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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HOLIDAY PARTY TICKETS AVAILABLE!!
Tis the season for Holiday Parties. This year HCRA and MTARA are putting together quite the feast for those who would wish to join us. We will be back at the wonderful steaming tender in Palmer MA on Monday, December 7th, 2015. Doors open at 6, Dinner starts at 7. Tickets will be just $20ea.…
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Notes From Last Nights Meeting (DMR W/ Steve WA1ZEV)
Digital Mobile Radio Presentation (Presenter: Steve Shore WA1-ZEV, October 2, 2015 Hamden County Radio Association) ** Reference Material ** DMR Orientation: http://dmr-marc.net/media/Intro-DMR-2103.ppt http://dmr-marc.net/media/Amateur_Radio_Guide_to_DMR_Rev_I_20150510.pdf Network Providers: DMR-MARC (Motorola Amateur Radio Club) CT-ARES DMR Network (State of Connecticut State Police Amateur Radio Club) DCI (Digital Communications Interconnect) Popular Web Sites: http://www.dmr-marc.net/ (DMR-MARC) http://w1sp.org/ (W1SP- State of…
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September 10, 2015
HCRA Board Meeting September 10, 2015 Attendance: Harold (N1FTP) Gary (WA1MOW) Jeff (NT1K) Bob (K1Y0) John (K1VOI) Juergen (NV1Q) Dave (WM1B) Larry (W1AST) President summarized the activities. Still looking for a Web Master Vice President Harold Woering was introduced and had no additional comments Treasurer indicated he had the bank account and the electronic banking…
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June 2015 Board Meeting Minutes
HCRA BOD Meeting Minutes June 11th, 2015 Location: IHOP West Springfield MA Meeting called to order by President Jeff NT1k Attending: Daye AA1Y Larry W1AST Juergen NV1Q John K1VOI Bob K1YO Gary WA1MOW Jeff NT1K Ed KB1NWH Dave WM1B Officer Reports Past President: Great Year A lot of Fun. Transfer PO Box to Gary WA1MOW.…
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Next Meeting is Friday, September 4th 2015
Welcome to a new season of HCRA Larry (W1AST) has been hard at work obtaining guest speakers for the upcoming season. The guest speaker for the first meeting of the season on Friday, September 4th will be Fred Stefanick (N1DPM). He will be discussing EME communications and how you don’t necessarily need a massive array…
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HCRA’s 250 Raffle – Win A Kenwood TS-590SG
Win A Kenwood TS-590SG Tickets Just $10 EA It’s that time for the Hampden County Radio Associations (HCRA) annual raffle. This year the board of directors wanted to raffle off a 100w base station transceiver. The Kenwood TS-590SG ($1700 Retail) was the perfect choice because it’s a very excellent radio packed with features that…
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May 7, 2015 Board Meeting Minutes
BOD MINUTES May 7th 2015, IHOP Meeting called to order at 7:10 by President Ed KB1NWH, In attendance: Larry W1AST, Gary WA1MOW, Rick N1KXR, Bob K1YO, Jeff NT1K, Dave WM1B, Guests, Faye Krainson, VP W1MOR Report : Absent No Report TREASURER AA1YW Report: Absent No Report SECRETARY WM1B Any Business: Discussion of Ham Club testing…
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Mar 12th Board Meeting Minutes
Meeting Started 7:15 VP W1MOR Report. Nothing to report TREASURER AA1YW Report. Balance $9095. KX3 profit $781.22. Christmas party cost $931, Used 40 meter beam cost $200, Donation HMC $250, Donation Agawam Park and Rec $250 SECRETARY – WM1B : Any Business. Paper work up to date MEMBERSHIP N1KXR Head count 102 members TECHNICAL K1YO…
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Links and slides from this past meeting
Big thanks to Steve Dick (K1RF) for making the trip up to Hampden County to talk about speaker design for the amateur radio operator. It was very interesting. Steve referenced a lot of websites and products. He has sent us a PDF of his presentation. Loudspeaker Design Considerations for Amateur Radio RevD With this PDF,…