We operate in south central Wisconsin to provide supplementary communications in times of emergency and to lend support to all Hams as they enjoy and develop the hobby.
Hams from Jefferson, Rock, and Walworth Counties volunteer their talents and equipment to serve other agencies and the public to provide reliable communications for local emergencies, assist the National Weather Service during times of severe weather, as well as the Tour de Fort Bicycle Ride, Jefferson County Literacy Council Bike Ride, and Great Midwest Relay Race.

TCARC maintains a VHF repeater on 145.49 MHz, negative offset, with a CTCSS tone of 123.0.

Want to talk with about about joining into one of the area events, or just have a question? Email us at TCARC (at) W9MQB (dot) org and we’ll get right back to you.

TRI-COUNTY NEWS AND UPDATES

• HamFest 2026 online ordering is now open!January 13, 2026
  Well, it appears that all of you in the ham community just can’t wait for Fest season to get started, at least based on the number of questions we’ve gotten about how soon we will have the Club online ordering site available for you to select your…
• HamFest 2026 is coming – Sunday, March 15thJanuary 8, 2026
  Yes, it’s time for this area favorite to return, and we’re excited about what we’ve got to offer! First off, we’re excited to report that we’re holding prices steady this year, with $8 advance admission tickets available online here. We expect an even larger turnout this year…
• January 2026 Club MeetingJanuary 5, 2026
  The next meeting for the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club will take place on Tuesday, January 13, 2025 at 6:30 pm in the Community Room (downstairs) at the Dwight Foster Public Library, located at 209 Merchants Avenue in Fort Atkinson (map and directions). For those of you who…
• Um… what’s a SwapFest?January 1, 2026
  Quick Links for this story: So, what is a SwapFest? You might be new to Amateur Radio, so let me introduce you to the idea of a SwapFest. Most are short, half-day events, but some national events (such as the Dayton HamVention) can last for several days.…
• Change in location for the March 1 MVARA SwapfestFebruary 22, 2025
  Due to a scheduling problem, the Mississippi Valley ARC (MVARA) Swapfest scheduled on Mar 1st, 2025 has been moved to a new location. The date is the same, only the location has changed: The Sparta American Legion, 1116 Angelo Road, Sparta, WI 54656. Admission is $5, with…
• Livonia (Michigan) Amateur Radio Club Swap FestFebruary 2, 2025
  The Livonia (Michigan) Amateur Radio Club (http://www.livoniaarc.com) is having our Swap & Shop on Saturday, February 22, 2025 from 8am till 12pm at Ward Church, Knox Hall, 40000 Six Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168. Our swap flier and more information can be found on their swap page:…
• HamFest 2025 is coming – Sunday, March 16!January 31, 2025
  Yes, it’s time for this area favorite to return, and we’re excited about what we’ve got to offer! First off, we’re excited to report that we’re holding prices steady this year, with $8 advance admission tickets available online here. We expect an even larger turnout this year…
• Technology IssuesJanuary 31, 2025
  As you may have noticed, we’ve had an issue with our website for the last week or two, related to an inability to renew our SSL certificate. We were finally able to identify the cause of the blockage, so our site should be back to normal. If…
• MARA 2025January 28, 2025
  The Madison Area Repeater Association 2025 Hamfest will take place on April26th, 2025, from 8 AM until noon. VE testing will start at 10 AM. Admission is $8 if purchased on the Club’s website and $10 per person at the door (cash only). Tables are $20 if…
• Lyons “FREE FEST”May 20, 2024
  Looking for something to do with all of that unused gear in your basement? Or hoping to add more? The Lyons (WI) Free Fest, sponsored by the Lakes Area Radio Club (WI9ELK) and the Lakeshore Repeater Association (KR9RK), will take place on Saturday, June 8th, from 6…

NETS

The “Frequency of Knowledge” Net is held every Monday evening at 8:00pm. This net is open to all amateur operators. 

On Wednesday evenings the Jefferson County ARES/RACES Net is held at 8:00pm. All amateur operators are encouraged to participate in this net.

2 Meter AM gatherings at 8:00PM on most evenings – except on Fridays. If you have either new equipment or vintage equipment capable of AM look for us on 144.144Mhz around 8:00PM.

Club Meetings On The Air

Club meetings are held monthly (except June, July, August) on the second Tuesday of the month. 2024 dates include: Jan 16, Feb 13, Mar 13, Apr 9, May 14, (June 22-23, Field Day) Sep 10, Oct 8, Nov 12, and Dec 10. Our June “meeting” will be our Field Day activities on June 22nd and 23rd at the Watertown Airport.

Due to Covid restrictions, in 2020, we moved our meetings from the Fort Atkinson Police Department to the the Dwight Foster Public Library, 209 Merchants Ave, in Fort Atkinson at 6:30 p.m. We offer an online option for those of you who can’t make our meetings in person, via Zoom or Jitsi. Check the posts above for the meeting for the next meeting, or join or mailing list to have the details sent to you each month. Check in and join into the fun!

Check the News Feed above for updates if our in-person meetings are cancelled.

You are always welcome to join in! Yearly dues are $10 per person or $15 per family. Download a membership form or pay online here.

Want to keep up with all of the fun? Join out monthly mail list.

Keep up with the fun!

Sign up for our monthly mail list! Don’t worry about getting a bunch of junk: typically, we send around 3 messages a month. We send out a reminder about our monthly meeting a week before and a day before, and will pass along other news of interest about once a month. Want to leave the list? Each message has a link to allow you to unsubscribe whenever you wish.

Get started here: