The Raleigh Amateur Radio Society was surprised to learn that about 80% of the licensed hams in Wake County are not active on the air. If you are one of them, we can help. Even if you don't live in Wake County, we can help!
Have you wanted to get on the air but faced the hurdles of obtaining equipment, installing antennas, dealing with HOA issues, or have other things prevented you from enjoying the ham radio license you worked hard to earn? Maybe you were active in the past but haven’t been on the air for years. Maybe you earned your license but never took the next step of enjoying the privileges it offers. Maybe you have recently moved to the Raleigh area.
You don’t need to do it alone. You don’t need to own any radio equipment. You can borrow gear from our club. You don’t need to set up a station at home. You can operate from a local park or at monthly club gatherings using your own gear or using a station set up by the club.
The Raleigh Amateur Radio Society (RARS) invites you to become Radio Active with us! Read on to learn how RARS can help you get on—or back on—the air! Want to introduce your family, children, friends or neighbors to the hobby of ham radio? Bring them to any of our events to learn about ham radio, too. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Club Gatherings
Join us in-person on the fourth Tuesday of every month at our “Gathering” to meet other ham radio operators, see hands on demos of old and new ham radio equipment, get on the air, and exchange ideas in a fun forum. You are welcome to bring your own ham radio equipment and projects to demonstrate, show off, or just work on with other like-minded hams. An HF station is usually in operation. See the RARS homepage for details.
Portable Operating Group
Join us outside, as the Portable Operating Group heads out into the field about once a month for various outdoor operating activities, including Parks on the Air, radio orienteering, Winter Field Day, and satellite demonstrations. Bring your own gear or use the club’s gear. Click here for more information about the Portable Operating Group and our schedule, or contact Brantley West K4CBW with any questions.
Club Dinners
You can also join us for social events. RARS members and guests meet for dinner on the third Tuesday of each month. Informal and Dutch, just bring your appetite! Everyone is welcome to join us. Details are on the RARS homepage.
Nightly Nets
You can join us on the air! If you have a 2-meter radio, you can check into our nightly net at 8:00 PM on the W4DW 146.64 MHz repeater (-0.6 MHz offset, no tone). We also host a Tech and Traders' net on Saturdays and the Amateur Radio News Hour on Sundays, all on the W4DW repeater. We recently re-started a 6-meter net on Mondays, in addition to a quarterly 10-meter net. See our complete Net Schedule here!
Club Business Meetings
Join us in-person or online! The general membership meeting is on the second Tuesday of every month. We meet in-person and stream the meetings via Zoom. The meetings typically include a short business portion followed by a presenation of interest to the amateur radio community, such as emergency communications, 3-D printing, and radio astronomy. You can see what kinds of presentations we have had in the past, and even access some of the presentation materials, here. Guests are welcome to join, and the Zoom link and the announcement for the next meeting are on the RARS homepage.
Contesting
Contesting or "radiosport" is a competitive activity in which amateur radio operators try to contact as many other amateur radio stations as possible in a set amount of time. ARRL Field Day and state “QSO parties” provide great introductions or re-introductions to contesting. RARS's Field Day operation includes a special “Get on the Air” station for lapsed hams to get back on the air. RARS also operates a bonus station for the NC QSO Party, at which all RARS members and prospective members are welcome.
Equipment Loans
Use our gear! If not having access to decent amateur radio equipment is preventing you from getting on the air, use ours! RARS has two VHF/UHF stations and two HF stations available for loan to RARS members. The VHF/UHF stations are capable of making contacts through satellites, local repeaters, or even directly on “simplex” to other VHF/UHF stations. The HF stations are capable of making contacts, well, around the world! Don't know how to use the gear? We have members who will teach you. So, checkout out equipment loan program!
License Exams
Join the amateur radio community or level-up! Get your first license or upgrade your existing license at a RARS Volunteer Examiner session held at the RARS Gatherings in even-numbered months, at RARSfest, and elsewhere from time to time. The RARS VE team administers Technician, General, and Extra class license exams. You do not have to be a RARS member to test with us. See our License Classes and Exams page for imporant information.
RARSfest™
Come to RARSfest! Heck, volunteer to help us put it on! Held at the NC State Fairgrounds every spring, RARSfest is like a state fair for amateur radio operators. We have dealers selling new equipment. We have exhibitors, showing off cool tech. We have a flea market, where people sell their used, sometimes antique, equiment. We have meetings and forums, where you can learn about various aspects of the hobby. And we have a testing session, where you can earn or level-up your license.
