Annual Report, 2024 / About SARA /About Ham Radio  

Notice from the President, Steve Urso, N1CM:

Webmaster

Stamford Amateur Radio Association (SARA)

2025 Annual Report and 2025 Dues Notice

From the President, Steve Urso, N1CM: As the year comes to an end, we look forward to what awaits us in the New Year. In this age of electronic and social media, hard copy has become a thing of the past. How many of you still use paper logs? That being said, having been elected president, I am struggling with ways to include the scope and feel of our meetings and information in the new electronic format. I actively solicit ideas from you, the membership, as to how to improve our external club communications.

The new year dawns and mother nature gets even. The officers elected by the membership were Steve Urso, President; Terry Martin, Treasurer; Terry Papazidis, Secretary; John Sabini, Website, and Gaetano Galletta, Director-at-large at its January meeting.

We look forward to your membership and participation in the coming year, and hope to have programs of varying interests at our regular monthly meetings. We stand ready to “Elmer” members in putting up antennas, equipment selection and operating procedures to getting on the air and reaching out near and far.

Membership is open to all licensed hams. Dues are $25.00 (please add $2.00 for PayPal fees) for the year which includes membership for you and your immediate family. Dues are $20.00 for matriculated students and hams that live outside a 50 mile radius of Stamford. Your dues money supports: costs associated with our website, business registration and taxes, mailing list, insurance, operation of 3 repeater radios at two sites plus their care and maintenance, and Field Day operation which includes equipment, supplies, and meals. Many members include a tax-deductible donation along with their required dues, and that is always appreciated.

You can register for membership online using PayPal at http://ctsara.org/membership.html. The new website’s membership page is quite streamlined. Fill out the form, and once this is done and submitted, click the PayPal link to pay.

Use  as the payment destination, and make a note in the payment of your name and call       Include a good email address. So that we can credit you properly.

Steve Urso

Steve Urso, N1CM.

About SARA

We are the Stamford Amateur Radio Association (SARA) of Stamford Connecticut.

Founded in 1974 and active ever since, we sponsor and maintain three repeaters, provide communication services at public events, contribute to emergency communications for the city of Stamford, hold licensing exam sessions and hold a competitive Field Day event every June.

Services that we perform for our members include antenna raising, radio setup, training, and advising.    

We need your ideas and input. What activities would you like the club to participate in? We also
need your help in organizing these activities as well as participating in them. How would you
increase club membership? Communicate your ideas and comments to any of the board members.

Your input is very important to the continuing health of the club.


About Ham Radio

Amateur radio, often called ham radio, is both a hobby and a public service in which participants, called radio amateurs or hams, use various types of radio communications equipment to communicate with other hams locally, around the country, or around the world for public service, recreation, and self-training.

There are hams in just about every country, and even in outer space -- the International Space Station has a ham radio station on board and regularly makes contact with hams around the world. Hams also have several dozen ham radio satellites in orbit, which are used by hams to relay signals from one part of the globe to another.

Some hams enjoy experimenting with radio technology, some like competing with other hams (called contesting), some like talking to hams in foreign countries, and some just like chatting with other hams, either nearby or across the country.

All radio amateurs around the world are licensed by their own governments. All hams in the United States are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which administers the Amateur Radio Service. Getting a license requires passing a multiple choice test on radio theory and radio regulations.

Many hams work closely with both governmental and volunteer organizations, drilling and preparing for disasters, providing communication when all other forms of communication have failed.

More information about amateur radio can be found on the web page of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), which is the national association for Amateur Radio operators in the United States. More details about ham radio can be had on their What is Ham Radio? page.

 

J/S WB1GRB   3/23/2025