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 Port Ludlow Amateur Radio Club
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Northwest Boaters Net History
There are no membership requirements other than having an amateur radio operator license qualified for the net frequency, possessing an interest in boating activities and the willingness to participate on a consistent basis.There are no dues. Interested hams may contact the Net Control Operator at the end of roll call for possible inclusion.
Net Status
Each morning at 0800 Pacific time, a large group of northwest boating hams and those interested in boating activities switch on their ham radio transceivers to participate in the "NORTHWEST BOATERS NET". The net provides weather reports, conveys vessel position reports, passes messages, and assists northwest boaters. It also provides contact between a large number of land based northwest amateur radio operators with an interest in boating activities. Such scheduled contact has proven extremely valuable to visiting cruising boats and northwest Washington and Canada boaters, especially those who find themselves beyond the range of normal communication facilities. It is not uncommon to have offshore cruising boats check in from the Gulf of Alaska to as far south as San Francisco Bay. The net welcomes all northwest boaters and those interested in northwest boating activities from California to Alaska. The net also provides a primary radio contact link for members of the Port Ludlow (Washington) Amateur Radio Club.
 
The net meets on 3.865 Mhz at 0800 pacific time utilizing the lower side band mode. A warm up session takes place at that time for general discussions and early check ins by net participants.  At 0830 roll call takes place. At this time (November 2024) active roll call participants consists of about 30 U.S. and Canadian Amateur Radio Stations. The roll call is completed in about 15 minutes. The net is tightly controlled by control operators to provide timely efficiency. Current Control Operators (05/24) are: Lee Watts, WA7OK; Steve Curran, KG7NZZ; Henry Stanford, W1HKS; John Minihan, WA2JM; and Murray Hayes, KI7MH.  Visitors to the net are always welcome.
In its earlier stages the net had far more participation from cruising boats. Following the roll call on 3.865 the control operator would switch over to 7.265 to accommodate cruising boats further to the north.  Later, the "Great Northern Boaters Net" was formed with control operators located farther north. That being the case, they are able to contact cruising boats located in the northern areas of Johnstone Strait and north.  The Great Northern Boaters Net meets at 0730 Pacific time on 3.870Mhz and is managed by Steve Clark, W7XV

The Northwest Boaters Net had its beginning  in 1985 when a small group of Port Ludlow Yacht Club members began checking with each other every morning on ham radio. Paul Morris, W7GT; Bill Whipple, KD7FX; Bill Wootton, WO7J; and Bill Whitney, WO7O; were key members in the original group with WO7O as the net control. The group rapidly expanded to include other Port Ludlow boaters and local residents. During later years since 1989, the group has expanded to the present net with its regional coverage and extensive Roll Call Listing of participating members.

PLARC was Formed

The history of the Port Ludlow Amateur Radio Club dates back to1993 when the weekly luncheon gatherings founded by the Northwest Boaters Net during the late 1980's became more formalized with consistent attendance by 10 to 15 of the amateurs from Port Ludlow and the adjacent area.

Those attending the luncheons shared common interests and the gatherings were held at a convenient location readily accessible. The luncheon attendance continued to grow and interesting programs were offered. It was decided to further strengthen participation by forming a recognized club. As a result, the group spearheaded by W6UQT, Andy Perrin and AA7BL (Now W6BBB), Percy Dunkle, proceeded to develop by-laws and incorporate the Port Ludlow Amateur Radio Club.

On October 13, 1993, the first formal meeting was held with election of officers. The 19 Charter Members elected Andy Perrin, W6UQT, as the first president; Bill Wootton, W07J, as Vice President; Jim Beebe, KF7IR, as Secretary; and Woody Cone, K6HRS (Now W7HSM), as Treasurer. Jim Arneil, N7MMW; and Aaron Benson, KF6XT were elected as additional Board Members with Jim serving as Legal Counsel and Aaron as Technical Advisor.

Under the leadership of these Charter officers, Board members and committeemen, the new club witnessed rapid growth. Varied programs were offered at the luncheons including technical presentations and member autobiographies. Bill Wootton, W07J, assisted by Andy Perrin, W6UQT, and Bill Whitney, W070, gave radio classes and VE examinations. The Club's ARRL charter was received from ARRL on October 10, 1994. The existing 440 repeater was transferred to the Club.

