Currently two weekly nets and one monthly net are held on the KB1BSS 146.985 Mhz repeater.

The weekly Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) net and the monthly Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) net are not FCARC club activities, but the FCARC makes its repeater available for these nets. The KB1BSS repeater has been determined by the State of Massachusetts and the ARRL to be the best repeater to serve the 2-Meter communications needs for ARES, RACES and Skywarn in Franklin County, MA, due to its location and coverage.

If you would like to take a turn as Net Control Station (NCS) for the ARES net, contact Chris Myers, KB1NEK, net manager, at 413-625-0344, or by e-mail, camyers_1@verizon.net.

The weekly FCARC information net, held each Thursday, is less formal and is intended to be an occasion for club members to keep in touch with each other on the air. Currently the club is looking for someone willing to coordinate the net (which means making up the schedule of who will act as NCS each week). Please get in touch with Dick Burnham, AC1L, e-mail ac1l@mtdata.com, if you would like to volunteer, either as an NCS operator or as net manager.

ARES 2-Meter Net Tuesday Night at 9.00 pm on the KB1BSS repeater, 146.985 MHz
– offset with a PL 136.5

FCARC Informational 2-Meter Net Thursday night at 8.00 pm on the KB1BSS repeater 146.985
– offset with a PL 136.5

RACES Net First Monday of the Month at 6.45 pm on the 75m band. Look for net control station at 3.930 MHz. If that was not free, tune higher, as far as 3.955, to find place where net control could find a clear frequency. Net will last about 45 minutes, and will involve sending a test message. Western Mass. no longer has a 2m RACES net until further notice.

This net may have been discontinued...stay tuned for future announcements.

Is it your turn to be net control? Nervous about the procedure? Click here for the Western Mass Emergency Net preamble and template.