Welcome!
Welcome to the website of the Hampden County Radio Association, or HCRA, a group of amateur radio operators (“hams”) in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. The club has existed since the mid-1940s; the first newsletter we have on file is from September 1948. You can browse through it and the rest of the newsletter archive for a complete history of the club’s activities, but it’ll take you awhile.
HCRA has a long tradition of maintaining a diverse membership spanning a wide range of interests. Many of us are deeply involved in all kinds of HF communication, from CW and SSB to the latest digital modes. There are also members active in low power communications, in the microwaves, Parks on the Air (POTA), Emergency Communications, Summits on the Air (SOTA), project building and nearly every other aspect of this amazing hobby. There’s a place here for everyone.
The HCRA is an Affiliated Club and a Special Service Club with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), the national association for amateur radio. Find out more about that on the ARRL New England Division web site.
Many of our club members are technical and build projects or help others with their questions and projects.
- A feature of membership is assistance for any question you may have, the club offers a specialist who can work with you at your level.
- If you chase DX, the QSL bureau costs $7 per group of cards plus a fee for the weight of the cards. The club offers a pooled QSL service for members, saving you a minimum of $7 every time you send cards through the ARRL DX QSL Bureau System.
- The club also lets members join the HCRA group on ClubLog. It’s a fun way to compete with your friends and their DX chasing accomplishments.
Whether you are a new ham who just earned a license or an old timer who’s been on the air for decades, there is something for you in the HCRA. Join the HCRA Facebook page and keep up with the daily goings on of the club and its members. Come join us at our monthly meeting and introduce yourself. We meet the first Friday of every month at the Holyoke Medical Center Auxiliary Conference Room.
I know I speak for the whole club in welcoming you to the HCRA. We look forward to meeting you. If you are not yet a ham, we can help you with that too.
73 and I hope to see you at the next meeting!
Alan Dove, AB1XW
HCRA President
Latest Blog Posts
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“Make a cheap ham HAPPY” night at HCRA!
Returning Friday, September 9, is HCRA’s Swap & Sell Table. A sight guaranteed to brings smiles of joy to any frugal hams’s face. Take a look at the photos, it gives you an idea of just some of this month’s offerings. That’s correct, you see a 1.3G frequency counter, project boxes, transformers, and more. There’s…
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HCRA BOD meeting notes for 29 Aug 2016
HCRA Board of Directors meeting 29-Aug-2016 Attendees: President – NT1K Vice President – WM1B Secretary – N1FTP Treasurer – NV1Q Program Dir. – W1AST At Large – KB1RXO Membership – K1VOI Absent: Tech. Dir – K1YO Zero Beat Ed. – WA1MOW ——————————— Meeting Open at 7:09pm ——————— President Report: Jeff will be delegating…
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Good stuff cheap – Swap & Sell September 9th
Swap and Sell will be returning to HCRA meetings for the remainder of 2016. Since the program started this past January lots of good stuff has changed hands, people have gone home with either cash in their pocket or a new trinket to play around with in the shack and HCRA added a few dollars to the…
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HCRA is READY for Field Day – are YOU!
About seven days from now HCRA will be blasting the airwaves with “CQ Field” day from School St. Park in nearby Agawam, MA. Our plans have solidified to a 5A operation, perhaps even 6A, the usual superb four towers with beams on 40, 20, 15 and 10 and dipoles for 80/75. a Saturday VE session, lots…
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Yes, Swap & Sell will be at Show & Tell!
Here’s a chance to make money on your project. After you win one of the prizes put your hand crafted watchamcallit’ on the swap table and go home with to cash along with your prize 🙂 Or maybe find something on the table for your next creation? Once again the Swap & Sell table…
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Meeting Topic Changed For Feb 5th’s Meeting
Due to a sudden work schedule change, John Kalotai will not be able to be our guest speaker this Friday. However the meeting is still taking place. Frandy Johnson (N1FJ) and Jim Mullen (KK1W) will be doing a presentation on their recent National Parks on the Air (NPOTA) adventures. We will also be discussing some…
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HCRA BOD meeting notes for January 20th, 2016
HCRA BOD meeting notes for 20-Jan-2016 Attendees: President: NT1K Vice President: N1FTP Treasurer: NV1Q Membership: K1VOI Program Dir: W1AST ZB Editor: WA1MOW Tech Dir: K1YO Absent: At-Large: W1MOR Secretary: WM1B President Report: – Jim Mullen has volunteered to help out with updating our Website. – A Web Forum has been created at “members.hcra.org”. The site…
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HCRA’s Amateur Radio License Class – April 2016
Hampden County Radio Assocation Amateur Radio License Class April 2016 Are you or do you know someone who’s interested in amateur radio? Do you want to upgrade your license? The Hampden Country Radio Association (HCRA) is holding classes and study groups for those interested. With a combination of these classes and at-home studying, it’s possible…
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HCRA Meeting, January 8th 2016. Guest Speaker will be Jeff Jolie (NM1Y)
Due to some unforeseen circumstances, Jeff (NM1Y) will not be able to make it to the meeting to give his presentation. However Jeff will be providing us with a DVD about the DXpedtion and the Yankee Clipper Contest Club (YCCC) will still be there to hold an area meeting. Happy new year! HCRA is starting…
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Show and Tell – April 2016
HCRA’S SHOW AND TELL 2016 – Friday April 1st, 2016 – THIS IS NOT A JOKE! The Hampden county radio association will be holding its annual show and tell on Friday, April 1st, 2016. This is where HCRA members can show off their amateur radio related projects. If you’ve been working on something over the…