 

On November 5, 1994, the Club held its first annual party honoring the charter officers and presenting tbe newly elected officers. The new officers were Percy Dunkle, W6BBB, as President; Woody Cone, W7HSM, as Vice President, Orville Bennet, N7MOZ, as Secretary, and Lee Watts, WH60K, as Treasurer. Jim Arneil, N7MMW, and Aaron Benson, KF6XT, were again elected as Board Members.

 

1995 was another banner year. On April 7, the Club qualified and received ARRL Special Service Club recognition. During the year several workshop sessions were offered to construct DSP units; a program which received national recognition. ARES participation was increased and the club was called upon to assist the County Sherriff on several occasions. An outstanding Field Day event with picnic was held at the W070 property on Hood Canal.

In October 1995, a new slate of officers took over with Jack Schmidt, KI7WQ as President; Lee Watts, WH60K, as Vice President; Don Marshall, N6HYI, as Treasurer; and Bud Johnson, W7TCA as Secretary. Jim Arneil, N7MMW, and Aaron Benson, KF6XT, continued to serve on the Board. Also it was decided to have the most recent Past President serve on the Board which in this case was Percy Dunkle, W6BBB.

 

1996 has been another good Club year with the luncheon gatherings f'illing the available facility at the Harbormaster Restaurant at Port Ludlow to capacity. Several outstanding programs were presented and the Club made a strong showing in its continued ARES operations. A strong biweekly code group was established under the leadership of Bruce McCaffrey, K7PXV and Ralph Anderson, W7ZX. The 440 repeater was completely renovated. Membership had reached the 60 level by October.

On October 2, 1996, a new slate of officers was elected.

The luncheons continue to be held every Wednesday at various restaurants in the Port Ludlow / Port Hadlock vicinity with 25 to 30 attending. The Club now handles the luncheon programs with monthly club meetings held in conjunction  with the luncheon gatherings.

Weekly luncheons are currently held at Ferrinos Pizza in Port Hadlock on Wednesdays at 1130 Pacific time with the exception of the 4th Wednesday of each month at Fat Smitty's restaurant at Discovery Bay at 1100 pacific time.  All hams are welcome.
Bylaws and Procedures

PLARC Current Bylaws - 2025

PLARC Estate & Equipment Services Procedure and Information

 
 History - N7PL 450 Mhz Repeater System
In 1996 the club decided to put up a 441.575Mhz repeater to provide more complete coverage for the North/West Puget Sound waterways. The repeater requires a CTCSS access of 103.5 Hz. Using a Phelps Dodge eight bay folded dipole antenna atop a 150 foot Rohn tower coverage includes most of the northern Puget Sound region.With the large amount of boating activities in the area the system solved the problem.

The tower was originally owned by Summit Cablevision and used as their head end tower. The tower was later donated to the Jefferson County Sheriff when Summit abandoned its Port Ludlow cable head end in favor of the larger and more capable site in Port Townsend.

With plenty of work the Port Ludlow Club obtained permission from Sheriff Paccinni in 1998 to collocate the Club's UHF repeater on the tower. However, before any new antennas could be added to the tower, all of the old cable antennas needed to be removed. Below is a compilation of pictures of the removal of the old antennas and installation of the Club's antenna. Persons pictured; Jack Schmidt, Jerry Jensch, Lee Watts, Bud Johnson, Bill Whipple and Phil Ferrel. Special recognition to Steve Goggins - K7LZJ the tower guru.
         

N7PL/R used an Icom 3010 repeater, TE systems 110 watt power amplifier, TX-RX duplexor and Wacom bandpass cavities. The feed line going up the tower was 1 1/4 inch hardline with solid copper center conductor.

The repeater floated on two 8D sized gel cells. The batteries were maintained with a smart charger designed for gel cells. This allowed several days of operation with out the benefit of commercial power in the event of an emergency.  Repeater Description.
 
 
Well, the end of an era arrived. As many of you know the Port Ludlow radio tower had to come down. In xxxx it was determined that the tower was not safe for operation at that location by the Jefferson County Sheriff and they decided to take it down.The Club worked with the EOC and the LMC trying to broker an arrangement where the tower could stay as a community resource. Time was not on our side. We were unsuccessful in our endeavor and we were given November 1, XXXX as a drop dead date where the Club's equipment must be off the tower. We were able to comply and accomplished the removal on Wed. October 15th, xxxx.