Brooklyn Amateur Radio Clubs & Resources

Brooklyn Amateur Radio Clubs & Resources social image featuring the Brooklyn Bridge and New York City skyline at dusk, alongside a handheld amateur radio and microphone, with text promoting local ham radio clubs, nets, repeaters, and WB2EHG.radio.

If you are looking for an amateur radio club in Brooklyn, New York, you have several good places to start. Local clubs can help you prepare for your license, learn how to use your first radio, find local repeaters and nets, meet experienced operators, and become involved in public-service and emergency communications.

Brooklyn has an active amateur radio community, and you do not need to know everything—or even have a license yet—to begin meeting local hams.

Kings County Radio Club

The Kings County Radio Club (KCRC) is one of Brooklyn’s established amateur radio organizations and is affiliated with the ARRL.

KCRC is based in Brooklyn and welcomes both experienced operators and people who are just getting started in amateur radio. The club offers meetings, technical discussions, on-air nets, educational resources, and opportunities to meet other local operators.

The club currently holds its regular meeting on the first Wednesday of each month, with both in-person and online participation available.

KCRC also operates local amateur radio nets, including a 2-meter technical net and a Sunday 10-meter net. These are excellent places for newer operators to practice checking into a net and become familiar with local operating procedures.

Visit the Kings County Radio Club website for current meeting information, membership details, and club activities.

NYC Resistor Ham Radio Club

Another Brooklyn option is the NYC Resistor Ham Radio Club, callsign N2YCR.

The club meets at NYC Resistor, a Brooklyn hackerspace and makerspace, and has a strong interest in experimentation, electronics, antennas, digital modes, satellites, and other technical sides of amateur radio.

Its regular amateur radio meetings are currently held on the fourth Wednesday of each month.

One particularly nice feature of this group is that you do not need to be a licensed amateur radio operator—or even a NYC Resistor member—to attend. People who are simply curious about radio are welcome.

This can be a particularly good fit if your interests lean toward building, modifying, experimenting, or combining amateur radio with computers and electronics.

Amateur Radio Emergency Communications in Brooklyn

If your interest in amateur radio includes emergency communications or public service, you may also want to learn about Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) activity in New York City.

ARES operators train to provide communications support when normal systems are unavailable or overloaded. Participation can involve nets, exercises, public-service events, emergency preparedness, and working alongside other amateur radio operators throughout the city.

Emergency communications is one of the areas that brought me back deeply into amateur radio, and it remains one of the main reasons I continue developing my operating skills.

You can learn more on my EmComm page.

Listen to Local Nets and Repeaters

Another good way to find the local amateur radio community is simply to listen.

Brooklyn and the surrounding New York City area have a number of active VHF and UHF repeaters. Local nets are often announced on club websites and repeater systems, and many welcome check-ins from licensed amateurs who are not club members.

Listening before transmitting is a great way to learn:

  • Local operating customs

  • Repeater etiquette

  • Net procedures

  • Callsigns of active local operators

  • Which repeaters are busiest in your part of Brooklyn

Once you are licensed and comfortable, checking into a local net is one of the easiest ways to introduce yourself to the community.

See my Repeaters page (TBD) for some of the systems I monitor and use from Brooklyn.

If You Are Not Licensed Yet

You do not need an amateur radio license to attend most club meetings, ask questions, listen to amateur radio frequencies, or begin studying.

To transmit on amateur radio frequencies in the United States, however, you must hold an FCC amateur radio license.

The entry-level license is the Technician Class license. After passing the examination and receiving your callsign, you can begin operating on many VHF and UHF frequencies and gain limited privileges on some HF bands.

If you are just getting started, visit my New Ham Guide for plain-English help with licensing, choosing equipment, repeaters, logging, nets, and making your first contacts.

How to Choose a Local Club

There is no rule that says you must join the first club you visit.

Attend a meeting. Listen to one of its nets. Ask questions. See how members treat newcomers.

A good amateur radio club should make you feel comfortable asking questions and learning at your own pace. The best clubs are communities of operators who help one another become better, safer, and more capable hams.

Different clubs also have different personalities. One may focus heavily on public service and emergency communications, while another may lean toward contesting, DX, experimentation, digital modes, or building equipment.

Find the group that fits the parts of amateur radio that interest you.

Getting Started in Brooklyn

If you are looking for a ham radio club in Brooklyn, a good starting point is:

Kings County Radio Club for a traditional local amateur radio club experience, nets, meetings, and general ham-radio activity.

NYC Resistor Ham Radio Club if you are particularly interested in experimentation, electronics, makerspaces, and the technical side of radio.

You can also explore local repeaters, listen to nets, attend public amateur radio events, and connect with emergency-communications groups throughout New York City.

Amateur radio is a huge hobby, and you do not have to figure it out alone.

Welcome to radio in Brooklyn.

73 de WB2EHG