FMARC · W4LX
Fort Myers Amateur Radio Club
The primary local club: Lee County repeaters and linked system, weekly nets, monthly license exams and the annual regional hamfest. W4YEA summarizes the essentials below and links to FMARC as the official source.
Summarized by W4YEA, checked 2026-10-07. This is not FMARC's own page. Each section links to the official source, which is the authority.Official FMARC site (opens in a new tab)
Meetings
Meeting on the Air
Mondays, 7:00 pm
Linked repeater system
General meeting
Last Tuesday monthly (not December), 7:00 pm
Lee County Public Safety Center, 2675 Ortiz Ave, Fort Myers; Zoom available
Swap shop
2nd and 4th Saturday, 11:00 am
Waterway Park, North Fort Myers
Official FMARC meetings (opens in a new tab)Official FMARC calendar (opens in a new tab)
License testing
FMARC offers FCC license exams for all three classes (Technician, General and Amateur Extra) every month, plus an extra session at its yearly hamfest.
- When
- First Thursday of each month, 6:30 pm. Doors open at 6:00 pm.
- Where
- Tice Firehouse Training Room, 9351 Workmen Way, Fort Myers, FL 33905
- Cost
- No charge for the exam sessions FMARC offers in Lee County.
- Registration
- Pre-registration is required and walk-ins cannot sit for an exam. FMARC asks you to register no later than noon the day before.
- Examiners
- A local Volunteer Examiner team certified by the Laurel VEC.
- New hams
- FMARC says newly licensed hams who pass their first exam at one of its sessions have that year's FMARC dues waived.
Emergency and ARES
ARES is listed among the groups affiliated with FMARC. What FMARC's pages show:
- The ARES / ALERT Net meets Wednesdays at 7:00 pm on 145.170 (-), PL 136.5.
- 147.165 (+), PL 127.3, at the Lee County Justice Center is the primary local calling repeater for FMARC and ARES.
- The Yaesu Fusion repeaters at 444.675 and 444.750 are listed as owned by ARES in Lee County.
- 146.685 (-) is listed as a Lee County RACES repeater.
Official FMARC affiliated groups (opens in a new tab)Weather and emergency sources
Southwest Florida Traffic Net
The Southwest Florida Traffic Net is the local affiliate of the ARRL National Traffic System and handles formal radiogram message traffic. Check-ins are welcome with or without traffic.
- When
- Daily except Sunday, 10:00 am (FMARC's net schedule lists Monday to Saturday)
- Where
- FMARC's traffic-net page lists 146.820 (-), PL 136.5, while its net schedule lists 145.170 (-). Confirm the frequency at the official source.
Digital systems
FMARC's digital systems link repeaters and let operators connect from several platforms, including AllStar and EchoLink. What FMARC's pages show for Lee County:
- DMR: the local DMR repeater is 442.175 (+), color code 1, with a DMR net on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays at 7:00 pm on TG 311261 (timeslot 2).
- D-STAR: 443.450 (+) at the EOC, with the Thursday Night Digital Net on reflector W4LCO-B.
- Yaesu Fusion: the Wednesday 8:00 pm Fusion Net uses room 21805, linked through the Lee County WIRES-X repeaters.
- AllStar and EchoLink: KN2R in Cape Coral is listed with AllStar node 2577 and EchoLink node 41712.
- Winlink: a digipeater for the Winlink RMS is listed on 145.030 at the Lee County EOC (W4LCO-10).
Official FMARC SWFL-LINK (opens in a new tab)Official FMARC DMR page (opens in a new tab)Official FMARC Fusion page (opens in a new tab)Official FMARC Winlink page (opens in a new tab)