Welcome to the Frederick Amateur Radio Club!

Planning for Field Day 2025 is under way.  Field Day is a great opportunity to visit with members and understand other perspectives on how to operate out in the field. And we’ll be there for over 24 hours, hopefully fitting most schedules. Here are specifics thus far, in no particular order:

• Event active hours are Saturday June 28th at 2pm local until Sunday June 29th at 2pm local
• We generally begin setting up on Saturday morning around 8am
• We’ll be operating at Remsberg Park at 7408 Holter Rd Middletown MD
• We plan to operate exclusively with solar/battery power, foregoing commercial and generator power.  
• FARC field day is both about making contacts AND testing/experimenting with new equipment.  It’s a great opportunity to bring what you have, and we’ll help you get it on the air.  OR just bring yourself and we’ll have the rest.
• We’ll use the club call sign K3ERM
• We plan to operate as 4A our complete exchange will be K3ERM, 4A, MDC. Here is the exchange secret decode: K3ERM is our club call sign. 4 = max of four radios, and A means that we’re operating as a club from a non-permanent location.  MDC is our Amateur Radio Relay League (aka ARRL) “section” – we’re in the Maryland/District of Columbia section, hence MDC.  On the radio, we’ll say “This is Kilo Three Echo Romeo Mike, we’re Four Alpha, Mike Delta Charlie.”.  The far end will reply with their half of the exchange, for example, the Antietam Club would likely be “W3CWC, 4A, MDC”.
• The 160, 80, 40, 30, 20, 15, 10 and up are all authorized bands.
• There is a whole host of provisions that earn extra points – we hope to snag as many as possible.
• You can find the ARRL rules for 2025 here:  arrl field day 2025
• Feel free to bring food/drink to share.
• We use a shared spreadsheet for planning – use this link for access: 2025 Field Day.  It may require that I provide approval, but will do so for just about anyone.

ANYONE from the local community is welcome to stop by.  We’re happy to discuss all types of radios and how they may fit into your world.

Send me questions at using my calls sign @arrl.net.

Mike K3MMM

Field Day Field Day Field Day.  That’s the discussion for the June edition of the Frederick Amateur Radio Club meeting, scheduled for Monday June 16th at 7pm.  We meet in the social hall of the Independent Hose (fire) Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick.  Parking and entrance are in the rear of the building.  Many of us arrive around 6pm to get the room set up, providing a good opportunity to catch up, but also great opportunity to answer any specific technical questions.  Feel free to stop by.  We welcome anyone from the local community (licensed or not) to join us.

*** We will NOT (not!) be able to link via Zoom this month ***

I hope to see you there!
Mike K3MMM

Come one, come all to the May 2025 meeting of the Frederick Amateur Radio Club!  Our presentation this month is all about the Skywarn program, run in conjunction with the National Weather Service.  Leading the discussion is Jerry Stuckle AIØK, who is the amateur radio coordinator for the Baltimore/Washington NWS Office.

We will meet on Monday May 19th at 7pm in the social hall of the Independent Hose (fire) Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick.  Parking and entrance are at the rear of the building. We welcome ALL members of the greater community (licensed or not) to join us.  Many of us arrive around 6pm in order to get the room ready – it’s a great opportunity to get assistance on a particular issue or answers to questions. Feel free to drop in and chat.

While it’s best to join us in person, however if that simply isn’t possible, please join via Zoom using this link:  FARC Zoom 2025 Please put your name or call sign into your Zoom profile, so we know that you’re not a bot. Also please mute your mic during the meeting to avoid transmitting background noises in your vicinity.

Upcoming Events:

June 7: Tour de Frederick. We’ll need to staff ~6 rest stops and 10 SAG vehicles, plus net control. This is a great event that benefits kids in Frederick County. Freqently asked questions here: TdF FAQ and volunteer sign up link here: TdF Sign-up

June 28 & 29: Field Day at Remsberg Park in Middletown.  This is the biggest amateur radio event of the year, with operators participating from around the world. We’ll likely begin the setup process on Saturday morning, begin making contacts at 2pm, and operate continuously until Sunday at noon or so.

July: Parks on the Air Activation

August: Foxhunt

September 27 or October 4: Half HAM (half Hike Across Maryland). We support the Mountain Club of Maryland as folks hike the Appalachian Trail from PenMar Park in Cascade to Washington Monument near Boonsboro.

December 15: Club holiday party

Let me know if there are questions – my email is my call sign @arrl.net

73!
Mike K3MMM

What is Tour de Frederick (TdF)?

TdF is primarily a cycling fund-raiser that benefits the Boys & Girls Club of Frederick County as well as the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek.

Where is the Tour de Frederick?

TdF starts and ends at the Walkersville Volunteer Fire Company. There are four routes that cyclists can select, including 100 mile Century ride, 63 mile Metric Century, 31 mile Club and 10 mile Family ride. The routes all head north from Walkersville, with Century routing through the Gettysburg Military Park in southern Adams County.

What is the role of radio operators?

For TdF, we provide communications for the entire event. More specifically,

• Radio volunteers ride in Support and Gear (aka SAG) vehicles and communicate with net control regarding riders that may need assistance. Often the radio operator is the navigator, directing the vehicle driver. SAG vehicles support riders, either helping with basic mechanical issues (you do NOT need to be a bike mechanic), transporting riders with more significant issues, and assist in cleaning up directional signage and rest stop remnants.
• Radio volunteers staff the six rest stops along the routes. At rest stops, radio operators communicate needs and issues to the event staff via net control.
• Net Control is the heart of the operation. At net control, SAG vehicles are tracked and dispatched to assist riders, and provide the communication link for the whole event.

What equipment do I need in order to volunteer?

While you’re encouraged to use your own radio gear, we can generally equip you with whatever you may need. Many rest stops can reach the repeaters with only a hand-held radio, although an “enhanced” antenna is often beneficial. Operating in a SAG vehicle more often requires a 50 watt mobile radio with a magnetic mount antenna, but we have loaners as needed.

How long is the day?

Net Control will be on the air from ~6:30 until the last rider comes in, generally around 5pm. However, we can accommodate just about any schedule that you have. For example, the first rest stop is only open from 7 until 10am. We also have later in the day shifts.

What if I’m a new ham and know nothing?

This is the perfect event to get your feet wet! We can pair you up with an experienced operator in order to learn the process.