Announcements

Amateur Radio License Course

SECARS and the American Red Cross are sponsoring an Amateur Radio License Course! 

The Southeastern Connecticut Amateur Radio Society (SECARS), in cooperation with Eastern Area office of The American Red Cross Connecticut/Rhode Island Chapter, will offer an 8-10 week training class to prepare participants for the Technician Class Amateur Radio License examination.  There is no charge for the instruction provided in this course.  Instruction will follow material found in The ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, Technician Class, 5th Edition, and all students are expected to have a copy at the first meeting of this class. This manual is available online from the Amateur Radio Relay League at arrl.org or from AMAZON.  The license exam will be offered at the conclusion of the class. Morse code proficiency is no longer needed to obtain any HAM license.

This course will be offered at the Red Cross office at 1031 CT Route 32, Montvile, CT.  Instruction will commence on Wednesday, January 10,2024 and will continue on Wednesday evenings from 6-9PM.  Persons interested in attending this program should register by contacting Tom Scott at (860) 464-6555 or WA2RYV@ARRL.net.

SECARS will provide free license manuals to any youth (under age 18) who enrolls in the course, and will also provide a free entry-level handheld radio to any youth who successfully attains their Technician class license at a SECARS exam session – while supplies last.

Meetings

SECARS meetings are held the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM.  Meetings will be held in person at the Red Cross at 1031 Norwich - New London Tpke in Uncasville, CT.  We will simulcast the meeting on Zoom, and Zoom invitations will be sent out to all members approximately one week before the meeting is to occur.  Please stop by and support SECARS!

Technical Seminars

Technical seminars will be held on the fourth Thursday of the month when we have a speaker.  We have had interesting seminars on DXing, 160m band operation, construction projects, satellite work, go-boxes, foxhunting, DXpeditions and other topics of general interest to the radio amateur community.  Our seminars are held on Zoom, and credentials are distributed to our group mailing list.  Join SECARS to get on our list!  Click here for our seminar schedule

Get Your SECARS Hat!

SECARS Has arranged with a local vendor to produce custom-made hats bearing the SECARS logo.  Optional add-ons include your callsign, name and only if you are a founding member of SECARS the option to include the words “Plank Owner” on the hat.  Check out our FAQ and images of the hats at this link.

Your Ideas Are Welcome Here!

SECARS Welcomes your ideas for activities we could do to foster education, build camaraderie and have fun pursuing what we all love: amateur radio.  If you have suggestions or ideas, we encourage you to enter them at the appended link.  Enter your ideas here.

For Sale

Premium Amateur Radio Equipment For Sale

Check out this page to see equipment for sale from SECARS and local sellers.  SECARS periodically posts items for sale ranging from towers, antennas, radio equipment and accessories.  If you wish to list an item for sale, please contact KE1IUMark@gmail.com.

Mark Noe KE1IU

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I recently re-engaged my passion for satellite work.  Why?  Because it is challenging and because it represents a frontier in amateur radio that I had not seriously explored before.  First, I will address the challenge.  Because satellites can only be accessed when they are in view, you need to knowContinue Reading

Click on the images below for more information about our club!

Contact us at KE1IUMark@gmail.com

Our officers are here to serve you - by coordinating activities, managing club resources and guiding SECARS toward growth - with the input of the membership at large.  Learn more about who we are at the link below.

SECARS features repeaters on 2 meters and 70 cm.  Our repeaters are connected on Echolink and can be accessed from anywhere in the world.

Find the hidden transmitter!   Foxhunting tests your skill in radio direction finding and orienteering.  Our foxhunts cover a 20 square mile area, and we have both live foxhunts and hidden fox-boxes for you to find.  Come join us!

We have nets on a wide range of topics, including traffic handling, Morse code instruction, weather tracking, technical topics and general interest discussion.  Check out our local area nets and check in to one of them!

Our members have designed and built many cool homebrew projects.  Check out our project page to learn more and build your own gear and station accessories!

We have links to useful software for your amateur radio station.  Whether it is antenna modeling, Morse code training or digital modes, you can find links to external sites that will get you on your way to more functions in your station!

SECARS is a very active group.  Whether it is foxhunting, VHF/UHF terrestrial all-mode work, field day, public service, nets, hilltopping or just socializing at a picnic, there is something for everyone.  Come join us!

Useful resources abound at this page: Links to local area clubs, ARRL, AMSAT, Equipment manufacturers, suppliers, callbook servers, DX clusters and more.

Welcome to New Radio Amateurs

SECARS created a New Ham Kit to help new amateur radio operators get oriented.  Whether you are a newly-licensed radio amateur or someone who is returning after an inactive period, check out our New Ham Kit.  It lists various resources within SECARS and externally to get you into amateur radio.  As ever, we are here to help.

Check out our New Ham Kit by clicking on the picture to the left.

SECARS Mentoring Program

SECARS has a mentoring program to help you get into new aspects of amateur radio and to enable you to teach others.  To learn more about the program, click here.

Check out our Photo Gallery

SECARS members enjoy many diverse aspects of amateur radio, and we are here to support them.  Our photo gallery captures SECARS members engaging in foxhunts, Field Day, our annual picnic, our auction and more.  Check out the photo gallery by clicking here or on the photo to the left.

Thank You to our Donors

SECARS has been the beneficiary of several estates and individuals who have donated equipment and money to support our organization.  Visit this link to find out who they are!