K4VRC

Next Club Meeting

August 21, 2025 @ Eisenhower Rec Center
 MacArthur/Arnold Room

6:00 PM  Social/Swap Tables/informal "Elmer'ing"
6:45 PM  Business Meeting 
7:30 PM  Presentation
TVARC club meetings  are held on the third Thursday of every month (except for the month of December)  at the Eisenhower Regional Recreation Center,  3560 Buena Vista Blvd., in The Villages, Florida. Click here for directions.

​Anyone interested in Amateur Radio is invited to attend our club meetings. You need not be licensed to attend or join.
Weekly Nets
  • SKYWARN Net Sundays at 8:30 PM on the 147.030 (PL 123.0) Repeater Interested in weather reporting? The Skywarn program from the National Weather Service allows trained spotters to report on weather conditions in their vacinity. If interested, reach out to Verne, K4VEB the Sumter Skywarn Coordinator to get involved.
  • TVARC Ragchew Net Mondays at 7 PM on the 443.225 (PL 103.5) Repeater.  Catch up with other hams on an informal conversation net. All are welcome!
  • Sumter EMCOMM NET, Mondays at 8:30 PM on the 146.925 (PL 123.0) Repeater Sumter County RACES hosts this EmComm focused net to connect with RACES members, share news and information from local EmComm focused organizations and test equipement necessary for Emergency Communications during emergencies. Contact Greg, K1MGR for more information about RACES.
  • CERT/TVARC EmComm Net, Tuesdays at 8:00 PM on the 145.210 (PL 110.9) Repeater Join CERT of The Villages and the TVARC Emergency Communications Team for this weekly check-in net, as well as announcements on upcoming activites.
  • 2M Sideband Net, Tuesdays at 8:15 PM on 144.250 USB Two-Meter Sideband in an interesting and dynamic experience. Chrstal clear audio quality and enhanced range allow for communications over impressive distances encouraging camaraderie and shared knowledge.
  • QCWA Net Fridays at 10 AM on the 443.225 PL (103.5) Repeater.  Join host Tim, AA6DQ for an informal opportunity to talk about ham topics of interest and catch up on what other members are doing.
TVARC Reflector - Communicate with TVARC

Membership in TVARC is required to join this club Reflector.  For general information or to join this reflector, click HERE. & nbsp;Contact George Briggs (K2DM), the Reflector's moderator, for more details. 
Band Conditions

Upcoming Events

  • 8/21/25 6:00 PM General Meeting
  • 9/8/25 6:00 PM Technician License Class (Seats Available: 22) Register Now
  • October - Club picnic  Join other club members for a picnic at one of our local recreation centers. More details as we get closer
  • December Holiday Party   In place of our December meeting, we gather to end the year with a potluck dinner. More details as we get closer
If you are interested in taking a leadership role in an event, contact Steve, KD8WAA.
Recent Events/Activities

Fall Ham Radio License Class Announced!
July 18, 2025 Are you interested in getting your Ham Radio License? The Villages Amateur Radio Club is pleased to announce that we will be holding free classes to help you prepare for the entry level FCC license test. Nine weekly classes start on Monday, September 8th at 6:00 PM at the Eisenhower Recreation Center. There’s no charge for the course...Required ARRL manual is $32.95, and the FCC exam fee is $15. For more information on the course and to register click here
Pay with Cheddar Up
New Credit Card Payment Processor!
July 15, 2025 TVARC can once again accept credit cards for dues payments. We are working with CheddarUp, the leading club and non-profit credit card processor. To renew your membership or join the club, just click on the button above. Dues collected through the site reflect the processing fees TVARC is charged. Dues paid in cash remain at $12 per year.
2025 Radio Rodeo
The 2025 edition of Radio Rodeo came to Brownwood/Paddock Square on April 26 this year. Member Kym (KQ4ZOA) organized this year's event which featured everything from straight-key code to FT8 to FM on multiple bands and several different rigs. Thanks to the dozen members who assisted with set up, operation and tear down.
Even The Villages Daily Sun stopped by to see what was going on with all of the antennas and friendly people in yellow shirts and provided a nice write up. Click here to read it!
A big thank you to Kym KQ4ZOA who did such an amazing job leading the effort this year to showcase amateur radio and The Villages Amateur Radio Club!
2025 Spring Ham Radio Class
Spring Ham Radio Class Wraps!
The Spring Amateur General Class has concluded, and the FCC tests were administered on Monday, March 3, 2025. We had 12 candidates take the test, and are pleased to welcome 9 new new General Class hams and 2 new Extra Class hams. Outstanding!
There currently are no additional classes scheduled.

