What Radio Nets Does the Gallatin Ham Radio Club List, and When Do They Meet?

The Gallatin Ham Radio Club (W7ED) lists four recurring radio nets: a local Tuesday-night repeater net, a Sunday-morning Montana HF net, a daily Montana traffic net, and a Sunday-evening trivia net. All are open to anyone who wants to check in, and each is a low-pressure way to practice radio communication. Below are the day, time, and frequency for each, plus the repeater offset details you need to actually reach the local net.

The four nets at a glance

Local "88" Repeater Net — Tuesdays, 08:00 p.m., 146.88 MHz

This is the club's weekly local net on the '88 repeater. The club notes that all are welcome to check in, share radio happenings, and learn about new radio-related events — so you don't need to be a member or an experienced operator to join.

Repeater offset: -100.0 Hz vs. +100.0 Hz

An offset creates a "split" between the repeater's transmit (output) and receive (input) frequencies, which is what lets your radio talk to the repeater while listening on a different frequency. For the Bridger Repeater on 146.88 MHz, the club lists two offset options:

• -100.0 Hz offset — for the Bridger Repeater on the mountain peak directly.
• +100.0 Hz offset — for access to the Bridger Repeater via the MSU Club antenna on the roof of Cobleigh Hall at Montana State University.

The practical point: at some locations in the Bozeman area the negative offset does not work, or doesn't work very well. If you can't get in on the negative offset, switch to the positive offset instead. The MSU Club antenna path is listed as online.

Montana Net — Sundays, 08:00 a.m., near 3.880 MHz

This is a weekly HF net held Sunday mornings on or near 3.880 MHz. Because it's an HF frequency rather than a repeater, you'll need HF capability and a suitable antenna to participate. "On or near" means the actual frequency can shift slightly, so tune around 3.880 MHz if you don't hear traffic right on the mark.

Montana Traffic Net — daily, 0030 UTC

This net runs every day at 0030 UTC. In local Montana time that's:

• 06:30 p.m. MDT (daylight time)
• 05:30 p.m. MST (standard time)

It operates on or near 3.910 MHz. The club describes it as a Directed Western Relay Net affiliated with the National Traffic System and Radio International, handling traffic with all states, Canada, and other parts of the world where third-party traffic is allowed. If you're outside Mountain Time, convert from 0030 UTC to your own zone rather than from the MDT/MST figures.

Trivia Net — Sundays, 07:30–08:30 p.m., via 147.22 MHz

The Trivia Net runs Sunday evenings for about an hour and is hosted on the Mt. Belmont Repeater, roughly 20 miles west of Helena, MT, via 147.22 MHz. It's a lighter, social net compared with the traffic nets.

Time zone notes for readers outside Montana

• The Tuesday "88" net, the Sunday Montana Net, and the Sunday Trivia Net are listed in local Mountain Time (MDT/MST).
• The Montana Traffic Net is listed in UTC, with the club's own MDT/MST conversions alongside it. Using the UTC figure is the safest way to convert to your local time, since it doesn't depend on daylight saving.
• Montana observes daylight saving, so the local-time nets shift by an hour relative to UTC between MDT and MST.

Before you check in

• For the repeater nets (146.88 MHz and 147.22 MHz): you need a 2 m/70 cm-capable radio and the correct offset and any required tone. The club gives the offset for the '88 repeater; check the repeater's current tone requirements locally if you don't get a response.
• For the HF nets (3.880 MHz and 3.910 MHz): you need HF privileges and equipment, plus propagation that supports the band at that hour.
• Licensing: the club runs FCC examinations, so if you're not yet licensed, that's the path to getting on the air. Nets are open to all who check in, but transmitting still requires the appropriate license.

The simplest starting point if you're local to Bozeman is the Tuesday 08:00 p.m. "88" Repeater Net — try the negative offset first, and switch to the positive offset if you can't reach the repeater.