Yaroslavl: A Network Across the Volga

The Yaroslavl branch of the Union of Radio Amateurs of Russia (SRR) is not a single club, but an archipelago of stations, committees, and meeting halls scattered from the regional capital to the Volga’s historic towns. Its main address — Silicate Highway 19 in Yaroslavl — houses the collective station RO3M, the nerve centre where local nets, QSL exchanges, and licensing formalities converge.

A Council that Spans the Map

From Konstantin Degtyarev (R3MAZ), who chairs both the regional and city branches, to Oleg Mazetov (RG3M), the ever-present secretary, leadership here often overlaps between levels. In the municipal branches, familiar names appear again: in Pereslavl-Zalessky, Sergey Gradín (UA3MLU) presides; in the Yaroslavsky district, it is Evelina Smirnitskaya (UA3MJL); in Rybinsk, Nikolai Yakovlev (UA3MGA) — who also sits on the regional council — runs the show.

Regular Hours, by the Clock and the Compass

This is a network with a timetable:

• City of Yaroslavl — Mondays and Wednesdays, 14:00–19:00; Saturdays, 10:00–14:00 at RO3M.

• Yaroslavsky District (Churilkovo) — Tuesdays, 17:00–19:00; Saturdays, 10:00–16:00.

• Pereslavl-Zalessky — Saturdays, 10:00–16:00.

• Rybinsk — Wednesdays, 18:00–21:00 at the “Rybinsky Radioclub”.

Qualification commissions meet by prior arrangement, but in practice, many convene during the same open hours, turning club nights into licensing days.

QSL in Motion

The QSL bureau serves all corners of the oblast from a P.O. box in Yaroslavl (a/ya 85). Cards from Pereslavl, Churilkovo, or Rybinsk funnel here before fanning out across Russia and the globe.

More than a Hobby, a Civic Habit

The consistency of the schedule and the breadth of locations make this branch less a hobby group and more a civic fixture. In Yaroslavl, amateur radio is not only a pastime — it is a grid of people and places, tuned to the same frequency, linking the Volga’s towns as reliably as its bridges.