NARA began as a social group that brought together amateur radio operators (“hams”) of various interests: occasional operators, tinkerers and experimenters, members of the Nantucket Amateur Radio Emergency Service (NARES), and non-resident hams visiting the island.

In May 2015 the Nantucket Chief of Police, also an amateur radio operator, called a meeting of Nantucket resident hams.  At that meeting the chief proposed that an ARRL affiliated club be formed for the purposes of licensing a new repeater and call sign, and creating an association between on-island hams and the Nantucket Emergency Management team.  As a result of that meeting the Town of Nantucket purchased and installed the repeater, and NARA was chartered on November 2, 2015 as an ARRL affiliated club.