gallatinhamradio.com

The Gallatin Ham Radio Club (W7ED) holds its informal monthly club meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., at the Gallatin County Emergency Management Building, 219 E Tamarack St, Bozeman, MT 59715 — use the north entrance. The gathering is a relaxed social meeting where members talk about all things ham radio; formal business is discussed only if necessary.

Meeting Details at a Glance

What to Expect at the Meeting

The club describes these as fun, relaxed social meetings rather than formal business sessions. Members gather to discuss ham radio in general, and according to the club, business will be discussed only if necessary. That makes the monthly meeting a low-pressure way to meet local operators, ask questions, and hear about upcoming events — whether you are newly licensed or have been on the air for years.

Staying Connected Between Meetings

The club uses a groups.io message reflector to keep members in the loop. According to the club, this platform is used to send out:

• ZOOM meeting links
• Urgent messages
• Meeting minutes
• Event announcements

The club notes that the email discussion list delivers messages directly to members' inboxes so they don't miss a conversation, and it also serves to enhance communication between local ham radio operators. Sign-up is handled through the club's groups.io page.

Other Regular Gatherings Worth Knowing

Beyond the monthly meeting, the club lists several on-air nets that serve as regular contact points:

• Local '88' Repeater Net — every Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. on 146.88 MHz. The club notes that at some locations in the Bozeman area the negative offset does not work well, and the positive offset (via the MSU Club antenna atop Cobleigh Hall at Montana State University) can be used instead. All are welcome to check in.
• Montana Net — Sunday at 8:00 a.m. on or near 3.880 MHz.
• Montana Traffic Net — daily at 0030 UTC (6:30 p.m. MDT / 5:30 p.m. MST) on or near 3.910 MHz.
• Trivia Net — Sunday from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., hosted on the Mt. Belmont Repeater about 20 miles west of Helena, MT, via 147.22 MHz.

If your goal is simply to show up in person, the first Thursday at 7:00 p.m. at the north entrance of the Gallatin County Emergency Management Building is the one date and place to remember. If you want meeting links, minutes, and announcements in between, the groups.io reflector is the club's stated channel for those.

The Gallatin Ham Radio Club (W7ED) lists three officers for 2026: Craig Shankwitz (AJ7ID) as President/Secretary, Dan Poole (KJ7MT) as Treasurer, and Michael Andersen (N7DAY) as Historian/Web Admin. This is the officer roster published on the club's website for the 2026 year, so it reflects the current lineup as of that listing.

2026 Officer Roster

What Each Role Covers

• President / Secretary — Leads the club and handles its correspondence and record-keeping. The combined title suggests one person covers both the top leadership role and the minute-taking/administrative duties that a separate secretary would otherwise handle.
• Treasurer — Manages the club's finances, which for a volunteer radio club typically means dues, donations, and any expenses tied to repeaters, events, or exams.
• Historian / Web Admin — Maintains the club's records and its online presence, including the website where this officer list and the club's net and meeting information appear.

Keeping the List Current

Officer terms are tied to the year, so the 2026 roster above is the one to rely on for that period; future years may bring changes. The club's site presents this as its current officer listing rather than a historical archive, so if you're reading this well after 2026, check the site again for an updated roster.

How to Reach the Officers

The club runs a message reflector on groups.io, which it uses to distribute meeting links, urgent messages, meeting minutes, and event notices, and to keep local operators in touch. That reflector is the channel the club points members to for club communications, so it's the practical route for contacting officers or asking about a specific role.

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.

The Gallatin Ham Radio Club (GHRC, W7ED) site at gallatinhamradio.com is organized as a single scrolling page that gathers club basics, nets, FCC examinations, get-togethers, contests, events, repeater information, and area amateur radio clubs. If you are looking for clubs and resources beyond GHRC itself, the site points you to that section by telling visitors to scroll down the page, and it also lists several on-air nets that function as regional resources for hams in and around Bozeman, Montana.

What the site says about area clubs

The page's own summary of its contents includes "area amateur radio clubs" alongside club information, nets, FCC examinations, get-togethers, contests, events, and repeater info. That means the site is designed as a local hub rather than a GHRC-only page: the area-club listing sits in the same scroll-down layout as the rest of the material.

The page evidence available here does not name the individual area clubs or give their links, so the practical step is to open gallatinhamradio.com and scroll past the club, net, and repeater sections to reach the area-club portion of the page.

