Amateur radio clubs are the backbone of the hobby. They help with training, provide regular meeting places, are sources of help and advice, and put on events for their members, the public and the community. In Essex, we’re lucky to have around 20 amateur radio groups – everything from small social groups, to award-winning large clubs, plus a healthy mix of ‘virtual’ clubs, repeater groups, contest groups and RAYNET.
On this page, you’ll find a list of the various amateur radio clubs and organisations in Essex.
For each listing, we include the club’s location and whether the club offers amateur radio training courses. The information is checked for accuracy regularly but is subject to change, so please check with each group’s website for the latest information.
If you have any new or updated information to pass on about ham radio groups, clubs or organisations in our area, please contact Essex Ham and we’ll update this page.
| Note: Information was written prior to the 2020 Covid situation, so many clubs are not operating in their normal way. Check with each club for the latest information |
Mainstream Clubs
| Club Name | Location | Training | Notes |
| Braintree & District Amateur Radio Society (BADARS) | Braintree | Yes | Active club that meets twice a month in Bocking nr. Braintree (£1 entrance fee). Holds two nets a month. Founded in 1975. Membership fee £16.
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| Chelmsford Amateur Radio Society (CARS) | Chelmsford | Yes | The oldest radio society in Essex (launched 1936). In October 2017, CARS reported having around 80 members, including several former Marconi employees. This active society holds monthly meetings and most weeks, there’s a net. They formerly hosted the Essex Skills Night. Membership fee £15. More about CARS
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| Colchester Radio Amateurs (CRA) | Colchester | Yes | Active club that meets monthly and offers training. They run two nets a week, on 2m and 80m. Formed in 1963. Membership fee £20.
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| Clacton Radio Club (CRC) | Clacton | No | Meets monthly on the second Monday of the month. Club callsign G3CRC. Membership fee: tbc.
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| Dengie Hundred Amateur Radio Society (DHARS) | Latchingdon | No | Members meet every Monday evening (2nd and 4th Monday meetings are official club nights), and also Thursday during the day at their club station in Althorne, which has permanent antennas. Formed in 1992. Membership fee varies (contact the club direct).
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| Essex CW Club (ECWARC) | Essex-wide | No | Encouraging Morse code on-air in Essex with regular meetings and events. Formed in 2009. Runs regular Morse nets. Free membership.
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| Essex Ham | Essex-wide | Yes | Supports amateur radio events, activities, clubs and training across Essex. Runs a busy weekly net and helps people get started in the hobby. Offers free online Foundation training, and holds impromptu field events. Launched in 2011. Free membership. More about Essex Ham
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| Harlow & District Amateur Radio Society (HADARS) | Harlow | Yes | Active club that meets twice a week in Harlow (Tuesday and Friday). They hold various events around the year and offer training. Membership fee: £30.
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| Harwich Amateur Radio Interest Group (HARIG) | Harwich | No | The group meets monthly and holds occasional events. Formed in 1990. Membership fee unknown
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| Havering & District Amateur Radio Club (HADARC) | Hornchurch | Yes | Active club that meets weekly in Hornchurch, holds field events and nets, and offers training. Formed in 1965. Technically not in Essex, but we’ve included it as it’s right on the border. Membership fee: £10
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| Loughton & Epping Forest Amateur Radio Society (LEFARS) | Chigwell | Yes | This active club meets every two weeks in Chigwell Row, and holds field events including North Weald Airfield activations. As of November 2017, the club has around 160 members. LEFARS offers regular training courses. Formed in 1962. Membership fee: £15
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| South Essex Amateur Radio Society (SEARS) | Thundersley | No | Active club that meets on the second Tuesday of the month in Thundersley (nr Benfleet). They hold various field days and special event stations throughout the year. SEARS hosts the popular annual Canvey Rally. Formed in 1982. Membership is £12 (£15 for families). More about SEARS
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| Thames Amateur Radio Group (TARG) | Canvey Island | No | Active club that meets on the first Friday of the month, and occasional field events. They run weekly voice nets on GB3DA. Formed in 2012. Membership fee £20. More about TARG.
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| Thurrock Acorns Amateur Radio Club (TAARC) | Grays | Yes | Active club that meets monthly in Grays (Thursday nights), holds regular field days and special event stations, and runs a weekly 2m net. Run regular Essex-wide 2m Activity Days. Founded in 2013. Membership fee £20. More about TAARC
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| Vange Amateur Radio Society (VARS) | Pitsea | No | Social club that meets once a week in Pitsea for talks, discussion and to watch DVDs. Membership fee unknown
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Other Essex-based Groups
| Club Name | Location | Notes |
| BAE Systems Great Baddow Amateur Radio Club (BAESGBARC) | Great Baddow | Club callsign M5BAE (obtained in 2018) |
| Blackwater Amateur Radio Contest Group (BARCG) | Southminster | Contest Group that operates in Essex using the callsign M0HCY. |
| Essex AR DX Group (EARDXG) | South Essex | Launched in June 2014 with plans to run special event stations and field days. Has the callsign MX0XYD
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| Essex DX Group (EDXG) | Shoeburyness | The Essex Dx Group was formed in 1999 by Tom M0ABA, Richard G7OED and Ted G0TJW. Current operations are mainly QRP moon bounce. Club callsign is MX0CNS
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| Essex RAYNET | Essex-wide | This county-wide group handles emergency communications and supports the community by providing radio comms for community events. Provides an opportunity to put radio skills to practical use by helping the local community. Membership £15 a year. More about Essex RAYNET
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| Essex Repeater Group (ERG) | Essex-wide | Responsible for maintaining local repeaters, including GB3DA and GB3ER. Membership fee £12 a year.
