The Bahamas Amateur Radio Society

C6ARS — Serving The Bahamas for over 50 years

Welcome to the home of the Bahamas Amateur Radio Society (C6ARS), the only amateur radio club in The Bahamas. For more than five decades, our members have kept the islands connected to the world — one contact at a time — from the beaches, parks, and rooftops of our archipelago to stations on every continent.

Whether you're a licensed operator visiting our islands, a curious newcomer wondering what that antenna on your neighbour's roof is for, or a student looking for a hands-on way into science and technology, you've found the right frequency.

On the Air, Out in the Field

We don't just talk about radio — we get out and operate. C6ARS is active at least one weekend every month with Parks on the Air (POTA) activations, taking portable stations to parks and protected areas across our islands and putting The Bahamas on the air for hunters around the globe.

Every June, we also join thousands of clubs across the Americas for ARRL Field Day, the largest annual amateur radio exercise in the world. For 24 hours we set up and operate entirely off-grid — battery, solar, and generator power, temporary antennas, and pure operating skill. It's part contest, part emergency drill, and entirely fun.

These events are open to everyone. You don't need a license to come out, watch, learn, and even make a supervised contact under a licensed operator. Some of our members made their very first contact exactly that way.

Radio as a STEM Launchpad

Amateur radio is one of the oldest — and still one of the best — hands-on STEM education platforms in existence. Behind every contact is a stack of real science and engineering:

• Physics — radio wave propagation, the ionosphere, and why a 100-watt signal from Nassau can reach Japan at sunset but not at noon.
• Electronics — building, repairing, and understanding transmitters, receivers, antennas, and power systems.
• Mathematics — antenna lengths, impedance, decibels, and frequency calculations, all with immediate, audible results.
• Computing and software — modern digital modes, software-defined radio, satellite tracking, and microcontroller projects.
• Geography and communication — every contact is a mini lesson in world geography, time zones, and clear, disciplined communication.

Unlike a textbook, radio gives instant feedback: you build it, you key up, and the world answers. For young Bahamians, a license is a genuine head start toward careers in engineering, telecommunications, aviation, maritime operations, and emergency management.

When All Else Fails: Resilient Emergency Communication

As an island nation in the hurricane belt, The Bahamas knows better than most what happens when modern infrastructure goes down. Cell towers topple, undersea cables fail, power grids go dark — and amateur radio keeps working.

A trained operator with a battery, a wire antenna, and a transceiver can pass life-safety traffic across an island, across the archipelago, or across an ocean with no towers, no internet, and no outside infrastructure at all. That is not a hypothetical: after major storms, amateur radio operators throughout the Caribbean have repeatedly provided the first — and sometimes only — communication links out of devastated areas.

Our monthly portable operations and annual Field Day participation are more than recreation. Every off-grid activation is a rehearsal: proving our equipment, sharpening our operating skills, and making sure that when The Bahamas needs backup communications, C6ARS is ready to answer.

Join Us

For over 50 years, C6ARS has been where Bahamian radio operators learn, experiment, serve, and have a great time doing it. Come out to a POTA activation, join us for Field Day, or start your journey toward your own call sign.

73, and we hope to hear you on the air!