Club Info/Activities

The ARROW Communications Association, the oldest amateur radio ("ham") club in Ann Arbor, is dedicated to the promotion of amateur radio in Washtenaw County as well as the world. ARROW is a Michigan non-profit membership-based corporation tax exempt under section 501(c)3 of the Federal Tax Code, managed by an elected Board of Directors under its corporate bylaws.

Repeaters

The ARROW operates 3 FM voice repeaters on 146.96(- / PL100) Mhz, 224.38(-) Mhz, and 443.50(+ / PL 100)Mhz. These repeaters are located in downtown Ann Arbor on top of the Tower Plaza building.

Monthly meetings

Meetings are held each month at Washtenaw Community College. There is usually a short business meeting followed by a program on topics of interest to radio amateurs. Meetings are open to the public. Talk-in assistance for meetings is on the ARROW 2-meter repeater (146.96-) MHz.

Club Station
Our club station is current in exile, but we're working on finding a home for it.

Get Your License!

The next Technician license class will start real soon now and run for nine weeks. At the end of this class, you should know enough to get your Technician class license. The fee is nominal, and includes the text and the exam fee. For more information, call 734-930-6564 or e-mail Dan KB6NU.

The next General license class will start on Thursday, January 16, 2007 and run for the next six to eight Thursday evenings. For more information, see the class page.

License Testing
We are an affiliate of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and because the ARRL is a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, we are authorized to test applicants for a Federal Communications Commission Amateur Radio License.

ARROW has a cadre of ARRL approved Volunteer Examiners, who routinely test applicants the second Saturday of the month at the Washtenaw County Red Cross, 4624 Packard Road, Ann Arbor, MI. We do ask that you contact Roger F. Place, W8ZRF (734-663-4625) or Clay Mitchell, W8JNZ (734-662-6663) a week prior to the test session. Applicants will be informed of the nominal fee, which is forwarded for test material and processing, and of the identification required and the time to appear at the testing site. Preregistration is required.

Monday Night Net

The Monday Night Net is held on Monday evenings on 146.96(-) at 8:00 pm. While a net control station is almost always there, there may be some nights when he or she is absent. If you don't hear any activity, give a call anyway to see if there are others awaiting the net. If so, take the bull by the horns and run the net yourself!

Mentoring, or "Elmering"

One of the great traditions of ham radio has been the willingness of experienced hams to help new hams get started. These mentors are sometimes called "Elmers," a name whose origin is as obscure as the origin of "ham radio."

With that in mind, we've started an informal Elmering program, and several members have already signed up to be Elmers. Now, all we need are guys who need help. If you need help choosing a radio, setting up an antenna, or troubleshooting a piece of gear, sign up here.

Field Day

We also participate in an annual amateur radio event known as Field Day, held on the last weekend in June. The purpose of Field Day is to practice operating in the field, using power sources not attached to the power grid. These conditions simulate conditions that might occur in the case of a national emergency.

In 2005, we again set up shop at Domino's Farms and set new club records. We placed first in Michigan and 10th nationally in category 4A. We were #82 nationally, overall. We're already making plans for next year. Get in touch with Tim KT8K if you want to be part of the planning process.

Board of Directors

Appointees and Committee Chairs

Submitted by kb6nu on Thu, 12/19/2002 - 20:47. login or register to post comments