Regional nets listed as shared resources

Several of the nets GHRC lists are not club-only activities — they are open regional resources that any licensed ham can check into.

The Montana Traffic Net is described 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. That affiliation is what makes it a resource beyond the Bozeman area — it connects local operators to a wider relay structure.

A repeater detail worth knowing

For the Tuesday "88" net on 146.88 MHz, the page gives two offset options: a -100.0 Hz offset for the Bridger Repeater on the mountain peak directly, and a +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 site notes that at some locations in the Bozeman area the negative offset does not work well, and advises using the positive offset instead. An offset creates a split between the repeater's transmit (output) and receive (input) frequencies, so getting this right determines whether you can hear and be heard.

FCC exams, contests, and events

The same page summary lists FCC examinations, contests, and events as topics covered on the site. For a prospective or newly licensed ham, these are the practical entry points: exam sessions are how you get licensed or upgrade, and contests and events are how you get on the air with a purpose. The page evidence here does not include the specific dates, locations, or registration details for those items, so check the site directly for current listings.

How to get involved

• Start with the club's informal monthly meeting: first Thursday of each month at 07:00p at the Gallatin County Emergency Management Building, 219 E Tamarack St, Bozeman, MT 59715 (north entrance). The page describes it as a fun, relaxed social meeting where business is discussed only if necessary.
• Join the club message reflector on groups.io. GHRC uses it to send ZOOM meeting links, urgent messages, meeting minutes, and events, and to improve communication between local ham radio operators. Messages go directly to members' inboxes. The page provides a sign-up link.
• Check into a net. All are welcome to check in, share radio happenings, and learn about new radio-related events — the page explicitly encourages newcomers not to be shy about digging out a radio and practicing communication skills.
• Scroll the site for the area-club section if you want to find other clubs near Bozeman.

Current club officers listed on the page are Craig Shankwitz (AJ7ID), President / Secretary; Dan Poole (KJ7MT), Treasurer; and Michael Andersen (N7DAY), Historian / Web Admin.

gallatinhamradio.com is the official website of the Gallatin Ham Radio Club (GHRC), a Bozeman, Montana-area amateur radio club that operates under the call sign W7ED. The site is a practical hub for local hams: it lists the club's monthly meetings, weekly and daily radio nets, FCC examination information, contests, events, repeater details, and links to other area amateur radio clubs. If you are a licensed operator in southwest Montana — or studying for a license — this is where you find out when and where to get on the air and meet other operators.

What the site covers

The homepage is organized as a scroll-down reference, with basic club information followed by operational details. Main topics:

• Club information — officers, meeting schedule, and how to join
• Nets — recurring on-air check-ins on local repeaters and HF
• FCC examinations — license testing information
• Get-togethers, contests, and events — social and operating activities
• Repeater info — frequencies, offsets, and access notes
• Area amateur radio clubs — other groups in the region

Meetings and how to join

The club holds an informal monthly meeting on the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 p.m., at the Gallatin County Emergency Management Building, 219 E Tamarack St, Bozeman, MT 59715 (use the north entrance). The format is social rather than procedural — business is discussed only if necessary.

To stay connected between meetings, the club runs a groups.io message reflector. It distributes Zoom meeting links, urgent messages, meeting minutes, and event announcements, and serves as an email discussion list so members receive messages directly in their inboxes. Sign-up is done through the site.

Current club officers listed on the page:

Nets you can check into

The site's most operationally useful content is the net schedule. All are open to check-ins.

The Montana Traffic Net is 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.

Repeater access note for the Tuesday net

The 146.88 MHz net has a detail worth knowing before you transmit. Two offsets are in play:

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

At some locations in the Bozeman area the negative offset does not work, or does not work well. In those spots, use the positive offset instead. An offset creates a split between the repeater's transmit (output) and receive (input) frequencies, which is why the choice matters for whether you can key up the machine at all.

Who this site is for

• New or prospective hams in the Bozeman area looking for FCC exam information and a local club to join
• Licensed operators who want a recurring schedule of nets to check into
• Visitors to the Gallatin Valley who want to find a local repeater or club meeting
• Public service volunteers — the club frames amateur radio alongside public service, and meets at the county Emergency Management building

If you are outside the Bozeman/Helena region, the HF nets (3.880 and 3.910 MHz) and the traffic net are the parts most likely to be reachable, depending on propagation and your license privileges.