CLUB HISTORY
Under Construction
The Anchorage Amateur Radio Club, KL7AA was organized in 1947. The first meeting was held at the Fourth Avenue Theater. The first president was Dave Fulton, KL7AGU. Among those present were:
Founding Members
Charles Sappah, KL7PJ
Glen Jefferson, KL7NT
Jack Walden, KL7BK
Augie Hiebert, KL7PQ
Harold Hitchins, KL7PG
Charley Wier, KL7HG
Carl Meeks, KL7SX
Vern Huffman, KL7SU
Woody Welling, KL7MS
Pappy Moore, KL7CP
Jack Edwards, KL7ABT
Dave Fulton, KL7AGU
By 1950, the club moved to the KENI transmitter site. The meetings were held in the basement and the wives had a social meeting upstairs. The club station, KL7AA, was set up at this time, using a transmitter build by Jack Waldron and a long wire antenna. The club owned a code machine and a tape puncher, and code practice was run every night on 80 meters by club members. Around 40 people throughout the state listened fairly regularly. Many wives of members got tickets at this time and joined the club.
In 1953, a few meetings were held at Yukon Radio on 7th & I Street. When the Loussac Library was built, the meeting place moved to the city council chambers in the basement. During this time, the Northern Alaska Emergency net was organized and met nightly on 3982. Around 30-40 people checked in regularly. This net provided essential communications to people living in the bush. Stations in town copied grocery lists and phone them to local stores, made plane and hotel reservations and relayed messages to and from the Lower 48 and the bush.
In 1955, the club acquired a bus. Every other seat was removed, tables installed and several stations set up. A generator was installed for power and antennas could be set up on top of the bus. In 1956 or 1957, a travel trailer was also acquired and similarly equipped. Charles Sappah was the Civil Defense head of communications at this time, and he supplied a Hallicrafters HT20 with receivers for the bus. He signed up hams for Civil Defense and supplied them with Gorset communicators. Of course, all of this equipment was used at hamfests and Field Days, but it proved invaluable during the earthquake.A 2M net was organized around 1956 and met nightly in the fifties and weekly during the sixties. This was a Civil Defense / ham project. The control station was in the basement of the telephone utility building, and club members took turns acting as net control.
The Anchorage Radio Club's participation in the Fur Rendezvous races began around 1958 and is still continuing. Stations were set up to take traffic for the states as well as man the checkpoints in the race. A large board showing the route of the race is set up on Fourth Avenue so spectators can see the positions of the racers.
KL7AA HAM RADIO CLUB 1961
1964 Earthquake:
The amateur radio operators of Anchorage and throughout Alaska were the only communications out of Alaska.
All public systems had failed. Due to their being able to provide this service a proclamation was made by Mayor Shrock, honoring amateur radio operators for their service. A governor proclamation and state laws were passed to support amateur radio operators for their service to the community during this time of emergency.
In 1973, members of the VHF committee set up a 34-94 repeater at Del Wolfington's house and put the antennas on his tower. This machine was a "junkbox special" and surprised everyone by working. In 1974, a 22-82 repeater was set up at Stuckagain Heights. This has become the Anchorage link of the Anchorage-Minchumina-McKinley-Fairbanks repeater link. With this set-up, a 2M mobile station can contact another 2M station in Fairbanks with no special equipment other than a handheld transceiver.
1984: Volunteer Examiner Program
In 1979, Wilse Morgan, KL7CQ wrote a letter on behalf of AARC to the FCC to become the first Volunteer Examiner in the country. 1983, He made a proposal to the FCC for the Volunteer Examiner program.
Wilse was the first ceritified VE in the country, and on April 14, 1984 AARC was approved as the first VEC Coordinator program in the nation. In 1984, the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club through the leadership of Wilse Morgan, KL7CQ the Federal Communications Commission appointed the Anchorage Amateur Radio Club as its first volunteer examiner coordinator (VEC) in the United States. This program authorized December 1, 1983 allowed examinations for amateur radio operator licenses to be given by volunteer examiners drawn from the private sector. VE accredit volunteers administer the examinations and coordinate the entire program in a specific region. The Anchorage Amateur Radio Club was appointed the VEC for the State of Alaska, FCC Region 11. To day, the AARC VEC still plays an active role in the national NCVEC program through development of the Question pools used on the examinations and the AARC VEC continues to maintain the majority of the VE Examinations offered in Alaska. These programs are offered free of costs to all participating operators. The program has also been trying to prototype an online internet testing program to be available to remote Alaska.
During the cold war, RACES: Radio amateur civil emergency services were a major component in Anchorage and the state for civil defense communications. Today ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) is used to support our local Office of Emergency Management.
We are a major component and support service in both the City of Anchorage Emergency Plan and the State of Alaska Emergency Plan.
Over time the Anchorage club and amateur radio operators through out the state have continued to provide emergency communications when public systems fail and for public service events.
Here in Anchorage, we have supported Hope Cottages now known as Hope Community Resources for over 35 years both with the Walk for Hope and general charity donations.
The Anchorage Amateur Radio Club, KL7AA has been an active participant in many local public service events. Some of the local activities supported by Amateur Radio include:
Eagle River Classic Sled Dog Race
Fur Rondy Grand Prix
Fur Rondy World Championship Sled Dog Race
Iditarod Sled Dog Race
Walk for Hope
Gold Nugget Triathlon
Mayor’s Marathon
Northern Edge Alaska Shield (Disaster Exercises)
Alaska 10K ClassicMS 150 (Bike from Hope to Seward)
Ham Radio operators have supported public events in Anchorage for over 70 years. With more than 1000 amateur radio operators throughout the Municipality including Eagle River and Girdwood, ham radio has the ability to provide communication coverage over the entire Anchorage bowl. Each operator has a radio, their own power supply and a general knowledge of emergency communications needed to provide emergency or priority communications traffic compliant with the Federal Response Plan National Traffic System. Amateur Radio is a key component in the State of Alaska Emergency Plan and the Anchorage Emergency Plan. With stations in both State and local Emergency Operations Centers we provide government liaison support when public communication systems fail.
With the use of our Command and Control Vehicle (CCV), ARES has the resources to provide interoperability to all agencies involved in this event. The CCV has multiple modes of communication. Our radios include VHF UHF radios needed to talk to local emergency services, Aviation radios needed to provide air to ground communication, Marine radios to provide communication support to US Coast Guard Auxiliary, Search and Rescue, digital packet communications, satellite operations and at least three HF stations concurrently. The CCV has the ability to be an Incident Command Center or event coordination facility if needed.
