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The Villages Amateur Radio Club
For over 30 years, The Villages Amateur Radio Club has been a part of The Villages Lifestyle.

An advantage of a large club, with members from all over the country and world, is activity in all aspects of Amateur Radio: Emergency Communications through our ECT Team, Contesting, Digital, Mesh, HF DX, and a weekly 2m ragchew net.

The club operates three repeaters. The club supports the police, fire and public events in our community. We reach out to the public each year with emergency drills, demonstrate portable HF stations on our town square, and hold amateur radio classes. Like most clubs we participate in Field Day, technology expositions and youth events. The easiest way to get involved is to sign up to help with an event. You'll meet other members interested in the same event. You can also contact one of the coordinators of an area you are interested in to find out more and how to help.

Getting Involved


First - Join The Reflector Mailing List

Be sure to join the club mailing list 'Reflector.' This is how the club contacts you via email. Other club members can also contact each other for ham-radio related questions. You'll see emails about items for sale or swap, or sometimes ham radio items just needing a new home. It is also a place you can put a question out about something you would like to get an answer or recommendation on. To sign up, Click HERE. Contact K2DM George Briggs if you have questions.

Two things to keep in mind about the reflector:

  • The mailing list does not send you a copy.
  • You must send to the mailing list address from the address where you receive your messages, otherwise it does not forward your email.


Club Events

We're an active club - our regularly scheduled events include the following:

We usually open up participation spots 30-60 days ahead of each event, and put something out on the reflector email (another important reason to get signed up for that!) to let members know it is available to sign up.

In addition to our regularly scheduled events listed above, we have other club activities including things like a trip to see the new, state of the art printing facility for The Villages Daily Sun, likely to be the last new newspaper printing installation in the country, A POTA activation with about two dozen members participated in. Those are usually announced at the meetings.


Contesting

K2PS Pete Stafford is our DX/POTA/WAS score keeper, reach out to him if you're interested in getting involved in reporting contesting or DX operating scores. If you haven't done any participated in these kinds of events, there are several good presentations under the Operating tab if you want to get started.


Emergency Communications

If you are more public-service minded, and want to give back to the community, the TVARC Emergency Communications Team assists the local CERT group and Wildwood in case communications are impacted.

Last year, ECT members participated in a Sumter County Comms event in February, the ARRL Simulated Emergency Test in April, cross trained with CERT of The Villages, and supported Sumter ARES with the Hearts for Hospitals Bicycle Challenge. The ECT backs up Wildwood Police, CERT, RACES, ARES, and of course, Skywarn. W4GOR George Rutkoskie is the coordinator if you have questions.


Classes and Testing

We start each year with a General class that kicks off early in January, and depending on interest may offer an Amateur Extra class after that, with the Technician class (first level license) each fall.

Each class closes with a review, where even if you have not been in the class, you are welcome to attend, and the FCC test (all levels), is offered the week after that. Of course, all are welcome for the test. If you have an interest in teaching, or assisting with teaching a module, or general instruction questions, contact KQ4ZOA Kym Lenkus. She is our instruction coordinator.


FCC License Testing

If you have a question about testing or are interested in assisting with testing, contact WB2ART Ken Kaplan as he can help with that aspect.


Website

If you are having trouble with the website or have a recommendation or an idea, reach out to the K4VRC webmaster KD8WAA Steve Walbrun.


General Questions

General questions about TVARC can be sent to tvarc.info@gmail.com

All Coordinators:

Click on the coordinator to send a message.