Grant Date: April 1, 2021
Amount: 163.400 EUR

With grant support from ARDC, the German Deutscher Amateur Radio Club e.V. (DARC), will boost and secure European HAMNET expansion in a two-part project.

Part I: Boost and secure European HAMNET expansion by providing sponsored hardware for radio links making use of the AMPRNet IP space in Europe.

• DARC e.V. will provide a Europe-based hardware granting team who will review proposals, identify weak links within the network and propose upgrades, and identify opportunities to strengthen the HAMNET and make new site and link proposals.

Part II: Enable HAMNET Europe (which is part of the AMPRNet) to:

• upgrade its back-end infrastructure, and
• evaluate RF hardware to activate new bands (70-cm, 23-cm, 3-cm)

The amateur radio community (especially those interested in VHF and higher bands) benefits from those setting up permanent accessible infrastructure for amateur radio. E.g. repeaters or beacons are very common and will help amateurs in their daily radio life. A significant HAMNET expansion will bring the usability of an IP-based network, independent from internet, close(r) to many radio amateur enthusiasts, allowing for new generations to learn about the underlying principles of all their modern communication platforms.

“Amateur radio is a worldwide hobby, and ARDC has wanted to make international grants since day one” says ARDC President Phil Karn. “One way we can do that is by partnering with international 501(c)(3) equivalents who are able to make grants in their region. That’s exactly what DARC will be doing with this grant – and their region encompasses all of Europe. We look forward to seeing what they do, and to engage in similar partnerships with other organizations outside the US.”

“Partnering with an organisation like ARDC is a great way of pursuing the goals of DARC; the promotion of Amateur Radio in Germany and Europe” says Christian Entsfellner, President of DARC. “Being able to do this based on the great work and in the spirit of the late Brian Kantor is a true honor. We are highly excited that with this grant we can give the European HAMNET project a huge boost.”

For more information, visit: www.darc.de