Welcome!

See below for the latest blog posts and news about our activites and events. You can also follow the links above for more information about specific aspects of the club. If you’re brand-new at all this, here’s an introduction to what the Hampden County Radio Association is all about.

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Latest Blog Posts


  • 2013/2014 Election Results

    Say hello to your new board of directors! At the June 7th meeting our club elected (or re-elected) a new board. This new board holds their first meeting on June 11th and their term will expire in June 2014. With regret we say goodbye to Marty/W1MJB. Marty has served HCRA for many years and in…


  • Indoor Tailgate Party Tonight!

    Aren’t you glad we decided to hold it INDOORS this year! Table space is free, bring your stuff and have fun. Please, no PC’s, monitors, printers – you get the idea. First come gets the best spots! Suggested donation to HCRA for helping you sell your stuff – 10% Raffle tickets go on sale for the…


  • Yaesu FT-857D for only $10?

    How would you like to add a Yaesu FT-857, all mode, 160 through 70cm rig to your mobile or home shack? It’s easy; you can either pick up the phone, call HRO and order one (and plunk down almost a kilobuck) OR — buy a $10 raffle ticket at the next HCRA meeting. We are…


  • HCRA Field Day makes local paper

    [google-map-v3 width=”350″ height=”350″ zoom=”12″ maptype=”roadmap” mapalign=”center” directionhint=”false” language=”default” poweredby=”false” maptypecontrol=”true” pancontrol=”true” zoomcontrol=”true” scalecontrol=”true” streetviewcontrol=”true” scrollwheelcontrol=”false” draggable=”true” tiltfourtyfive=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkermashupbubble=”false” addmarkerlist=”42.073651,-72.593356{}cablecar.png{}School Street Park” bubbleautopan=”true” showbike=”false” showtraffic=”false” showpanoramio=”false”]   Well looks like the advertising campaign for FD 2013 has gotten under way.  We also have gotten a pencil in visit from the mayor of Agawam.  Great bonuses…


  • Next HCRA Meeting- Indoor Tailgate Party

    In lieu of a tailgate party in the parking lot in Feeding Hills, Hampden County Radio Association is going to have a small-scale flea market on June 7 at the Holyoke Medical Center Auxiliary Conference Center. As space permits, we will allot about 12 square feet of table space to each club member that wants…


  • Heathkit – is it coming back?

    Steve/N1SR forwarded me a link to an article in the EDN Network magazine that indicates there is a chance Heathkit may be returning to the kit business? For us old-timers just the word “Heathkit” brings back memories of kit building, a chance to build something for the station you couldn’t afford otherwise and of course…


  • HCRA Ham Radio Film Festival???

    I would like to throw out an idea for a possible meeting topic next year and would like to hear other members’ opinions on it. The meeting would be a ham radio film festival and we would screen ham radio related film shorts produced by our members as well as a few from other sources.  …


  • New England QSO Party – May 4th & 5th

    From Tom/K1KI… The New England QSO Party is coming next weekend – May 4-5 – and we’ are always looking for more activity from Massachusetts. The NEQP is a great way to test your antennas on 80-10 meters and to be the focus of a lot of activity as stations from around the world look…


  • WB1Z wins “County Expedition Plaque” for NEQP 2012

    Arriving in the mail today was this beautiful plaque for our efforts during last year’s NEQP.             We’re going to be back there again this year and hope to bring HCRA home yet another award. Thanks to Frandy/N1FJ, Matt/W1MSW and of course Dave/AA1YW for providing a comfy shack in Windham…

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  • May Zero Beat is now available!

    Click here (saves time going to the Zero Beat archive page! Another good issue this month, please take the time to check out Frandy’s hard work. Thanks also to the authors submitting articles too! Friday’s meeting should be a good one. The weather is predicted to be perfect for takeing a tour of the MCU…