Welcome to the Maine Amateur Radio Foundation project page.
Current Project –
The foundation is working with project manager NG1P, Bill Richardson and Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) which awarded a grant in the amount of $41,798 on October 2022 for the mission of building and expanding a wireless amateur radio mesh network on 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz from Portland area to Cooper using 15 sites.
New Repeater –
Our most recent completed project was the purchase and installation of the 146.880 repeater on Streaked Mountain. We have the funding for the link radios and are looking for a source for the link radios. We hope to have these installed soon. The 146.820 is back on the air from Ragged Mountain in Camden.
Amateur Radio registration plates –
Update —- The legislature enacted a moratorium on new plates which has stopped our project. If the legislature resumes the specialty plate program, we will plan to start the process again. Thank you for your continued support.
Our current project is the amateur radio license plates.
Frequently asked questions:
Why is there a fee for these plates?
These plates are designed as a fundraiser for the Maine Amateur Radio Foundation. A significant portion of the extra fee goes to support the mission of the Maine Amateur Radio Foundation. The state of Maine issues more than 230,000 specially plates each year which results in more than 2.3 million dollars that goes to the nonprofits that raise this money.
Why can’t I get a free amateur radio plate?
There have been several attempts in the past to get the Maine legislature to support a free amateur radio plate. These attempts have all failed. If we meet the requirements of the fundraiser plate, then the legislature will order the issue of the amateur radio plate.
When do the applications need to be received?
Applications need to be submitted by the Maine Amateur Radio Foundation to the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles office by September 1. If we do not receive the 2,000 applications by September 1, we will continue to solicit applications and submit them by September 1 next year.
How many plates should I order?
If you want to display these plates you should order a set for every vehicle you register. If you really like these plates and want to make sure the Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles issues the series, you should try to get friends, family, co-workers, and other people that are not hams to order the plates so that we get the numbers that we need. We are supporting communications under the mantra, “when all else fails, amateur radio works.”
Why can’t I just order a plate from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles?
These registration plates have not been issued yet. A sponsor, in this case the Maine Amateur Radio Foundation, needs to order the first 2000 before the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will issue the plates. With your support, we can get the plates issued.
This is the link to the application for the new registration plates. Thank you for your interest.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1URVdgh7GKzmkcNWlR_BF4ELNHfZ4C8np/view?usp=sharing