Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club serves as a nexus for Amateur Radio activity in Leavenworth County and surrounding territories. Other organizations are described below. Membership in ARRL is highly encouraged since it supports the preservation and promotion of our privileges and capabilities. The others may be joined or supported by contacting any member of that organization for more information.
ARRL® The National Association for Amateur Radio®
ARRL® was founded in 1914 by Hiram Percy Maxim as The American Radio Relay League. Its mission is to advance the art, science, and enjoyment of Amateur Radio. They are a powerful voice for us with the FCC, Congress, and local government. ARRL® publishes QST Magazine and sponsors the much-used Logbook of the World. Our club is an ARRL® recognized Special Service Club.
Amateur Radio Emergency Service®
ARES® consists of volunteer licensed amateurs who prepare for and provide communications in service to the public when disaster strikes. Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL® or any other local or national organization, is eligible to apply for membership in ARES®. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES®. Because ARES® is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable but is not a requirement for membership. See our KS-LV-ARES web site for local ARES® information.
Jarbalo Amateur Radio Association
JARA is named in tribute to Robert “Mac” McConnell, WØROO, who would always sign off from “Lake Jarbalo”. There is a Jarbalo, Kansas; a postage stamp size town near the bottoms of the frequently flooded Stranger Creek. When the creek is high, it literally looks like a lake in some places. Mac had a friendly voice, was a fun-loving radio operator, and was a great mentor. Mac sponsored our UHF repeater for decades and donated it upon his death. JARA was born in his honor and now has a suite of UHF and VHF repeaters that provide us with ARES® back-up, WiresX, Pi-Star, and Echolink connectivity and hours of enjoyment wherever we find ourselves. See our JARA web site for more information.
Kickapoo QRP Amateur Radio Club
The Kickapoo club was established for the promotion and fellowship of low power (QRP) radio enthusiasts. The group supports Summits on the Air (SOTA), Parks on the Air (POTA), and various QRP clubs and events throughout the region. This club also hosts the annual Freeze Your Keys outdoor winter operating event in February of each year.
Leavenworth County Office of Emergency Management
Leavenworth County Emergency Management is our primary supported agency. If this office is involved in emergency response, they have top priority for the allocation of Amateur Radio Emergency Service® as a resource. Although many radio amateurs have been provided 800 MHz hand-helds on the trunked-county radio system to perform other duties as needed (such as weather spotting), a distinct ARES® group is maintained as a trained cadre able to perform the wide array of AUXCOMM functions in an ICS-structured event. That means, we must learn, exercise, and prove proficiency in the many needed AUXCOMM skills we may be called upon to fulfill.
Saint John Hospital Amateur Radio Club
SHARC was founded in 2023 and provides an identity and rallying point for radio amateurs participating in activities at Saint John Hospital. Its callsign is KFØLOG and our trustee is Roxann – KZØIMO. The Amateur Radio portion of the Command Center has been given the moniker, “SHARC Tank”. The SHARC web site is still under construction. Search KCHEART on our KS-LV-ARES web site for updates.
Kansas City Hospital Emergency Amateur Radio Team
KCHEART establishes auxiliary communication support to hospitals throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area. Saint John Hospital (SJH) is a KCHEART facility which is operated by members of SHARC and maintained by JARA members and others with interest in supporting our only remaining general hospital in Leavenworth.
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
To ensure continuity of operations of Radio Amateurs supporting emergency communications during a declared a civil emergency, our ARES® members are also registered with the Leavenworth County Office of Emergency Management as RACES members. To ensure compliance with applicable regulations, should a civil emergency be declared, we ensure applicable guidance remains updated and relevant.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
In 2023, FEMA updated the Incident Command System (ICS) structure to officially include the Auxiliary Communicator (AUXC) role. AUXC appears in the ICS structure under the Incident Communications Center Manager (INCM) which is under the Communications Unit Leader (COML). We are in FEMA region 7. We have one AUXCOMM Level 1 member and several who are working on their AUXCOMM Task Books.