Walton County ARES

In Walton County, ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Services) is an integral part of the emergency response system, consisting of licensed amateurs who have voluntarily registered their qualifications and equipment, with their local ARES leadership, for communications duty in the public service when disaster strikes. When activated, ARES volunteers work closely with Walton County Emergency Management under the ESF (Emergency Support Function) 2 Communications, providing critical communications support during disasters and other emergencies. 

ARES Membership Requirements: Every licensed amateur, regardless of membership in ARRL or any other local or national organization is eligible to apply for membership in ARES. Training may be required or desired to participate fully in ARES. Please inquire at the local level for specific information. Because ARES is an Amateur Radio program, only licensed radio amateurs are eligible for membership. The possession of emergency-powered equipment is desirable, but is not a requirement for membership.

How to Get Involved in ARES: Fill out the ARES Registration form and submit it to your local Emergency Coordinator.

Meeting Information: We meet at the Walton County EOC on the 3rd Tuesday every month at 7 pm. Located at 75 S Davis Ln. DeFuniak Springs, Fl. 32435

Local Repeaters

N4EMA  C –  146.9625 (VHF D-Star repeater can be used simultaneously with DV and D-Rats)
N4EMA  B –   443.100 (UHF D-Star repeater coming online soon)
WF4X          – 147.285
KJ4JAH       – 147.375
KJ4JAH       – 443.750

W5YI-VEC: Need a License or upgrade? A test session is scheduled almost every 3rd Thursday monthly at the Walton County EOC. Applicants must pre-register for the exam at hamstudy.org/sessions/n4ema. The fee is $14.00, Please bring a photo ID and, If your upgrading, a signed copy of your existing license. For more info how to prepare for your test contact John Blaisdell – W4CJB at w4cjb.ec@gmail.com.

What is Amateur (HAM) Radio? Before joining the Walton ARES team, it is important to get connected and receive the proper training. The first step is to connect with the Walton Amateur Radio Club and attend one of their yearly entry level "Technician" ham license trainings. Getting involved with this club is a great way to communicate and build relationships with with other hams throughout the world!

Interested in joining the Walton County Amateur Radio Club? Meetings are the 1st Tuesday of every month at The Life Enrichment Senior Center 312 College Avenue, DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm with a call to order at 7:30pm. Membership dues are $20/year. A Net is held at 7:30pm CST each Monday, Wednesday & Friday evening on the local WF4X repeater on a frequency of 147.285mhz +6hz offset and is 100Hz tone encoded and has recently been upgraded to a new Yaesu DR-1. You can also join the net via Echolink. The node is WF4X-R. The Echolink node is not user controllable.

For more information, visit their website.