Newington Connecticut; ARRL Headquarters Visit

Visiting the ARRL headquarters in Newington Connecticut has been on our travel itinerary for some time. This place is a must do for those involved in the Amateur Radio hobby.  Kind of like the Mecca for hams.

Yesterday, we drove the 45 minutes from Moodus (our base camp) up to Newington. A pleasant enough drive through some rural and hilly areas. So, what is it all about?

My Ham Radio Hobby

Many people may have heard of amateur radio (ham radio), but maybe they do not really understand what it is all about. I will try here to briefly explain, before we get into the tour of the ARRL building.  It is not CB radio.  That is a completely different matter.

Well, where to start? The hobby began back in the early days of radio in the early 1900s. Some everyday folks who began experimenting developed many of the technical aspects of radio technology. Hams have always been involved with building electronic circuits and experimenting.

Using ham radio, you can chat with a friend across town or can talk to someone on the other side of the world with just some pretty simple equipment. The radio gear and antennas can be as simple/inexpensive or as elaborate as you want or can afford.

Some different aspects of the hobby that I have enjoyed are contesting and DXing. Contests are when you try to make as many contacts as possible within the rules. DXing is making contacts with other countries and trying to achieve a goal of the number of countries contacted with an exchange of information.

Communications are by morse code (CW), voice (SSB), or a plethora of digital modes. All a matter of preference. I learned Morse code up to about 25 words per minute, but without using it for a few years, that speed has surely slipped.

A very enjoyable hobby whether building a small low powered radio and making contacts with it or else buying a radio with all the bells and whistles. Something for everyone.

The hobby requires being licensed by the FCC and taking an exam. There are multiple levels of progressively more difficult exams that yield more frequencies to operate.  Okay, that is a high level overview.

I got started in the hobby in 1981 after being prompted by Ray Little, my father-in-law. Ray, K9KJD, was an avid fan of ham radio having built much of his equipment and was extremely knowledgeable.

I was first licensed in Indiana and after a few Corporate relocations, took my ham radio station to Missouri and then to Virginia, getting involved in clubs at each place.

One of the blessings was to be able to stay in weekly communications with Ray over a 25 year span by ham radio as we were in another state and as he and his wife Pat would travel around the country in their truck and 5th wheel camper.

Sure we could have had a weekly two-hour talk on the phone, but where is the fun in that? Watching the dials flash and power needles sway is part of the fascination.

My brother-in-law Tom, N0DSP, also became an active ham operator.   We have also enjoyed hundreds of on the air chats.

There are so many other ham radio stories that I could tell, but I’m about out of room in this blog, so that will be for another time. The bottom line is that it has been a fascinating hobby for me and I’m looking forward to setting up a small station here in the 5th wheel coach.

ARRL Headquarters

The ARRL is a non-profit entity devoted to the amateur radio hobby. They promote, sanction events, keep the rules, provide the exam testing, publish the monthly journal (QST), and so many more benefits.

It is a large building with many employees and one of the benefits is to take this tour. Our tour guide was David, WA1OUI, a volunteer from the local community. He did an excellent job of explaining each department and introducing us to the staff.

After the tour, we met Joe, NJ1Q, who set up the powerful W1AW station for me to operate on 20 meters. I was thrilled to sit at the control console and make contacts from this station that I have heard on the air for years.
All I needed to do was log in and provide a copy of my FCC Amateur Extra Class license.

Just contact me if you are interested in this hobby and want more information.  I would be happy to assist.

Enjoy the photos!

It was great to be able to see this ARRL location and operate the W1AW station.  More experiences in our RV Journey!  Thanks for following along.  Leave a comment if you wish.

Take care and God Bless.