Elko amateur radio group tells TV district its repeaters provide countywide emergency backup
June 12, 2025 | Elko County , Nevada
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At a meeting of the Elko TV District board, Gene D'Aosta, a TV district board member and president of the Elko Amateur Radio Club, said the club’s repeaters and Wednesday-night Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) nets provide backup communications across Elko County and asked the board to continue long-term site access for the club.
D'Aosta said ARES nets act as practice emergency nets: “we have a net every Wednesday night,” and he told the board that “about 65 people a month check-in to our repeater sites.” He also said the nets give volunteers a chance to practice net-control duties and radio operations. The presenter described broader connectivity from Elko County north toward Jackpot and west toward Battle Mountain and said the TV district sites help the club cover the county.
The discussion highlighted the club’s volunteer status and local training work. “We are a 100% volunteer,” D'Aosta said. He and other speakers noted youth outreach: the group licensed students at a local middle school, with D'Aosta saying, “Just from the Spring Creek Middle school, we did 17 kids licensed there.”
Board members and attendees praised the club’s public-service role. A board member said the district had proposed a long-term lease to secure amateur radio access to district mountaintop sites; the chair described a proposed 99-year lease with the Amateur Radio Club so operations could “continue well beyond most of the folks in this room.” Speakers also said the club is seeking a grant to upgrade equipment while continuing to use existing TV-district sites.
Beyond praise, presenters and board members framed the group’s role in countywide communications planning. Laurie Gilbert of Helco Broadcasting Company urged cooperation among terrestrial signals, public radio and other local communications providers. No vote or formal lease action occurred during the presentation; the board thanked the club and invited members to remain for the meeting.
The presentation proceeded without a board motion; the board recorded no formal action on the club’s lease or grant request at this meeting.
D'Aosta said ARES nets act as practice emergency nets: “we have a net every Wednesday night,” and he told the board that “about 65 people a month check-in to our repeater sites.” He also said the nets give volunteers a chance to practice net-control duties and radio operations. The presenter described broader connectivity from Elko County north toward Jackpot and west toward Battle Mountain and said the TV district sites help the club cover the county.
The discussion highlighted the club’s volunteer status and local training work. “We are a 100% volunteer,” D'Aosta said. He and other speakers noted youth outreach: the group licensed students at a local middle school, with D'Aosta saying, “Just from the Spring Creek Middle school, we did 17 kids licensed there.”
Board members and attendees praised the club’s public-service role. A board member said the district had proposed a long-term lease to secure amateur radio access to district mountaintop sites; the chair described a proposed 99-year lease with the Amateur Radio Club so operations could “continue well beyond most of the folks in this room.” Speakers also said the club is seeking a grant to upgrade equipment while continuing to use existing TV-district sites.
Beyond praise, presenters and board members framed the group’s role in countywide communications planning. Laurie Gilbert of Helco Broadcasting Company urged cooperation among terrestrial signals, public radio and other local communications providers. No vote or formal lease action occurred during the presentation; the board thanked the club and invited members to remain for the meeting.
The presentation proceeded without a board motion; the board recorded no formal action on the club’s lease or grant request at this meeting.
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