked to the W9JCA 443.475 (448.475 input), PL 100.0 Hz and the Fort Recovery repeater at 442.675 (447.675 input), PL 107.2 Hz. Main EchoLink node is 808685 (KB9KYM) and if it's having problems, you can generally log on to node 127019 or 948238 (currently down) as backups.

3 JCARC Net - Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern

Any licensed amateur can join our net each Tuesday beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern using any of the linked repeaters below or from around the world on EchoLink.  For those new to amateur radio, when you see a + or - following the frequency, it indicates either a positive or negative standard transmit offset. For those using scanners, enter the frequencies shown below to listen. If you need the repeater receive frequencies, click here and go to the spreadsheet. Here are the repeaters:

• Pennville, IN: W9JCA, Frequency: 145.210-  PL: 97.4 Hz

• Portland, IN: W9JCA, Frequency: 443.475+  PL: 100.0 Hz
  Primary EchoLink Node:  127019 (W9JKL-L). Primary node for JCARC and usually monitored live by Net Control.

• Fort Recovery, OH: KB8SCR, Frequency: 442.675+  PL: 107.2 Hz
  Secondary EchoLink Node: 948238 (currently down) for JCARC

• Please see the Local Nets page for more details.

Note: Any nets may be cancelled or postponed during severe weather to protect radio equipment, to conduct emergency weather spotting, or for any other emergency use of the repeater system.

4 P-25 Net - Tuesday evening following the JCARC Net

For those who have P-25 digital capability, this net is hosted by Dave (KB8SCR) and immediately follows the JCARC Net on Tuesday evenings. Look for it around 7:45 pm. You'll find the net on 444.6875+ MHz with a NAC of 2a3 (675 decimal). More info here.

5 Blackford County Net - Wednesday at 8:30 PM

A lot of the Jay County members check into this net each week. Because of the linked repeaters in Jay County, it gets well into Adams and other surrounding counties. For more info on this net, check out our Local Nets page.

6a W8MCA Radio Services Net - Thursday at 7 PM Eastern

145.250- Mhz
Use PL 107.2 for the Ft Recovery repeater or 127.3 to use the Celina site.
Join Ron (KC8LAB) and the group for the net. This is also linked to the 443.475 repeater in Portland and the 442.675 repeater in Ft Recovery. EchoLink node numbers 412960 (W9JKL-R) and 948238 (KB8SCR-R - currently down) are also linked during the net.

6b 446.150 MHz Simplex Net - Thursday at about 7:20 PM

Ron hosts this net right after the W8MCA net. He has an antenna that is relatively tall and has a range limit of about 30-35 miles. Remember to turn down your squelch, set your radio to simplex, and crank up the power if you're a distance away.

6c Fort Recovery 220 Net - Thursday at 8 PM

223.960- MHz PL Tone: 107.2 from the Fort Recovery, Ohio repeater. Hosted by Ron Kuhn, KC8LAB, here's another newer net for this area. Ron does a great job and we would like to thank Dave, KB8SCR for all of his hard work and contributions to the Jay County Amateur Radio Club for the purchase and maintenance of this and other area repeaters!

7 Ham Radio "Social" - Every Saturday at 8:30 AM in Portland, Indiana

Join the die-hard folks that just love getting up and socializing every Saturday around 8:30 AM unless otherwise scheduled. Our meet-up location:

American Legion Post 211
211 W Walnut St
Portland, IN   47371
Ph: (260) 726.4449

Use the entrance on the north side of the building, just west of the main entrance. Our primary repeater frequencies are generally monitored during that time and we'll talk you in, if need be.

8a Tone Test Alert - Saturday @ 11:30 AM
8b Jay County Simplex Net follows

Dave, KB8SCR holds a brief over-the-air net to test the P-25 system, as well as the repeater system. A short test tone over the analog repeaters is sounded on the linked repeaters 442.675 in Fort Recovery, 443.475 in Portland and 145.210 in Pennville to start the net. If you're on an HT, be sure the batteries are charged in your radio so it's ready to work. Right after that, listen for the simplex net on 145.540. Usually, Tony (KD9KPF) is in command, but is sometimes unavailable. An announcement is typically made during the tone test alert net as to whether or not the simplex net will follow.

• Francis Betts (KB9QVO): Club President.  Superpower: Keeps the club moving forward!!! Great net substitute!

• Tony Cline (KD9KPF): Vice President.  Superpowers:  Good mechanic and electrician. Haven't discover all abilities yet.

• Kim Oswalt (KD9RIU): Club Secretary. Superpowers:  Amazing club secretary, has a source for reflective vests at a great price!

• Krystal McDowell: Club Treasurer.  Superpower: Treasurer Excellente, great breakfast cook!!!

• Jeff Landers (W9JKL): Repeater guru, host of EchoLink Node 127019. Superpower: Lead net controller for our Tuesday Evening Net.

• Darrell Borders (AA9OM): Repeater Trustee.  Superpowers:  Award winning Parks on the Air, Volunteer Examiner, Classroom Training.

• Dave Wood (KB8SCR): General radio guru and  repeater operator. Superpowers:  Maintains repeater system, business radio whiz.

• Gil Davis (KE9F): Web designer and Editor, Pending Repeater Trustee.  Superpowers: The goofy guy doing the live YouTube streams on Tuesday evening, Volunteer Examiner, and somewhat proficient on Windows OS as well as destroying Linux computers (but not many and not for a long while).