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EVARC Upcoming Events/Announcements
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Next meeting of the Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio ClubDate: Saturday,
October 10, 2026 Enter the North doors at the main entrance and follow the signs to
the 5/6th grade class rooms The September 12 meeting minutes are available Visitors and guests are always welcome to the meeting. |
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Test SessionNext test session: November 21, 2026 Location: Northeast Nebraska Hamfest (KC Hall) 8:30 AM |
Northeast Nebraska Hamfest - November 21, 2026Mark your calendars for the next Northeast Nebraska Hamfest, Saturday, November 21, 2026. Doors open at 8:30 AM. Flea Market Flier: Hamfest_Flier Tables Reservaction Form:
Table Reservation For more information contact Aaron, KT0Q Hope to see you in November! |
Pass The Bill - Have You Sent Your Letter Yet?
AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ACT Bipartin Bills - The ARRL grassroots campaign is aimed at securing the passage of federal legislation that would grant Amateur Radio Operators trhe same rights to install antennas on their property as those enjoyed by users of TV antennas, wireless internet, and flagpoles. This campaign follows the reintroduction of the Amateur Radio Emergence Preparedness Act in February 2025. House of Representative bill H.R. 1094 and Senate bill S.459 are designed to prevent restrictive homeowners association (HOA) rules that currently prohibit or severely limit the installation of amateur radio antennas, even when such antennas are hidden in trees, places in attics, mounted on vehicles or look like flagpoles. You can support this by sending a letter to your Representative and Senator. A few clicks at https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/ will send a letter. You can also donate to help pass the bill. For more information see https://www.arrl.org/current-legislation. [Editor Note: None of the Nebraska Representatives or Senators are co-sponsering these bills] |
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Other Information
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Special Operating Events
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Test Sessions within 200 miles of
Norfolk, NE
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09/22/2026 - Sheldon, IA 51201 Sponsor: NIARC
Date: Sep 22 2026
Time: 6:00 PM (No Walk-ins / Register or Call ahead)
Contact: Delmar E. Spronk
(712) 348-0804
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Northwest Iowa Comm college (NCC)
603 W Park St
Bldg C Rm 305
Sheldon IA 51201-1060
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09/26/2026 - Sioux City IA 51106 Sponsor: Sooland Amt Radio Association
Date: Sep 26 2026
Time: 1:00 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
Contact: Timothy T. Jarman
(712) 223-4033
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Morningside Luthern Church
700 South Martha St
Southwest Entrance
Sioux City IA 51106
Website: https://www.facebook.com/groups/591123127614974
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10/01/2026 - Lincoln NE 68506 Sponsor: Lincoln ARC
Date: Oct 01, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
Contact: Christopher W. Evens
(402) 613-3484
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: College View SDA Church
4801 Prescott Ave
Heartland Hall B
Enter E Ent #1 Handicap main
Lincoln NE 68506-5428
Website: https://k0kkv.org/get-your-license/
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10/10/2026 - Boone, IA 50036 Sponsor: Boone Amateur Radio Klub
Date: Oct 10 2026
Time: 9:00 AM (Walk-ins allowed)
Contact: Steven C. Huffman
(515) 230-0459
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Boone Pioneer Senior Center
1112 Story St
Boone IA 50036-2222
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10/13/2026 - Sioux Falls, SD 567104 Sponsor: Sioux Empire ARC
Date: Oct 13 2026
Time: 7:00 PM (No Walk-ins / Register or Call ahead)
Contact: Willis L. Gravning
(605) 961-8466
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Minnehaha County Emergency Mngt Bldg
608 N Sigler Ave
Sioux Falls SD 57104
Website: https://w0zwy.org/
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10/17/2026 - Kearney NE 68847 Sponsor: Midway ARC
Date: Oct 17 2026
Time: 8:00 AM (No Walk-ins / Register or Call ahead)
Contact: Michael J. Osterberg
(308) 293-0636
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Buffalo County EOC
1512 Central Ave
Kearney NE 68847-6020
Website: https://w0ky.org/
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10/20/2026 - Hastings NE 68901 Sponsor: Amateur Radio Assoc. of Nebraska
Date: Oct 20 2026
Time: 6:00 PM (Walk-ins allowed)
Contact: Allen D. Harpham
(402) 469-4550
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Adams County EOC Building
2965 S Baltimore
Hastings NE 68901
Website: https://www.w0wwv.org/cms/
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10/27/2026 - Sheldon IA 51201 Sponsor: NIARC
Date: Oct 27 2026
Time: 6:00 PM (No Walk-ins / Register or Call ahead)
Contact: Delmar E. Spronk
(712) 348-0804
Email: [email protected]
VEC: ARRL/VEC
Location: Northwest Iowa Comm college (NCC)
603 W Park St
Bldg C Rm 305
Sheldon IA 51201-1060
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For more testing locations see the ARRL Testing Web page and the W5YI-VEC page Interested in an Online Exams Session? See the Online Exam Session web page -... -.- |
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Hamfests/Conventions/Conferences
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As of: 09/19/2026 |
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09/26/2026 - Sioux City Hamfest Start Date: 09/26/2026
End Date: 09/26/2026
Location: Morningside Lutheran Church (lower gym)
