HCRA Blog
2024 Holiday Party
HCRA’s 75th Anniversary Picnic Celebration on October 7th
HCRA’s 75th Anniversary Picnic Celebration on October 7th
HCRA requests everyone “RSVP” to https://bit.ly/45Znlak or QR Code Below and fill out the Picnic Day Celebration questionnaire so we can get an accurate headcount for picnic lunch and activities.

Come and help us celebrate on October 7, 2023, and be part of the HCRA’s 75th Anniversary Picnic Celebration at the School St. Park Pavilion, Corey St. entrance, in Agawam, MA, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
This is an open invitation to club members and amateur radio operators to come and join the HCRA Special Event QRP fun; all licensed hams are encouraged to take part regardless of club affiliation! Bring your radios, antennas, and power source to “Tune in the World” as we get together to share and learn all while having fun.
Included in the fun is the HCRA Celebration Picnic, which starts at 12:00 p.m. If you would like, bring a favorite food dish (potluck) to share with the hamburgers, hot dogs, and beverages. HCRA wants YOU to be a part of it! HCRA requests everyone “Check-In” to the hcra.org website and fill out the Picnic Day Celebration questionnaire so we can get an accurate headcount to be sure there is enough food for everyone and to capture anyone’s interest in taking part as an amateur radio operator, especially if you are a technician level wanting to learn HF operations.
On GPS/WAZE: Enter School Street Park, 436 Corey Street, Agawam, MA.
DRIVING DIRECTIONS: The entrance to School St. Park Pavilion can be accessed from Corey St. The
recommended direction from the Rte. 5 and Rte. 57 rotary is to go south on River Road along the Connecti-
cut River till you see the HCRA signs with balloons and take a right turn on N. Alhambra Circle and then
a quick left to S. Alhambra Circle. Continue on S. Alhambra Circle, which will turn into Corey St. The
entrance to the Agawam Parks & Recreation Pavilion will be on your left after the road turns and the
homes end. HCRA Signs with balloons will mark the path.
This site is handicap accessible, with plenty of parking and restrooms with flush toilets and running water.
Fall 2023 Tech Project – Clock for the Hamshack
Let’s build a kit! My goal for the club this year is to build two kits. We’re going to start this fall with a clock kit by QRP Labs.
This is an easy and fun kit and will look good in anyones shack. Here are the photo’s from the one in my shack. I have the GPS option and have the GPS module positioned near the window in my shack. Above you can see the display showing different info.
The basic cost of the clock without the GPS module and withought a case is $22.The GPS module adds $25 and the enclosure kit costs $40. The prices include shipping to us.
My enclosure was printed on a 3D-Printer by a friend. There are many ways to enclose the clock and you can buy different enclosures or create one that’s perfect for you.
This is an easy and fairly quick kit to build. We’ll schedule a Saturday morning at the Holyoke Hospital meeting room for a group build. There will be experienced people on hand to help you if you would like assistance.
Next Spring, we hope to have a more advanced kit available and will have more information on this in the next few months.
If you’d like to participate, send in the amount and a note with the options you want and we’ll get them ordered for everyone. The deadline is Friday, October 6th at the HCRA October meeting. Checks need to be made out to the HCRA.
We hope you will participate!
Larry, W1AST
Postal Mail:
Hampden County Radio Association
P.O. Box 562
Agawam, MA 01001
How you can donate .5% of your purchase to HCRA every time you shop!
HCRA Informational Flyer
You can download the informational flyer here.
HCRA Board Meeting Minutes – August 21, 2023
Need Help With RF Interference Issues ?
Need Help With RF Interference Issues ?
If you have been experiencing RF interference there is a WMA resource available that’s ready to assist you. Each section has established an RF Interference investigative team that can
help identify and possibly remedy your problem.
To initiate your request for help you can simply send an e-mail to k1yo@arrl.net with your contact information and a description of the problem and anything you may have already tried.
A member of the WMA RFI team will contact you with directions on how to initiate the formal request for assistance. This then may require several steps / tasks on
your part which provide us with essential information to guide further investigative processes. Additionally, helpful information can be found on our RFI Troubleshooting Guide online at:
We are ready to help – just give us a call !!
Vy 73,
Your WMA RFI Team
Greg WA1JXR Barry W1HFN Najm AB1ZA
Bob K1YO (Team Lead)