The Brunswick Shores Amateur Radio Club (BSARC), operating under the specific vanity call sign N4GM, serves the amateur radio community and public safety interests of Brunswick County, North Carolina.
🏛️ Club History & Foundations
Early Origins (1985)
Amateur radio organization in our region traces back to the Brunswick County Amateur Radio Society, originally founded in 1985. This group established the early footprint for non-commercial radio experimentation and community camaraderie across southeastern North Carolina.
The Modern Relaunch (2007)
Following a period where the original society disbanded its formal club operations, a dedicated group of local amateur operators came together to protect regional repeater assets and coordinate emergency contingencies. On April 30, 2007, they officially established the Brunswick Shores Amateur Radio Club.
Legal Framework
The modern club was established under the Uniform Unincorporated Nonprofit Association Act (UUNAA), which went into effect in North Carolina in January 2007. By adopting this structure, BSARC protects its membership and holds property legally without the administrative bloat of classical incorporation.
⏳ Tax Status Notice: BSARC submitted its formal application for 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status to the IRS in February 2026. We are currently awaiting our final Determination Letter. Under IRS provisions, tax-deductibility status will apply retroactively to our filing window once final processing is complete.
📡 Repeater Operations & Emergency Support
BSARC acts as an engineering anchor and volunteer training hub for the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) and AuxComm units throughout Brunswick County.
- The Bolivia Nexus: The club maintains our primary emergency asset—the 147.315 MHz FM analog repeater (+600 kHz offset, 118.8 Hz tone). This high-profile system is strategically located at the Brunswick County Government Center in Bolivia, NC.
- N4GM Command Nexus: Serves as our central staging layout for emergency operations, public service events, and technical deployments.
- On-Air Networks: The club runs two crucial weekly training nets on the 147.315 MHz repeater. All licensed operators are encouraged to check in:
- 🌅 The Shrimp Net: Mondays at 8:30 AM
- 🛡️ Brunswick County ARES/AuxComm Net: Mondays at 7:00 PM
🗺️ Public Activity & Community Events
We blend serious community preparedness with classical radio experimentation through unique regional activations:
- Bald Head Island Expedition: Every April, club members travel to the historic Bald Head Island Lighthouse (Old Baldy), rigging temporary wire antennas and running portable stations to celebrate international lighthouse operations.
- ARRL Field Day Operations: The club sets up complete emergency-power deployment sites during both Winter Field Day and the premier summer ARRL Field Day configurations to test our off-grid communications preparedness.
- Licensing & VE Testing: We regularly host license training classes and official Volunteer Examiner (VE) testing sessions at the Calabash EMS Building to bring new operators into the hobby.
📅 Meeting Logistics
Our meetings are conducted as hybrid events (in-person and synchronized via Zoom) on the second Wednesday of alternating months (January, March, May, July, September, and November).
To best serve members spanning both sides of the county, our meeting venues alternate:
- Brunswick Electric Membership Corporation (BEMC) HQ (Supply, NC)
- Calabash EMS Building (Calabash, NC)
- 📬 Questions? Contact our club secretary at bsarc.sec@gmail.com .