Welcome to the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club – W9MQB

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.


TRI-COUNTY NEWS AND UPDATES

  • May 2023 TCARC Club Meeting
    The next meeting for the TCARC will be Tuesday, May 9th, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the upstairs meeting room at the Dwight Foster Public Library, located at 209 Merchants Avenue in Fort Atkinson (map and directions). For those of you who can’t make the meeting in person,…
  • ORC 43rd Annual Spring Indoor Swapfest
    The Ozaukee Radio Club will hold their 43rd annual SwapFest on Saturday. May 6th at the Columbia St. Mary’s Center, located within the Ozaukee County Fairgrounds in Cedarburg, WI. The Center, at at W67N890 Washington Ave., is about a mile south of Hwy 60 and Washington Avenue,…
  • April 2023 Club Meeting and SwapFest Review
    The next meeting for the TCARC will be Tuesday, April 11, 2023 at 6:30 pm in the upstairs meeting room at the Dwight Foster Public Library, located at 209 Merchants Avenue in Fort Atkinson (map and directions). For those of you who can’t make the meeting in person,…
  • Madison Area Repeater Association ham fest
    The Madison Area Repeater Association will be hosting its annual HamFest on Saturday April 15th in Stoughton, WI at the Mandt CommunityCenter. Event details, general admission tickets and vendorregistration may be found on the club’s web site… https://w9hsy.org/hamfest-2023/ Have information about another area Fest? Forward it to…
  • It’s finally here! HamFest 2023 is tomorrow!
    After sludging our way through a Midwestern winter, an dreaming of better SWR days to come, even the sturdiest Ham will need some encouragement and fun… and the Tri-County Ham Fest starts tomorrow to give you just that! We’re selling out the last tables online right now,…
  • March 2023 Club Meeting and Final SwapFest planning
    The next TCARC meeting will be Tuesday, March 14, 2023 in the upstairs meeting Room at the Dwight Foster Public Library, located at 209 Merchants Avenue in Fort Atkinson (map and directions). Our meeting will start at 6:30 PM and should run through 8:00 PM. Our primary topic…
  • HamFest 2023 update: tables are going quickly, reserve now!
    We are excited to announce that we’ve just crossed the halfway point with vendor table reservations, so if you’re considering bringing in your collection of ham finds that you’re hoping to pass along to a new home, it’s time to get moving! Use our online reservation and…
  • Skip the Ticket line at HamFest 2023
    Remember the loooong lines last year to purchase Fest tickets? Skip right to the front this year by ordering your tickets online. After last year’s record turnout, we’ve worked on improving our day-of-Fest traffic flow, but you can skip the line and get right into the Fest…
  • February 2023 Club Meeting
    The next meeting for the TCARC will be Valentines Day Tuesday 2/14/2023 at 6:30 pm in the upstairs meeting room at the Dwight Foster Public Library, located at 209 Merchants Avenue in Fort Atkinson (map and directions). For those of you who can’t make the meeting in person,…
  • January 2023 Meeting
    Greetings to all and Happy New Year.  The next meeting will this coming Tuesday 1/10/2023 at 6:30PM. See you on Tuesday!

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. 2023 dates include: Jan 10, Feb 14, Mar 14, Apr 11, May 9, Sep 12, Oct 10, Nov 14, and Dec 12.

Due to Covid restrictions, we’ve movced 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 may also hold meetings on the W9MQB repeater and via Zoom. Check in and join into the fun!

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

The public is always welcome. Yearly dues are $10 per person or $15 per family. Download a membership form or pay online here.


HAMFEST 2024 IS COMING – MARCH 17, 2024

TCARC sponsors an annual spring swap meet for amateur operators, computer enthusiasts, and the resourceful public at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds in Jefferson, Wisconsin. The Swapfest is an area tradition, bringing people from Illinois, Central, and South-Eastern Wisconsin. Join us for Ham Fest 2024 on Sunday, March 17, 2024, from 8 AM through Noon.