Club Information and Membership
Club Information. [For membership information, see below.]
It is my privilege to introduce you to the Thomasville Amateur Radio Club. Our Club consists of a dedicated group of Amateur Radio operators representing many different age groups and backgrounds; from school kids to judges to housewives to engineers, all sharing a love for the art of Communications.
Our typical meeting time is the first Saturday of each month, with a few exceptions due to holidays or other events. The time is 7:30pm and we meet at the Plaza Restaurant in downtown Thomasville.
Traditionally, many members arrive around 6 pm to enjoy dinner before the meeting. Our group prides itself on maintaining a family atmosphere in all our meetings and events. While we are serious about our radio operations, we also aim to have fun with our hobby, keeping it enjoyable for all who attend, operator or not.
TARC is an active part of the communities we serve and we are proud that our membership includes “Hams” from a number of counties in South Georgia and North Florida, making us more of a regional group, than one confined to just one town. You can see us in action during events such as the Pavo Peacock Day Parade, the Boy Scouts of America’s JOTA (Jamboree on the Air), and the Boston Mini Marathon.
We have close ties through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) with Emergency Management Authorities in 32 Southwest Georgia counties, and we stand ready to supplement local and statewide communications for them in times of emergency.
We offer both instructional classes and a Volunteer Examiner Team so that anyone wishing to get licensed has access to training, and then to a test session that is close by. Many members also keep the “Elmer” tradition alive by making themselves available to any Hams, new or old, who need assistance in setting up antennas or complete stations.
The club has five voice repeaters, which are coordinated through SERA (South-East Repeater Association). They include the 147.06 machine, located at the FEMA facility, the 146.865 and 442.00 machines, both at the Thomas county EOC, the 147.24 machine located in Boston, and the 147.195 wide area repeater in Metcalf.
We are also caretakers for three D-Star repeaters located at Archbold hospital, and have also been given permission to use the 145.17 and 443.00 machines in Reno for club activities.
The club has 3 weekly nets which are open to anyone wanting to take part. The “Thursday Night Net” at 8pm local every Thursday is a club net. The SW District ARES Net is also on Thursday night at 9pm on the 145.17 Repeater. We also have a Kid’s Net on Tuesday nights at 8pm on the 145.17 Repeater.
The third Thursday of the month adds an HF Weather Net on 3.975 MHz. at 7:30pm, immediately following the Georgia SSB Net.
The Club newsletter, The Reflector is available on the Internet for anyone, member or non-member, to read and enjoy.
73,
Mike Brown, KE4FGF
President
Club Membership
Single Member Dues – $20 per year
Family Dues – $25 per year (covers all family members)
Dues are pro-rated after June
Voluntary Repeater Dues
The suggested amount is $5 per month, or $60 annually.
The actual amount, higher or lower, is up to you.
Dues may be paid at the meetings or submitted by mail.
If submitting by mail, please send your dues direct to our Treasurer, Bobby, N4KXL, at:
ROBERT H COOPER, SR
519 LIBBY LANE
THOMASVILLE, GA 31757
Officers
Officers for 2012
President – Mike Brown, KE4FGF
ke4fgf@arrl.net
V. President – John Swicord, KE4RWR
jswicord@bellsouth.net
VP-Special Events – Wynona Sadler, KF4HSM
wysad1@yahoo.com
Secretary – Dana Swicord, KJ4GWB
dswicord@bellsouth.net
Treasurer – Bobby Cooper, N4KXL
n4kxl@arrl.net
Newsletter Editor – Buddy Peeples, WD4CJI
wd4cji@arrl.net
Webmaster – Lowell Rieger, NY4D
NY4D@arrl.net
Public Information Officer – Virgil Castleberry, KJ4ZNK
vcastle61@gmail.com
By Laws
For club by-laws, click here. Will open in a new window.
The current membership roster can be downloaded by clicking here. It is part of the master spreadsheet, which also contains frequency lists and other club data.
