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

  • Constitutional Changes
    At our last Club meeting, we tackled some long-overdue updates to the TCARC Constitution and By-Laws, which were last changed in April of 1985. The dawn of 1985 opened in the era before email, websites, packet, APRS, AREDN, National Incident Management System (NIMS), ICS-213, heck, even before…
  • Congratulations, Denny!
    We would like to congratulate Denny (K9LGU) for being the first person to renew his 2024 Tri-County Amateur Radio Club membership. Denny even sent his renewal to the new Club PO Box (PO Box 321, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538): great job, Denny! Now, thanks to his prompt…
  • October 2023 Club Meeting
    The next meeting for the TCARC will be Tuesday, October 10, 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…
  • Equipment available
    At last night’s meeting, our club treasurer, Bob (N9ATB) announced that we’ve been asked to help find new homes for some equipment. If you have any interest in the items below, either drop an email to TCARC@M9MQB.org or contact Bob directly. Here’s what was listed (with my…
  • September 2023 Club Meeting
    The next meeting for the TCARC will be Tuesday, September 12, 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…
  • Field Day 2023 Planning Meeting
    Got any plans for Tuesday evening, June 13, 2023? Of course, you do! Planning for Field Day! Join us for the Field Day Prep meeting at the Watertown Municipal Airport, 1741 River Drive, located, of course, in Watertown WI. Maps and directions are here. We’ll discuss the…
  • New Repeater Trustee
    Every amateur radio club is required to have a trustee for an FCC issued club license/call sign. The person designated the license/call sign trustee has ultimate responsibility for the proper operation and content of communication of the club station and repeaters. This club station license allows the…
  • 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,…

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.