Are you a licensed ham, new to the area, been here forever or just have an interest in amateur radio? Please consider joining the Smoky Mountain Amateur Radio Club (aka, SMARC). Our 160+ members would enjoy meeting you, making a new friend and sharing the knowledge and excitement this hobby has to offer.

Maybe you need help getting started, need help finding or programming a radio or putting up an antenna. There is a group of mentors (elmers) who are ready, willing and able to offer assistance.

One good way to learn about SMARC is to join a Zoom session every M-Th morning at about 8:00am to 10:15am, every Thursday Night from 6pm until 8pm or join us for one of our monthly meetings. Click here to Join Zoom. Passcode is w4olb (all lower case).

Need a contact? Need an elmer? Click here for the email addresses of the officers or come to one of our monthy meetings or weekly social events to talk to us in person.

SMARC 2026 Membership is now 163 which includes 1 new member this year and 39 new members from last year year!

Come find out what our Club is all about!

EVERY 3rd THURSDAY of the month: We meet for lunch at TC's Grill, 2514 Old Niles Ferry, Maryville, TN 37801 instead, (directions) starting about 11:30am. Just come in and look for the big group of folks in the middle of the restaurant. All are welcome to stop by for a good time and laughter.

EVERY FRIDAY: New to the area? Looking for a Club? Want to find out more about Amateur Radio or SMARC? We invite you to join a number of our members, spouses and guests for breakfast at TC's Grill, 2514 Old Niles Ferry Road, Maryville (directions). We usually gather together around 8:30 am. Just come in and look for the big group of folks in the middle of the restaurant. Great conversation, good food and smiling faces. All are welcome to come join us.

FOX HUNTS, PARKS ON THE AIR and PICNIC: These events will be planned as weather permits. Announcement of the event, location, time and date will be sent out via email to all those registered on SMARC groups.io and will be posted on the Club website. Click Here

TRUNKFEST & POT LUCK: This event is usually held in the spring where members are invited to bring any ham related equipment to sell and then afterwards for a pot luck dinner with the meat dish provided. Event starts at 6:00 P.M. in the parking lot of the United Steelworkers Union Hall, 339 S. Hall Road, Alcoa, TN (directions).

CHRISTMAS PARTY: This event is held in December in lieu of the normal club meeting. In the past, the club has catered the dinner and asked for a small donation to help offset the cost. Bring your own non-alcoholic drink and if so inclined, a dessert. The location, date, and time will be announced prior to the event and posted on the website.

The meeting will also be similcast on Zoom. Everyone is welcome! To join the Zoom video conference, just click here Join Zoom. The passcode is 'w4olb'.

If you are not a member of our groups.io email portal, please click here to Join Mailing List. There will be an email sent out to all members on this list before each meeting including the credentials necessary to join the Zoom conference.

SMARC also has a Club Leadership Meeting the Monday before (3rd Monday of every month) at 7:00 P.M. via ZOOM video conferencing. Announcement of the meeting and any changes to the schedule will occur via email. All are welcome to attend this meeting!

Please Note: Generally there is no December meeting, as our Annual Christmas Party replaces it. Location, date, and time will be announed prior to the party.

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**Note** The W4OLB 146.655 Club Repeater and the 443.075 Club Repeater are only linked during the Nets.

**Note** The KK4XA DMR repeater is privately owned and is connected to the internet via the Brandmeister DMR system. Since it is linked to the W4OLB 146.655 club repeater, you can contact anyone within the footprint of our SMARC club repeater at anytime, anywhere, by connecting to DMR Talk Group 314742 using a ham radio hotspot, like the OpenSPOT for example, or by connecting to any DMR repeater at your current location. Some hotspots, like the OpenSPOT, also allow a Yaesu System Fusion radio to link to DMR talkgroups.

• SMARC is recognized as a not-for-profit doing work for the general community good

• SMARC provides free and available emergency repeaters for FCC licensed persons

• SMARC provides free classes to the general public who are interested in amateur radio

• SMARC holds FCC certified testing for the public wishing to become FCC licensed operators

• SMARC offers mentoring to new licensees, members, and anyone wanting to know more about amateur radio

• SMARC meetings and Zoom sessions are free to attend and open to the public

• SMARC members freely provide manpower and financial support for its activities

• SMARC provides amateur radio related books to the Blount County Public Library for educational purposes

• SMARC is financially sound and is over 75 years old

How to join SMARC

If you would like to join SMARC, there are several ways to join!

1) You can fill out a Club Application. Please print it, fill it out and mail it from the comfort of your home along with your dues.

2) You can print out the application and bring it along with your cash/check payment of $20 to any Club meeting or function and give it to any of the Club Officers

3) You can click on this link Join SMARC, fill out the online form and click on SUBMIT, then click SMARC PayPal Membership Dues to pay your dues online. If you use PayPal, it’s fast, easy and saves postage!

If you'd like to make a contribution to our Club, you can do so by clicking on this link: Contributions

You can also have a LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP to SMARC by making a one time payment, which is currently $500 and you can submit payment by clicking on this link: Lifetime Membership

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of the Club Officers and we will do our best to answer any questions you might have.