The Boeing Employees' Amateur Radio
Society-St. Louis (BEARS-St. Louis) is an amateur radio club sponsored
by the Recreational
Services department of The
Boeing Company in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Society is an American
Radio Relay League (ARRL) affiliated club that provides a forum
for members to discuss and participate in matters relating to amateur
radio. Specific activities include public service and emergency
communications services, contesting and DXing, repeater operations,
equipment construction, and many more.
The Society has a membership of nearly 100 Boeing
employees, retirees, subcontractors, and their family members who
share a common interest in amateur radio. Most members are licensed
amateur radio operators, also known as ham radio operators or simply
hams, but having an amateur license is not a prerequisite for membership.
In fact, some people join the club as a means to learn more about
the hobby and eventually get a ham radio license.
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) has issued our club station an amateur radio
license with the call sign WØMA.
Our station is located in the Emergency Response Trailer (ERT) of
the Boeing-St. Louis Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and consists
of a selection of amateur radio communications equipment including
HF/VHF/UHF transceivers. We also have voice and repeaters on 2 m
and 70 cm, a digital repeater on 2 m, and some test equipment. Communication
modes supported include voice, digital, Morse code, and satellite.
Club members and equipment also serve a major role as an auxiliary
communications backbone for the EOC. Providing communications support
to the EOC is a primary function of the club.
If you live in town or when visiting the St. Louis
area, please drop in on one our club repeaters, WØMA, 147.06+ MHz
or 442.875+ MHz, both with 141.3 Hz PL. You are also invited to
join our Sunday night club net on the repeater at 9:00 p.m. local
time.
Although this site is set up as a service for our
club members, guests are welcomed and encouraged to visit as often
as they like.
