For those not familiar with Brainerd, the city is located just north of the exact geographical center of the State of Minnesota in the USA. Driving distance to Minneapolis/St. Paul is 125 miles. It is 120 miles to Duluth, and 160 miles to Fargo/Moorhead. Brainerd is at the intersection of Highways 210 and 371.

Meetings are normally held the last Thursday of every month at 7 PM at the Brainerd Fire Department. Members also meet informally at 9 AM for breakfast and chatter at Northwind Grille in Brainerd on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays each month. Anyone interested in Amateur Radio is welcome to attend any of the meetings. All Amateur Radio Operators are encouraged to check in on the 8 PM Sunday 147.225+ Net. Check the events calendar at the bottom of the page for the next fun activity.

Our club is comprised of about 90 members from various backgrounds. Though we all have individual differences, we all share our interest in the hobby of amateur radio with its many facets. Some of us like to do public service (community events, weather watches, etc). Others like to work DX (world-wide) using CW (Morse code), radio teletype, amateur TV, or voice. Still others prefer the two meter aspect of communication locally via the Club’s VHF and UHF repeaters. Some members’ schedules do not allow any active participation, but they still join because they want to support the operations.

We conduct yearly training classes or you can teach yourself from the many publications available. In addition, we offer testing sessions to allow members to upgrade their licenses or to start new in the hobby. With the recent changes by the Federal Communications Commission, the licensing process is much easier. No longer is there a code requirement for any license. Instead applicants can enter the hobby by passing a multiple-choice test. The Technicians Class license is the normal entry into the hobby. After passing it, the applicant can move on to the other two license classes: General and Extra. Each license class gives more privileges to the operator–again, no code is required. Proof of past licensing may make upgrading easy. Documentation regarding an expired license may have to be made–check it out. Once you are licensed, you can exchange your longer call sign for a preferred one or retrieve your old one if it is still available. Handicapped people can be tested with special accommodations.

Our dues support the repeaters and club activities—-everything costs money, unfortunately. Thus, we would be honored to have you in our ranks. Just send in the .pdf application form and dues of $25/year. The dues-year is January 1 to December 31.

Welcome from the Hams of the Brainerd Area Amateur Radio Club.