Legion ham radio program to be handled locally from The American Legion

TALARC member Jeff Hammer operates a radio in the American Legion Mall. 

The American Legion Amateur Radio Club (TALARC) is no longer operating as a national program, due mainly to a lack of licensed ham radio operators on staff. Legion ham radio clubs and programs, meanwhile, continue to operate successfully at the local level.

TALARC was created by resolution in 2011, and the club grew to become one of the largest in the nation. Both a hobby and a means of civil-defense communications during natural disasters, ham radio has long been an interest of veterans, many of whom served in communications roles in the military.

American Legion National Headquarters encourages continuation of ham radio programs at the local level but will no longer process memberships, manage the TALARC website – including posting net schedules and reports – or produce other promotional materials to operators. The TALARC web page will continue to appear on legion.org until Dec. 31, giving time for local clubs and members to copy or download any resources they wish to use in the future on other platforms.

Clubs are also encouraged to submit stories that would appear on the website and in other national media through the Amateur Radio category on Legiontown.