Welcome to Clarke County ARES
Clarke County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) is a volunteer organization of skilled Amateur Radio operators who dedicate their time and equipment during emergencies, disasters, and other events, as a public service to agencies and groups of Clarke County and surrounding areas.
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
ARES stands for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. It is a volunteer public service communications organization made up of licensed amateur (ham) radio operators who prepare for and provide emergency and public-service communications when normal communications systems are disrupted or unavailable.
Who We Are:
Volunteer emergency communications network of amateur radio operators.
Members register their qualifications and equipment with local ARES leadership so they can be called on to help when needed.
It’s open to all licensed amateur radio operators, regardless of membership in the ARRL or other groups.
ARES operators use their radios to provide communications support when traditional systems (phones, internet) fail, such as during storms, disasters, or large public events.
What We Do
Provide backup or supplemental communications during natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods, power outages).
Support public service events (marathons, parades) where reliable communications are needed.
Train and prepare with local emergency agencies so they can be effective when called upon.
Because amateur radio can operate independently of typical infrastructure, ARES volunteers provide a reliable means of communication “when all else fails.”
ARES Membership Requirements
Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.
The majority of the Athens Radio Club ARES activities utilize the club’s Athens repeater, - 145.330 (-) PL 123,0. However, during large scale emergencies, we should be prepared to utilize the Statewide HF nets operated by the Georgia ARES group.
Informational Links
Clarke County ARES Weekly Net
Clarke Co. ARES holds a weekly net at 7:30 pm each Thursday evening on the Athens repeater - 145.330 (-) PL 123,0
You do not need to be an ARES member to check in. All hams that can reach the repeater are encouraged to participate.
If you are an ARES member, we envite you to be a net control operator. If you are interested in being a net control operator, contact Phillip Campbell at w4phc.radio@gmail.com.
Once approved to be net control, you may reserve you slot on the Net Control Sign Up Sheet.
Join Clarke County ARES
Want to join CC ARES? Complete this form and one of our members will contact you.
Want more information? Email us at ccgaares@gmail.com
Clarke County ARES Groups.io Emails.
If you would like to receive group emails sent to the Clarke County ARES members, you may use this link to subscribe yourself:
How Are ARES and SKYWARN Related?
ARES is a radio communications volunteer organization made up of licensed amateur radio operators (hams). Its main focus is on providing backup communications during emergencies or public service events when normal systems fail.
It’s organized and sponsored by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL).
Membership is open to any licensed amateur radio operator who wants to help with communications in emergencies.
ARES operators may be called upon for many types of incidents — disasters, communication failures, large community events, etc., not just weather-related ones.
It’s about organizing people with radios and necessary skills so they can support agencies, shelters, emergency managers, and relief organizations when needed.
In short, ARES is an organized emergency communications service using amateur radio.
SKYWARN is a severe weather spotting program run by the National Weather Service (NWS). Its mission is to train volunteers to observe and report hazardous weather conditions to help meteorologists issue timely warnings.
SKYWARN trains people to recognize things like tornadoes, hail, damaging winds, flooding, etc. and report them.
Volunteers can include anyone — not just ham radio operators. Police, EMS, storm spotters, fire personnel, truck drivers and private citizens can be SKYWARN trained.
Reports go directly to the National Weather Service (by phone, internet, or radio) to improve warnings and save lives.
In many communities, SKYWARN uses amateur radio nets during severe weather to communicate reports — and that’s where the overlap with ARES comes in.
In short, SKYWARN is a weather observation/reporting program, not a radio communications organization in itself.
ARES volunteers often participate in SKYWARN by using their radios to pass weather reports to NWS or emergency managers when severe weather strikes. In many areas, ARES nets are ready to support SKYWARN activations because they already have trained communicators and equipment.
SKYWARN
SKYWARN is a volunteer severe weather spotter program run by the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS). Its purpose is to collect real-time, ground-level reports of hazardous weather — such as tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, damaging winds, hail, flooding, and winter storms — to help forecasters issue more accurate and timely watches and warnings, ultimately aiding in the protection of lives and property. In the Athens area, our SKYWARN nets also support the Athens-Clarke County Emergency Operations Center and the decision makers housed there.
What SKYWARN Is
A National Weather Service (NOAA/NWS) program composed of trained volunteer weather spotters across the United States.
Spotters provide actual observations from the ground (“ground truth” data) that radar and other remote sensing tools cannot directly confirm.
Volunteers include amateur (ham) radio operators, first responders, emergency management personnel, and members of the general public who complete SKYWARN training.
How It Works
Participants complete free training offered by the National Weather Service to learn how to identify and report severe weather safely and clearly.
During severe weather events, spotters report what they observe — such as hail size, observed tornadoes or winds — to their local NWS office, local emergency managers, or through designated communication networks like amateur radio nets.
These reports help the NWS confirm and expand on radar data, improving the accuracy and timeliness of severe weather warnings.
Role of Amateur Radio
Many SKYWARN spotters are amateur radio operators, and ham radio is often used during activations to relay spotter reports — especially when typical communications (phones, internet) may be degraded by severe weather.
Only amateur radio operators are allow to participate in skywarn nets.
Most SKYWARN nets, including those in the Athens area, do not limit participation in the net to officially trained spotters. Any licensed amateur operator may participate.
SKYWARN Related Links
Upcoming Skywarn Spotter Class Schedule from the Atlanta/Peachtree City, GA weather service office.
List of Georgia SKYWARN Repeaters. During severe weather in the Athens area, Clarke County ARES will hold its own Skywarn net on the Athens repeater, - 145.330 (-) PL 123,0
Georgia Skywarn Linked Repeater System
Georgia Skywarn has a series of repeaters that can be linked together during certain weather events. This system is appropriately called the Georgia Skywarn Linked Repeater System. Although there are currently no such repeaters in the immediate Athens area, you may, depending on your equipment, be able to reach one from your location. There is one in Commerce, 146.850 (-) PL 131.8, and one in Clermont, on Wauka Mountain, 145.310 (-) PL 123.0.
During severe weather in the Athens area, Clarke County ARES will hold its own Skywarn net on the Athens repeater, - 145.330 (-) PL 123,0.
Please use this Event Log link to log your ARES hours.