Athens Radio Club
The Athens Radio Club is active in the amateur radio hobby. The club hosts several annual events that provide opportunities for operators to experience all aspects of amateur radio. Our members can be found operating POTA, working a variety of public service events, or just ragchewing on the local repeater. Join us at a regular meeting, at one of our many events, or on the air. Membership is not required but is encouraged and appreciated. We have set a goal of 100 members for 2026.
Field Day 2026
ARRL Summer Field Day was a blast. A special shout out to Colin (KO4IZK) for coordinating this year’s activity and Claude (AC4SH) for all the work he does a club president. Chris (N5TOY) smoked some BBQ for lunch and Kevin (KR4BDR) cooked hamburgers and hot dogs for dinner. Many others provided equipment and helped set up and take down the station. A big thank you to everyone that came out and made this year a success. I have included some of the pictures here but there are more pictures of the event available in our photo album.
Kevin (KR4BDR) and Andy (KQ4VVW) work radios in the rain with Rob (N2WGK) helping.
Tom Foley (VK1CAT) was visiting from Franklin, Australia and decided to spend Field Day with our club. We enjoyed spending time with Tom.
Carolyn, daughter of Daniel (KR4LOE), made 4 contacts on the GOTA station under the superb tutelage of Kevin (KR4BDR).
Solar panels provide power near the Field Day operating tents and radio equipment.
2026 Membership Drive
ARC reached our goal of 100 members.
Don’t stop now. Let’s keep growing.! Join the Athens Radio Club.
Upcoming Meetings, Programs, and Events
July - No Club Meeting in July.
July 18 - 10 am to 2 pm - Georgia State Parks on the Air meetup at Tugaloo State Park, US-2203.
We have Picnic Shelter #5 reserved with plenty of room for radios, antennas and people. Yeah, it's gonna be hot Georgia weather, but with POTA friends around we can all share in the heat.
July 25 - Milledge Mile. We need about 6 folks for this one. It's fun, short, and we usually end up at Jittery Joe's at Five Points for coffee or hot chocolate and just hanging out. For information, or if you would like to help, contact Bob (KE4JLL).
August 1 - Coach Mike’s Run Through the Woods. This event features a cross-country style course that begins on the YMCA track, loops through the nearby woods twice, and finishes back on the track.
August 4 - 6:00 Amateur Radio License Exams.
August 4 - 7:30 Athens Radio Club Meeting.
The program will be “First Aid Dawgs” by Bob (KE4JLL). For the full program description, see the Programs page.
August 22-23 - Huntsville Hamfest.
September 1- 7:30 Athens Radio Club Meeting.
The program will be “Fox Hunting” by Richard (KR4OS).
September 4-5 - Shelby Hamfest
October 6 - 6:00 Amateur Radio License Exams.
October 6 - 7:30 Athens Radio Club Meeting.
The progam will be “DX Contesting by Scott (KW4NJA).
October 17 - 10 am to 2pm - Georgia POTA Sprint - club participation/location TBD.
October 31 - 9 am to 3 pm - Wicked Four Halloween at Hard Labor Creek State Park.
November 3 - 7:30 Athens Radio Club Meeting.
The program will be “ARES” by Phillip (W4PHC).
March 27 - Classic City Marathon.
See the main ARC Calendar Page for more events.
See the ARC Past Events page to see what we have been doing.
Someone in Athens is stealing the wheels off ACCPD police cars. The police are working tirelessly to catch him.
El Nino
Have you heard about the “Super El Nino” this year? Read about the El Nino on the ARC Weather page.
VIP Visit
Read about the recent VIP Visit to the Athens Airport on the ARC Specials page.
GA WildFires
Read about the recent WildFires in South GA on the ARC Specials page.
Keeping HamClock Alive
HamClock was created by Elwood Downey, WB0OEW — an engineer who built one of the most popular shack displays in amateur radio and gave it away for free. Elwood became a Silent Key on January 29, 2026. Because of this, the server that supports the original HamClock will be going offline in June 2026.
However, Bruce Edrich, W4BAE, has built a back-end server that promises to keep your HamClock installation functioning after that time. Bruce is a cybersecurity consultant and ham radio operator based in South Florida. He is hosting the new web site hamclock.com. Visit hamclock.com to get the details on how to keep your HamClock operating.
OpenHamClock
Have you been looking at Geocron or Hamclock but haven’t pulled the trigger yet? Try OpenHamClock. You can find a link to it on our Links page in the Maps and Display Software section.
Repeater site in northwest Clarke County, GA
Club members supporting the 2025 Milledge Mile run.
Colin, KO4IZK, operating at Winter Field Day 2025.
Club members looking over some items at the 2025 club swap meet.
Drone view of the club repeater antennas on the Colbert water tower.
Nighttime overhead view of the Number One Dawgs, N1D, setup at UGA April 2025.
Club members socializing at Summer Field Day 2025.
Claude AC4SH and Kevin KR4BDR supporting the Star Spangled Classic fireworks show June, 2025.
Jesse N4JAH supporting the Coach Mikes's Through the Woods Run August 2025.
Fireworks exploding in the air at the Colbert, GA Fireworks show July 4, 2025.
Gant (KR4CWB) and Tom (K9EDD) at STEM Day at Watkinsville Library 2025
2025 Christmas Party collage
VE License Testing Session December 2025
Suggestion Box
Please take a moment and tell us what you think of Athens Radio Club. You can also suggest ideas or monthly programs. Just use the message to send us your ideas or comments.
We also receive physical mail at:
Athens Radio Club
PO Box 251
Hull, GA 30646
Donations
Please consider making a donation to our group to fund things such as Supporting Special Events, Repeater Maintenance, Disaster Aid, General Operations, and Public Service.
We seek to educate members and others interested in Amateur Radio, as well as provide information about amateur radio activities in Athens and surrounding areas.
Maybe your neighbor is a licensed ‘ham’ radio operator? Take a LOOK!
For current meeting information visit the meetings page.
If you have suggestions for improving this site, please email the Webmaster.
Athens Radio Club meetings are held at 7:30 pm on the first Tuesday of every month, except July and December. Check the Meeting Location page for the correct location.