700 So. Martha St.
Sioux City, IA 51101
Website: http://sc97net.net/SARA.html
Sponsor: Sooland Amateur Radio Association
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.970 tone: 110.9
Public Contact: TIM JARMAN , K0UX
1420 Hiawatha Trail
Sioux City, IA 51104
Phone: 712-223-4033
Email: [email protected]
Flier: Sioux City Flier
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10/09/2026 - Spark-Con 2026, ARRL Midwest Division Convention, Sedalia, MO 65301 Start Date: 10/09/2026
End Date: 10/10/2026
Location: Missouri State Fairgrounds (Mathewson Exhibition Center) & (Lowell Mohler Assembly Hall)
2503 W. 16th Street, Sedalia, Missouri 65301
Sedalia, MO 65301
Website: https://spark-con.org/
Sponsor: Sedalia Pettis Amateur Radio Klub
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 147.030 - (179.9) repeater
Public Contact: Bret Kuhns , WØVK
1880 Quisenberry Rd.
Sedalia, MO 65301
Phone: 660-281-6506
Email: [email protected]
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10/10/2026 - North Star Radio Convention, ARRL Dakota Division Convention Start Date: 10/10/2026
End Date: 10/10/2026
Location: Hennepin Technical College
9000 Brooklyn Blvd.
Brooklyn Park, MN
Website: http://northstarradio.org
Sponsor: Minnesota Amateur Radio Consortium
Type: ARRL Convention
Talk-In: 146.76 114.8 tone
Public Contact: Dale Henninger , W0DHZ
8579 Brewster Ave
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55076-3518
Phone: 612-747-7587
Email: [email protected]
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10/17/2026 - 3900 Club Hamboree, Boone IA 50249 Start Date: 10/17/2026
End Date: 10/17/2026
Location: Boone County Fairgrounds Commercial Exhibit Bldg
1601 Industrial Park Road
Boone, IA 50036
Website: http://3900club.org
Sponsor: 3900 Club
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.85 tone 114.8
Public Contact: Clayton Conard , W0FS
612 Teneyck Ave.
Stratford, IA 50249
Phone: 515-838-2285
Email: [email protected]
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11/21/2026 - Northeast Nebraska Hamfest, Norfolk, NE 68701 Start Date: 11/21/2026
End Date: 11/21/2026
Location: CHC Hall
105 West Elm Avenue
Norfolk, NE 68701
Website: https://www.qsl.net/evarc
Sponsor: Elkhorn Valley Amateur Radio Club
Type: ARRL Hamfest
Talk-In: 146.73 (-) 131.8
Public Contact: Aaron Mathis , KT0Q
84282 566th Ave.
