Details of the above nets can be found on the Local Nets list below.

Join Our Club

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

• Full Member

• Probationary Member

• Supporting Member

Full Member:  Currently our club dues are $50 per year (can be broken in to 2 payments of $25 each) and that helps support many of our activities as well as other expenses that keep the club running. We have signed a lease with the Jay County Fair Board for an approximately 800 SQ FT building that we are in the process of remodeling and that vetted club members will get a personal unlock code to access at any time the fairgrounds and the building is accessible or the building is not being uses for any other event. This is the only membership that will allow access to the clubhouse and is very unusual for an amateur radio club.

The JCARC is a 501(c)(3) educational and community service organization so the membership dues and donations may be tax deductible. Being a full member will allow you to run for office and vote on motions and members. Family members (up to 4) may also join for $10 each per year. All full members must hold a tech, general, or extra class license.

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 probationary members must hold a current tech, general, or extra class license.

Supporting Member: With a suggested donation of $25 per year, this membership does not have any specific requirements as far as any classes of licenses. As a supporting 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, 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

The Jay County Fairgrounds is now the official home of the ECI Hamfest and is sponsored by the Jay County Amateur Radio Club (among others).  Our next planning meeting is scheduled for Feb 22, 2025 at the Winchester Street Department building, 191 North Middle School Drive, Winchester, Indiana at 10 AM. Click the link below for more information.

inhamfest.com

7:30 PM

1 Muncie GMRS Net - Sunday at 7:30 PM

Muncie, Indiana

Join the friendly folks way over there in Muncie for their weekly net. You'll find them on the GMRS at 462.7000 (input) and the standard 5.000 MHz positive shift at 467.7000 transmitting frequency with a PL tone of 110.9.

2 Jay County GMRS Net - Sunday at  8:00 PM

Usually hosted by Tony (KD9KPF). 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.

3 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. The primary EchoLink node, located in Decatur, Indiana is 808685 (KB9KYM). As an alternate, use node 127019 (W9JKL) in Portland, Indiana.

4 JCARC Net - Tuesday at 7 PM Eastern

Join us for our weekly net every Tuesday at 7:00 PM Eastern! All licensed hams are invited to participate, whether you're using one of our linked repeaters or connecting via EchoLink. If you're new to the hobby, remember that "+" means positive offset and "-" means negative offset when you see them after the frequency. Scanner listeners, just program in the frequencies below. Need the repeater input frequencies? Check out the spreadsheet here [link to spreadsheet]. Here's where to find us:

• Pennville, IN: W9JCA, 145.210- (PL: 97.4 Hz)

• Portland, IN: W9JCA, 443.475+ (PL: 100.0 Hz)

• Our main EchoLink connection is node 127019 (W9JKL-L). It's the JCARC primary node, and Net Control usually keeps an ear on it.

• Fort Recovery, OH: KB8SCR, 442.675+ (PL: 107.2 Hz)

Please see the Local Nets page for more details on this and many other nets.

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

5 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) and on the Lynn, Indiana repeater at 441.5125 with a NAC of 293. List of Local Repeaters here.

6 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 see the list below or check out our Local Nets page for that plus MUCH more.

• Primary frequency is 146.0550 -  PL 141.3 Hz (Hartford City, IN)

• 443.475 +   PL 100.0 Hz (Portland, IN)

• 442.675 +   PL 107.2 HZ (Fort Recovery, OH)

• EchoLink Nodes 239090 (primary) or 127019 (secondary)

7 Blackford County GMRS Net - Thursday at 7:30 PM

Kerry is generally net control for the Oil City/Montpelier GMRS Net.  You'll find it on your GMRS radio at 462.6250 + 5.0 MHz (467.6250 repeater input frequency) with a PL Tone of 88.5 Hz.

8 Local 2M USB Net - Portland, Indiana - Friday evening from  7 PM until 8 PM (or so)
Roundtable net for the local 2M SSB guys. Find us on 144.210 USB.

9 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 and getting together for coffee and socializing. Location: Scout cabin at the Jay County Fairgrounds in Portland, IN.

10 Tone Test Alert - Saturday @ 11:30 AM

11 Jay County Simplex Net follows

Dave, KB8SCR, runs a quick on-air net to check out the P-25 and repeater systems. To start, he sends a short test tone on the linked analog repeaters: 442.675 in Fort Recovery, 443.475 in Portland, and 145.210 in Pennville. If you're using a handheld, make sure your batteries are good to go. Right after that, listen for the simplex net on 147.540. Tony (KD9KPF) usually runs it, but sometimes he's unavailable. Dave will usually announce during the tone test if the simplex net is happening. 

• Francis Betts (KB9QVO): Club President.  Superpower: Keeps the club moving forward!!! He's a real trooper!

• Steve McDowell: Vice President.  Superpowers:  Good mechanic and Truck Driver Supreme. Great at using bucket truck to put up antennas.

• 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 and trustee of the 440 repeater, host of EchoLink Node 127019. Superpower: Lead net controller for our Tuesday Evening Net.

• Dave Wood (KB8SCR): General radio guru and  repeater operator. Superpowers:  Maintains repeater systems used for the club, runs Tuesday evening P-25 Net.

• Gil Davis (KE9F) designs and edits this website and serves as the 2-meter repeater trustee. He's known for his goofy Tuesday Evening Net YouTube live stream, his work as a Volunteer Examiner, and his proficiency with Windows 10 and 11 (ummm...let's not talk about 8 or 8.1). He's a veteran of numerous operating systems, from Windows 1.0 to 7, and various DOS flavors, though those memories are a bit hazy now. He also admits to a past (and infrequent) talent for "destroying" Linux machines. Someday he promises to become more proficient at it, but for right now, he has to trust info available on the Internet.