The Mohave Area Repeater Club (Mohave ARC) is a group of radio enthusiasts based in Kingman, Arizona. We are passionate about providing community communications to the Kingman and Golden Valley areas through our repeater located in the Hualapai Mountains, at Potato Patch.
Our Mission
Our mission is to foster a welcoming community for anyone with a valid GMRS license. We believe in the power of alternative communications and strive to make it readily available to our members, free of charge.
A Dream Realized
The idea for Mohave ARC came to life in 2023, when WRVY789, a former member of the Arizona GMRS Repeater Club in Phoenix, relocated to Mohave County. Inspired by the positive impact of GMRS, he set out to establish a similar system here. With the help of dedicated community members and tower site managers, his vision became a reality. Today, Mohave ARC proudly maintains a mountain-top repeater, offering reliable communication for our members.
Timeline
August 2023: The Foundation
We kicked off the project by finding the right equipment. To provide our future members with the most reliable coverage possible, we committed to using only commercial-grade gear. We created a list of everything we'd need, including radios, antennas, duplexers, and controllers, then set our sights on finding a suitable location to host it all.
November 2023: Finding a Home
We scoured the internet for tower sites and contact information, reaching out to about a dozen different locations over two weeks. We were thrilled when Cactus Intertie responded, expressing their interest in hosting our equipment. In our discussions, we realized we'd need to adapt our initial plan: we'd have to change our antennas to better suit a tower site and add filters to the transmit and receive lines to prevent interference with other equipment. After months of back-and-forth, we finally signed the contract in mid-June 2024.
March 2024: Building and Testing
Our equipment arrived, and we got to work. In our spare time, we focused on tuning and testing the components, even creating custom connections to interface our radios with an external controller.
April 2024: Launching the Community
With the equipment tested and working, we launched a website for our members to register and get programming information for their radios. Our goal was not only to help users get on the air but also to build a vibrant community where members could have discussions, organize events, and plan NETs. During low-power testing in Kingman-Butler, we gained our very first member! WRVD729 was the first person to make a contact on the repeater, and they signed up on the new site shortly after it went live on July 15th.
July 13–14, 2024: A Successful Installation
Our hard work paid off with the final installation. We spent a great weekend on the tower, despite a few interruptions from the weather. The job was done! The first successful contact was made by WRVY789 with WSDA425. Although the audio was a bit over-modulated, a simple fix we could make once we got home. We were excited to have the repeater up and running for the community.
Join Us Today
If you're a GMRS license holder looking to connect with others in the area, Mohave ARC is the place for you! We offer free membership and access to our repeater system.
