Grant: Equipping digital radio site infrastructure in the SeaTac area

Date: December 2021
Amount: $183,229

Radio site infrastructure is one of the key ingredients to both experimentation and public service in amateur radio. Because the Highline Amateur Radio Club (HARC) does not have access to tall office or apartment buildings where we can place radio antennas, it has been difficult for them to develop radio sites to host shared infrastructure for digital exploration and public service. Because they are so close to SeaTac airport, the neighboring cities do not have tall buildings suited to placing antennas. Access to structures such as water tanks requires professional engineering design and structural installation, and this has been financially out of reach for the club so far.

Funding from ARDC will enable HARC to develop digital radio site infrastructure at two locations, to deploy pre-installed VHF/UHF and Mesh antennas at key community facilities, and to deploy DMR, and Winlink+VARA radio equipment at the key community facilities. With the easing of pandemic precautions, HARC aspires to get the club back in a regular cadence with more Winlink digital clinics, new clinics for DMR/Brandmeister, and to restart a partnership with the Western Washing Medical Services Team (MST) to bring more opportunities for Oregon ACES EmComm training to our area.

Learn more at https://www.highlinearc.org/.