Welcome to GFAARC!

[KA2ODP/7]

Hi,

Welcome to the Great Falls Area Amateur Radio Club! We hope you enjoy viewing the various topics posted here and hope you will take the time to join in and share your knowledge.

Why do we call it the Great Falls "Area" Amateur Radio Club? Because for many years we have maintained a wide area coverage 2-meter repeater up atop Highwood Baldy mountain, in the Highwood Mountains east of Great Falls. The 146.730 MHz repeater has become well-known throughout the state for its excellent coverage of the central Montana region. From near Havre, to out near Lewistown, to south of Eddie's Corner, you can chat with fellow hams while home or out and about in your vehicle.

This extensive coverage has been further increased through the placement of another GFAARC 2-meter repeater on top of Antoine Butte near Zortman. The two repeaters are constantly linked together via a dedicated 70-cm link that allows the two repeaters to act as one. This combination provides 2-meter coverage across much of the central Hi-Line region. Folks up in Malta are now able to join in on round-table discussions over the club repeater. In the near future we will make a trip to the Zortman repeater site to install a higher-gain antenna farther up the tower. Our goal is to reach out to the hams living in the Glasgow area and provide them with the opportunity to chat directly with hams in the Great Falls area over a single repeater network.

But wait, that's not all! The 146.730 MHz repeater also has an Echo-Link connection provided by Jim, N7YO. Echo-Link allows us to connect the Highwood Baldy repeater (and its links) to other repeaters and stations AROUND THE WORLD via the internet. Imagine having a conversation with a fellow ham in England using just your 2-meter FM radio! I have had several pleasant chats with folks in various locations in Europe from my favorite armchair. With the Echo-Link capability you get a taste of what "DX" awaits you on the shortwave bands when you take the next step and move up to the General class Amateur Radio license. (Which, by the way, you can accomplish simply by coming to one of the monthly Amateur Radio license exam test sessions - also sponsored by GFAARC!)

If this all sounds like a sales pitch, it is! While I'm not giving out free Ginzu knives, I am trying to get the word out to folks about just a few of the many services provided by GFAARC over the past several decades. Because of the wide area coverage of our repeaters, we have club members from all over the north central region of Montana. Many are unable to routinely make the long drive to Great Falls to attend club meetings, but through our repeaters they can join in and be part of the group right from the comfort of their own home. For some along the Hi-Line, the GFAARC sponsored repeaters are the only 2-meter repeaters they can reach.

Imagine how disappointing your new hobby of ham radio would be if there were no 2-meter repeaters in your local area that you could reach! Ham radio can bridge the miles between the small towns in Montana. During times of severe weather or other disasters, you are no longer isolated just because the electricity and telephone lines are down. As another example of what GFAARC does, we sponsor the North Central Montana Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) group. These volunteers provide emergency radio communications support via Amateur Radio during times when all other means have failed. These many examples show that GFAARC has always been more than just a local club. Our name reflects the fact that we have members from all over North Central Montana.

We would like to be your ham radio club too! Thanks for stopping by and checking out our club forum web page. For more information on club activities, sponsored repeaters, and FCC license exams, please see postings elsewhere on this web site - or - check out our main web site at www.w7eca.org

73 de

Bruce, KA2ODP
Club President

[N7YO]

Great post Bruce! I agree 100%, come join us and see what we're all about.

[KE7BIN]

Bruce I can't think of a soul who could have said it better than that.
You hit the Nail on the head. We are here to help anyone in any way we can. We have folks that have been in radio all their adult lives and as with myself and my wife who found the Hobby Four years ago.

73

[N7RAC]

I would also like to add the fact that we are more than just 2 meters! Check us out on the HF bands as well...AND, be on the lookout for Fox/Bunny hunts and other activities coming this spring!
ACT NOW!!!!!