Stanton, NE 68779
Phone: 802-989-9246
Email: mailto:[email protected]
Map: site location
Flier: Hamfest Flier
Table: Table Reservation
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For a complete listing of Hamfests go to the ARRL Hamfest Search page -... -.- |
News From the ARRL Letters |
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Notable Events on the Timeline of Amateur Radio Disaster Communications
1913 - Hams provided emergency communications during Midwest storms and floods with spark-gap transmitters and crystal receiver sets, as vacuum tubes wouldn't emerge until after World War I. 1916 - A national traffic relay system was organized to provide relay of messages cross-country, and 9XE in Illinois originated a message that was received in California in 55 minutes and on the East Coast an hour after that. 1920s - A motor provided emergency power to the plates of newly invented vacuum tubes in a station of an "RM" - a "Radio Man" - during a Mississippi flood. 1925 - Amateur radio provided the only communications (5 watts CW) during the failed rescue attempt of caver Floyd Collins. 1926 - The cover of the May issue of QST featured a drawing of a railroad engineer holding an ARRL radiogram with the caption reading "Amateurs Give Emergency Service for Railroads When Wires Are Down." 1933 - Radio amateurs at W6BYF provided disaster communications for the Long Beach, California earthquake. Although his house was demolished, famous ham Don Wallace, W6AM, operated a portable station through his surviving extensive antenna farm with the help of the Navy in supporting the relief effort. 1935 - Predecessors to ARES established. ARRL had a vision of them in 1917. 1936 - The catastrophic floods of the northeast (from Maine through to the Ohio River valley) wrecked the ARRL HQ station in Hartford (along the Connecticut River), with amateur radio again providing support. Famous VHF pioneer and ARRL HQ staffer Ed Tilton, W1HDQ, and his wife provided communications. 1937 - Dr. Joseph Vancheri, W8BWH, was a key relief communications asset, arranging for aid to refugees from the Johnstown floods. Late 1930s - Commercial emergency amateur radio gear appeared and was advertised: an example was the battery-powered 50-S transmitter from Harvey Radio Laboratories of Brookline, Massachusetts. 1948 - Flooding of Vanport, Washington, after the rupture of a Columbia River dike prompted an Amateur Radio Emergency Corps (AREC) response under EC W7DIS, with amateurs using handheld radios (walkie-talkies). 1957 - RACES was involved in providing communications support during the Malibu-Topanga Canyon (California) fires. Deputy Chief Radio Officer W6QJW operated under RACES tactical call sign CPT19 and controlled a net on 3995 kHz. The Gonset Communicator was an iconic Cold War/Civil Defense portable transceiver. 1964 - The Great Alaskan Earthquake hit Anchorage, drawing a massive amateur response in handling emergency and health-and-welfare traffic. It was the most powerful earthquake in North American history, and the second most powerful in recorded history of the world. There was sweeping destruction in the city and the region. George Hart, W1NJM, wrote about the amateur response in the July 1964 issue of QST: 314 Alaskan amateurs supported the disaster relief effort, with 1200 more from around the rest of the country actively supporting them. "KL7DVY reports he operated 20 hours on two meters, relaying messages from the Alaska Native Hospital to c.d. headquarters in Anchorage." See the August 2014 issue of QST, Public Service column, "Alaska Shield 2014." 1979 - Hurricanes Frederic and David wrought destruction on the Gulf Coast and East Coast, respectively. Amateur radio support of relief efforts was in evidence in both cases. That brings us up to the modern era and the emergence of the contemporary emergency management model. In the eighties, Hurricanes Gilbert (1988) and Hugo (1989), and the spate of four hurricanes in 2004 affected Florida extensively. Hurricane Andrew (1992) also wreaked incredible devastation in that state. Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012) were game-changers for emergency management thinking and policy. Amateur radio was extensively involved in all cases. And, of course, amateur radio was involved in the colossal relief effort in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. [Much of the above was culled from a presentation given at the ARRL Pacificon convention in San Ramon, California, 2010, by Bart Lee, K6VK, ARRL State Government Liaison, and ARRL Volunteer Counsel; Historian and Archivist, California Historical Radio Society, and lecturer, Antique Wireless Society. For more reading, check out the chapter on “Emergencies” in Clinton B. DeSoto’s classic 1936 tome Two Hundred Meters and Down—The Story of Amateur Radio. --K1CE] -... -.- |
