2020 Hamvention® Club of the Year
About SCARS
The South Canadian Amateur Radio Society is an American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Special Services Club in Cleveland County, Oklahoma. Our Facebook presence and weekly newsletter help develop the amateur radio community in the region, state, and beyond.
We are a group of people interested in communicating without accessing public infrastructure. SCARS members want to talk to friends or family during severe weather or when power or communications systems are down. Hams are typical ‘makers’ interested in building our radio communications equipment. Amateur radio offers many project opportunities to design, build, and use our gear. We live at the intersection of computers, the Internet, and radio. New, inexpensive devices allow us to communicate with neighbors using low-power VHF or UHF systems. We can talk globally in minutes using the linked Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), D-STAR technologies, or through space via satellite links.
If you want to get licensed, visit our “Be a Ham” web page, join our Facebook page, or visit us on Tuesday Elmer Nights.
Elmer Nights
Each Tuesday evening from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, about 40 hams and potential hams meet at Norman Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and on the SCARS Zoom channel, https://w5nor.org/zoom/. In amateur radio verbiage, an Elmer mentors or teaches another. Visit this page if you have any amateur radio questions. Feel free to bring the equipment you need help with. All are welcome; a license or membership is not required. More detailed information is on the SCARS Elmer Nights page. See you Tuesday!
November 14 SCARS Meeting: Mark Kleine N5HZR – “Get on-the-air” – What Happens When Your Signal Leaves Your Radio?
ARRL Oklahoma Section Manager Mark Kleine N5HZR, will talk about what happens when the signals leave your radio. We’ll talk about transmission lines, antennas, propagation, and more. Ask your questions to play along.
SCARS meets on the 2nd Saturday of each month (the 3rd during April for the Green Country Hamfest) at Norman Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and online via Zoom / YouTube / Telephone. The monthly presentation starts at 9:30 a.m. The club meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. Guests are always welcome! Join us on Saturday at 9:00 a.m. for coffee and donuts. To join Zoom, download the Zoom software and click this link at https://w5nor.org/zoom. You can enter using 893 9952 6291 password w5nor. Or, to watch the fun, click the YouTube link at https://w5nor.org/stream …
December 3: Amateur Radio License Testing
SCARS offers no-cost amateur radio license test sessions on the first Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, 73069. The locations and time details are available on our license web page. Sign up here today, and you will be ready for the test.
Help Pass The HOA Legislation To Eliminate HOA Prohibitions on Amateur Radio Antennas!!!
HOW CAN I HELP?
By sending a letter to each of your Congressional Representatives and your Senators. Is my individual letter important? YES — Representatives and Senators rely on constituent input to decide which bills to support. Your voice counts. You don’t have to be an ARRL member; show your approval for these bills by visiting https://send-a-letter.org/hoa/.
BACKGROUND
The ARRL has successfully obtained Congressional support — both in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate — to introduce legislation that, if passed, will eliminate HOA/private land use restrictions prohibiting Amateur Radio operators from installing antennas at their residences.
Future SCARS Meetings…
The SCARS presentation team has scheduled these upcoming presentations for 2026. We’re still seeking good presentation ideas, so please suggest them to the SCARS officers.
- Oct (2026): Build your antenna, even in an HOA.
- Nov (2026): N5ATG et. Al. – Search and Rescue using amateur radio
- Dec (2026): N5HZR – Get on the HF Air, part 2 — HF antennas and their propagation
- In The Works: — Propagation, SDR Radio
Elmer Nights
Each Tuesday evening from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm, about 25 hams and potential hams meet at the Norman Firehouse #7, 2207 Goddard Ave, Norman, OK, and on the SCARS Zoom channel, https://w5nor.org/zoom/. In amateur radio verbiage, an Elmer mentors or teaches another. Visit this page if you have any amateur radio questions. Feel free to bring the equipment you need help with. All are welcome; a license or membership is not required. More detailed information is on the SCARS Elmer Nights page. See you Tuesday!
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
We publish a weekly newsletter for people interested in amateur radio. Sign up today online at https://w5nor.org/email/. Membership is not required. View back issues of our newsletter at https://w5nor.org/newsletter/. Each email includes a way to stop receiving these messages.
SCARS Dues are Due
As a reminder, SCARS membership dues start on January 1st. You can join or renew in-person, online, or by mail at https://w5nor.org/membership/.
Tape Measure Antennas – VHF/UHF
Our first batch of 30 tape measure antennas sold out in minutes. Another batch is now available. These kits are only $20 and are available from Mark Kleine N5HZR. More information is available on the tape measure antenna page.
National Weather Museum
The National Weather Museum & Science Center is at 1200B West Rock Creek Road, Norman, OK 73019. This facility houses the historical weather equipment developed or used to promote weather management for the nation. Here you’ll find the world’s first Doppler radar console, a T-28 Trojan Weather Research airplane, a car that survived one of the Moore tornadoes, replicas of the largest hailstones, phased radar systems, and much more.
More information is available at http://NationalWeatherMuseum.com. Make plans to come, and see you there!
Future Meeting Topics
We’re working out the 2026 presentation schedule. We’d love to have more great topics; hopefully, you can provide them. Contact David Gates K0BFE, or post it on our Facebook group if you have an idea for a future meeting.
Did You Miss a Meeting?
Our monthly meeting presentations are archived online. Visit our YouTube channel to see previous events.