Next Club MeetingSeptember 18, 2025 @ Eisenhower Rec CenterMacArthur/Arnold Room
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
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. Volunteers Needed for Emergency Communications Team 
The Emergency Communications Team was established to provide a pool of trained Amateur Radio operaters who are willing to be called upon during an emergency for communications
assistance within The Villages.
Band Conditions
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Upcoming Events
Fall License Class Announced
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
For Sale by Club MembersAPC BN1250G UPS/battery back up
Yaesu FTDX101D HF/50Mhz 100 Watt Transceiver SSB/CW/AM/FM/Digital
MFJ 868B Giant True Peak-Reading SWR/wattmeter
Yaesu FT-818 HF/VHF/UHF All-Mode Portable Transceiver
Recent Events/Activities  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.
John Ellis NP2B-SK Remebered
 A group of contesters got together and bought this ARRL commemorative brick earlier this year to
celebrate the life of longtime TVARC member
John Ellis NP2B-SK. Should you ever visit ARRL Headquarters in Newington, CT and want to stop at the Diamond Club Terrace and remember John,
the brick is located as noted above.
Report on Field Day 2025
June 30, 2025 — Licensed amateur radio operators from The Villages Amateur Radio Club (TVARC) took part in the 2025 ARRL (American Radio Relay League) Field Day on Saturday and Sunday, June 28–29, joining thousands of amateur radio clubs across the United States in one of the nation’s largest emergency communications exercises. As part of the event, TVARC members set up operations “off the grid” to demonstrate how amateur radio can provide reliable communication during disasters or other emergencies—without relying on commercial power, the internet, or cellular networks. The club erected antennas in the Eisenhower Recreation Center parking lot and operated three radio stations from inside the Sumter County Emergency Services communications trailer, which was generously made available for their use. Operating under the club’s call sign, K4VRC, all equipment ran on emergency power supplied by the trailer’s generator. Starting at 2:00 PM Saturday, club members engaged in a 24-hour radio operation, making approximately 600 contacts with other amateur stations across North America. Each contact included an exchange of call signs, geographic locations, and operating classifications. TVARC’s participation highlights the ongoing commitment of amateur radio operators to serve their communities when traditional communications may fail. Field Day is not only a technical challenge but also an opportunity to promote public awareness of amateur radio as a vital emergency resource. 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! For more information on the Fall Technician course and to register click here. 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:
"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 2024Forty 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 SquareSaturday, 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
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 |
