Announcements

  • SECARS Summer Picnic

    SECARS is hosting Field Day at Zagray Farm Museum

    SECARS will be hosting its annual Summer Picnic on Saturday, August 16, 2025 at the Pat DeMuria Pavilion in Colonel Ledyard Park (21 Blonder's Blvd. - Ledyard, CT).  We have the pavilion reserved from 10 AM to 4 PM, and lunch will be served around noon.  SECARS will provide beverages and the main dish (burgers and hot dogs/brats).  Please bring an item to share if you are coming to the event.  Note that no alcoholic beverages or dogs are allowed in the park, so please leave those items at home.  So that we have an accurate headcount and an idea of what you are bringing, please RSVP at the link below.

    Please RSVP at this link.

    The summer picnic is being coordinated by Mark KE1IU.  Send an e-mail to ke1iumark@gmail.com if you have questions or for additional information.

  • 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 at the conclusion of each business meeting 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 in hybrid format (in person and on Zoom following the business meeting), and credentials are distributed to our group mailing list.  Join SECARS to get on our list!  Click here for our seminar schedule

Donate Now to the SECARS Building Fund

The SECARS repeater site needs remodeling due to infestation with mice and poor climate control.  As such, we are starting a capital campaign, which was endorsed at the December, 2024 Business Meeting.  Our goal is to raise $8,000, which will be used to remove contaminated insulation and wall board, seal openings where rodent incursions can occur, install new insulation and wall board, install a new HVAC system (ductless splits), redo the roof, paint the exterior and install keyless entry to the repeater building.  These changes are necessary to ensure the long term viability of the site.  To donate, please click the link below – and be sure to check the “Designate my gift to the Building Fund” option on the form.  SECARS is a 501(c)3 organization.  Donations are tax deductible as allowed by Federal law.

Thermometer Legend:

Purple = Cash raised to date; Peach = Pledges and donated materials

Click Here to Donate

Building Fund Status

Created using the Donation Thermometer plugin https://wordpress.org/plugins/donation-thermometer/.$8,000Raised $6,718 towards the $8,000 target.$6,718Raised $6,718 towards the $8,000 target.84%

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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For the past six months, we have been raising money through a capital campaign to renovate our repeater site.  This remediation is necessary because our repeater site has been infested with mice for many years.  The insulation behind the walls and in the rafters is contaminated with mouse excrement, theContinue 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!