Edmond Amateur Radio Society
Edmond Amateur Radio Society
Newsletter

EARS November 9, 2026 Newsletter

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K5EOK Repeater System Upgraded to New 400-Foot Coffee Creek Tower

The Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS) is thrilled to announce a massive milestone for our club and local community. The K5EOK 2-meter (147.135 MHz) and 70-centimeter (443.425 MHz) repeaters have officially transitioned to the City of Edmond’s new public safety communications tower near Coffee Creek.

Project Context & Purpose

This transition stems from a shifting infrastructure footprint within the city. The City of Edmond needed to replace its long-standing radio tower on the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO) campus due to a university request to have the structure removed. In response, the City engineered and built the new 400-foot Coffee Creek tower.
The primary purpose of this heavy-duty structure is to house the City’s primary public safety communications infrastructure operating on the state’s OKWIN radio system. However, because the tower was being constructed from the ground up to support critical public safety, the City recognized an incredible opportunity to serve the broader community. In a true win-win scenario, the City partnered with EARS to integrate a resilient, wide-area amateur radio system into the facility to bolster local backup operations.

Enhanced Capabilities & Range Profile

Moving from our legacy 200-foot position at the UCO campus to a commanding 400 feet above ground level (AGL) on the new structure has effectively cleared prominent local terrain ridges to expand our mutual-aid footprint. Our updated technical profile represents a clean, robust, and highly efficient deployment:

  • Operational Horizon: Clean line-of-sight extends out to 28.3 miles, with a reliable wide-area mobile and base station footprint pushing 55–60 miles radially from Edmond.

As shown in the Radio Mobile terrain-propagation model below, our mobile footprint now solidly blankets central Oklahoma—stretching cleanly north through Guthrie, west past Piedmont, and south completely overriding historical structural shadows into Oklahoma City. This ensures that our severe weather spotting, reporting, and emergency nets remain rock-solid when primary infrastructure is challenged.

A Successful Public Partnership

This major infrastructure leap was made possible through a formalized Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by EARS leadership and approved by the Edmond City Council. While the project utilized municipal capital resources to erect the physical tower and run the necessary hardline feedlines to secure the site for its primary OKWIN public safety mission, the bonus inclusion of EARS creates an incredibly resilient auxiliary communications asset at no ongoing cost to taxpayers. To maintain operational security, finer technical logistics and internal site details will remain private within club leadership records.

Special Thanks

A project of this scale requires immense dedication, technical coordination, and leadership. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to three key individuals who made this move a reality:

  • Gary Stillwell (AE5GS), our Club Trustee, for his tireless work handling the technical compliance, system tuning, and organizational oversight.
  • Curtis Foote (KC5GEP), the EARS Emergency Operations Coordinator, for his leadership in aligning this move with our local Skywarn and public safety operational goals.
  • John Meadows (K5KKF), City of Edmond Radio Technician, whose invaluable insider expertise, technical coordination at the site, and dedication to the amateur community bridged the gap between the club and city infrastructure perfectly.

Thank you to everyone who supported this transition. Program your radios, test out the new coverage from your neck of the woods, and we look forward to hearing a full house on the next Monday Night Information Net at 8:00 PM!

73,
Ben Curry, KJ5IEB

EARS Monthly Elmer Training – November 10 at 6:00 PM

The Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS) hosts a monthly Training and Elmer Session before each board meeting. Whether you’re a new ham or a seasoned operator, these sessions provide valuable information and a chance to grow your skills.

📅 Date: Tuesday, November 10
🕕 Time: 6:00 PM
📍 Location: Edmond Fire Station 5 – 5300 E Covell Rd

I just wanted to let everyone know that the November Elmer/Mentoring night will be somewhat different than what we have had in the past. I am planning to let a number of our members who lead various programs in the EARS club have an opportunity to explain what they do for the club and let you see them in person and ask questions that you may have. I hope this will allow our members to have the opportunity to both put a face with the voice you may hear on the radio, and also let you see what needs the club may have for volunteers. This should be a great opportunity for our members to ask about various programs we have and see if one of them fits what you would like to be a part of. I hope to see many of you in November. The date in November is 11-10-2026, so get it on your calendar!

We look forward to seeing you there!

Randy, KG5GOV
help@k5eok.org

EARS Annual Membership Meeting & 2027 Elections — November 10

Please join us on Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 PM for the Edmond Amateur Radio Society’s annual membership meeting and November board meeting.

We’ll meet at Edmond Fire Station 5, 5300 E Covell Rd, just east of I-35, in the training building down the hill by the tower.

