Welcome to W9JCA.COM, Internet home of the
Jay County
Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 418
Portland, Indiana 47371
A not-for-profit Organization
Email: w9jcarc@gmail.com
Listen to the Brandmeister DMR Hoseline HERE!
Welcome to W9JCA.COM, Internet home of the
Jay County
Amateur Radio Club
PO Box 418
Portland, Indiana 47371
A not-for-profit Organization
Email: w9jcarc@gmail.com
The Jay County Amateur Radio Club is now an Amazon affiliate. Our club sees a small commission if you purchase anything through the links below, but it doesn't affect any regular or special pricing.
Homepage Guide:
Connecting Jay County and beyond through the power of amateur radio
Whether you're a seasoned ham, a curious newcomer, or just someone who loves community and communication, you've found the right place. JCARC is a vibrant group of radio enthusiasts dedicated to learning, sharing, and serving. From emergency preparedness to casual QSOs, we explore the many facets of amateur radio while building friendships and strengthening local ties.
Tune in, reach out, and get involved
We host regular meetings, public events, and on-air nets—and we’re always excited to welcome new voices. Explore our site to learn more about our activities, resources, and how you can join the conversation.
We’re making huge strides toward our brand‑new clubhouse, and it’s all thanks to the generosity of our community:
Denny’s Door Company (Celina, OH) — 2 doors
Ryan Myers (Portland, IN) — Gravel
Brad Barnett & Cardinal Waste Services (Portland, IN) — Landfill & dumpster fees
Greg McIlwain (Portland, IN) — Refrigerator & stove
Dave Wood (Fort Recovery, OH) — 22 chairs, tables, and countless hours of help
Special shout‑out to Carl McDowell, our 2025 East Central Indiana Hamfest Ham of the Year, for his tireless work. Without him, we'd likely still be looking at plans. Also to Dave Wood for securing a grant to help us finish strong. You’re both legends in our book!
Mark your calendar, charge your radios, and be part of the momentum. Whether you’re here for the tech, the friendships, or the coffee — this is your club, your community, your signal to join in.
Saturday Work Crew — 9 AM to noon as announced. Coffee at 8 AM at the scout cabin. If no work crew is scheduled for the morning, the social gathering will usually start between 8:30 and 9:00 AM.
Carl and crew are making visible progress — it won’t be long before we’re moving in! Photos are on the website, updated as things change.
We have some photos of the clubhouse on the website that we have posted in the last few months and you'll find them here. The page will continue to be updated as new info keeps flowing. Won't be taking pics frequently since they are starting to all look the same.
JCARC Club Meeting
📍 Wednesday, October. 15, 2025 — 6 PM
📌 Scout Cabin, Jay County Fairgrounds (or new clubhouse if ready)
Tone Test Alert - Saturday @ 11:30 A
Net Control: Dave (KB8SCR)
Jay County Simplex Net follows
Net Control: Tony (KD9KPF)
Net Recap from September 30, 2025
The 145.210 repeater in Pennville is still down so I'm sure we missed a few regulars. The good news on the live stream side this that my radio showed a signal strength of 40 over 9 and on screen it was about S-10, much better than the S-readings that are normally less than half of that. The 146.970 repeater in Berne, Indiana (about 13 miles from my Decatur QTH) came through with flying colors!
🎉 Shoutout to Gary
He got his first win...22 check-ins. The net was linked to the Berne Indiana repeater so a few folks got on that normally would have had a rough time. Lots of EchoLink check-ins, as well. Congrats to Gary!!!
🔧 Audio Issue Update
After figuring out what issues the "upgrade" to Windows 11 caused, I think they're all straightened out now. Finally!
📢 Like, Subscribe, Share
If you enjoy what we do, we’d love your support. A like, a share, maybe even a subscribe—it all helps keep the signal strong!
Please use our links to shop Amazon. It helps. Thanks.
We now offer three ways to become part of the JCARC community.
🎯 Full Member:
Dues: $50/year (or two payments of $25)
Helps fund club activities, events, and operating expenses
Exclusive perk: vetted members receive a personal unlock code for 24/7 access to our ~800 sq. ft. clubhouse at the Jay County Fairgrounds (when available and not in use for other events)
Must be approved by a quorum majority at the next business meeting
Eligible to vote, run for office, and fully participate in club decisions
Family add‑on: up to 4 members for $10/year each
License requirement: Technician, General, or Extra class license
JCARC is a 501(c)(3) educational and community service organization — dues and donations may be tax‑deductible
⏳ Probationary Member:
Dues: $25 for the first year
Great entry point for new hams
No voting rights or eligibility to run for office
Family add‑on: up to 4 members for $10/year each
License requirement: Technician, General, or Extra class license
No membership vote required to join
You can upgrade to Full Member at any time — probationary status is not mandatory before becoming full
🤝 Supporting Member:
Suggested Donation: $25/year
No license required
Perfect for friends, family, and community supporters
Encouraged to earn an Amateur Radio license or at least a GMRS license (no test required)
Welcome to join our local GMRS nets
💵 How to Join & Pay: We currently do not accept online payments but you can pay by cash or check at any club event (some with advance notice) when a club officer is present.
