Robert “Mac” McConnell, WØROO, would always sign off from “Lake Jarbalo”. There is a Jarbalo, Kansas; a postage stamp size town near the bottoms of the frequently flooded Stranger Creek. When the creek is high, it literally looks like a lake in some places. Mac had a friendly voice, was a fun-loving radio operator, and great mentor.
In his honor, we are carrying on the Jarbalo Amateur Radio Association (JARA) and keeping the UHF Repeater operating that long bore his callsign.
As of July 2015, the repeater is operating atop Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kansas. We even added a VHF repeater to our capabilities. Specifics can be read on Repeater Book. Here is a synopsis:
UHF: 444.800+ AMS Mode
VHF: 145.330- AMS Receive/ FM Out
C4FM: T00/R00 FM: 151.4 Hz
Power: 50 watts
Call: W0ROO/R
Radio: Yaesu DR-2X C4FM “Fusion” Repeater
C4FM Net: Join us each Sunday evening at 7 pm Central for the weekly JARA UHF Fusion Training Net in association with the Pilot Knob Amateur Radio Club, Leavenworth County ARES, RACES, and KCHEART.
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