For those of you who may be wandering on the other side of the pond this month, the Livonia (Michigan) Amateur Radio Club (http://www.livoniaarc.com) is having their Swap & Shop on Saturday, February 21, 2026 from 8am till 12pm at Ward Church, Knox Hall, 40000 Six Mile Road, Northville, MI 48168. A swap flier and more information can be found on their swap page at: https://livoniaarc.com/larc-annual-swap-and-shop/.
HamFest 2026 online ordering is now open!
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 tables and get you discounted tickets!
So, it is with great joy that we’d like to announce that the 2026 SwaoFest page is now open for business! 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 than the record-setting attendance last year, all due to the great mix of vendors who will be bringing lots of cool stuff!
Use our online registration tool to 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 with your electronic tickets.
For those of you who still want paper tickets, remember that we need to receive your order by Saturday, March 1st, to ensure that we can get your tickets back to you in time using the self-addressed stamped envelope you provide. Missed the deadline, or need to add an extra ticket at the last minute? Order tickets online and get them via email in mere seconds.
Hate the fuss of self-addressed stamped envelopes and the agony of having to wait forever to get your stuff back, but still want to order a table or tickets? Put the paper form down. Order it online. Check your email. Done. And, while there is a convenience fee on credit/debit cards to cover the PayPal charges, it’s still way cheaper than two envelopes and two stamps.
Every drive off and then realize what you need is still at home? With our electronic ticketing, that worry is a thing of the past. If you can bring up your email on your phone, you can use your iPhone or Android smartphone as your eTicket! We can scan right from the phone, so you don’t even need to print anything!
Got questions? Drop us an email at TCARC@W9MQB.org and a friendly Tri-County club member will get back to you as quickly as we can to help you.
Check out the ordering tool: it’s ready and waiting for you!
HamFest 2026 is coming – Sunday, March 15th
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 than the record-setting attendance last year, all due to the great mix of vendors who will be bringing lots of cool stuff!
Use our online registration tool to 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 with your electronic tickets.
For those of you who still want paper tickets, remember that we need to receive your order by Saturday, March 1st, to ensure that we can get your tickets back to you in time using the self-addressed stamped envelope you provide. Missed the deadline, or need to add an extra ticket at the last minute? Order tickets online and get them via email in mere seconds.
Hate the fuss of self-addressed stamped envelopes and the agony of having to wait forever to get your stuff back, but still want to order a table or tickets? Put the paper form down. Order it online. Check your email. Done. And, while there is a convenience fee on credit/debit cards to cover the PayPal charges, it’s still way cheaper than two envelopes and two stamps.
Every drive off and then realize what you need is still at home? With our electronic ticketing, that worry is a thing of the past. If you can bring up your email on your phone, you can use your iPhone or Android smartphone as your eTicket! We can scan right from the phone, so you don’t even need to print anything!
Got questions? Drop us an email at TCARC@W9MQB.org and a friendly Tri-County club member will get back to you as quickly as we can to help you.
See you on March 16th!
January 2026 Club Meeting
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 can’t make the meeting in person, we will meet online at https://meet.jit.si/W9MQB_ClubMeeting, or via telephone by dialing 512-647-1431 with PIN: 3562 3703 07#. If you’re viewing this on your phone, you can also simply tap this link: +1.512.647.1431,,3562370307# to join the call.
On the agenda this month (available for download here), we will talk about elections, plans for 2026 events, and the various ongoing projects active at the moment. Join in to help us plan the Club’s direction for 2026! If you can’t make the meeting, active members may submit nominations for officers by sending an email to TCARC@W9MQB.org that lists the member’s name and the office you’d like to nominate them for. Email nominations must be received by February 3rd at midnight to be included.
Minutes for the November 2025 meeting are available here, Please reply with any errors or omissions, or bring them along to the meeting.
See you next Tuesday!
Um… what’s a SwapFest?
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. Our Fest is one of the half-day-long variety, but we pack a lot into that day!
The biggest component of the event is the “swap” part. Early in the morning, about 100 tables are filled with the widest range of products. Some tables are manned by local dealers who can introduce you to the latest in digital communication tools. Others sell antennas that allow you to connect to everything from the friendly ham up the block, to satellites in orbit in space. There are vendors offers study guides which can help you take the next step in your radio journey. Others have high-quality used equipment to help you stretch your dollar. Others offer parts for the hobbyist, and controls to help run your smart home.
