Calendar of Events

Future Events

NASA On-The-Air (NOTA) Apollo 11 55th Anniversary

Posted July 15, 2024 (website Editor)

On Saturday July 20th and Sunday July 21st, KARC and other NASA amateur radio clubs will be on the air to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Apollo 11. On these two days, come to the KARC Shack between 10:00am - 5:00pm and have some fun on the air. These Apollo events are always exciting to participate with, and a real hit with fellow ham radio operators around the world.

For more information about NASA On-The-Air (NASA) Click Here

Recurring Events

N1KSC Repeater Net (Weekly)

Every Thursday @ 19:30 (7:30pm local time)

The KSC Amateur Radio Club has its weekly repeater net every Thursday at 19:30 local time on the N1KSC 70cm repeater. The repeater frequency is 444.925 MHz with a 131.8 Hz tone (in/out), standard +5MHz offset. Please join us if you are a licensed amateur radio operator (you need not be a member to participate)!

KARC Open Shack (Twice Monthly)

First & Third Wednesday of every month @ 16:30 (4:30pm - 6:00pm local time)

KARC invites anyone to drop by the EML Building Club Shack during this open-door time. Although the shack is available to club members any date/time, this time period is guaranteed to have a club member present and the door open to anyone having a curiosity to drop by and check out the shack, learn about amateur radio, participate with some radio contacts, or just see what's happening. Badged access to KSC is required.

Club Meetings (Monthly)

Second Wednesday of every month @ 16:30 (4:30pm local time)

The KSC Amateur Radio Club meets regularly for club business, special presentations, and social gathering. Check the Events Calendar for the details on upcoming meetings. On-Site (KSC) meetings are held at the EML Building Conference Room, Off-Site meetings are held at KARS I Park Conference Bldg in Merritt Island, and social gatherings vary on location to encourage wide participation. You need not be a member to attend any meeting or social; however, badged access to KSC is required for on-center meetings.

Amateur Radio License Exam Sessions (Monthly)

Third Tuesday of every month @ 17:30 (5:30pm local time)

The KSC Amateur Radio Club sponsors ARRL Volunteer Exam (VE) test sessions for those wishing to become licensed amateur radio operators, or upgrade their existing amateur radio license. The exams are administered at the KARS Park 1 conference room in Merritt Island, FL. You must pre-register by 7pm the prior Thursday (no walk-ins accepted). For more details: KARC ARRL VE Sessions Info

Recent Events

ARRL Field Day 2024

Posted Jun 21, 2024 (website Editor)

The KSC Amateur Radio Club is back again this year for the single most popular Amateur Radio on-the-air event, ARRL Field Day! More than 40,000 radio amateurs gather with their clubs, groups, or simply with friends to operate from remote locations. http://www.arrl.org/field-day.

We plan on operating as a 1A station, with a HF rig devoted to phone (SSB) operations on Saturday June 22nd starting at 1pm. This year's location is at KARS 1 Park in Merritt Island, FL. Drop on by to join in on the fun! For more information contact the KARC activities officer.

NASA On-The-Air (NOTA) 55th Anniversary of Apollo 10

Posted May 23, 2024 (website Editor)

On Sunday May 19th and Sunday May 26th, KARC and other NASA amateur radio clubs will be on the air to celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Apollo 10. On these consecutive Sundays, come to the KARC Shack between 10:00am - 5:00pm and have some fun on the air. These Apollo events are always exciting to participate with, and a real hit with fellow ham radio operators around the world.

For more information about NASA On-The-Air (NASA) Click Here

NASA's Boeing CST-100 "Starliner" Crewed Flight Test Launch

Posted Apr 17, 2024 (website Editor)

The KARC N1KSC 70cm UHF repeater will be supporting NASA/KSC PAO (Public Affairs Office) launch operations commentary for the upcoming NASA's Boeing Commercial Crew Flight Test mission with the CST-100 "Starliner", with a planned liftoff from Launch Complex 41 on ~~Sunday May 6th @10:34pm EST~~, ~~now NET Tuesday May 21st @4:43pm EDT~~, ~~now NET Saturday May 25th @3:09pm~~, now planned for June 1st @12:25pm EDT. Repeater transmission of NASA PAO launch coverage will begin one hour before liftoff, and complete upon succesfull orbit insertion.

