Where to find us on the air
DeKalb ARES operates a weekly training net every Sunday at 8:00 PM local time on our primary repeater — W4BOC 146.760 (-) PL 107.2. The net is open to any licensed amateur; membership is not required to check in. If you can't hit the repeater, you can reach it through EchoLink on W4BOC-R · node 330246.
The repeater facilities are provided courtesy of the Alford Memorial Radio Club.
Net Control schedule
Each active member is expected to take a turn as Net Control or Alternate Net Control at least once per year. Contact ke4qcm@arrl.net (Tom Fuller, KE4QCM) to be added to the rotation. The schedule below shows this Sunday plus the next seven — past weeks drop off automatically.
→ Net script for Sunday practice net (PDF, updated Nov 2025)
| Date | Net Control | Alternate |
|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2026 | W4JES · James | WC4Y · Greg |
| Jun 7, 2026 Simplex test | WC4Y · Greg | N4RAR · Jim |
| Jun 14, 2026 | N4RAR · Jim | KR4CJZ · Cynthia |
| Jun 21, 2026 | KR4CJZ · Cynthia | N4YWH · Wardell |
| Jun 28, 2026 | N4YWH · Wardell | KN4VRX · Lewis |
| Jul 5, 2026 Simplex test | TBD · — | TBD · — |
Primary frequencies
| Primary repeater | W4BOC 146.760 (-) PL 107.2 |
| Backup repeater | W4BOC 145.450 (-) PL 107.2 |
| Simplex | 146.460 MHz |
| Winlink Packet | 145.590 MHz (DeKalb Fire/Rescue HQ) · WD5EMA-10 |
| Winlink VARA FM | 145.530 MHz (Stone Mountain) · WD5EMA-10 |
| GA ARES HF net | 3.975 MHz LSB
Sunday 22:00 UTC · General class and above are encouraged to check in.
|
First Sunday of the month
- Emergency Power. Members check in running on battery or generator to verify emergency-power capability.
- Simplex net. Immediately after the repeater net, we drop to 146.460 MHz to practice simplex operation and map where stations can reach each other.
Winlink stations
DeKalb ARES operates two Winlink RMS gateways under the callsign WD5EMA-10, moving email over radio when the internet is down:
- Packet — 145.590 MHz (DeKalb Fire/Rescue HQ), at DeKalb Fire/Rescue Headquarters in Tucker.
- VARA FM — 145.530 MHz (Stone Mountain), on top of Stone Mountain.
The Winlink Net Control rotation is maintained in a separate schedule:
→ Winlink Net Control schedule (Google Sheets)
Need help setting up a Winlink digital station? Contact Greg Mann, WC4Y, our AEC for Digital Communications — wc4y.greg@gmail.com .
Neighboring ARES nets
| Group | Frequency | PL | Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Skywarn (W4DOC) | 146.820− | PL 146.2 E/D | Activated as needed |
| Metro Atlanta ARES District Net | 146.805+ | PL 100.0 E/D | 1st Sunday, 4:00 PM ET |
| City of Atlanta ARES (W4DOC) | 146.820− | PL 146.2 E/D | Wednesday, 7:30 PM ET |
| Butts County ARES (WX4BCA) | 147.285+ | PL 131.8 E | Tuesday, 7:30 PM ET |
| Cherokee ARES (WA4EOC) | 145.190 +2.26 | PL 173.8 E/D | Monday, 8:00 PM ET (digital ~7:30 PM) |
| Fayette County ARES (KK4GQ) | 145.210− | PL 131.8 E/D | Tuesday, 8:30 PM ET |
| Forsyth County ARES (WB4GQX) | 147.150+ | PL 141.3 E/D | Tuesday, 8:00 PM ET |
| Gwinnett County ARES (W4GR) | 147.075+ | PL 82.5 E/D | Monday, 8:15 PM ET (digital sub-net 8:45 PM) |
| Henry County ARS (KJ4KPY) | 145.170− | PL 146.2 E | Monday, 8:30 PM ET |
| Newton County ARES (WA4ASI) | 146.925− | PL 88.5 E/D | Schedule not publicly posted |
| North Fulton ARES (N4CLA) | 147.060+ | PL 100.0 E | Sunday, 8:30 PM ET |
| Paulding County ARES (WB4QOJ) | 146.955− | PL 77.0 E/D | Thursday, 7:00 PM ET |
| Rockdale County ARES (KF4GHF) | 147.210+ | PL 162.2 E/D | Schedule not publicly posted |
| Walton County ARES (WC4RG) | 147.270+ | PL 88.5 E/D | Monday, 8:00 PM ET |
E = PL encode required for repeater access. D = repeater transmits tone; Tone Squelch may be used.