Then we have tables with the weirdest range of stuff you might find interested. Some have called it “Rummage-O-Rama with a power cord” and you’ll find stuff you just don’t get to see anywhere else. This is what you’ll often read about when a reporter stumbles through an event like this for their first time: “I bought a World War II tube radio!”
Headlines like this miss the more important parts. We’re sponsoring “Club Corner” again this year, a place to meet up with local ham clubs to learn more and have fun. Ham radio attracts people from all walks of life, because it provides tools to carry on when everything falls apart. We’ve all felt those helpless moments when power takes out the power and the cell phone. Ham radio gives you the power to communicate to get help, even at moments like that.
TCARC operates a local ham radio repeater, a radio network that allows you to use a very small, hand-held radio to communicate to other hams over a very wide area. In our case, we cover the bulk of three Wisconsin counties: Jefferson, Rock and Walworth. When you hear severe weather has been reported in our area, very often this information has been reported by volunteers communicating over a “weather net” on a repeater like ours.
SwapFests also fill one very important role: they help pay for the equipment we as a club use to make that possible. Under FCC rules, hams can’t get paid to do what we do. Fund-raising events like this provide a year-round benefit for our community. Linked with the hundreds of hours of time our members volunteer for community event, severe weather events, and other local emergencies, your attendance ticket empowers us to make these vitals services to our community possible.
How do I get tickets?
If you’d like to join into the fun, you can show up after 8 AM at the Jefferson County Fair Park, located at 503 N Jackson in Jefferson WI (maps and directions here) where tickets will be $10 per person. Kids 10 and under are free. If you’d like to save time waiting in line AND save 20%, you can order your tickets using our online ordering system or by clicking the ticket symbol at https://www.w9mqb.org/SwapFest/. The Fest is open until noon, but the best deals come early.
See you on March 17th!
Questions? Drop a comment below or send us an email at HamFest@W9MQB.org.
Change in location for the March 1 MVARA Swapfest
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 tables at $10. Talk-in is on the N9ETD repeater at 147.090+ (131.8 PL) or simplex on 146.460. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase from the American Legion. VE Testing will be available starting at 10 AM but a reservation is REQUIRED: contact Wayne, K0WLO at timberlan74@gmail.com or 608-317-8315 to reserve a time. To register for tables, or with any questions, contact Steve, W9DXE at sbeckers54656@yahoo.com.
Livonia (Michigan) Amateur Radio Club Swap Fest
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: https://livoniaarc.com/larc-annual-swap-and-shop/
HamFest 2025 is coming – Sunday, March 16!
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 than the record-setting attendance last year, all due to the great mix of vendors who will be bringing lots of cool stuff!
Use our online registration tool to 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 with your electronic tickets.
For those of you who still want paper tickets, remember that we need to receive your order by Saturday, March 1st, to insure that we can get your tickets back to you in time using the self-addressed stamped envelope you provide. Missed the deadline, or need to add an extra ticket at the last minute? Order tickets online and get them via email in mere seconds.
Hate the fuss of self-address stamped envelopes and the agony of having to wait forever to get your stuff back, but still want to order a table or tickets? Put the paper form down. Order it it online. Check your email. Done. And, while there is a convenience fee on credit/debit cards to cover the PayPal charges, it’s still way cheaper than two envelopes and two stamps.
Every drive off and forget your tickets at home? With our electronic ticketing, that worry is a thing of the past. If you can bring up your email on your phone, you can use your iPhone or Android smartphone as your eTicket! We can scan right from the phone, so you don’t even need to print anything!
One change this year is that we will not be running VE testing. We will be examining bringing back testing next year, but that isn’t an option this year. If you’re interested in testing to become an amateur radio operation or upgrade your existing license, drop by the TCARC Club table and we’ll have a list of other testing options in the area.
Got questions? Drop us an email at TCARC@W9MQB.org and a friendly Tri-County club member will get back to you as quickly as we can to help you.
See you on March 16th!
Technology Issues
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 you still encounter any messages about this page not being secure, you can reload the page to clear the message. If you still have problems, try clearing your browsing history. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, drop us a line at TCARC@W9MQB.org and we’ll see what we can do to help fix the problem for you.
MARA 2025
The Madison Area Repeater Association 2025 Hamfest will take place on April
26th, 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 purchased before March 31 and $25 afterward, with chairs at $5 each, and an admission ticket is required for each seller.
For more information, or a Fest flyer, visit www.w9hsy.org.