NASA and SpaceX once again are gearing up to launch astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission that will carry an international crew of four astronauts on a six-month science expedition to the microgravity laboratory. More Info

Anyone with a 70cm FM compatible radio and within range of the repeater coverage can enjoy the retransmissions. Repeater Rx freq = 444.925 MHz (no PL tone required to monitor). Please note that during the support of the live audio coverage, the repeater will be not open to regular use (emergency traffic can take priority if required).

Note: This is a similar community service that LISATS provides on their 2m repeater (146.940 MHz) located in Merritt Island, FL.

Florida QSO Party 2024

Posted April 27, 2024 (website Editor)

Saturday April 27 & Sunday April 28, 2024 - KSC Amateur Radio Club once again is planning to participate in the ever popular Florida QSO Party (http://floridaqsoparty.org/). Last year all 67 Florida counties were on the air with plentiful fixed and mobile/portable stations activating, many of them on both modes. Club members are encouraged to participate in this popular event, and can do so via the Activities Officer "sign-up" link sent out via the membership email distribution list earlier this week.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 Mission

N1KSC UHF Repeater Support of NASA PAO Live Audio Events

Posted Mar 3, 2024 (website Editor)

The KARC N1KSC 70cm UHF repeater will be supporting NASA/KSC PAO (Public Affairs Office) launch operations commentary for the upcoming SpaceX Commercial Crew-8 mission, with a planned liftoff from Launch Complex 39A on Sunday March 3rd @10:53pm EST. Repeater transmission of NASA PAO launch coverage will begin one hour before liftoff, and complete upon succesfull orbit insertion.

NASA and SpaceX once again are gearing up to launch astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA's SpaceX Crew-8 is the eighth crew rotation mission that will carry an international crew of four astronauts on a six-month science expedition to the microgravity laboratory. More Info

Anyone with a 70cm FM compatible radio and within range of the repeater coverage can enjoy the retransmissions. Repeater Rx freq = 444.925 MHz (no PL tone required to monitor). Please note that during the support of the live audio coverage, the repeater will be not open to regular use (emergency traffic can take priority if required).

Note: This is a similar community service that LISATS provides on their 2m repeater (146.940 MHz) located in Merritt Island, FL.

Space Force T-Minus 10-Miler Event

Posted Dec 2, 2023 (website Editor)

The KSC Amateur Radio Club (KARC) will be supporting the upcoming Space Force 2nd Annual "T-Minus 10-Miler" event scheduled for Saturday Dec 9th 2023. This annual running event is hosted by the United States Space Force and will be held at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The event is open to the public, but requires registration in advance. For full details please click this link: Space Force Run

KARC will be providing communications support for the run event itself using APRS technology to track the runners progress along the path from start until the finish line at the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse. We need several club volunteers for the event to support the running event comm along the 10-mile path at several of the "Hydration Stations". This is a great opportunity for the club, and we really encourage membership participation - will be a fun and memorable time for all! Please contact any KARC Officer for more details.

