About – Titusville Amateur Radio Club

History

The Titusville Amateur Radio Club (TARC) began as an informal group in the mid-1950s with a small group of hams. Most members of this group worked in the early space program at Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. They gathered in each other’s home after work for social and technical sessions. The Club provided emergency communications during Hurricane Donna (1960) and Hurricane Betsy (1965) using Gonset Communicator two-meter (VHF), amplitude modulation (AM) transceivers. Eventually, as the member’s families grew up and other outside activities became available, the Club declined.

In early 1970s, a local ham manually compiled a list of the local hams using the Amateur Radio Callbook (a printed directory of radio amateurs) that was used to contact local hams and revive TARC. Thirty-five interested people attended the first, renewed club meeting. Consequently, TARC was reformed in 1976.

TARC grew steadily over the years and supported many local causes including Titusville Christmas Parade, Race for the Cure (cancer), Cross Florida Bicycle Tour, Space Shuttle launch viewing sites along the Indian River lagoon, Fourth of July fireworks shows, the Indian River Festival raft race, Run For Life (women’s shelters), Tour de Cure (diabetes). TARC provided communications in support of the city of Titusville and Brevard County during emergencies – mainly hurricanes. As of 2024, many of these events are no longer in existence while others now use their own communications resources.

The “Mosquito Net” was started by a TARC member in 1991 as a means to promote the use of the ten-meter band. At one point there were over 930 net members in all 50 states and 15 countries. The Net is still active, albeit with fewer participants.

TARC has operated two-meter band repeaters in north Brevard county since the mid 1980s. There are currently two repeaters in Titusville and one in Mims.

TARC has participated in ARRL Field Day in every year for which we have records. The current operating location is Fox Lake Park in Titusville. Our first year participating in Winter Field Day was 2024.

Our weekly “eating meeting” is a TARC tradition. In fact, TARC has outlasted many of the local restaurants where we gathered.

The Titusville Hamfest was sponsored by TARC from 1991 through 1998. The Hamfest was replaced by a tailgate beginning in 1999. We hold the Mosquito Net tailgate in March to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Mosquito Net.

TARC received its current club callsign, K4KSC, in 2003.

Officers

Membership

Membership is $20 per year for individuals and $5 per year for additional family members in the same household. You can download our membership application and bring it and your payment to any meeting or mail it to the address shown on the application. For additional information, please contact Paul Fee—N6PDF.