About Us

DSRC crew at Winter Field Day 2024

Table of Contents

Our Club, Officers, Meetings, Activites, and our Namesake

David Sarnoff Radio Club, Founding and Purpose

According to an article in the RCA Engineer in 1978:

DAVID SARNOFF RADIO CLUB

Organized March 6, 1975
For development of:
– Fellowship
– Individual proficiency
– Preparedness for emergency communications

This has led to:
– Club meetings for the exchange of ideas, news, experiences of interest to hams
– A 2- Meter FM repeater servinc hams over a 50-mile radius
– An Emergency Communications Plan involving the repeater and club members
– Training classes so that non-licensed persons may obtain amateur radio operators licenses

RCA Engineer Dec 1978|Jan 1979 Vol 24|No 4 “This is WR2AJC, Princeton, New Jersey” J. C. Hartmann, S. M Zollers.

The David Sarnoff Radio Club (DSRC) is a general-interest amateur radio club serving the greater Princeton, NJ area. Our club began in 1975 for employees of RCA Corporation’s RCA Laboratories David Sarnoff Research Center near Princeton, NJ. After the David Sarnoff Research Center, Inc. became an independent consulting company, our club became an area club, with a focus on service to central New Jersey and emergency communications. Our host company renamed itself Sarnoff Corporation, and then was reorganized as a division of SRI International, Inc. Many in our club worked for RCA or “The Sarnoff Labs” or SRI, and the club retains a significant emphasis on technology.

Our club is no longer affiliated with SRI International, or any company using the name RCA. Our name honors David Sarnoff, the first general manager of the Radio Corporation of America, who began his radio career at the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company of America in 1906. We use an image of him sending “wireless” messages using Morse code as our logo.

Club involvement includes an amateur radio FM repeater in the 2 Meter Band, monthly meetings, radio nets, and operating events through the year. To become a member, simply attend a club meeting and fill-out a membership application (button found here.)

The DSRC Email Group

The club sponsors a low-volume email group at groups.io.

  • Please limit postings to amateur radio announcements and discussions that would be of interest to most of our members.
  • Group posting is restricted to members.
  • Group membership requires approval
  • New group members are moderated in order to exclude spammers.

The N2RE Operating Fund (was Antenna Fund)

Please consider donating to the David Sarnoff Radio Club Operating Fund. Our club has no dues, but the cost of repeater equipment and insurance is covered by your donations. Your generosity helps keep us on the air, covering club expenses as well as creating a reserve for any future expenses.

Bringing cash to our meeting always works! (We used to ask for $5 per meeting, but haven’t recently because we don’t supply refreshments.)

DSRC Officers 2024

  • President – Don Corrington AK2S
  • Vice President – Charlie Dieterich N2CTW
  • Treasurer – Laura Creighton K2WWF
  • Secretary – John DeGood NU3E
  • Public Information Officer – Robert Uhrik WA2BSP
  • Program Coordinator – Rebecca Mercuri K3RPM
An important club event is Field Day Saturday night dinner! (2018 photo)

Meeting Directions

Our club has returned to the American Red Cross building for our monthly meetings. We will also provide a Webex link to members to attend remotely for some meetings.

Red Cross Building:
707 Alexander Road, Suite 101
Princeton, NJ 08540
(actually, West Windsor, off US Route 1)
or… via Webex (details in club e-mail)

Entry is from the parking lot side of the Red Cross building, not the Alexander Road Side. Use the main blood center entrance. Proceed down the hallway just to the left of the reception desk. The training room is on the left.

NOTE: No food in the building, but come to our informal pre-meeting dinner (see calendar)

The building’s website (with directions):

https://www.redcross.org/local/new-jersey/about-us/locations/central-new-jersey.html

Regular Club Activities


DSRC 2 Meter Net

Held the 1st, 2nd, and 4th Tuesday of each month at 8:00 PM local time on the N2RE repeater. The net is a general interest net, open to all radio amateurs.

Other Nets?

In years past we have held monthly nets to experiment with different communications modes, or different bands. At the moment none of these nets are active.

Members of the club participate in local ARES and Skywarn nets as well as HF traffic nets.

About David Sarnoff

David Sarnoff (February 27, 1891 – December 12, 1971) “The General” David Sarnoff was president and chairman of the board of the Radio Corporation of America. We celebrate his early days as a Morse code operator, as well as the innovations in electronics which came from the David Sarnoff Research Center. For much more, see Wikipedia.

And… for historical information, visit our friends at The Sarnoff Collection

David Sarnoff Radio Club Image of David Sarnoff at the Morse Code key.
Image of David Sarnoff at the Morse Code key, taken when he was a radio operator for the American Marconi Company (early 20th century)

Photo used by permission.