South Bitterroot upcoming radio events

Saturday, January 11, noon, BARC southern Ravalli group,
sack lunch meeting, Darby Library meeting room.
This is the first of our monthly meetings on the 2nd Saturday of every month. Across the lawn from the library is Deb’s Restaurant where a take out lunch could be found if you don’t want to bring your own.
Note: If the roads are mean, nasty, ugly and it’s so white you can’t tell the difference out your windshield between the sky, the sides of the road and the snow underneath – you know, if it isn’t safe to drive, you probably shouldn’t drive to this meeting.
This may be the only face-to-face meeting giving us a chance to talk about radio’s role in the Darby Dog Derby and the logistics of how those of us wanting to help can best can do our part. If there is another meeting, you can read about it here.

every Wednesday, 2-meter amateur radio nets (that I know of)
1900, on 146.720 repeater, Ravalli County ARES (name change likely) (7:00pm)
1930, on 146.900, LDS Emergency Response (non-LDS very welcome) (7:30pm)
2000, on 146.580, LDS Emergency Response (non-LDS very welcome) (8:00pm)
2015, on 146.720 repeater, BARC Net (8:15pm)
These I pick up and usually am able to be heard on with my base unit down low on the Bitterroot East Fork in Conner. They all appreciate my “check in”.

every Thursday – Upstream Net
1900, on 146.550 simplex, South Ravalli Emergency Response Net (7:00pm)
This is new. We know we need something. We just haven’t had it work yet.
I think radio/antenna improvements will get us there. We gotta keep trying.
I chose 146.550 because others in this area use it and many of us can’t hit the repeaters reliably yet.

Darby Dog Derby
with amateur radio operators providing logistical support
Click on the link above for the full story. Two weekend days of sled dog activities across the highway from the Lost Trail ski area.

Monday, January 20, 1800, BARC dinner meeting
at BJ’s restaurant in Hamilton – 6:00pm dinner, 7:00pm meeting
BARC (Bitterroot Amateur Radio Club) is THE organization of amateur radio operators in the area. Extensive expertise with radio, electronics and provides free to the public several radio repeaters enabling good 2-meter communications from the South Bitterroot up to Missoula and east from there… and more. Visitors welcome.

Saturday, February 1, 1000-noon, Darby Library,
HAM Licensing Study Group
We begin a nine-week study group with the objective of passing our license exams.
I expect that while we are focusing on the General Exam, unlicensed folks will pass BOTH Tech and General by the end. There are formal classes planned for the north/central Ravalli area around the same time (I don’t have the schedule yet). Those classes will cover a lot more of the knowledge needed to understand amateur radio and how it works, as well as preparing students for the FCC licensing exams at the end.