The Jay County Fairgrounds is the home of the ECI Hamfest and is sponsored by the Jay County Amateur Radio Club, among many others). We will have the results of the July 26, 2025 meeting after we get them at the Sept 27, 2025 meeting in Winchester, Indiana. Click below to go to the website for more details:
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Solar-Terrestrial Data
NEW!!!
For those wanting to get a pre-programmed image file for your radio, be sure to check out our new images on the Chirp Next page.
We also have image files for the iradio UV-98 Plus and the Radtel RT-880G among others.
Introduction to DMR
Along with the introduction to DMR and hotspots, you'll find codeplugs for the TYT MD-380, the AnyTone D878UVII Plus / D575UV, and the Baofeng DM-1701 for hotspot frequency 446.100 MHz. All are easily edited.
Local Area Nets
We have a comprehensive listing of Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio nets listed that are generally in the range of our repeater coverage area. Also, you'll find a printer-friendly spreadsheet version.
East Central Indiana Hamfest
Click on the link above to visit that website for the latest and greatest on our local hamfest.
ARRL Latest News Feed
You'll now find the latest news feeds in both text and audio on our website. We hope you find it useful.
Real Time Band Conditions
You can not only see the real time band condition charts such as shown on this page, but there's a brief explanation as to what all of those encrypted numbers mean.
All About Smith Charts
Info including how to calculate and read a Smith Chart. PDF document.
Droidstar | SDR Radios | SWL | Online Scanners
These pages will make our site your first go-to place for information and links to relevant sites. Click on the page links above that may interest you.
DroidStar:
Ready to connect with voices across the globe? Grab your DMR ID from RadioID.net, fire up DroidStar, and meet the friendly folks on Brandmeister (DMR) Talk Group 31181 every Tuesday at 8:30 PM for the Crossroads Net.
DMR, P‑25, Fusion, D‑Star — DroidStar does it all, transmit and receive! Click on the links in yellow to see how licensed amateur operators can install it on their Android or IOS devices!
EchoLink:
You can connect not only to most of our nets as well as others nearby using EchoLink on your Windows, Mac, or Linux based computer, Android or IOS smart devices, as well as using the cross-platform web based version. Many over-the-air repeaters will also link to other nodes by using the keypad on your radio's mic or HT keyboard.
Our EchoLink node number is 127019. You can find it online by searching the node list for W9JKL. Many repeaters in our area are also capable of using EchoLink as well as other modes.
Plus other area nets and activities.
For complete list of nets including a printable spreadsheet, click here.
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 GMRS at 462.7000 MHz with a standard 5K MHz positive shift at 467.7000 transmitting frequency and 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 Randolph County Roundtable Net - Monday at 7:00 PM
A question and answer net geared toward new hams...or even old ones to help you keep up with the latest and greatest stuff. Join us on our primary frequency of 147.300 with a tone of 110.9.
4 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.
5 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].
Our Local Repeaters
Pennville, IN: W9JCA, 145.210- (PL: 97.4 Hz)
Portland, IN: W9JCA, 443.475+ (PL: 100.0 Hz)
Our EchoLink connection is node 127019 (W9JKL-L). Jeff does monitor that node for log-ins.
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, lack of a net controller, to conduct emergency weather spotting, or for any other emergency use of the repeater system.
6 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 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.
7 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)
8 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.
9 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.
10 JCA Radio Club "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. Current location: Scout cabin at the Jay County Fairgrounds in Portland, IN. We are currently working on a new clubhouse in the fairgrounds, so look for a change in venue coming soon.
11 Tone Test Alert - Saturday @ 11:30 AM
12 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.
13 Ragchew Net from Muncie
Mon, Tue, Wed, and Fri at 5 PM
Join Chris and the gang at the Muncie, Indiana repeater on 441.825+ PL 110.9 for some good old-fashioned chat time.
Francis Betts (KB9QVO): Club President. Currently, due to health issues, he's kind of taking a back seat, but he still keeps things going.
Steve McDowell: Vice President
Kim Oswalt (KD9RIU): Club Secretary. Unfortunately she resigned as of the July, 2025 meeting.
Krystal McDowell: Club Treasurer
Jeff Landers (W9JKL): Trustee of the W9JCA 70cm repeater in Portland, Indiana, host of EchoLink Node 127019. Lead net controller for our Tuesday Evening Net.
Dave Wood (KB8SCR): Maintains repeater systems used for the club in Fort Recovery, Coldwater, and Celina, Ohio, runs Tuesday evening P-25 Net.
Gil Davis (KE9F): Designed and edits this and East Central Indiana Hamfest websites. Serves as the 2-meter repeater trustee for W9JCA in Pennville, Indiana. Hosts the Tuesday Evening Net YouTube live stream. Volunteer Examiner for W5YI and ARRL. Sets up the computer network for contest logging.
We welcome constructive feedback and suggestions to improve our website. Information regarding new nets or repeaters within approximately 50 miles of Portland, meeting our listing criteria is also appreciated for inclusion. Thank you for visiting, and we hope you find our website useful.
Gil
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