During the annual membership meeting, we will hold officer and board member elections for 2027. We need at least 32 club members present to conduct the membership meeting and elections, so please make plans to attend. Your participation matters!

The nominating committee has proposed the following slate:

Officers

  • President: Clay Mayrose, WA6LBU
  • Vice President: Steven Christy, N5ZQ
  • Treasurer: John Little, AE5XZ
  • Secretary: Matthew Cowherd, KJ5JSL

Board Members

  • Anthony Tompkins, K5AJT
  • Randy Donalson, KG5GOV
  • John Garnett, N5RET
  • Harvey Jones, W0HGJ
  • Ron McCubbin, KC5QCV
  • Ross Terry, K5SRT

The blue pin marks on the map below is the training building. If you have trouble finding us, call on the repeater and we’ll help guide you in.

Steven, N5ZQ

Volunteers Needed for the Stockyards City Cowboy Christmas Parade

Can you spare a few hours on Saturday, December 5? EARS needs volunteers to help with the Stockyards City Cowboy Christmas Parade, and we’d love to have you join us. It’s a short parade, and if this is your first time volunteering, we’ll pair you with someone who’s done it before.

Please be at the northeast corner of Penn and Exchange no later than 7:45 AM, when the volunteer briefing begins. The parade starts at 10:00 AM, and we’ll finish when it wraps up, around 11:00 AM. If you’d like to meet the crew over breakfast, join us at Cattlemen’s at 7:00 AM.

If you’re available, please sign up. We’d appreciate your help keeping this holiday tradition going. View the parade details and volunteer sign-up form.

Questions? Email parades@k5eok.org.

Andrew, KF5YEP

Save the Date for the EARS Christmas Dinner

Come celebrate the season with your fellow EARS members and their families at our annual Christmas Dinner. It’s a chance to catch up with friends, meet other club families, and enjoy a meal together before the holidays.

This year’s dinner will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2026, at 6 p.m. at the Fenwick Neighborhood Clubhouse, 16801 Fenwick Blvd, Edmond, OK 73012.

After the November 10 board meeting, we’ll share the menu, cost, and signup form directly with club members. In the meantime, mark your calendar and let your family know.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Did you know?

From a London School to a New Zealand Sheep Farm

On October 18, 1924, New Zealand sheep farmer Frank Bell (4AA) heard a London station trying to reach an American ham. The London operator, Cecil Goyder (2SZ), was working from his former school, Mill Hill. Bell gave him a call from the family farm in Shag Valley, transmitting Morse code on a wavelength of about 92.5 meters (3.24 MHz).

Bell’s signal was so strong and steady that Goyder doubted it could really be coming from New Zealand. He asked Bell to confirm by cable, then the two exchanged greetings over the air. Goyder logged that they worked each other for an hour and a quarter before the signal faded. By 11 a.m. in London, Bell’s cable had arrived, confirming the first two-way amateur radio contact between Britain and New Zealand.

Why Space Weather Matters for Radio Operators

Space (solar) weather plays a significant role in radio communication. While its most noticeable effects are often seen on HF bands, solar activity can also impact VHF, UHF, and even higher frequencies under certain conditions.

Understanding space weather helps us better predict band conditions, plan operations, and troubleshoot unusual signal behavior.

Below is a recommended video from a trusted YouTube channel that shares updates on solar activity and space weather about every two weeks. The presenter breaks down complex topics in a way that’s easy to follow and incredibly informative.

📺 Watch the latest space weather report

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to follow her channel. It’s a valuable resource for amateur radio operators at all levels!

Upcoming Contests

Here are a few upcoming HF contests to keep an ear out for! These events offer a great opportunity to sharpen your operating skills, test your equipment, and connect with hams across the country—and the world.

For a more comprehensive list, check out the ARRL Contest Corral in QST Magazine, available as a downloadable PDF from the ARRL website.

You can also find up-to-date contest schedules and detailed information at:
contestcalendar.com

ARRL Sweepstakes Contest, SSB2100Z, Nov 21 to 0300Z, Nov 23
ARRL EME Contest0000Z, Nov 28 to 2359Z, Nov 29
CQ Worldwide DX Contest, CW0000Z, Nov 28 to 2400Z, Nov 29
ARRL 160-Meter Contest2200Z, Dec 4 to 1600Z, Dec 6

Web Links

Here are a few links to other websites that may be of interest.

Upcoming Events

We’d love to feature your original content! If you’ve written—or would like to write—an article, we’d be happy to include it in an upcoming issue of the EARS newsletter.

Steven Christy, N5ZQ
n5zq@n5zq.us

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