Community Page

As a 501c3 non-profit, KARS members provide assistance to Kendall County EMS, Boerne Police and Kendall County Sheriff's Office along with other organizations local to Kendall County.

Winter Field Day - January 24th-26th, 2025

Winter Field Day is an exciting annual event for amateur radio enthusiasts, taking place on the last full weekend of January. The event is organized by the Winter Field Day Association which strongly believes that ham radio operators should practice portable emergency communications in winter environments. KARS will be participating in the event this year with plans to operate over the entire contest period.

Total Eclipse – April 8, 2024

Several members of KARS were involved in assisting the Boerne PD and Kendall County placing spotters in key locations to observe and report. Jesse (W1BBT) and Jim (W6TIR) were located inside the EOC to operate net control and relay information while spotters were given the tactical callsigns:
  • Methodist - Greg (K5KYR) / Jerry (W5MIG)
  • Comfort - George (W5GRG) / Chris (KD5ZLR)
  • Alamo - Rick (N5RCT)
  • Sisterdale - Gavin (KI5MCD)
  • Kendalia - Rowland (K5TY)
  • Bergheim - Lloyd (KF5ZHW)
  • Pipe Creek - Marsh (WA5UBO)
  • Boerne Central - Ethan (KI5SLS)
  • Boerne West - Mark (KJ5CBL)
  • Boerne East - Dennis (KJ5EHE)
Additional assistance was provided by Don (KI5AIU) at the Sisterdale repeater ensuring we had a backup plan in the event the 146.640 repeater failed. The net provided key information to Boerne PD, and Cheif Perez very much appreciated the effort of the entire KARS team. Click here to view pictures of the various locations along with a time lapse video of the eclipse event as seen from the EOC.

Annular Eclipse - October 14, 2023

Eclipse paths
Public Service Assistance to Boerne Police for Solar Eclipses - Volunteers Needed! On October 4th, KARS met with Captain Steve Perez of the Boerne Police Department regarding KARS members assisting with the two eclipses passing over the area. Captain Perez would like to incorporate our communications capabilities into their planning. He noted the cell phone system has been overwhelmed during past events and he wants to ensure that doesn’t hinder their response. His minimum requirements from KARS are:
  1. A station in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
  2. A station on Main St to cover the Hill Country Mile Rod Run
  3. A station at the Methodist Boerne Medical Center, Menger Springs, Boerne
* They could add additional assignments if we have enough interest from our members.