It is with a heavy heart…
That I must report the passing of Richie Shroff, W5OKL. Many of you knew Richie as a longtime club member, Green Country Hamfest committee member, and just an all around great ham friend. He edited the TARC newsletter and website for many years as well. He will be missed, and it’ll be hard to fill those shoes…. RIP Richie!
2025 was a tough year due to the loss of some great hams! As just mentioned, Richie W5OKL, followed Bob Buford, W5RAB, and Ron Lancaster, KB5VDB, last July.
Please take a moment to remember them and their contributions to the ham radio community here in Tulsa.
TARC Public Service Liaison Officer…
Bart Pickens, N5TWB, resigned from being the TARC Public Service Liaison Officer. We advertised for a replacement. Surprisingly, two club members wanted to serve in that position. So, I would now like to welcome as new Public Service Liaison Officers for 2026…
- Bobby Hunt, KJ5CLV, (rkerns007@gmail.com)
- Robert Kerns, KI5WDD, (tishel3201@yahoo.com)
I want to give special thanks and acknowledgment to Bart who has been in the Public Service Liaison position for the last several years.
Thank you, Bart, for a job well done.
And if you’re wondering…
The rest of the Tulsa Amateur Radio Club Officers are returning to their positions for 2026. TARC would not be the vibrant, growing and active club without them and I really appreciate what they do so well! Take a moment at the next meeting to thank them for their time and contributions.
President
Mark Adams, WA5MA
Second Vice President
Ky Vargus, KY5VAR
Treasurer
Jerry Weikel, KE5PMK
First Vice President
Jack Conway, W5JHC
Secretary
Andrew Shead, W5AWS
Repeater Trustee
Gregg Wonderly, W5GGW
| | Membership Committee
Jerry Weikel, KE5PMK |
| Club Historian
Andrew Shead, W5AWS |
| | Newsletter Editor
Andrew Shead, W5AWS |
| Webmaster
Jack Conway, W5JHC |
| | Public Service Liaison Robert Kerns, KI5WDD Bobby Hunt, KJ5CLV | | ARES Coordinator Tulsa County
Paul Teel, WB5ANX |
| | Repeater Maintenance
Paul Teel, WB5ANX David Kennedy, N5DMK |
| Quartermaster
Paul Young, KE5EHM |
And what happened in December???
The TARC Christmas Party was December 9th at the Golden Corral restaurant 71st and Mingo. We had just short of 50 that came and enjoyed some food and fun with their ham radio family. We gave away some great raffle prizes as well, just ask anyone that had their raffle ticket pulled and won something. Spouses have always been welcome, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen as many spouses at a TARC Christmas Party as I did this year. As we did at the party, I would like to recognize and thank them for their love and support of their ham spouse.
See you there again in December 2026.
Our next TARC Tech Night…
Is January 6th at 7:00 PM at TU. What’s on the agenda you ask?
It’s an open forum and more importantly we want to know what you want to see in 2026 at Tech Nights and the monthly club meetings. We’ve got some good things lined up like Ask the Experts, where we’ll have a panel of experts who can answer your ham-radio-related questions. More member spotlights, so you can see other club members mobile and home stations. How about a speaker from the National Weather Service or Skywarn. Maybe one of the local TV Meteorologists. Teaching sessions with topics such as Parks on the Air, Antenna design and build sessions, first aid for the ham operator, operating an HF station in a contest or special event and much more.
December was also the Sand Springs Christmas Parade and…
As you know for the last ten years or so we’ve offered our communication services and experience to help stage the parade floats. This year was no different, except that to deconflict their schedule the Chamber of Commerce moved the parade back a week to December 12th. It was a little chilly, but we still had twelve club members come out and help. Everything went really well, and we even had something new this year! See the note from the Sand Springs Chamber of Commerce below.
What was new at the parade you ask???
After last years’ parade was over, I asked our parade contact official if we could pull our TARC trailer in the 2025 parade. That was answered with an enthusiastic “YES”!
So, one of your new Public Service Liaison Officers, Bobby Hunt, KJ5CLV, volunteered to pull the trailer in the parade followed by Ky Vargas, KY5VAR, in his Ham-Vee.
Our other Public Service Liaison Officer, Robert Kerns KI5WDD was at the registration desk and did a great job announcing the floats as they entered the parade staging area.
Thank you everyone for a job well done.
The TARC Trailer Team has already been working…
On several projects inside and outside the trailer. The club has eight Trailer Team members and several that are able to tow the trailer from its new storage location to wherever it needs to be for an event. Having the trailer in its new location and completing some current projects means the trailer is available on very short notice if needed, and it’ll make operating inside the trailer more efficient and a more pleasurable experience. Having members available to tow the trailer means that it is always ready and available for set-up in a very short amount of time. Can you tow the trailer? Let us know, and we’ll put you to work. Thanks!
Still looking for a place to store some spares…
KY5VAR Ham-Vee Christmas Parade
Paul, WB5ANX, has said that when Bob, W5RAB, became a Silent Key the club inherited the repeaters that he maintained across the state. We are in the process of becoming responsible for more than thirty repeaters across twelve transmitter sites. Paul and David, N5DMK, have since July 2025 worked with the estate of W5RAB to take charge of his very large stock of spare equipment and parts, transferring them to temporary storage in Tulsa.
