BCARC - Bonner County Amateur Radio Club

Thank you for visiting the site of one of the oldest amateur radio clubs in Northern Idaho. Your "All mode, all band" family club since 1961!

Looking for information on getting your amateur radio license? Check out the "New Ham" page.

Please check the Calendar page for club meetings and other events, hamfests, license exams.

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BCARC Meeting Presentations

It has been suggested that we have more presentations at our meetings. I can put together the presentations but need to know what topics the members want to see. Please let us know what would you like to see at the meetings?
May 14th - Preview of the amateur radio presentation that will be given at the June 13th Bonner County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) meeting.
June 11th - Video and discussion for Field Day.

Bonner County ARES/RACES

Next meeting for Bonner County ARES is Tuesday May 21st, 7:00 PM local time. A presentation will be given on Batteries, types of batteries, pros and cons of each type, proper storage and charging cycles.

More information about Bonner County ARES/RACES can be found on the "Bonner Co ARES" tab under the "Emergency" menu.

Field Day June 22-23

Field Day is just around the corner and we have yet to pick our spot. The ideal location should have enough room and trees to string a couple of dipole antennas for the HF bands. The location should also be big enough to park several cars and/or campers and allow use of generators over night.

The purpose of Field Day is to work as many stations as possible on all amateur bands HF through microwave except for the 60, 30, 17, and 12-meter HF bands. It was initially started as a time to "field" check your radio equipment to operate under emergency conditions. It is open to all licensed amateurs and runs for 24 hours starting at 1800 UTC (11:00am PDT) Saturday and running through 2059 UTC (1:59pm PDT) Sunday. Some groups are known to turn it into a club camp out. Many have BBQ (pot luck) dinners on Saturday for the group. It can be a lot of fun. Click here to find out more about Field Day.

Communications Trailer Project

BCARC has accepted the donation of a 21 ft camper trailer to be converted into a communications trailer. We will be equipting the trailer with HF/VHF/UHF radios and antennas. Looking for a few volunteers to help construction work on the trailer. Also looking for donations of equipment to put in the trailer.

Expanded Repeater Coverage

BCARC has joined with several other repeater owners to expanded radio coverage area by linking their systems!

• The BCARC club K7JEP repeater is located on Gold Hill south east of Sandpoint Idaho on the frequency 146.780 with a plus offset and no tone for stand alone use or use 100.0 hertz tone to access the linked system.
• The KD6PGS repeater is currently off the air in preparation to be moved from Gold Hill to it's new location on Hoodoo Mtn north east of Blanchard Idaho on the frequency 444.025 with a plus offset and tone will be determined when at new location. Waiting on snow to be gone and mud to dry out on the mountain.
• The KC7JLU repeater is located on Baldy Mtn west of Sandpoint Idaho on the frequency 145.490 with a minus offset and 107.2 hertz tone.
• The K7ZOX repeater is located in Spirit Lake Idaho on the frequency 442.000 with a plus offset and 111.9 hertz tone.
• The KF7TNA simplex base (repeater) is located in Spirit Lake Idaho on the frequency 147.580 with no offset and 107.2 hertz tone.

We wish to thank the individual repeater owners for their cooperation!. Coverage locations may change as new agreements are made with individual repeater owners.

County Wide Repeater Project

BCARC in cooperation with Bonner County ARES/RACES and the Bonner County Dept. Emergency Management is in the process of acquiring equipment and funds for a project to set up amateur radio equipment in Bonner County fire stations. Our goal is to build a county wide amateur communications system to support the communities throught Bonner County in a natural disaster or other emergency situation.

We are researching between 6 to 16 possible locations to place equipment. Looking for a few volunteers to help install equipment. We are also looking for donations of funds, VHF/UHF repeaters, VHF/UHF radios, VHF/UHF antennas and coax to be used on this project.

BCARC is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization registered with the state of Idaho and the IRS as a public charity. Part or all of your donation may be tax deductable. Please speak to a tax professional for details on donations.