There’s something uniquely satisfying about radio. No algorithms. No notifications. No thumbs-up icons. Just a voice cutting through the static, somebody on the other end saying go ahead, and a conversation happening over the air the way it’s been done for over a century. If that sounds appealing to you, or even a little mysterious, then Wednesday and Friday evenings at 8pm EST might be worth your time.
That’s when LARK, the Littleton Area Radio Klub, hosts its weekly weather net on a handful of local repeaters across the North Country. It’s informal, it’s friendly, and it’s a great place to connect with licensed amateur radio operators in the area who share a common interest in keeping the airwaves alive and active.
So what’s a weather net, exactly?
Good question. A net, in ham radio terms, is just an organized on-air gathering. Think of it as a scheduled meetup, except everybody shows up from wherever they happen to be, a kitchen table, a truck cab, a back porch, and talks over radio. The weather net lives up to its name: participants share local conditions, maybe report what it’s doing at their QTH (that’s ham speak for your home location), and pass along anything noteworthy from around the region.
That part matters more than it might sound. In a place like northern New Hampshire, where the weather can shift from pleasant to genuinely problematic in a matter of hours, having a network of people scattered across different towns checking in with ground-level reports is legitimately useful. You’re not just chatting, you’re building something with some practical value.
But let’s be honest: the weather is often just the opener.
The real point is the check-in.
After the weather roundup, the net runs a couple of informal rounds where anyone on frequency is invited to key up, introduce themselves, and say whatever’s on their mind. Current projects, equipment questions, what they heard on 40 meters last night, or genuinely nothing of consequence, all of it welcome. This is ham radio at its most comfortable, and that’s the whole idea.
For operators who are newer to the hobby, or who maybe haven’t been on the air in a while, nets like this are genuinely valuable. There’s a real skill to working a repeater cleanly, knowing when to key up, how long to pause, how to pass it back to the net control operator without stepping on someone else. That stuff gets rusty if you’re not using it. Wednesday and Friday nights are a low-stakes way to keep those on-air habits sharp without any pressure.
For the more experienced operators, it’s simply a good way to stay connected to the local community. The North Country ham community is active and genuinely welcoming, and a lot of good friendships have started with a first check-in on a net like this one.
Where to tune in.
The net runs on several local repeaters, so you’ve got options depending on where you’re located and what you’re running:
- Whitefield: 145.370 MHz and 449.825 MHz
- Lancaster: 444.850 MHz
- Stratford: 449.950 MHz
Of course, you can always use the Repeater Finder I built to find local repeaters easily. Find it here: https://daveengland.net/repeater-finder/
If you’re in the area, one of those should put you in range. Standard CTCSS tones apply — check with LARK or a local operator if you need the specifics for your area.
Not licensed yet? No problem.
Here’s a thing that not everyone realizes: you don’t need a ham license to listen. The receive side of amateur radio is open to anyone, and tuning in to a net is actually a great way to get a feel for how it all works before you commit to studying for your Technician exam. You’ll hear how net control runs a check-in, how operators identify themselves, what the rhythm of a conversation over a repeater sounds like. It’s a low-barrier way to decide if this hobby is for you, and chances are, it will be.
If studying for a license is something you’ve been mulling, the folks on the net are a good resource. Elmers, experienced hams who help newer operators get started, are a genuine feature of this hobby, not just a concept, and LARK has plenty of them.
Come on by.
Wednesdays and Fridays, 8pm Eastern. Find a frequency, grab your favorite beverage and give a listen. If you’re licensed, check in, say hello, and tell us what it’s doing at your place. If you’re not yet, just listen in, the door’s open.
73 de N1DKE