We need a permanent home for our repeater spares. Already we have drawn upon this stock of spares to repair failed modules at several repeater sites. Paul has asked that anyone who knows of or has a 20’ × 20’ air-conditioned storage space available or some other option at low-to-no cost―free is always good―to please make contact with us. We will be making a decision on one option of a used container, and we have a possible location to place it. We’ll be voting on this option at the next club meeting in January.
Remember the Repeater Challenge???
I can’t take credit for it. The Repeater Challenge came from the Ham Radio Workbench podcast. They had been talking about an issue that I’ve heard many times, and I’m sure every ham has heard it as well…nobody talks on the repeaters anymore.
In the fall of 2024 at a club meeting, I suggested to the members present that they take on the Repeater Challenge, and you know what…they accepted the challenge! It worked for a while with many club members and others in the coverage area of the Superlink System throwing out their callsign or answering the call of someone else.
There were some great conversations, and I pretty much heard someone every day, fulfilling their obligation to participate in the challenge.
Fast-forward a year and I think a reminder is in order! If you’re sitting at your desk paying bills, hanging out watching TV or even while driving in your car, turn on your radio and listen for someone to give their callsign or asking for a signal report. If you hear them, don’t wait! Call them back and start a conversation about the weather, where they are―if they’re within the Superlink coverage area they could be anywhere―ask them what radio and antenna they’re using. I would bet a dollar to a donut that for every ham that answers a call on their radio there’s another ten just listening.
I’ll make a suggestion or two now…if you are the one giving out your callsign, don’t just give one call and then turn off your radio! Give your call like this: “This is WA5MA, whiskey alpha 5 mike alpha in Tulsa.” Wait 30 seconds or so and then transmit the same message again because the person listening maybe has the volume down on his radio and didn’t catch your callsign but heard something. Could be they’re on their phone, and you turned off the radio before they could hang up and answer your call.
My second suggestion is take a radio with you when you leave your house. This is especially important during storm season or if you travel outside your cell phone coverage area, and there are a few areas that don’t have coverage. Even if you just have it in your car, it’s available when you need it. The Repeater Challenge! Let’s hear you on the air!!!
Can’t make the monthly meetings…
We’re streaming and recording video of the monthly meetings and showing them on Zoom for those unable to attend in person. If we have recorded the meeting, it will be on the W5IAS.com website in the Recent Posts on the Home page and on our Facebook page. If you’re interested in learning more please contact Jack, W5JHC, for info. Thanks, Jack!
Looking to give back to the community?…
Looking to have some fun playing radio and hanging out with other hams? You found the right place.
ARES is always in need of volunteers, but to participate you must complete a self-paced training course and get an Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps (OKMRC) badge that gives you access to the places where amateur radio operators can help with communications
during emergencies. OKMRC badges are FEMA-approved and therefore involve a
background check. ARES involves volunteer training, ARES nets, hospital nets, and Simulated Emergency Tests, but operating practice comes in the form of bike rides, Field Days and other events that you can participate in anytime.
Contact either Paul, WB5ANX, at paulteel@gmail.com, or Mark, WA5MA, at wa5ma.mark@gmail.com if you would like to learn more or sign up to be an ARES Volunteer.
If you’re already an ARES Volunteer…
You should be checking in to the ARES Net every Thursday at 8:00 PM on the designated repeater. We’re going to start doing some cool things on the Net and you need to be a part of it for training purposes, working equipment verification and communications protocols. Keep an eye out for upcoming comms checks by email, text, and over-the-air.
After we get through this busy time of year we’ll be offering Net Control Operator training classes and more in-person ARES training.
The Tulsa County ARES Net…
Uses the following frequencies:
➢ Weeks 1 – 3 on 145.170 (PL 88.5)
➢ Weeks 4 – 5 on the Superlink Repeater System 443.850 (PL88.5) in Tulsa. Check the https://w5ias.com/ website on the Repeater dropdown for system frequencies.
Here are the current club activities…
➢ Tech Night―1st Tuesday of each month. 7:00 PM at TU.
➢ Monthly meeting―3rd Tuesday of each month. 7:00 PM at TU.
Attend the meeting to support your club and club officers who do so very much for the club with activities, nets, events and keeping the club running smoothly.
We have 204 members, which means we need at least 41 members present at each meeting to form a quorum for voting.
➢ Weekly TARC Net on the Superlink System, Tuesdays at 8:00 PM
➢ CW Net, Mondays and Thursdays at 7:00 PM on 7.037 MHz +/- QRM
➢ NCO training, ARES training―TBD in 2025
We also have member spotlight…
Member Spotlight is now a part of our monthly meetings. Want to show and tell your station or your love for a particular part of ham radio? Contact Ky, KY5VAR, and let him know. He’ll get you scheduled.
At the October meeting we invited Ben WB5VST to come and show off his home and mobile stations. If you want to see an incredible, fully functional station, check it out through the link on our website or Facebook page.
KY5VAR also starting a show-us-your-shack presentation, so take some pictures and show us your ham shack.
Every month is a contest month…
Go to ARRL.com; click Contest Calendar; scroll to Contest Corral; click on the month you want to check. Try POTA or SOTA. Call CQ. Go to a local park, grab one of the club go boxes, throw up a wire and get on the air.
Prepare now! The weather will soon be good enough to get outside!
President clear and monitoring…
Be safe, Be a good friend, Get on the air!
Mark, WA5MA,
President―Tulsa Amateur Radio Club.