About Us

The Union County Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) is comprised of FCC licensed Amateur Radio Operators who have voluntarily registered their capabilities and equipment for public service communications. Under Federal regulations, Amateur Radio operators can not receive compensation of any kind for providing public service communications.

The primary responsibility of the Union County ARES/RACES is to furnish emergency communications in the event of disaster or other event, when regular communications fail or become inadequate for served agencies to perform their duties.

We also require all of our Union County ARES members to check in 50% of the scheduled Union County ARES Nets to maintain membership status and to keep up to date on important training and information.

To become a certified member of ARES in Union County you will need to take the required FEMA courses:

IS-100           IS-700        (Optional) IS-802 Communications

IS-200           IS-800

A certified Union County ARES member is qualified to become a AUXCOMM member.  Being a AUXCOMM member you can be deployed during exercises or actual events / incidents.

If members are not AUXCOMM members, they can still participate in exercises and actual events / incidents from their home stations.

ARES Officers

Karl Bowman / W4CHX

North Carolina Section Manager

Tom Brown  /  N4TAB

Section Emergency Coordinator

COML  ( Communications Unit Leader )

NC. AUXCOMM Coordinator

Paul Robinette  /  KD4OZI

Assistant Section Emergency Coordinator  (Western Branch)

Ben Melvin  /  KM4C

District Emergency Coordinator  ( Area – 13 )

Jerry Brewer  /  N4MIU

Union County ARES Emergency Coordinator

Union County RACES Officer

Union County Local Emergency Planning Committee Member

ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, !CS-800, ICS-300, and ICS-400

FEMA COML  ( Communications Unit Leader )

AUXCOMM Member

Certified Skywarn Spotter  ID# 20065

Stephen J. Wrona / KK4RMM

Union County ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator

ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, ICS-800, ICS-300, and ICS-400

Union County ARES EOC Specialist

AUXCOMM Member

Marcos J. Bilbao / K3MJB

Union County ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator

ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, and ICS-800

AUXCOMM Member

Charles Comerford / KK4HOK

Union County ARES Assistant Emergency Coordinator

Union County ARES Technical Advisor

ICS-100, ICS-200, ICS-700, and ICS-800

AUXCOMM Member

The Piedmont 60 Meters Net

Every Monday at 7:00 PM EST.

Freq. 5.330.50 Mhz. USB 

ARES HF Net

Union County ARES Training Net

Every Saturday at 8:00 PM

Freq. 145.390 Mhz.

Tone 94.8 Hz.

Union County Amateur Radio Net

The UCARS Net

Every Thursday at 8:00 PM. on 145.390 Mhz.  -600 Khz  with a tone of  94.8 Hz.

These nets are affiliated with the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES )

The other UCARS repeater is 444.425 Mhz.  +5 Mhz.  with a tone of  94.8 Hz.

You can also find us on Facebook & Twitter !