Celebrating 50 years of amateur radio in Hunt County, 1976 to 2026
1976
The American Radio Relay League issued the Sabine Valley Amateur Radio Association its Charter of Affiliation on November 16, 1976. The charter still hangs where the club meets.
1980s and 1990s
Members kept the club repeater on the air themselves. Jim Brashear, who ran a two-way radio shop in Greenville, looked after the early repeater, and later Kerry (WD5ABC) and Jon Brown climbed about 90 feet of ladders to work on the antenna while Jon’s father, James Brown, worked on the repeater itself. The club received its own FCC club station license in 1995, and in 1997 it was assigned the call sign K5GVL, which it still holds today. That same year Kerry edited the club newsletter. By the late 1990s SVARA was meeting monthly, running Hunt County RACES training nets, and holding a weekly net on the 146.78 repeater.
2000s
In 2004 the club nearly folded, and a few dedicated members worked to bring it back. When Hurricane Katrina evacuees arrived in Greenville by bus from Louisiana shelters in 2005, SVARA members set up communications at the old Greenville YMCA and then staffed the shelter at the fairgrounds for the following week. In 2006 the City of Greenville approved a formal Mutual Aid Agreement with SVARA, and the club kept a radio and generator at Greenville Fire Station 3 and provided storm spotters for the area.
2010s
The club launched k5gvl.com in 2010. The K5GVL 146.780 repeater stayed on the air, and the club linked it with other Hunt County repeaters through AllStarLink and EchoLink. Members continued SKYWARN weather spotting and public service events.
2020s
SVARA serves as Hunt County SKYWARN, including the 2023 storm spotter training with the National Weather Service and Hunt County Emergency Management, and members have rebuilt Hunt County ARES training. The club’s Mobile Emergency Communications Trailer supports events across the county. SVARA handles communications every year for the Hunt County Fair and for the Cotton Patch Challenge, the Rotary Club of Greenville’s charity bike ride, which held its 30th ride in 2026. Members also take part in the Greenville Christmas Parade, ARRL Field Day at the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum, Winter Field Day, and Parks on the Air activations such as Cooper Lake State Park. The club runs special event stations, including W5E for the April 2024 solar eclipse and W5M honoring Audie Murphy, and members now publish a club newsletter.
2026: 50 Years
In November 2026 the club celebrates its 50th birthday with a special event station on the air all month. Find out how to work K5GVL during the celebration. Thank you to every member who has kept K5GVL on the air.
Do you have photos, newsletters, or memories from the club’s early years? Please share them with us through our Contact page so we can add them to this history.