Hampden County Radio Association

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

ARRL Special Service Club Logo.
ARRL Affiliated Club Logo

Latest Blog Posts

  • Home Made Off Center Fed Dipole

    Here is my first attempt at an article.  I wanted to make a all band antenna without the long tail of a G5RV.  I did some research and remembered that awhile back I had received an antenna from a fellow ham that had been struck by lightning.  It was a 40 meter Carolina windom. Started…

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  • Activating Crag Mountain, Northfield, Mass.

    Around midnight on Friday (Aug. 31) night Jim/KK1W emailed me that he, Nick/K1MAZ and John/Kx1x would be activating Prospect Hill the next day. I had already activated Prospect Hill this year, so I decided to do Crag Hill in Northfield and snag a sure S2S (Summit to Summit). Jim was going to use NE1SJ so…

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  • KX3 vs FT-817 Receive Comparison

    Now that I have your attention let me tell you what this post does NOT say! This isn’t a technical comparison between the two radios. Nor is it meant to infer one radio is better or worse than the other. You have to look at all the features/benefits and figure out what works best for…

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  • September Zero Beat is live, on the web and in your email box

    Don’t forget! Our first meeting of the new season is this Friday, September 7th. Read all about the meeting, upcoming raffles and more in the September issue of Zero Beat. Frandy once again has put together eight pages of HCRA and local interest for September. Enjoy!

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  • NE1C SOTA Activation Review – September 1, 2012 – Prospect Hill

    Nick (K1MAZ) and I, along with Jim (NE1SJ/KK1W) made the trek to Prospect Hill, MA (near Athol) for a SOTA (Summits on the Air) activation.  Great weather and great propagation made for a perfect day!!! We hung a mini-G5RV from the fire tower (up about 80′ sloping to a tree branch).  We used KK1W’s FT100…

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  • 2012 Field Day Summary

    Last June Hampden County Radio Association once again participated in the annual ARRL Field Day event. This year we added an additional transmitter, which put us in the 8A category. As usual, the event was an overall success with our members and visitors having a great time while operating and enjoying each other’s company. And…

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  • Help Wanted

    Our club is looking for a few volunteers for the upcoming 2012/2013 season. Here’s a chance for you to give something back to your fellow club members. The pay is little (well actually none!) but the rewards are great. KX3 Raffle Coordinator As coordinator you would actively promote the raffle at HCRA meetings, local hamfests…

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  • New KX3 Raffle – starts at the September 7th meeting!

      We were one of the first clubs in the world to give away an Elecraft KX3 – and we’re doing it again! Tickets will be available starting September 7th during our kick-off meeting at the Holyoke Medical Center. A $10 donation puts you in the running. Only 250 tickets will be available and the…

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  • Treasurer’s Report – August 26, 2012

    Income: Park Refund: $746.00 FD Raffle: $380.00 FD Food: $260.00 Membership: $15.00 Silent Auction: $87.00 Total Income: $1483.00 Expenses Hall Rent: $90.00 FD Parts: $21.23 Trailer setup food: $50.00 Crew Charter: $20.00 KX3 (long term raffle prize): $1026.80 Web Hosting: $88.00 Triplexer/bpf filters (Field Day): $670.85 Field Day Food: $500.00 Total Expenses: $2378.88 Starting Balance:…

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