Best Amateur Radio Hub in Kostroma: Signals Over the Volga

Kostroma, a city where the Volga bends wide and history runs deep, is better known for its monasteries and textile heritage than for high-frequency chatter. Yet, behind an unassuming address on Prospekt Mira, the Kostroma branch of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia (СРР) has been quietly sustaining a network of operators who link this riverside capital to the world.

Leadership on Air and on the Ground

At the helm is Yury Gennadievich Sidorov (RA3NC) — a steady figure whose callsign is as familiar to locals on 3.652 MHz as his voice in the meeting room. His deputy, Evgeny Evgenievich Kuznetsov (RK3NWA), doubles as treasurer, head of the QSL Bureau, and chair of the Qualification Commission — roles that keep him equally fluent in Morse code and paperwork.

The council blends experience and continuity:

• Valery Lvovich Ivanov (RC2N) – responsible secretary and commission member.

• Veteran operators like Mikhail Nikonorov, Vladimir Kuchin, Georgy Khomyak (RA3NF), and Oleg Tolstov (R3NBI) keep the club’s technical backbone strong.

Sunday Round Tables and VHF Reach

The Kostroma branch’s social pulse beats every Sunday at 09:30 MSK on 3.652 MHz, where voices check in from across the oblast. For those closer to home, the RR3N repeater at 145.700/145.100 MHz covers a 50 km radius around Kostroma — enough to bridge the city and its surrounding villages.

Open Doors and Steady Exams

The club keeps a regular rhythm of public contact:

• Tuesdays for quick visits.

• Weekends for longer gatherings in the Radioschool at Prospekt Mira 157-a.
  Exams are held as needed, and the QSL Bureau operates almost daily, a testament to the continued appetite for physical confirmation cards in a digital world.

A River City That Listens and Replies

In Kostroma, amateur radio is not just a hobby — it’s a civic rhythm. Between the murmuring Volga and the quiet winter streets, there is always a frequency alive with local callsigns, waiting for a reply from across the oblast or across an ocean.