Lawton Fort Sill Amateur Radio Club

   The Lawton Fort Sill Amateur Radio Club (LFSARC) is an ARRL afiliated  Non-Profit Organization committed to the advancement of amateur radio through education, community support, and disaster preparedness. The club supports local ham operators and the radio community at large with education and testing for licenses, mentorship to those new to the hobby, setting an example of positive community involvement, and classes in specific radio skills when requested. The local point of contact (PoC) for testing is Don Ross (AC5D) who can be contacted at his ARRL email.

   During severe weather, LFSARC members are available to support the regional SkyWarn by spotting weather events and informing the Comanche County EOC and the National Weather Service in Norman, OK. If a disaster strikes, the amateur radio community is committed to providing communications in support of Law Enforcement, Medical Personnel, Civil Defense, and other Relief Agencies.

    Currently the LFSARC supports multiple local area community events. These events are the Tour de Meers Bike Ride (routes from 10-60 miles) held in May which is a fund raiser for the Meer’s Fire Department. Then in June the LFSARC supports the Tour of the Whichitas (bike ride). On the last weekend of July support is provided to the Chisholm Trail Amateur Radio club as they support "The Dehydrator" bike ride in Duncan, Oklahoma. In Sept. LFSARC participates in the International Festival to introduce and demonstrate amateur radio to the attendees. The club also supports Jamborie on the Air (JOTA). The club is also actively seeking other activities to support the growing and diverse radio community in and around Comanche county as well as throughout the state of Oklahoma.. 

   LFSARC supports the local radio community by owning and maintaining  three local repeaters. The main repeater is set to 146.91 MHz with a negative offse, a tone of 173.8, and is located in the vicinity of Big Rock. The second repeater operates on 147.36 MHz with a positive offset, and a tone of 173.8. The third repeater is located in Chickasha on 144.63 MHz with a negative offset and a tone of 141.3 which is currently in use by amature radio enthusiasts in Grady County. . 

The LFSARC club nets are conducted on Thursdays at 1900 hours local time. On the 1st thru 3rd Thursday of the month the net is on the 146.910 repeater while on the 4th Thursdays the monthly simplex net is on 146.52. If there is a 5th Thursday, the net is conducted on the 147.36 repeater. 

More information can be found at our website at w5ks.org or by contacting the secretary at w5ks@arrl.net or w5ks.lfsarc@gmail.com.                   

LFSARC Vision of the Future

·         LFSARC continues to work towards complete support of, and integration into the local and federal emergency response efforts to natural or other emergencies and advise the local community on how to monitor or support the local storm spotters

·         The club is planning to educate the Lawton Fort Sill area to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities that amateur radio provides by partnering with local schools and exposing future generations to the radio hobby. 

·         Continue to support the local community in area events and expand to more community support activities.