Radio brings us
together.
The Granite State Amateur Radio Association is a community of amateur radio operators in Southern New Hampshire brought together by a shared interest in radio, learning, experimentation and helping others discover the hobby.
More than
a radio club.
GSARA brings together people who enjoy amateur radio and believe the hobby is better when knowledge, experience and enthusiasm are shared.
Some of us have been on the air for decades. Others are studying for their first license or just made their first contact. Our interests range from portable operating and repeaters to digital modes, antennas, building projects, emergency communications and experimenting with whatever comes next.
What connects all of it is the people. GSARA is a place to ask questions, try something new, share what you've learned and spend time with others who enjoy the hobby.
Get on the air.
Nets, repeaters, portable operations, Field Days and plenty of opportunities to actually use amateur radio.
Keep learning.
Presentations, mentoring and members sharing their experience help all of us learn something new.
Try something.
Build an antenna. Explore a new mode. Take a radio into the field. Amateur radio gives us plenty to experiment with.
Share the hobby.
We introduce amateur radio to new operators, young people and the communities around us.
You don't have to know everything about amateur radio to belong here. You just need to be interested enough to keep exploring it.
Built on decades
of amateur radio.
GSARA didn't begin as a website, a repeater frequency or a monthly meeting. It began with local amateur radio operators who wanted to bring people together around a hobby they shared.
GRANITE STATE AMATEUR RADIO ASSOCIATION
A club built by local hams.
GSARA's story began in the early 1970s, when a group of twelve local amateur radio operators came together to form the Granite State Amateur Radio Association.
From those early days, the club became a place for amateur radio operators to meet, exchange ideas, learn from one another and put their skills to use on the air.
Over the decades, generations of GSARA members have taken part in Field Day, public service, licensing and testing, technical projects, operating events and the everyday fellowship that has always been part of amateur radio.
Equipment has changed. Modes have changed. The technology available to amateur radio operators today would have looked very different to the members who started the club.
But the reason for getting together hasn't changed very much: learn something, get on the air and share the hobby with someone else.
Field Day has always
been about more than contacts.
Set up the antennas. Get the stations on the air. Solve whatever doesn't work. Make contacts. Eat something. Help the person sitting next to you.
Field Day captures a lot of what amateur radio — and GSARA — has always been about. It's operating, experimentation, problem solving and fellowship happening in the same place.
The radios may look different, but every generation of GSARA adds another chapter to the same story.
The hobby changes.
The community continues.
Different radios. Different antennas. Different generations of operators. Across the years, GSARA members have continued to learn, operate, experiment and spend time together.
FROM THE GSARA ARCHIVES
Years of people
getting on the air.
Every photograph captures a different moment, but look closely and a lot of it feels familiar: radios on tables, antennas in the air, people figuring things out and someone nearby ready to lend a hand.
That's still GSARA.
Today's members are adding the next photographs to the archive.
Same spirit.
New chapters.
The amateur radio world has changed considerably since GSARA's earliest days. What hasn't changed is the value of getting people together, getting radios on the air and learning from one another.
We still get on the air.
From repeaters and nets to POTA, Field Day and portable operating, radio remains at the center of the club.
We still figure things out together.
Antennas, radios, digital modes, station projects and new technology give us an endless supply of things to learn.
We still help the next ham.
Licensing, exams, mentoring and simply answering questions help turn someone's curiosity into their first contact.
We still share amateur radio.
Community events, demonstrations and outreach give people outside the hobby a chance to see what amateur radio can do.
Every generation brings different interests, different technology and new ideas to GSARA. The common thread is amateur radio.
The history continues every time members meet, operate, build or introduce someone new to the hobby.
Connected to the
amateur radio community.
GSARA is part of a much larger amateur radio community. Our affiliations reflect the club's commitment to active participation, education, service and helping amateur radio continue to grow.
Affiliated Club
GSARA is an affiliated club of the American Radio Relay League, connecting our local amateur radio community with the national organization for amateur radio in the United States.
LEARN ABOUT ARRL AFFILIATED CLUBS ↗
Special Service Club
GSARA has also earned ARRL Special Service Club status, recognizing clubs that go beyond regular meetings and actively support amateur radio through programs, education and service.
ABOUT SPECIAL SERVICE CLUBS ↗Those affiliations matter most when they turn into something useful for amateur radio operators and the community.
The club is
the people.
Radios may be what brought us together, but the people are what make GSARA a community.
Our members come to amateur radio with different interests, different backgrounds and different levels of experience. Some have been licensed for decades. Others are making their first contacts and discovering where the hobby will take them.
You'll find operators interested in portable radio, repeaters, digital modes, antennas, building, emergency communications, contesting, CW and plenty of things we haven't listed.
Nobody needs to enjoy every part of amateur radio. That's part of what makes the hobby — and the club — interesting.
There's room for
your version of the hobby.
Ask questions, meet other operators and find people willing to help you get on the air.
Bring your experience, share what you've learned and maybe discover something new yourself.
That's fine too. Amateur radio is big enough that nobody has to do everything.
Meetings, activities, outreach, mentoring and the day-to-day work of the association happen because members volunteer their time and experience to keep the club moving forward.
CONTACT GSARA
The best way to
understand GSARA?
Show up.
You don't need to know anyone. You don't need years of experience. And if you're still figuring out amateur radio, that's okay too.
Join us for breakfast, come to a meeting or stop by one of our activities. You don't need an invitation — just come say hello.
Join us for
breakfast.
Our weekly breakfast is one of the easiest ways to meet GSARA. Grab some coffee, meet a few members, ask questions and talk radio in a casual setting.
FIND THE NEXT BREAKFAST →
Come to a
Monthly Meeting.
Meet more of the membership, hear what's happening around GSARA and enjoy presentations, demonstrations and conversations about amateur radio.
MONTHLY MEETINGS →
Become part
of GSARA.
If GSARA feels like the kind of amateur radio community you've been looking for, we'd be happy to have you with us.
CLUB MEMBERSHIP →
Amateur radio.
Community connected.
Southern New Hampshire