The MARC Radio Room, located near downtown Franklin, is available for licensed club members to use. A variety of radio equipment for HF, VHF and UHF operation is provided. The Radio Room is the Net Control position for Johnson County emergency communications including SKYWARN, ARES and RACES activations.
- MARC serves the community interest in partnership with the Johnson County Department of Emergency Management by providing emergency communications when called upon by County officials and we are the eyes on the sky for the National Weather Service as the official trained SKYWARN Spotter Program members for Johnson County. We are also affiliated with Indiana State ARES and RACES groups, and have club designated liaisons to both.
- ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) is a corps of trained amateur radio operator volunteers organized to assist in public service and emergency communications. It is organized and sponsored by the ARRL (American Radio Relay League).
- RACES (Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service) is a protocol created by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC Part 97, Section 407). Many government agencies across the country train their Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS or AUXCOMM) volunteers using the RACES protocol. The volunteers serve their respective jurisdictions pursuant to guidelines and mandates established by local emergency management officials.
The Modernize the W9MID Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Project
The Mid-State Amateur Radio Club is currently working to upgrade Radio Room and repeater equipment and increase functionality. The Modernize the W9MID Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Project is focused on updating aging equipment in the Radio Room EOC, increasing the range of our repeater system and adding capabilities such as the WIRES-X digital mode, real-time weather information on our APRS node, Winlink (e-mail over HF and VHF radio) and replacing older single band radios with modern transceivers able to monitor neighboring county frequencies on two bands simultaneously per radio. A computer and new dual band (VHF/UHF) antenna will also be added.
This project supports the growth of amateur radio locally, increasing the range of our services to the community as well as increasing the offerings we provide to a greater number of people in Central Indiana. Our club programs and equipment are used in continuing education, improving our repeater infrastructure and enhancing our emergency communications capabilities and practice. These enhancements will significantly broaden our club’s reach of services in Johnson County and surrounding counties.
The MARC Executive Committee has obtained funding via a grant from Amateur Radio Digital Communications.
ARDC’S Mission
The mission of Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote Amateur Radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.
About ARDC
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The organization got its start by managing allocations of the AMPRnet address space, which is designated to licensed amateur radio operators worldwide. Additionally, ARDC makes grants to projects and organizations that follow amateur radio’s practice and tradition of technical experimentation in both amateur radio and digital communication science. Such experimentation has led to broad advances for the benefit of the general public – such as the mobile phone and wireless internet technology. ARDC envisions a world where all such technology is available through open source hardware and software, and where anyone has the ability to innovate upon it.
Learn more about ARDC at ardc.net.
ARDC Grant Progress Report
- Discussion of Radio Room Upgrades and ARDC Grant Opportunities at MARC Monthly Meetings, April and May 2023
- Draft Grant Application Created, May 31
- Draft Grant Application Reviewed by The Executive Committee
- Grant Application Submitted to ARDC Prior to July 1 Quarterly Deadline
- Waiting for Review and Determination of Grant Application by ARDC
- ARDC Approves MARC Grant Application, September 8
- Waiting for Transfer of Funds from ARDC
- Grant Funds Received from ARDC, October 2
- First Round of Equipment Acquisition Orders Being Readied
- First Equipment Orders Made, October 13
- First Equipment Order Received and Additional Equipment Ordered, October 17
- All ARDC Grant Equipment Ordered; Some gear received and configured, ready for installation and testing; One piece is on backorder until January 2024, November 3
- Davis Weather Station and Two FTM-500 Radios Installed, November 9
- Henry Radio Amplifier and Tx-Rx Systems Duplexer Installed, December 11
- Weather Station data available on the WeatherLink App and MARC website, January 22
- Final ARDC Grant Report in preparation, March
- Final Grant Report submitted to ARDC. Confirmation received, April 1,
The Modernize the W9MID Emergency Operation Center (EOC) Project
Work-In-Progress Installation Photos
Yaesu FTM-500 Monitoring W9MID 2m and 70cm Repeaters.
WinLink Station: Yaesu FT-991A and Laptop Computer
The Davis Weather Station is Mounted on the W9MID Radio Room/EOC Tower, Franklin, IN.
W9MID Repeater Equipment Rack, White River Township Fire Department Station #51.
