The CHEYENNE AMATEUR RADIO LEAGUE was founded in early 1932. It was first affiliated with the ARRL on 15 March, 1932. In 1982 the club received its 50 Year Affiliation Certificate from the ARRL. In June 1941 the name was changed to the SHY-WY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB. Among the first members was Sam Zuckerman, W7FT who received his license in 1916 from the Department of Commerce since the FCC did not exist at the time.

Presently there are 68 active members of the SHY-WY ARC, nearly half, members of ARES/RACES. The club has been active in support of the community. In 1979 a tornado touched down in Cheyenne, staying on the ground for 25 minutes and covering the airport and nearly 10 miles of residential areas. Members of the amateur community provided emergency communications. In 1985 a flash flood struck the city, killing 12 people and rendering the 911 Emergency Center inoperable. Again club members provided back up communications for the city services. Club members have assisted in building the Wyoming Emergency Management Agency and Laramie County Emergency Management Agency communication vans. The club supports four repeaters. The 146.775 MHz repeater provides coverage for events within the city as well as the SHY-WY ARC Sunday A.M. Net for local amateurs. The repeater also gives time of day, weather reports, access to the National Weather Service radio, speed dialing for each club member as well as 911, City Police Dept., Sheriffs Dept., State Highway Patrol and auto-patch. The 146.820 MHz repeater provides access to the Hams for Emergency Radio Communications (HERC) which covers the entire state of Wyoming and has its own Net each Sunday Evening. The 147.105 MHz repeater provides 2 meter coverage for the northern part of Laramie County. The 147.165 MHz repeater covers eastern Laramie County. The local calling frequency is 146.550 MHz.

Frank, KD7AN; Tom, KC7RZK; Jean Pate, BSA representative; Tom, KF7VR; Scott, W7WRO at the SuperDay event.

This year the SHY-WY ARC started its activities with the Y2K exercise. Twenty five hams covered the local Emergency Management Agencies. In April ARES/RACES members provided communications for the MS Walk and the March of Dimes. A SKY WARN training session given by the National Weather Service was well attended and the meteorologist from the local TV station invited club members to visit the weather center at his station. In June the club participated in two events on the same day. The WEMA comvan was set up for Field Day and the County EMA comvan was manned at the Cheyenne SuperDay celebration. An estimated 15,000 people attended SuperDay. Those who came to see Hams-in-Action were given ARRL handouts and back copies of QST. In July the club members provided marshalling for the Cheyenne Frontier Days Parades. There are about 125 units and between 200 and 300 horses in each of the four parades so radio communication is a necessity.

Scott, W7WRO and Wanda Dykeman at the Start Line of the Sunrise Lions Bike Ride

In August the club supported the Sunrise Lions Bike Ride, a 50 mile event, and the Run for the Cure, a 10K run/walk for breast cancer. In October the SHY-WY ARC sponsored the Jamboree on the Air. There were 118 Boy and Girl Scouts at the Wyoming Emergency Management Agency Training Center. They came in 3 shifts to work for their Communications Merit Badges. They worked on the code, learned about radio theory and talked with other Scouts around the U.S. and Canada. In December we are looking forward to the National Weather Service Special Event. At the 1999 Event two stations were operated at the local NWS station, making contact with 475 stations including 21 other NWS stations and 49 states.

The club publishes a monthly newsletter, ON THE BEAM with a logo designed by a club member. Six VE sessions were held throughout the year. Meetings are the second Tuesday of the month at the WEMA Training Center at 7 P.M. Classes for entry level amateurs are conducted on Wednesday evenings in the fall. In 2001 the club will host Yellow Pine, an hamfest for Cheyenne and Laramie, WY and Fort Collins, CO. The club maintains a web page at http://home.gowyo.com/shywy and http://www.egroups.com/group/shywyradioclub