Shelby County
By the numbers: about 45,231 residents (2023 U.S. Census estimate) · 132 licensed amateur radio operators — 59 Technician, 40 General, 5 Advanced, 27 Extra, 1 Novice · 1 licensed club station · 8 more licenses in the FCC's two-year renewal grace period (FCC licenses, by ZIP).
Since 2000: 127 licensed operators at the end of 2000, 132 today (high of 143 in 2011). Rebuilt from FCC license records, counting each licensee at their current address, so earlier years are approximate. Indiana licensing trends
Ham Radio Clubs
- Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) — Shelbyville, IN; runs the BRVARS ARES Net on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. on its repeater, the Skywarn repeater for Shelby County. Website: brvars.com | K9SVL@arrl.net
Meetings: 7:00 PM at Hopes Point Baptist Church, 1703 S Miller Ave, Shelbyville, IN 46176. The club announces the date of each regular members' meeting one at a time rather than publishing a recurrence.
Also: A public breakfast, "Breakfast with the Hams", on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of each month at 8:30 AM at the Denny's on the east side of Shelbyville, at the I-74 and SR 44 interchange.
As the club publishes it at brvars.com, checked September 27, 2026.
Repeater(s): 145.480 MHz (−0.6, PL 88.5) FM, Shelbyville; 224.440 MHz (−1.6, no PL) FM, Shelbyville; 444.975 MHz (+5, no PL) Yaesu Fusion/Analog, Shelbyville; 442.1875 MHz (+5) D-STAR, Shelbyville; 441.4875 MHz (+5) DMR (Brandmeister), Shelbyville
Repeaters
5 amateur radio repeaters are located in Shelby County on the 2m and 1.25m and 70cm bands. Machines in bordering counties are often reachable too — see the full directory. A dash means we don’t have that detail on file; check with the sponsoring club before you rely on it.
| Frequency | Offset | Tone | Mode | Location | Sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145.480 | -0.6 | 88.5 | FM | Shelbyville | Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) |
| 224.440 | -1.6 | none | FM | Shelbyville | Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) |
| 441.4875 | +5 | — | DMR | Shelbyville DMR color code 1 on BrandMeister DMR Network, last on the network 2026-10-31 | Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) |
| 442.1875 | +5 | — | D-STAR | Shelbyville | Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) |
| 444.975 | +5 | none | FM/Fusion | Shelbyville | Blue River Valley Amateur Radio Society (W9NTP) |
View Shelby County on RepeaterBookBrowse all Indiana repeaters
Emergency Communications
Shelby County is part of Indiana ARES District 5 (which mirrors IDHS District 5). Learn how amateur radio supports emergencies in Indiana — ARES, RACES, and Skywarn — on our EmComm page.
County emergency management
Shelby County's emergency management agency plans for disasters and coordinates the local response. For current contact information, visit the Shelby County emergency management website.
The Indiana Department of Homeland Security keeps a directory of every county's agency: IDHS county EMA directory (website link as listed there on October 26, 2026).
ARES
Shelby County is in Indiana ARES District 5. The ARRL Indiana Section's monthly report notes whether each ARES leadership position is filled or vacant.
- County Emergency Coordinator: no status given in recent Section reports.
- District 5 Emergency Coordinator: not listed as filled or vacant; District 5 sent in its own update for the May 2026 report.
To join ARES in Shelby County, find current Section leadership contacts on the ARRL Indiana Section page and the Section's emergency communications page. The ARRL also explains how ARES works.
Role status from Indiana Section News (latest issue June 2026), checked October 27, 2026. Each line uses the most recent report that mentions the position.
RACES and AUXCOMM
- Licensed amateurs anywhere in Indiana can volunteer with the Indiana Department of Homeland Security's auxiliary communications team: about IDHS AUXCOMM · volunteer interest form
Skywarn spotter training
Shelby County's spotter training comes from the NWS Indianapolis office. Spotter classes are usually held from late winter into early spring, and each county's emergency management agency arranges its local class. NWS Indianapolis spotter training
The information on this page may not be fully up to date. If you notice anything incorrect or missing, please email campbell@indianahamradio.com with the correction. Club officers: email the same address with your club's meeting, net, event or website changes, and we will update this page.
National Weather Service office
Severe-weather watches and warnings for Shelby County come from National Weather Service Indianapolis, IN. Local radar: station KIND.
Nets
3 nets meet in Shelby County, and more are within range from the counties around it — a repeater does not stop at the county line. See the nets near Shelby County, searchable by ZIP code and distance, along with the statewide HF nets.
📅 Put this county in your calendar.indianahamradio.com/calendars/shelby.ics is a subscribable calendar of Shelby County’s nets, hamfests and exam sessions — subscribe once in Google, Apple or Outlook and it stays current on its own. Clubs without a calendar are welcome to hand it to their members as theirs.
Nearby counties
Shelby County borders 6 other counties. Repeaters and clubs just across the line are usually well within range, so it is worth checking them too:
Everything on this page as JSON: /data/counties/shelby.json · about the data