About the KARC

The Kamloops Amateur Radio Club is a non-profit organization incorporated under the Society Act and has been in operation since 1971.

Our goal is to establish, maintain, conduct, and promote proficiency in Amateur Radio and electronics.  We strive to bring together people interested in the Amateur Radio and electronics for their mutual enjoyment, and to further the knowledge and education of club members and the community at large.

Our organization serves the communities of Kamloops, Merritt, and Logan Lake, and we are proud to have members from all over the TNRD and beyond.

For almost 40 years our organization has built and maintained a network of Amateur Radio mountain top repeaters which enable voice and digital communications between a number of interior communities.  A major factor in the establishment of our system has been to have in place a wide ranging Amateur Radio Repeater and Broadband IP Network in the event of a provincial or local emergency. Our system is open for use by any visiting licensed amateur operators, and is also utilized when amateur radio operators assist the public for various reasons, i.e.: stranded motorists, finding lost hikers, vehicle accidents, reporting wildfires, etc. We also work closely with Provincial and Local Government organizations during disasters and training exercises.

We have network linked repeaters on Greenstone Mountain, Mt. Lolo, Mt. Dufferin, Iron Mountain, and South Forge Mountain providing broad coverage to Kamloops, Logan Lake, Merritt, Ashcroft and the Trans-Canada Highway #1 as far south as Lytton and the Yellowhead Highway #5 as far north as Barriere. These repeaters are linked by an amateur radio broadband IP network which allows members to communicate with others regionally, provincially, nationally, and internationally. For the most part, the cost of establishing and maintaining this system has been born by the donations of time and equipment from individual Amateur Radio Operators and other Amateur Radio Clubs (we work closely with the BCFMCA and are part of the BCWARN).

The club actively participates in the annual ARRL Field Day in June, Winter Field Day in January, and in the RAC Canada Day Contest.  We hold an annual Christmas Party, and also host spring/summer picnics and provide tours of our mountain top repeater sites during the summer. 

The club also hosts a weekly ham breakfast every Saturday at 8:30am at Kirsten's Hideout Cafe.

The club meets on the first Thursday of every month (except July and August) at 7:00pm. All guests are welcome, you don't need to be a member to join our club meetings.

For information on becoming a member please see: Club Membership

Contact us at karc@karc.ca

Updated September 15, 2023