SEARC’s mission is to design, install, and maintain a robust system of emergency communications in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington; and to provide education about amateur radio. Created in 1931, SEARC is comprised of dedicated and proficient volunteers who, using technology that is not internet reliant, strive to live up to its anthem: We Connect Communities.
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The Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club (SEARC) is a group of like-minded individuals from a wide variety of professions. We are a civic minded group with a passion for community service. Many of us participate in other areas of our communities in addition to sharing our love of amateur radio with others.
Our charter and bylaws mandate that we provide and promote amateur radio education by providing novice and advanced training to our fellow citizens. As part of our commitment, our organization builds, maintains, and grows the Sunset Empire Amateur Radio Club Repeater Network, a group of linked radio repeaters owned by SEARC, that serves the coastal communities of Clatsop County.
The SEARC Repeater Network is the foundation of amateur radio in Clatsop County and is one resource used by the Emergency Operations Center at Camp Rilea as a method to collect and disseminate information during emergencies.
The current radio repeater sites belonging to SEARC that are part of this critical infrastructure are located on Megler Mountain in Washington, and in Oregon on Wikiup Mountain, Nicolai Mountain, Gearhart, and on Onion Peak above Arch Cape with more sites under development.
These sites are “linked” by an encoded system that allows them to be utilized as a network far up the coast past Aberdeen and inland as far as Olympia, Washington. Other proposed sites currently in consideration would extend coverage well into the Portland Metro area.
Join us as we continue our mission to support and preserve our Coastal Communities!
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Membership meetings are held on the third Saturday of most months. Currently we are holding the meetings as hybrid zoom / in-person. See the events page for current information.
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WHY Amateur Radio?
Besides the fun of wireless communication all over the world,
hams provide emergency communication when all other communication fails!
(click on each image to see a readable version)
If you enjoy our repeater network please consider a tax deductible donation to the club that keeps the repeaters operational. Everything helps.