2025 Outdoor Expo
TVARC participated in the The Villages Parks and Recreation's Outdoor Expo at the Everglades Recreation Center on Feb 28th and March 1. We had over two dozen members participate, with a good amount of foot traffic through the outdoor exhibits. We enjoyed excellent weather and even had to make extra TVARC handouts! We signed up some new members and had a great opportunity to explain and demonstrate Amateur radio to other outdoor enthusiasts, \ many of whom were interested in the capabilites of radio where cellular is unreliable or unavailable.
2025 Officers Elected
The February TVARC meeting included officer elections. The following is the new board elected by the membership:
  • President – Steve Walbrun, KD8WAA
  • Vice President – Ray Fallen, ND8L
  • Secretary – Michael Hissam, N8NBE
  • Treasurer – Bruce Cusanelli, WA1UTQ
  • Board Member at Large – Doug Moe, AD4MO
Steve Walbrun, incoming president said, "The new board extends our deep appreciation to previous board members George Briggs, K2DM, Mike Regan, KM4ZTE, and Mike Myers, K3DO for their leadership and tireless commitment to the club. As the Club enters it's twenty-first year, the new board looks forward to building upon the solid foundation that the previous leaders have created."

"Hamming It Up" The Villages Magazine

Several members are profiled in a very nice article in the January issue of The Villages Magazine. Members George Briggs, Michael Hissam, Art Fenn and Faith Olen were all interviewed for the article. Subscribers to The Daily Sun received the issue with their paper on January 7, 2025.


2024 Fall Member Picnic a Success!

The TVARC Fall Member picnic previously postponed due to Hurricane Helene, was held at the Rohan Recreation Center on November 13 and was a great success. Dozens of members came out to enjoy the wonderful weather and lunch provided by the club. In addition to swap tables, a few of The Villages newest hams got a chance to meet up with other enthusiasts of the hobby. Thanks to the TVARC board for their efforts at making the day a success.

Report on Field Day 2024

Forty TVARC members participated in the 2024 edition of ARRL Field Day, June 21-23. Set up began Friday afternoon and was completed by Saturday early afternoon. Two stations were in operation during the contest portion of Field Day – one running FT8 and the other running either CW or SSB, depending on the operator’s preference. Once again, we were fortunate to have the loan of the Sumter County Emergency Services trailer for the event.

During the contest we made 200 CW QSOs, 546 SSB QSOs and 162 FT8 QSOs. Six members and guests made their first ever contacts at the FT8 station under the watchful eye of WB8PKK, and five YL members made their first ever SSB contacts with K2DM doing the mentoring. Our ambassador team chatted up amateur radio to a number of visitors, some of whom made their way into trailer to observe the stations in action.

Midday Sunday we started taking everything down as threatening weather was forecast.

As demonstrated by the most recent hurricane, the ability to practice not only setting up a stand-alone station, but also to reach new potential amateur radio enthusiasts, or new ham radio operators to unfamiliar modes and capabilities is why this is such an important activity. According to George Briggs (K2DM), club president, "We all started somewhere, and this is a great opportunity to get your feet wet."


Ham Radio On the Square

Saturday, April 20, 2024 - Brownwood Square Some early fog burned off and dozens of TVARC members enjoyed a sunny day as we installed antennas, set up two radios and solved problems as they occurred. Overcoming minor obstacles is part of doing radio in the field, and our clubmates proved, once again, that they are up to the task. Then we set about doing what we individually enjoy doing. Some members operated the radios (FT8 on one and SSB/CW on the other) while sharing with others what they were doing. Some members who enjoy being ambassadors for ham radio and TVARC did so at our ambassador table, around the square and on the stage. And some members simply enjoyed the fellowship of being with each other talking radio. At least one newly-licensed ham made his first contact on SSB! Congratulations, Rush! Club president George Briggs remarked "In my opinion this was one of the best shows that we have put on at either square. Many thanks to everyone who participated, and special thanks to Mike Regan, KM4ZTE, for organizing this year's Radio Rodeo.​"

Jan 20, 2024 - TVARC In the news

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The Villages Daily Sun included a nice story on the role of The Villages Amateur Radio Club's Emergency Communications Team in providing backup communication capabilities. To read more about team and how to get involved, Click Here.

In case you missed the article, click here