HEMARC Origins

In the mid 1950's the Westinghouse operations in the Baltimore area were in many locations. A major new facility was built at the Friendship Airport for expanding business in Airborne Radar and drawing on engineers and technicians from area plants and a major hiring campaign. Many of these people were Amateurs and they got together and formed the non-exclusive Friendship Amateur Radio Club (FARC) that also included amateurs from nearby Fort Meade.

With many members having been associated with Westinghouse in other locations the roll of Westinghouse in the history of radio was appreciated by the new club. In a special event station the call W8XK/3 was granted to FARC. This was significant as a reminder of 8XK which was the amateur call of Frank Conrad and was the station that first broadcast radio commercially and became KDKA.

This club met primarily in the homes of the members and eventually established a tradition of a robust Field Day and a very helpful approach to new amateurs. As the Westinghouse Defense Center grew to encompass new plants at the Friendship Site and expand to other locations, FARC grew. A downturn in the late 1960's and the retirement of many notable member hams resulted in a smaller and less active club. In 1992 Ernie Farkas K3CBW, Dale Cochran W3UG, Freeman Fruge' W3YBB, Cam Marie' W3EPL, Joe Meagher N3JKT, Gary Ryan W3GYM, Chip Weems W4PBG and others recognized the value of the Historical Electronics Museum as an ideal focus for a revival of the FARC and the Museum passed a resolution making the ham club an independent organization within the framework of the Museum. The club was chartered in March of 1995 as the Historical Electronics Museum Amateur Radio Club (HEMARC) and began regular meeting utilizing the excellent facilities of the Museum.

A functional station was installed in the museum communications gallery including an operating Navy TBL-13 Transmitter. A tradition of special events appropriate to the Museum and amateur radio was established. The special events for recognizing the role of electronics in the D-Day invasion of Europe and the Japanese's attack on Pearl Harbor are conducted each year from the Museum station. Very special event stations went on the air to commemorate the anniversary of the telegraph and the Marconi successful transmission of a radio message across the Atlantic.

In 1997 the facilities at the museum began to be used by HEMARC to train prospective amateurs in both code and theory and to train licensed amateurs to upgrade both theory and practice. This has become a tradition with courses each year that cover all three levels of amateur licensing. For the past four years HEMARC has provided an equipment test service at the Foundation for Amateur fall hamfest where buyers can test the equipment the have or intend to purchase with the assistance and equipment of members of the club.

In 1997 the Bay Area Amateur Radio Society merged with and became a part of HEMARC. The members from this venerable ham club added a core of new members that enriched the variety of activities and added new segments of ham activities.

1n 1999 Amateur Television was added and in 2001 the club enhanced the club station with a tower and a triband array. Digital capability was then added and more recently computer capability has been significantly enhanced.

The acquisition of the Westinghouse Defense Center by the Northrop Grumman Corporation has resulted in an expanded and improved museum and added to the activities of HEMARC. A corporate wide amateur radio network is operated from the HEMARC W3HEM station each week and includes individual facility ham clubs, employees and retires from California, Florida, Colorado and other states.