ARRL November Phone Sweepstakes - 2023

Posted Nov 4, 2023 (Website Editor)

Nov 18-20, 2023 - Tis Autumn! Cooler temperatures, leaves changing colors, drier days and the airwaves filled with QSO exchanges during the ARRL November Sweepstakes! What could be better than dropping by the EML Shack for a few hours to enjoy the sheer pleasure and relative ease of contesting from the comfort and luxury of this well-equipped, modern radio room. ARRL Sweepstakes Info

The goal of the November sweepstakes is to exchange information with as many other US and Canadian stations as possible on 160, 80, 40, 20, 15 and 10 meter bands. Working the November Sweepstakes is guaranteed to help you build confidence in your ability to operate amateur radio gear and learn to manage exhilarating pileups, all while experiencing the comradery of the amateur radio community at large.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 Mission

N1KSC UHF Repeater Support of NASA PAO Live Audio Events

Posted Aug 1, 2023 (website Editor)

The KARC N1KSC 70cm UHF repeater will be supporting NASA/KSC PAO (Public Affairs Office) launch operations commentary for the upcoming SpaceX Commercial Crew-7 mission, with a planned liftoff from Launch Complex 39A ~~on Friday Aug 25th at 3:49 EDT~~ (Scrubbed). Now planned for Saturday Aug 26th at 3:37 EDT. Repeater transmission of NASA PAO launch coverage will begin one hour before liftoff, and complete upon succesfull orbit insertion.

NASA and SpaceX once again are gearing up to launch astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA's SpaceX Crew-7 is the seventh crew rotation mission that will carry an international crew of four astronauts on a six-month science expedition to the microgravity laboratory. More Info

Anyone with a 70cm FM compatible radio and within range of the repeater coverage can enjoy the retransmissions. Repeater Rx freq = 444.925 MHz (no PL tone required to monitor). Please note that during the support of the live audio coverage, the repeater will be not open to regular use (emergency traffic can take priority if required).

Note: This is a similar community service that LISATS provides on their 2m repeater (146.940 MHz) located in Merritt Island, FL.

International Lighhouse & Lightship Weekend (ILLW) - 2023

Posted Aug 11, 2023 (website Editor)

August 19th & 20th, 2023 - The KSC Amateur Radio Club is once again planning to participate this year by putting the Cape Canaveral Lighthouse On-The-Air for the annual ILLW event! The objective of the ILLW event is stated as "to promote public awareness of lighthouses and lightships and their need for preservation and restoration, to promote amateur radio and to foster International goodwill.

The Cape Canaveral Lighthouse has stood on the Cape for over 150 years. Situated amidst America’s Premier Gateway to Space, the lighthouse is owned by the United States Space Force and maintained as an active aid to navigation by the United States Coast Guard.

This year we will be once again operating our radio equipment from the new lighthouse keepers building (museum), with our antenna tower/trailer located in the Hanger 'C' adjacent parking area. Badged KARC club members are encouraged to join us for this fun and rewarding special event! Contact the KARC Activities Officer for details on signing up for a shift or two.

KARC Low-Band Antenna Party!

Calling All KARC Members (w/ badge access to the shack)

Posted Mar 21, 2023 (website Editor)

Save the date - Sunday March 26th 9am - for the planned KARC Antenna Party. If you’ve been following the recent club developments you’ll know that at the last regular club meeting we approved a plan for the addition of three low-band wire antennas for the 160m, 80m, and 40m bands. These three wire inverted-V dipoles will be installed at the apex at the tower and the wire ends tied to various poles in the parameter of the tower area. Some of the preliminary work has been accomplished, but we are in need of volunteers to assist with the final push to complete the necessary tasks to get the antennas up and operational.

There will be three main tasks groups so we can have multiple people working in parallel for efficiency:

1) Pole Work, 2) Dipole Antenna Wire Pre Work, 3) Coax Cables Work. When these tasks are complete, then initial deployment and test measurements/adjustments can proceed.

We hope that you will make time to join us. This is our first Antenna Party in many years, and all of the previous ones have been fun to participate with. When our work is completed we will have new low-band operating capabilities that will enhance the club’s shack!

Technician's License Study Class (KARC Club Offering)!

Posted Mar 21, 2023

The KSC Amateur Radio Club is excited to offer for the second time a Technician's License study preparation class. The course is divided into six, two hour classes which will be held every Thursday evening in the KARS Park Conference Center, beginning on March 23rd, 2023 at 5:00 PM. We have reserved an additional seventh date in case we need extra time.

