CLARKSVILLE, TN – The American Legion Amateur Radio Club provides both a hobby as well as emergency communications “when all else fails.”
TALARC was added as one of Post 289’s programs. According to Commander David Zeveney, in May 2011, the American Legion National Executive Committee added the Radio Program, but before that, in January 2005, the Legion signed an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to support emergency disaster preparedness.
Subsequently, the Disaster Preparedness booklet was made available to posts. Amateur-radio support was an integral entity.
Larry Johnson, a local legionnaire amateur radio operator, was instrumental in making this process happen. Those at Post 289 are proud to have their own Clarksville American Legion radio club.
Membership is open to all American Legion, sons of the American Legion, and American Legion Auxiliary members from any American Legion Post in the area who has an amateur radio license. The call sign is KA4TAL and the Radio Club meetings are on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at 726 Gardendale Road. Membership is also available to members of the American Legion family.
The club is currently setting up to host the Boy Scouts’ National Jamboree on the air and the internet along with help from Clarksville Amateur Transmitting Society on Oct. 15, 2022. The program is run like a jamboree, set up outside of the Troop 525’s Scout Building at the Civitan building behind Byrns Darden Elementary School, establish radio stations and attempt to communicate with any other Scout Jamboree stations on the air.
Contact Larry Johnson, Post 289 for more information or to sign up.
If you have a pack or troop who are planning to attend, contact Ernest Schmidt to make sure that there are enough handbooks available.