THE MERIDEN AMATEUR RADIO CLUB, INC. Press Release

The Origin of the Meriden Amateur Radio Club

A group of returning veterans rekindled their old hobby and old friendships in 1946. Amateur operations was banned by government edict during the years of World War II, so those not working as a military radio operator had not even turned on a rig for many years. Time for a return to normalcy was in order in the Meriden area.

The group met informally over the next year enjoying warm conversations and warmed up filaments. The conversation eventually turned to a discussion on the formation of a radio club. By the fall of 1947, the decision was made and formal organization meetings began. Within a few months a charter was penned, a meeting place negotiated and the stage was set for the selection of officers. In February 1948, an election was held and the first slate of officers signed the charter. The Meriden Amateur Radio Club was a reality, with Frank Darmofalski W1FYG (now W1FD) as the first president and boasting fifteen members. Is our club birth in the fall of 1947 - as shown on the club logo, or in February 1948 - with the charter signing? Seldom do good things happen in an instant, and maybe a six month birth span is appropriate. We can say with pride that we are, maybe, almost, really SIXTY. In recent decades a date of October 1947 has been settled on.

The initial meetings were held at members’ homes or the Meriden YMCA, but a better place was needed. In the spring of 1948, the City of Meriden granted permission for the fledging club to use the Dossin Beach Bath House for its meetings and as a shack. The members remodeled it and equipped it, and it served the club well until the early 1970s. For the next two decades, MARC met at various locations until we became associated with the Wallingford Civil Defense (Civil Preparedness) organization and were invited to use our present site in the early 1990s.

The new club was issued an amateur radio call - W1SBF - which it held and used for on-the-air and off-the-air activities. In 1960, MARC applied for a call change to a memorial call sign - W1NRG - in memory of founding member Ed Bischert W1NRG (SK). A memorial station call sign was somewhat unique until the start of the current vanity call program, and was a reflection of the drive and heritage started by a small group in 1947.

Now with about eighty members, teens to octogenarians; MARC serves all of Central Connecticut, from the Naugatuck Valley to the Connecticut River and from the Farmington River to Long Island Sound. The traditions of those returning veterans continue in MARC’s amateur activities, public service, education, and camaraderie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the Meriden Amateur Radio Club.