The Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society

If you have had some form of service in the UK or some overseas military organizations, or are currently so serving, you may be eligible for membership. Click here for details

We produce a JOURNAL entitled "MERCURY"

The Society runs a number of nets and arranges awards, trophies etc.

Our MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY, G3VBE, will be pleased to hear from any prospective members. He can be contacted by snail mail at RSARS, 65 MONTGOMERY STREET, HOVE, SUSSEX, BN3 5BE, United Kingdom or e-mailed from here.

The Society has a long history commencing 1952.

Membership

You are qualified for FULL MEMBERSHIP of the Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society if you are a serving or retired member of Royal Signals (the Royal Corps of Signals), including Royal Signals TA

ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP may be granted to the following who are not entitled to full membership:

There are categories for AFFILIATED MEMBERSHIP details of which can be obtained from the Membership Secretary

If not qualified by any of the above, you may still be eligible for affiliate membership. Please let our Membership Secretary know your details. We have members in many overseas countries, and welcome enquiries from prospective new members. Please see above for details of how to contact our membership secretary, F. G. Miles, G3VBE.

Home Annual Membership of the Society costs (from 1 January 2002) £8 per year, whilst Overseas Annual Membership attracts a subscription of £9 per year with an optional Airmail postage for "MERCURY" to cover a year's 3 issues. Membership subscriptions are due on 1st January each year and a reminder/payment form is sent out with the November issue of "MERCURY". All new Members are welcomed into the Society by a short "potted personality" paragraph in the issue of the journal next following their admission, unless anonymity is requested. Application forms for membership can be obtained by post from the Membership Secretary or the Editor of "MERCURY". You may DOWNLOAD a Membership Application Form and print it yourself for completing and posting to the Membership Secretary.

OUR JOURNAL


In the annual 'Club Spotlight' Club Magazine Competition organised by
"PRACTICAL WIRELESS"
for "Bert's Bell" Trophy (in memory of the late Bert Newman G2FIX)
"MERCURY" was placed Joint Third (with RAFARS) in 1998 and Joint Third (with IRTS) in 1999 and 2000.

The Editor of "MERCURY" and of this Web Site is Richard Winters, G3NVK to whom all material for publication should be submitted. He can be contacted by letter post at 8 Epping Drive, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE13 1UH, United Kingdom, by telephone on 01664-563369 or by e-mail.

Historical background

In May 1952 the 1st Army Wireless Reserve Squadron, Cadre, Royal Signals was formed and Major Dennis Haylock (G3ADZ) was appointed Officer Commanding with a mandate to recruit personnel mainly from radio amateurs.
In 1954, the first proposal for the formation of an "Army Amateur Radio Society", a society having both amateur status and, as with the United States' MARS ("Military Affiliate Radio System"), official recognition as an emergency military network was put forward by Brigadier Eric Cole (G2EC), then CSO Southern Command. This proposal was very favourably received but because of G2EC's posting overseas he was unable to supervise and monitor the Society's organisation, and the proposal was not proceeded with. By 1955 an Army Wireless Reserve Amateur Radio Society had been formed, a biannual news sheet BROADCAST issued to members, and unit exercises and camps were arranged to ensure that GB3AWR operated in various "rare" counties.
In 1956 G2EC became Honorary Vice-President of AWRARS which had extended its membership to a number of Army personnel who were not members of the Squadron. Also in 1956 the Unit became 2 Press Communication Signals Squadron and went to Suez where MD5ADZ, MD5DNQ and MD5AMO were briefly activated.
By 1959 the Squadron had been renamed 404 Signal Squadron AER, and the question of affiliation between Army amateur radio clubs, many of which existed in the TA and AER, was being actively pursued.
In 1960 G2EC, when Director of Telecommunications, asked Major-General Whistler, the Signals Officer in Chief, to carry out a survey within the Corps, the results of which indicated that there was sufficient support to justify the formation of a Royal Signals Amateur Radio Society.
0n 23 June 1961 at Blandford, where 404 Signal Squadron AER was at camp, a meeting was held of War Office, Command and Unit representatives under the chairmanship of G2EC, and RSARS was formally established. By August 1961, the Rules and the first edition of "MERCURY" were sent to all Army Command HQ and Royal Signals units worldwide. HQ RSARS was established at Catterick Garrison, and the Catterick Club (G3CIO), which had been in existence since 1947, became the HQ station.
At the 1966 AGM it was agreed to extend Society membership to all serving soldiers and the Society Rules redrafted at the 1968 AGM incorporated all approved changes, and this new revision included all personnel serving with or employed by a R. Signals unit - regular or T. & A.V.R., members of the CCF/ACF and University O.T.C. were also included.
The call sign G4RS was issued to the Society in 1967. 0ther UK call signs operated for the Society are:- GØRCS, GØSIG, G3CIO, G3SIG, G3VXX, G4CCF and there are Overseas calls.
The Headquarters Station, G4RS is currently located at Blandford, Dorset having spent many years at Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire.

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