Half Moon Bay 

Amateur Radio Club

Serving the San Mateo County Coastside communities of Half Moon Bay, Princeton, El Granada, Miramar, Moss Beach, Montara

Welcome

The Half Moon Bay Amateur Radio Club (HMBARC) is an association of amateur radio operators and those interested in radio communication as a hobby and for community service in the San Mateo County Coastside communities of Half Moon Bay, Princeton, El Granada, Miramar, Moss Beach, and Montara. We are an affiliated club of the American Radio Relay League (ARRL). 

In support of the Coastside communities, we partner with Coastside Fire Protection District, and Coastside CERT and others through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES®),an ARRL field organization.

We assist with communications for public events like Pacific Coast Dream Machines, Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Run, and others. The club uses two open repeater systems (VHF and UHF) that cover the Coastside with antennas located at the Half Moon Bay Sheriff's Substation. Every June, we set up an off-the-grid emergency radio station next to the old train station at 110 Higgins Canyon Road and participate in ARRL Field Day, a two day national event, contacting stations all over the United States and Canada.

The Club’s Board of Directors consists of elected officers and appointed directors. Our Club Officers for 2025 are:

Our Directors for 2025 are:

The HMBARC is a 501(c)(3) Corporation; donations may be tax deductible.

AMATEUR RADIO

LICENSE CLASS & EXAM

May 3rd & May 10th 

Exams May 24th


Members from the Half Moon Bay and SC4 Amateur Radio clubs are hosting a free two-day Technician Licensing Class on May 3 and May 10, 2025 beginning at 10 AM at the HMB Fire Station (1191 Main St, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019). Both classes will be on a Saturday and will adjourn by 5 PM.  To register for the class or if you have any questions, please contact us at: licensing@hmbarc.org

We are also hosting an in-person FCC Licensing Exam on Saturday May 24, 2025 from 10 AM until 1 PM in the HMB Fire Station. All license class exams will be offered and it is not required that you attend the Licensing class.  You must however register for the exam by May 10th at: 

https://hamstudy.org/sessions/6796cc00fd41ad180bc7cb73/1

Recent Activities

Half Moon Bay High School Outreach, September 19, 2024, pictured below

HMBARC Operates Branch 1 and Branch 2 Net Control from Fire Station 40 for Great Shakeout Emergency Preparation Drill, September 22, 2024, pictured above

Meetings and Discussion

New members and visitors to the Coastside are always welcome at our club meetings. See the Training section below for more information about getting started on the coastside, or getting a license.

HMBARC meets from 7 to 9 PM on the third Wednesday of every month, at the Coastside Fire Protection District Station 40, 1191 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019. Park on Main Street next to Station 40, not in the station lots.

The general public is welcome to attend. Meetings are concurrently streamed on Zoom. Contact us for details. You can also connect with the group on our discussion forum at https://groups.io/g/HMBARC.

HMB ARES - Amateur Radio Emergency Service®

The HMB ARES group was formed for the purpose of providing emergency communications service to Coastside public safety and public service organizations.

More information including a link to join, is available on the club ARES page.

Club Membership

Club membership is open to anyone with an interest in amateur radio. Contact us to enquire about becoming a member. You can download and print a paper membership form and then submit it with the $30 annual individual dues (family dues are $45) in person, at a club meeting, or by check to HMBARC, P.O. Box 819, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019. 

Alternatively, you can submit an electronic membership form with no downloading or emailing required and submit annual dues electronically using Zelle. Simply specify the Zelle recipient as “treasurer@hmbarc.org”. See https://www.zellepay.com or your bank's website for more information. All memberships expire at the end of the year..

Club Mailing List

Get local and regional ham news, event notifications, volunteer opportunities and meeting announcements to your inbox. Sign up for the club mailing list here.

Club Forum

The club maintains a discussion forum with shared files at https://groups.io/g/HMBARC.

Fall 2019 Ham Cram training

Training + Ham Buddy

We offer both informal, peer-to-peer support and information on how to get your license.

Ham Buddy Program

New members and visitors to the Coastside are always welcome at our club meetings. We have instituted a special email address, hambuddy@hmbarc.org to provide an easy way for new or  prospective ham radio operators to reach out for help (e.g. understanding the pros and cons of different radios, programming a handheld with the Coastside band plan, and getting started in HF, digital).

Whether you are new to the club, new to the area, or a new ham, we are glad to see you!  

Ham Licensing and Training

For more information on getting your ham license, and license training, see our Training page.

Repeaters & Nets

Club and ARES operations on the Coastside utilize several VHF/UHF frequencies. We primarily use the CARLA System 32 repeater on Montara Mountain, with generous approval from the system managers. 

Two open repeaters (one VHF, one UHF) located in Half Moon Bay are available to all radio amateurs. During non-emergencies, local members and visitors are invited to chat away on the repeaters.

Club Net

Join us for our weekly nets: We hold weekly radio nets on Wednesday evenings at 8pm on the CARLA System 32 repeater (440.725 MHz, positive offset and tone of 114.8 Hz, Coastside Band Plan programming: CMD11 or CAR32L).

For details on the frequency, correct PL tone for local access, net control script, and a tracking tool, see: Nets

Repeaters