Club Call sign: K5WXI
Totah Amateur Radio Club Meetings
Regular club meetings are held at Farmington Fire Station #6, 3100 W Main St. Farmington, NM.
Meetings are at 7:00pm, on the second Thursday of each month. Click here for the specific date of the next meeting.
Join us for breakfast (most Saturdays) for an informal gathering.
7:30 AM at Si Señor Restaraunt at 4015 E 30th St. in Farmington.
If you are interested in joining TARC, please download and print the Membership application form and submit it at the next meeting.
TARC Membership Application
Totah Amateur Radio Club Officers
President: Jack – KD1PE
Vice President: Donnie – K6QQT
Secretary: Scott – K8OIP
Treasurer: Scott K8OIP
Trustee :
Trustee :
Trustee :
History
Totah ARC was first affiliated with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) on May 10, 1956.
The history of the Totah Amateur Radio Club (TARC) dates back before World War II. It is interesting to note that in part of these early years the club Disbanded because Amateur Radio was not allowed during wartime. Early members were primarily interested in HF (shortwave) communications and “home brew” equipment. In the early ’70s a few of the members began pursuing the developing technology of 2 meter FM mobile radios and repeaters. At this time, however, most club members didn’t see a need for this new “short range” Ham radio interest. Hence a group was formed from within, but separate from the club, to place a repeater in the Farmington area. A 146.940/146.340Mhz repeater (in these early days many Ham repeaters used this frequency pair) was created from used commercial radio equipment and located on the “divide” hill between Aztec and Bloomfield. Afterward it was moved to the bluff south of Farmington, still a 146.940 machine. As Ham repeaters became more and more popular it was obvious that all the repeaters could not share a single frequency pair, thus the Farmington repeater was changed to its current frequency assignment 146.850/146.250Mhz.
As local interest grew additional repeaters were placed on Knickerbocker Hill northeast of Aztec, and on Huerfano Mesa south of Bloomfield. All of these repeaters were built from donated, very used, commercial equipment and proved to be very unreliable. In the mid ’80s the repeater group, again Totah members but separate from the club, made individual contributions and sponsored fund-raising to purchase new, low cost, Ham repeaters and replaced all of the old commercial equipment. The Totah Amateur Radio Repeater Group (TARCG ) installed and maintained these repeaters, with some financial support for maintenance from the parent TARC, until 2007.
In 2007 retaining permissions for the use of the remote repeater locations was becoming more and more problematic. The repeater equipment was also aging, by then having 20 years plus of active service, and was in need of replacement. All of the old equipment was replaced by an new system, which is operated and maintained by San Juan County. The County, to further Amateur Radio, leaves these repeaters as “open” and available to all licensed Hams. Because this repeater system is in place and “active” it is also available in the event of a county-wide emergency.
Currently TARC has a mix of members having interests in HF, 2 meters, and/or many of the other aspects of Amateur Radio. They offer various training programs during club meetings, help to provide testing that is required for new Ham licenses and upgrades, and promote the available ‘state of the art’ 2 meter repeater system boasting five remote repeaters (see the list of the current repeaters and their locations on this website). These repeaters are always linked to each other, allowing licensed Hams to transmit to any one of the repeaters and be heard on all of them. Because these repeaters are linked, 2 meter radio coverage is excellent in almost all of San Juan County. In the ’80s and most of the ’90s, in addition to the normal individual Ham Radio pursuits, the club as a whole participated in the various Farmington civic parades. Members, wearing their bright yellow Totah ARC vests and using handheld radios, provided communications. The club never actually “ran” the process, rather it just assisted officials in the organization of the parade. The club made many friends in the community through its efforts, but because cell phones have now become so common the club is no longer needed for these tasks. For many years TARC has provided communications for local organized bike races such as the Road Apple Rally and triathlons such as the Farmington Fourth of July Triathlon. The club also participates annually in the national Amateur Radio Relay League (ARRL) Field Day Event, which is held the last full weekend in June. TARC sponsors a Saturday “Tail Gate/Swap Meet” and lunch in September each year.
If you are a Ham or want to be a Ham and not a member of the Totah Amateur Radio Club, come and join us in the fun of Amateur Radio!