Welcome to the Frederick Amateur Radio Club!

Please join us on Monday June 15^th at 7pm, where the topic of discussion will be: Field Day! Field Day! Field Day! That’s right – it’s the other most wonderful time of the year. So far, the firm decisions concerning Field Day 2026 are:

• It’ll be held at Remsberg Park, at 7408 Holter Rd in Middletown.

At the meeting, we’ll discuss the quantity of stations, the layout, who will bring what, etc. I’ve replicated the shared spreadsheet from last year as a starting point. If you were an editor last year, you’re an editor this year. I would be happy to give anyone editor access – just send me a note. The link to view only is here: FARC Field Day 2026

Please join the conversation on Monday! We meet in the social hall of the Independent Hose (fire) Company, located at 310 Baughmans Lane in Frederick. Parking and hall entrance are in the rear of the building. We welcome anyone from the community who has even the slightest interest in radio communication. The social hour begins at 6pm, so come catch up with your radio family.

Meetings are always best in person, but sometimes that just isn’t possible. Second best is via Zoom, using this link: FARC Zoom 2026

Please have your call sign or name in your Zoom profile, so that we can distinguish you from a bot.

If you have any questions, send me a note using my call sign @arrl.net

73!
Mike K3MMM

Come help us find the missing foxes on Saturday May 30th at 8am.  This event will more closely resemble a search mission as compared to our normal foxhunt.  Helpful hint: it might be useful to have two handheld radios, particularly if one has AM/Air band. Come join the fun!

Hi all,

It’s time to start ramping up for the biennial Hike Across Maryland (HAM), which will be held on Saturday May 23^rd. The HAM is an adventure where ~80 hearty souls hike the 41-mile Maryland segment of the Appalachian Trail southward from Pen Mar Park on the Mason-Dixon line to Harpers Ferry, WV in a very long day. Our mission is to provide radio support for the hike organizers, operating from ten checkpoints plus one welfare-check location, all along the trail. We primarily pass requests for assistance, as well as listing of hikers that have passed through each of the checkpoints.

Couple more points (in no particular order):

• Hikers leave Pen Mar Park around 5:30am and the last will likely arrive in Harpers Ferry around 9pm.
• Checkpoints open and close based on previous HAM hiker data. For example, Pen Mar will open at 5:15am and likely close at 5:40. As the day (and hike) progresses, checkpoints open later but remain open longer.
• We go rain or shine, unless conditions are dangerous.
• The majority of the checkpoints are a VERY short walk from parking.
• The POGO Campground welfare check is located between two relatively distant checkpoints, and requires a ~two mile hike (each way) via the Thurston Griggs Trail. If you’re interested in this role, let me know in the comment section of the sign-up sheet.
• High Rock checkpoint is a couple hundred yards into the woods from parking, and Ensign Cowell checkpoint is maybe a half mile up the trail from parking. If you’d like either of these, let me know in the comment section of sign-up sheet.
• While most checkpoints require only a handheld radio, one or two require handheld with enhanced antenna, and one or two require mobile-type radio and large antenna. We have loaner equipment, so please don’t let lack of gear prevent you from volunteering.
• An amateur technician license or better is required.
• This is an excellent first-event for new hams – if you’ve participated in any of the radio nets, you have the skill-set for this event. If you’d prefer, we can pair you up with a more experienced operator.
• We plan to use a combination of voice and digital data modes (Winlink/FLDigi) to transmit hiker data – whatever works for the operator at a particular checkpoint.
• Our primary repeater will be the W3CWC 146.94 in Clear Spring.

If you can help support this event, please complete the sign-up form here: https://forms.gle/7Gq9dC6nRDLkyz4M7 On the form, there is a place to provide free-form comments, questions or other useful information.

If you have any questions about this event, please send me a note using my call sign @arrl.net

Thanks and 73!
Mike K3MMM