Welcome!
Welcome to the GNARC communications center! We are very fortunate that our partnership with the Norwalk Fire Department has resulted in our ability to use this space. Our communications center is equipped with a large meeting room, bathrooms and of course a great radio room. The radio room has multiple operating positions, computers, and a printer.
As with any common space, there are some guidelines that we must all follow to ensure the safety and security of our members and our equipment. There are some general rules about the space and some more specific items about the radio room. Please see the links below for the PDFs. It is important for all members to be familiar with the these documents.
Please note that this is not a club house for hanging out by members. It is a communications center where we operate radios, train and help other hams, and do occasional special events, like radio contests.
Current Schedule
The comm center is normally open Saturday morning until noon and Wednesday evening. BUT CONFIRM FIRST. Openings are announced on the GNARC reflector. Only technical committee members and certified club operators can open the comm center for others.
Equipment
At this point, there are two HF antennas up (the tri-band beam and an OCF wire dipole), a tri-band VHF/UHF/6M vertical, HF and VHF/UHF radios and other equipment needed to operate the room. The main radio room computer also has packet software for Winlink2k and can connect to the Connecticut statewide system for ARES usage. There is a DMR radio for connection to the DMR MARC and ARES networks.
The club has two HF rigs installed at the comm center, an Icom IC-7200 and a Kenwood TS-590SG, and two antennas select-able via a patch panel. The VHF/UHF side has multiple radios attached to the verticals for various purposes. 6m is also available on the Kenwood TS-590SG thru a vertical.