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Get Ready for Jamboree on the Air
For Mancuso, it has meant getting a special event call sign — K6S — and setting up a public demonstration station on October 17 for scouts from throughout the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council. The council serves 10,000 youth across Monterey, San Benito, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties in California. “We'll have approximately seven licensed operators of varying license classes (Technician through Extra) on hand, running HF, VHF, and UHF simultaneously, all signing K6S,” explains Mancuso. “Scouts will be hands-on at the mic and keyboard the whole time — this is their event, not just something they're watching … We'll be active on HF SSB and FT8, with packet possible as well.” Planned HF SSB frequencies are 7.090, 14.290, 18.140, and 28.990 MHz, but Mancuso noted that “We'll also be posting our actual live frequencies on Spotted Hams as the day goes, since real-world band conditions may shift our plan a bit.” More information on setting up a JOTA/JOTI operation may be found at www.jotajoti.info. ARRL has resources to assist volunteers who are working with scouts, including a flyer promoting Radio Communications for Scouts (PDF) and the ARRL Radio and Wireless Technology Patch Program. For additional ideas, visit www.arrl.org/amateur-radio-and-scouting. -... -.- | |
NTS: A Mystery Hiding in Plain Sight
I serve as the Missouri Section Traffic Manager and was recently appointed as an District Emergency Coordinator as well. As part of that ARES appointment, ARRL provided 24 “helpful links” to assist me in carrying out my new responsibilities. Five of those recommendations specifically addressed NTS and traffic handling. That should get our attention. ARRL identifies seven specific responsibilities for a District Emergency Coordinator, two of which are directly tied to NTS:
Notice the wording: “fully conversant.” The expectation isn't simply that an ARES leader knows NTS exists. The expectation is that the leader understands how NTS operates, how traffic is routed, and how NTS directly supports ARES during an emergency. ARRL’s ARES Plan, dated July 2025, reinforces this connection. ARES is chartered to provide emergency communications support, and that mission includes the transmission of third-party traffic for the agencies and communities we serve. Third-party traffic is, quite simply, the bread and butter of NTS. That connection becomes particularly important during a major disaster as ARES teams often face large numbers of health-and-welfare messages, quickly making the workload overwhelming. That's where NTS comes in. Many of the country's most experienced traffic handlers are current or former ARES leaders. That shared experience provides a seamless transition between ARES operations and the NTS network when a crisis occurs. Perhaps the biggest misconception is that NTS exists as a separate organization with a dissimilar mission to ARES. NTS exists primarily to support ARES. The NTS Manual makes that commitment clear in its discussion of disaster operations:
That is a powerful statement. The two systems directly complement each other. So perhaps the real mystery is why so many ARES members don't know that NTS and ARES are so closely connected. The partnership has been there all along. It has simply been hiding in plain sight. — Don Rogers, KDØPYG, ARRL Missouri Section Traffic Manager -... -.- | |
In Brief...The ARRL Solar Report September 18, 2026
The Australian Space Weather Forecasting Centre reports that there are currently three numbered sunspot regions on the solar disk, and that all three are stable. No flares are expected over the next several days. The global HF propagation forecast for middle latitudes is normal to fair today, followed by normal propagation in the days that follow. Weekly Commentary on the Sun, the Magnetosphere, and the Earth's Ionosphere, September 17, 2026, by F. K. Janda, OK1HH: On the solar disc, we observe not only a small number of sunspot groups. These groups are also relatively small and their magnetic structure is fairly simple. As a result, eruptive activity - including coronal mass ejections - is low. Although these phenomena do occur from time to time, they have had no impact on Earth recently. It is mainly the streams of high-speed solar wind that, upon entering the Earth's atmosphere, cause an increase in geomagnetic activity and can therefore be predicted more accurately. An increase in solar activity is not expected in the foreseeable future. The current slightly higher geomagnetic activity should be followed by a period of calm. The next period of higher geomagnetic activity is not expected until around the equinox; during that time, conditions for shortwave propagation through the ionosphere should be above average, although - due to low solar activity - this will not apply to the shortest shortwave bands. The latest report from Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdaQau3mlnk The Predicted Planetary A Index for September 18 to September 23 is 10, 5, 5, 5, 4, and 4 with a mean of 5.5. The Predicted Planetary K Index is 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, and 2 with a mean of 2.2. 