Welcome to the NLARC Website.
History of the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club
The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club started in the fall of 1974 with 5 members. The first meetings were held in the Goldfine's Department Store (the present-day Kmart). In November 1977 the club constitution and by-laws were created and the papers of incorporation were filed. In 1978 the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club filed for 501(c)(3) status, which was granted. The first 2-meter repeater was also installed at the Blueberry Hills in Deer River, MN. The call sign was K0EL, which is Ed Lee's call sign. 1979 was the year that the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club became active in Skywarn with the National Weather Service in Duluth, Minnesota. In 1982-1983 the radio club began to sponsor amateur radio classes for teaching new students about amateur radio. The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club became associated with RACES in the year 1985. Jim Hebert was the first radio officer. In 1989, the Care Trak system was pursued by the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club. Jim Marshall and Dick Wilson spearheaded this project. In March of 1990 another repeater was set up on the Suomi repeater site.
Club Meetings
The annual Christmas meeting and dinner will be held at the Pickled Loon restaurant in Grand Rapids on Dec. 5th.. Bring the family and join us at 5:00 PM. The regular monthly meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at the Itasca County Courthouse in Grand Rapids, room J135, starting at 7:00PM except for June-Aug, which are combined with a picnic, and Dec which is held at a local restaurant. (See Event page for details). Picnic Meetings: The first Thursday in Jun and Aug we will supply brats, hot dogs, buns and condiments for a picnic at Veterans Park in Grand Rapids starting at 5:00PM. Bring a dish to pass. Julys' meeting is actually the forth Saturday in June during field day activities. It begins with a picnic around 5:00 PM. NLARC offers Amateur Radio License Exams Check out the Licensing/Testing tab for more info! |
NLARC Sunday Night Net
Every Sunday at 7:30 pm. CDT. on 146.880 (Grand Rapids, MN.) and the 147.075 (Marcell, MN.) 2 meter repeaters. NLARC Facebook Page The club has a Facebook page with up-to-date information regarding meetings, ham events, testing info, skywarn activations and more. Check out the link below! |
Our Repeaters
2-meter Repeaters
The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club currently operates two 2-meter repeaters. The frequency's are: 146.880 MHz and 147.075 MHz. The two repeaters are linked to cover more area. The call sign is K0GPZ (GPZ is the airport code for the Grand Rapids airport). The 146.880 MHz repeater is located on the KAXE radio station tower. The 147.075 MHz is located on the Itasca County Sheriff's Department radio tower located in the Soumi Hills area. The repeater system has Autopatch and the 146.880 MHz repeater has emergency backup power. The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club also maintains an emergency repeater which operates on the frequency 145.230 MHz. This repeater is kept in the basement of the Itasca County Courthouse. Two VX1000 repeaters are also available for emergency or replacement use if needed.
New Repeater
We have brought up a new Fusion C4FM repeater with Wires-X for an expanded digital experience. the frequency is 147.285 with a +600 offset and a CTCSS tone of 123 if using FM. it is located about 10 miles SE of Grand Rapids but our hope is to relocate to downtown Grand Rapids in the first quarter of 2024.
70-Centimeter Repeater
You can find the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club on the seventy-centimeter frequency of 444.550 MHz. This repeater has a tone of 123.0. This repeater is also located on the KAXE tower site.
The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club currently operates two 2-meter repeaters. The frequency's are: 146.880 MHz and 147.075 MHz. The two repeaters are linked to cover more area. The call sign is K0GPZ (GPZ is the airport code for the Grand Rapids airport). The 146.880 MHz repeater is located on the KAXE radio station tower. The 147.075 MHz is located on the Itasca County Sheriff's Department radio tower located in the Soumi Hills area. The repeater system has Autopatch and the 146.880 MHz repeater has emergency backup power. The Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club also maintains an emergency repeater which operates on the frequency 145.230 MHz. This repeater is kept in the basement of the Itasca County Courthouse. Two VX1000 repeaters are also available for emergency or replacement use if needed.
New Repeater
We have brought up a new Fusion C4FM repeater with Wires-X for an expanded digital experience. the frequency is 147.285 with a +600 offset and a CTCSS tone of 123 if using FM. it is located about 10 miles SE of Grand Rapids but our hope is to relocate to downtown Grand Rapids in the first quarter of 2024.
70-Centimeter Repeater
You can find the Northern Lakes Amateur Radio Club on the seventy-centimeter frequency of 444.550 MHz. This repeater has a tone of 123.0. This repeater is also located on the KAXE tower site.