The Perry County Amateur Radio Society is being built as a place for people in Perry County to discover, learn, and enjoy amateur radio.
Whether you’re an experienced operator, newly licensed, studying for your first license, or simply curious about radio, you’re welcome here.
We’re just getting started. That’s not something we’re trying to hide. It’s an invitation to help build the kind of amateur radio organization Perry County should have.
Why PCARS?
Amateur radio can be many different things to different people.
It can mean talking with someone across town or across the world. It can mean experimenting with antennas, electronics, digital modes, computers, satellites, or radio propagation. It can take you outdoors for portable operating, Parks on the Air, or Field Day.
It can also mean being better prepared.
Reliable communication is a skill, not something you acquire simply by owning a radio. Knowing what equipment can do, understanding its limitations, learning how to operate away from the conveniences of home, and practicing before those skills are needed all make a difference.
Amateur radio gives us a place to develop those skills routinely, when the stakes are low and experimenting, making mistakes, and learning from them are part of the hobby.
PCARS wants to encourage all of it.
Our goal is not to build a club around one particular mode, band, activity, or group of operators. We want PCARS to be a place where people can explore amateur radio, share what they know, learn something new, become more capable and prepared, and help someone else get started.
Everyone Starts Somewhere
You do not need an amateur radio license to be interested in PCARS.
You don’t need to own a radio.
You don’t need to know what all the acronyms mean.
If amateur radio sounds interesting and you want to learn more, that’s enough.
PCARS wants to help prospective operators understand amateur radio, prepare for their license examinations, choose sensible first equipment, get on the air, and become comfortable using their new privileges.
Experienced amateur radio operators are equally welcome. One of the best resources in amateur radio has always been operators willing to share what they have learned.
Learning and Experimentation
Amateur radio is a hobby where there is always something else to learn.
PCARS intends to encourage hands-on learning in areas such as:
- Amateur radio licensing and operating practices
- Radios and station setup
- Antennas and feed lines
- HF, VHF, and UHF operation
- Analog and digital operating modes
- Portable and field operation
- Radio propagation
- Electronics and experimentation
- Computers and amateur radio
- Public-service and emergency communications
Nobody needs to be an expert in all of these areas. That’s rather the point.
People bring different interests and experience to amateur radio, and we can learn from one another.
Building PCARS
PCARS is still taking shape.
There is no long-established schedule of meetings, committees, traditions, or activities that newcomers are expected to fit into. The people who become involved early will have an opportunity to help determine what PCARS becomes.
That may eventually include regular meetings, license classes, examination sessions, workshops, operating activities, demonstrations, community events, group projects, Field Day, portable operations, or simply opportunities to get together and talk radio.
We don’t need to decide all of that before inviting people in.
We’d rather build the organization around the people who actually show up.
Amateur Radio in the Community
Although PCARS is primarily being established in Perry County, Mississippi, amateur radio doesn’t stop at a county line.
We’re fortunate to have active amateur radio organizations throughout the surrounding area, including the Pine Belt Amateur Radio Club (PBARC), George County ARES, and Stone County ARES. We want PCARS to maintain good relationships with these groups and with other amateur radio organizations throughout Southeast Mississippi.
That means sharing information, supporting one another’s activities when we can, and making it easier for amateur radio operators to discover opportunities beyond their own county or club.
Our calendar therefore will include relevant amateur radio activities outside Perry County when we believe they may be useful or interesting to local operators.
The goal isn’t to compete with neighboring organizations or duplicate what they’re already doing well. It’s to give people more opportunities to learn, participate, operate, and become part of the larger amateur radio community.
Help Build the Club
If you’re a licensed amateur radio operator, studying for your first license, returning to amateur radio after some time away, or simply wondering what all this radio stuff is about, we’d like to hear from you.
PCARS is new.
There’s room to learn, room to experiment, and room to help shape what comes next.
Contact us at info@pcars.club.
We’d be glad to hear from you.