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| Martello Tower Group (MTG) | Clacton-on-Sea | Provides services to amateurs in the North-East of Essex, including voice, D-Star, DMR and SSTV repeaters, as well as digipeaters, gateways and beacons. Formed in the late 1980s. Membership is by invitation only.
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| Secret Nuclear Bunker Contest Group (SNBCG) | Kelvedon Hatch | RSGB affiliated amateur radio contest group & special event station based at the Secret Cold War Nuclear Bunker. Callsign M0SNB. Formed in 2015.
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| Selex Galileo Basildon Radio Club | Basildon | According to the RSGB Yearbook, they meet on various dates at the BAE Systems Social Club in Basildon. Employees can contact Michael Purser G0NEM at Selex Galileo for details |
| Southend & District Radio Society (SADARS) | Southend-on-Sea | Small social group that meets at the EKCO Social Club socially every Tuesday evening. Guests welcome, but have to be signed in and pay a small fee. More about SADARS |
Former clubs and organisations
Here is some information on some of the local ham radio clubs that appear to no longer be active:
- Barking Radio & Electronics Society ceased operating in 2012 according to their website when we checked in 2013
- Coalhouse Fort Radio Society – Group that activated Coalhouse Fort in East Tilbury on public open days using the callsign GB1CHF. We understand they no longer have access to the Fort. More about Coalhouse Fort RS
- Clacton Radio Club is listed in the RSGB Callsign book 1992. They used to meet twice a month. The Martello Tower Group expressed an interest in re-starting the group in 2012 (link here)
- Laindon Radio Club, formerly the Langdon Hills Amateur Radio Club originally launched in 2018 with the callsign MX0LHX. Laindon Radio Club announced in April 2021 that it is planning to close down, with its final message about closure being posted on social media in June 2021. More about LRC
- Mayland and District Amateur Radio Society, listed with an address in Great Totham in the RSGB callsign book 1992
- Martlesham DX Contest Group listed with a Clacton address in the RSGB callsign book 1992
- Police Associate Radio Club, listed with an address in Chelmsford in the RSGB callsign book 1992
- Stanford-le-Hope and District Amateur Radio Society. Used to meet on Mondays according to the RSGB callsign book 1992
Anything need updating? Please contact Essex Ham and we’ll update this page.
Related content
- Amateur Radio Clubs in Essex offering training
- Amateur Radio Nets in Essex
- Promoting Amateur Radio Club Events in Essex
- RSGB Region 12 Information
- Amateur Radio Club Politics
Any comments on clubs in the area, or questions about local groups, please contact us or add your comment below.
Hi. Christopher fancett. I. Have. Be. On. 145.725. To. Day. I. Am. Go. 145.725 on. Sunday. Thankyou. From. Christopher fancett. G20831
Thanks for the message Christopher. Our net is on Monday Night at 8pm if you want to listen on 145.725. All the best, Pete
Your info on LEFARS contains an error, it was formed in 1962 not 1972.
Apologies John. Now corrected. Pete
Could the details of the Dengie Hundred Amateur Radio Society be updated.
1) We don’t meet twice a month as stated above, but every Monday evening, and every Thursday during the day, so around 8-10 times in any one month. Also other times, such as the May 144 MHz contest. Of course, not everyone goes to every meeting, but at least some members will be there each Monday and each Thursday.
2) We are not based in Latchingdon any more, but Althorne.
3) As for fees, put “contact club”. We have dropped the £2/meeting attendance fee, and the fees for last year were £80. But I think will be *much* lower now, as we no longer have to pay any rent for the premises. We have a new shack on the premises of one of our members who has 20 acres of land. Hence there’s space to put up even more antennas
4) The website address has also been updated – it is now https://www.dhars.org.uk/ to reflect the fact now we use SSL. Of course http://www.dhars.org.uk/ still works, but it gets redirected so all communication is encrypted – just like Essex Ham.
Dr. David Kirkby, G8WRB
(Chairman, Dengie Hundred Amateur Radio Society)
Thank you Dr. Kirby. Always good to receive updates from local clubs. Details amended as requested. 73, Pete
Hello all, many years ago, mid eighties I think, I used belong to a CB club based in the Outer Hebrides, mainly sideband stuff. One particular day I managed to get in conversation with a member of the then, ‘Essex Crusaders ‘. Does this ring any bells with anyone? Any ex-members still living? I got made an honorary member because I had three separate conversations over one day, I think my handle was EC240
jack jarvis ka2eqr.my great grand father was born in 1856 in tillingham and would like to ask if some could go to colechester library in there free time and look up the jarvis name there old news papers ect.ect i think he left the uk around 1890
Hi Pete and Dear Kelly, About forty years ago when I was a child, I learned the basics of radio waves, antennas and tube radio repair from my dear grandfather. However, due to the difficult rules for obtaining a radio amateur license in my country, I have not yet succeeded in registering and taking the exam. Now I am happy to tell you and all the readers of your useful site, even though it is a little difficult for me to understand English, but with a lot of effort and using Google Translate, I practice all your tutorials and listen to the podcasts and interviews of Radio Essex. I listen carefully. I hope that one day I will be able to get a radio amateur certificate in my country and communicate with you, my dear friends, from my home on the other side of the planet through short waves. Cordially yours: Hosein from Iran
Hi Pete, thanks for your “ heads up on ofcoms updates” I hope to live in Spain for a while but
Only have an intermediate licence. The time an effort for me to get a full licence is not viable, I’m interested in cw and dmr ,sorry if I sound like “ worried in Abbeywood “ but your
Comments over the last couple of years have been very helpful. Can I operate with dmr or cw in Spain?
73 Alan 2E0HNH