You'll find a friendly welcome. We like to think of ourselves as an inclusive club and have members with wide and varied interests covering many aspects of amateur radio.

The club meets on Monday evenings at Churchdown School on the outskirts of Gloucester except on bank holidays and for a short period in the school holidays during July and August.

We use one of the science labs for our meetings and this provides excellent facilities throughout the year. We also have access to the school field which has proved very useful for doing experimental work with aerials.

Once a month, usually on the first Monday, we arrange a programme of formal talks or demonstrations. Most are about amateur radio but we occasionally include talks about some related technology or of wider interest. For example, we have recently had excellent presentations on subjects ranging from radar to wind energy and local history.

On other weeks of the month a variety of less formal activities take place. These range from operating the club station to radio and electronic construction, direction finding trials, surplus component sales, home construction competitions, morse practice or just swapping the latest news about dx worked etc.

We can operate on HF and VHF from the school and have available a useful range of test equipment. We also have amongst our members a wealth of experience on such diverse topics as amateur radio operating, aerials, radio and electronic design and construction, audio, digital electronics, microprocessors and computers. And, one of our members is a registered instructor for all licence categories. So, there’s always someone who can give help or advice.

On bank holidays some of the members operate VHF from the Cotswold escarpment and during the summer months we organise activities such as contests, visits and a very popular summer picnic. Gloucester has a long history of contesting and have been involved in every National Field Day since the contest started back in 1934.

If you join us at Gloucester Amateur Radio and Electronic Society you will have every opportunity to make new friends and expand your horizons whether you’re absolutely new to the hobby or a seasoned amateur.

Why not come and visit us, you’re guaranteed a warm welcome.

Thanks to G4HFT for writing this.

Gloucester Amateur Radio and Electronics Society (GARES) can justly claim to be one of the oldest societies in Gloucester, if not the oldest.

Records dated from 1921 show that the Wireless Society of Gloucester and the Glevum Radio and Scientific Society were signatories to a petition to the then Postmaster general (the Rt. Hon. F. G. Kellaway, M.P.) requesting facilities for radio telegraphists. These societies had their origins before World War I, were in abeyance during the war, and were reformed in 1919.

As a result of a joint meeting on 21st March 1926, the two societies amalgamated under the name "Gloucester Wireless Club." This title continued until the 1950s when the club became affiliated to the Radio Society of Great Britain (RSGB) and the title "Gloucester Amateur Radio Society" was adopted.

On 13th January 1997, at an Extraordinary General Meeting of the Society, the current name was adopted. The new name reflected an underlying objective to broaden the Society's perspecive to cater for those interested in electronics and construction in addition to those purely interested in amateur radio.

Throughout a history spanning a century that has seen greater technological change than any other, the Society has provided a forum for radio and electronics enthusiasts to share in this fascinating and rewarding hobby.

Please contact the club for details of current subscription rates. However, if you wish to visit us and see whether GARES is the club for you, please come along to a meeting. Press the "Location" button for details of how to get to Churchdown School. We won't expect you to become a member of your first visit. In addition, course attendees get three month's FREE membership