Other Nearby Amateur Radio Clubs / Organizations
Not in the greater Grand Traverse area? Here are some other Amateur Radio clubs in Michigan that might be closer to you. While we hope that you become a lasting and active member of the Cherryland ARC, we also hope that you’re able to participate in other groups related to Ham Radio as well.
In the spirit of furthering and advancing the radio art, we feel it is valuable that as many potential and current Amateur Radio operators as possible find a group they can connect with that shares there interests and pushes them to explore, contest, build, educate, socialize, grow, commiserate, experiment – whatever floats your boat, so to speak! The more active Amateur Radio operators in the community, state, region, country, continent, and beyond – the more enjoyable, rewarding, and valuable the hobby will become for everyone.
With that in mind, please explore the following groups!
- Traverse Bay Amateur Radio Emergency Group (TBARG)
- Bay Area DXers – DX-centric Contest Club in the Grand Traverse area.
- Benz-APRSC / Benzie Amateur Radio Friends
- TOMARC – Top Of Michigan ARC – Gaylord, MI
- The Ogemaw Arenac Amateur Radio Society – West Branch
- Raven Hill ARC – East Jordan
- MCRC – Motor City Radio Club (Detroit Area)
- SAARC – Straits Area ARC
General Helpful Links
- ARRL – The National Association for Amateur Radio – A great resource for amateur radio.
- Automatic Position (Packet) Reporting System – With high end radios with GPS, APRS shows the location of the user (some users are also sending weather info as well). Using the APRS web site, family/friends can use the web to know where you are. Don’t have a high end radio but do have a smart phone, use the $3.99 Open APRS app below.
- eHam.net – Get reviews on equipment from other hams.
- FCC Callsign License Lookup/Print (unofficial or Reference) – Click the link on this line. Enter call sign and SEARCH. Click on your call sign. Click on ADMIN tab. Click on Authorization – Licensee. Click on OPEN to view/print or SAVE to create a file (PDF format).
- Ham Nation – Bob Heil, Gordon West, George Thomas, Don Wilbanks and Cheryl Lasik will cover the excitement and importance of ham radio – from tossing an antenna wire in a tree allowing you to talk to the world, to the importance of ham radio operators in time of disasters.
- Ham Radio in the News – Does a Google search of ham radio in the news.
- Ham Radio Now – Television programs all about amateur radio on the web.
- QTH.COM – Ham Radio Classified Adds
Contest Logging Software
- N1MM – Free Contest Logging Software. CARC uses this for Field Day and other events.
- SD Logging Software – Free and Windows based.
- TRLog Contest Logging Software – DOS based software.
- NA Logging Software – DOS based for $64.95.
- Writelog for Windows – Windows program for $35.
- ARRL’s Logbook of the World – online (secure) logging software (cloud-based).
- HRDLog – Cloud-based online logging.
Apps for Smart Phones and Tablets
- Call Sign Search – Free for iPhone. Android here.
- CommCat – Free – Work DX from anywhere! CommCat Mobile is a spot management, radio control, and logging app for radio amateurs.
- Echo Link – Free – With a valid ham license, you can use this iPhone app with internet access to receive/transmit on repeaters all over the world. You don’t need a radio to use it. Android version is here.
- Hamlog – $0.99 – Ham log and more for iPhone and iPad.
- HamRadioCall – Free – HamRadioCall maps and displays location and license information for both the user and another ham based on that ham’s callsign (shows distance and location on a map).
HF Weather Fax – $4.99 – Do you want to get your weather charts without using an internet connection or a dedicated computer? HF Weather Fax lets you receive marine weather radio fax transmissions on your iPad, using the audio from your HF radio. Just set it next to the radio’s speaker or headphones, tune in a weather fax frequency, and watch the images come in. - Intellicast – HD weather for the iPad and iPhone. Here is the web version of Intellicast (click the interactive map when you get to the site).
- OpenAPRS – $3.99 – Don’t have a high end radio with GPS, you can use this iPhone app to show your location or the location of others. Without internet access on your smart phone, this app will not show your current position. Constant use of the GPS will drain your phone fast; you might need a car charger or an external battery for your phone. Android app version is here.
PSK31 – $2.99 – Want to monitor PSK31 transmissions, without using a bulky computer? PSK31 lets you view ham radio PSK31 on your iPad. Just set your iPad next to your radio, tune in a PSK31 frequency, and watch the decoded text - Repeater Book – Free – Uses your iPhone’s GPS to locate repeaters near you. It also shows the distance between you and the repeater. The Android version is here. This app will work without Internet access. You might want the printed version here.
- Shortwave Broadcast Schedules – $2.99 – Are you a shortwave radio listener (SWL) in need of an up to date set of schedules for international broadcast stations? Shortwave Broadcast Schedules is a handy app that displays broadcast schedules of about 11,000 longwave, mediumwave, and shortwave broadcast stations. Don’t have a shortwave radio? No problem. Get the iPhone/iPad free version of TuneIn here. The Android, or PC version of TuneIn Radio is here for free. TuneIn lets you listen to the world’s radio with sports, news, talk and music streaming from every continent. Enjoy 100,000 live radio stations and 2 million podcasts, concerts or shows.
- Sota Goat – $2.99 – SOTA Goat is the all-in-one summit database and spotting application for participants of the Summits On The Air program. Works with your phones GPS to show 55,000 summits.
Got Mac? – Ham Radio Software for the Mac
Have a favorite web site, software program or app?
Send email to cherrylandarc@gmail.com to have it added to the list.