10.7 centimeter flux is 90, 90, 95, 100, 110, and 105 with a mean of 98.3. For more information concerning shortwave radio propagation, see http://www.arrl.org/propagation and the ARRL Technical Information Service web page at, http://arrl.org/propagation-of-rf-signals. For an explanation of numbers used in this bulletin, see http://arrl.org/the-sun-the-earth-the-ionosphere . Information and tutorials on propagation can be found at, http://k9la.us/ . Also, check this: Other Items
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Education and Training
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CLOSING ITEMSThe EVARC weekly net meets every Monday evening at 7:30 PM on the club 2 meter repeater (146.73 - ). Check-in to the net to hear an update on activities of other club members, announcements of local interest, and any late breaking information. Everyone is welcome to check in. The DMR net meets every Thursday evening at 8:00 PM on the club DMR repeater (446.200 +) Nebraska Talk Group 3131 . Check-in for general discussion and a weekly trivia question. Want to try your hand as Net Control? Contact Andy, KF0CSI. ... -.- |
The purpose of this
newsletter is to provide information to local hams with items of interest.
It is compiled from local, regional, and national sources. Created by Monty Wilson, NRØA.
Contact the Webmaster with
comments or questions..
The
annual Route 66 On the Air Special Event will take place September
10 - 18, 2022. The purpose of the event is to commemorate the
history of the "Mother Road" connecting the east and west United
States. Now in its 23rd year, the Northern Arizona DX Association (NADXA)
started the event, which is now coordinated by the Citrus Belt
Amateur Radio Club (CBARC) in San Bernardino, California.
There will be 21 stations with 1x1 call signs on the air from
Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, all with consecutive
calls starting with W6. NADXA will operate three of the 21 stations,
including W6G (Flagstaff, Arizona), and W6S (Arizona Rover 1).
They'll set up at various spots along Route 66 east of Flagstaff,
and W6T (Arizona Rover 2) will be set up in Bellemont. Later in the
week, the event will be moved to Parks, on old Route 66, west of
Flagstaff. For more information on participating stations,
certificates and decals, and the Route 66 On the Air Special Event,
visit the 
1906 - Radio amateur Barney Osborne, later W6US, provides
emergency traffic handling during the San Francisco Earthquake and
fire, according to family lore. 
“We've got scouts, we've got a special event call sign, and we'd love
as many hams as possible — near and far — to come find us on the air.”
That’s how Sal Mancuso, W6SAL, is promoting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA)
2026 on behalf of the Silicon Valley Monterey Bay Council of Scouting
America (formerly Boy Scouts of America). JOTA is an annual worldwide
event, on the air and on the internet (as JOTI), with the goal of
promoting friendship and global citizenship via amateur radio and the
internet. This year’s event will be held from October 16-18, and now is
a good time for radio clubs and individual hams to reach out to local
scout units to set up JOTA experiences. 
Read almost any ARES® (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) document
from the past several years and you’ll find references to the
National Traffic System (NTS) and its partnership with ARES. Yet,
for many ARES members, and even some leaders, NTS remains a mystery,
but it is a mystery hiding in plain sight. 
Solar
flare activity is expected to remain at very low levels, with a chance
for isolated C-class flares through September 19, according to NOAA's
Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC). Solar wind speed was steady near
530 km/s, and negative polarity CH HSS (coronal hole high-speed stream)
effects are anticipated to persist through September 18, with additional
enhancements likely today due to flanking influences from CMEs (coronal
mass ejections) that departed the Sun on September 13 and 14.
Geomagnetic activity is expected to reach active to G1 (minor) storm
levels today due to combined CH and CME influences. Unsettled to active
conditions are likely on September 18-19 as enhancements wane. 