We will be using Dan Romanchik's "No Nonsense Technician-Class License Study Guide" available as a free PDF download at https://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/. You may also choose to purchase a Kindle version for $9.97 or a printed copy from Amazon for $21.97. The instructors can order a printed copy for you for $10.00 but you will need to respond to one of the instructors in order for it to arrive before class starts. Whatever you decide, please have your copy ready for the first class.

As an incentive to complete the course, we have decided to charge a $15.00 fee but this will be applied to your test session, proctored by the club, the third Tuesday of every month. The fee and manual cost if order through the instructors, are due on the first night of class.

If you've been waiting for the right time to finally get a Technician's Amateur Radio License, and want some expert help with the study preparation, now is the perfect time at the start of this new year and this new KSC Amateur Radio Club service. We look forward to seeing you in class.

73s,

Instructors: Robert Luken (W3RDL) & Mike Williamson (KF4PGQ)

Note: This is open to the general public. 'KARS Park Conference Center' directions available at the main gate enterance to the park located in north Merritt Island.

NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 Mission

N1KSC UHF Repeater Support of NASA PAO Live Audio Events

Posted Feb 13, 2023 (website Editor)

The KARC N1KSC 70cm UHF repeater will be supporting NASA/KSC PAO (Public Affairs Office) launch operations commentary for the upcoming SpaceX Commercial Crew-6 mission, with a planned liftoff from Launch Complex 39A on ~~Sunday Feb 26th at 2:07am EST~~, ~~now scheduled for~~ ~~Monday Feb 27th at 1:45am EST~~ (Scrubbed), Next launch attempt set for Thursday March 2nd at 12:34am EST. Repeater transmission of NASA PAO launch coverage will begin one hour before liftoff, and complete upon successful orbit insertion.

NASA and SpaceX once again are gearing up to launch astronauts on an American rocket and spacecraft from American soil to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. NASA's SpaceX Crew-6 is the sixth crew rotation mission that will carry an international crew of four astronauts on a six-month science expedition to the microgravity laboratory. More Info

Anyone with a 70cm FM compatible radio and within range of the repeater coverage can enjoy the retransmissions. Repeater Rx freq = 444.925 MHz (no PL tone required to monitor). Please note that during the support of the live audio coverage, the repeater will be not open to regular use (emergency traffic can take priority if required).

Note: This is a similar community service that LISATS provides on their 2m repeater (146.940 MHz) located in Merritt Island, FL.

Technician's License Study Class (New KARC Club Offering)!

Posted Jan 12, 2023

Happy New Year to All! The KSC Amateur Radio Club is excited to offer for the first time a Technician's License study preparation class. The course is divided into six, two hour classes which will be held every Thursday evening in the KARS Park Conference Center, beginning on January 19th, 2023 at 5:00 PM. We have reserved an additional seventh date in case we need extra time.

We will be using Dan Romanchik's "No Nonsense Technician-Class License Study Guide" available as a free PDF download at https://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/. You may also choose to purchase a Kindle version for $9.97 or a printed copy from Amazon for $21.97. The instructors can order a printed copy for you for $10.00 but you will need to respond to one of the instructors in order for it to arrive before class starts. Whatever you decide, please have your copy ready for the first class.

As an incentive to complete the course, we have decided to charge a $15.00 fee but this will be applied to your test session, proctored by the club, the third Tuesday of every month. The fee and manual cost if order through the instructors, are due on the first night of class.

If you've been waiting for the right time to finally get a Technician's Amateur Radio License, and want some expert help with the study preparation, now is the perfect time at the start of this new year and this new KSC Amateur Radio Club service. We look forward to seeing you in class.

73s,

Instructors: Robert Luken (W3RDL) & Mike Williamson (KF4PGQ)

Note: This is open to the general public. 'KARS Park Conference Center' directions available at the main gate enterance to the park located in north Merritt Island.

Past Events

View the calendar below for recurring & future events!