Tuned in: Amateur radio club connects listeners through long-distance hobby (Indiana)

Piglet Radio isn’t the only local club for amateur radio enthusiasts, but its goal is to promote the long-distance hobby by frequently bringing its members together.

The club was launched in summer 2022 by Hamilton County residents Chris Pacovsky (call sign W9CZK), Alexandra Auvinen (AC9XK), David Estes (KC9AAP), Derek Fronek (N9TD) and Scott Messick (W95DM). Piglet Radio (N9BCN) wants to grow membership and interest in the hobby through events, online forums and monthly meetings.

“We wanted something different,” said Pacovsky, Piglet Radio’s president. “We wanted a radio club with a more pronounced social aspect and comradery along with a technical focus.”

Currently 30 members strong and growing, the club is a space for amateur radio enthusiasts to discuss and develop ways to use the radio frequency spectrum to communicate, often with people around the world through purchased and self-made equipment.

Pacovsky, a Westfield resident and homeschool father, sees it as a family hobby and wanted a place that could be a “safe harbor for all ages,” he said.