First, thanks to everyone who came out to last month’s meeting–we had a full house! Here are some pics to prove it:

Thanks to George, KJ4UW

Thanks to Ed, N2TE

Our next meeting will be on Monday, February 10th, at 7:00 PM at Parkview Baptist Church in Lakeland. It’s right across the street from Lakeland Regional Hospital.

We’ve got an exciting update for those interested in digital radio! The Fusion repeater in Bartow (145.27 MHz)–a joint effort between the Lakeland and Lake Wales clubs–now has Wires-X enabled! If you have a Yaesu radio that supports C4FM and Wires-X, you can take advantage of this new functionality.

To help us all understand how to use it properly, Russ Delany, N4RTD, will be joining us right after ham testing to give an overview of Wires-X, including basic instructions and best practices for operating on the system. He’s also provided a helpful guide on his website: https://delaney.rocks/wires-x/. Check it out before the meeting!

When you arrive, be sure to check in at the table inside the entrance. There will be a QR code that links to a website for easy check-in. If you need assistance, don’t hesitate to ask.

Looking Ahead: LARC Spring Picnic!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 15th–it’s time for the annual LARC Spring Picnic! We’ll be gathering at Colt Creek State Park’s Blue Heron Pavilion starting around 9 AM. More details will be shared at the February meeting, but one highlight you won’t want to miss: Fred, K1DU, will be setting up antennas. You can use them for a POTA activation!

See you all at the meeting!

As many of you already know, former LARC President Rich Kennedy, N4ESS passed on Thursday, January 9, 2025. Services were held on Saturday, January 25. He serviced in a leadership capacity in multiple local ham clubs, Rich was very active, caring, and devoted to our community as well as his family. We shall all miss him. 73 & GUD DX N4ESS SK

Welcome to 2025!

January is a time for looking back and looking forward. That’s what we intend to do at our next club meeting this coming Monday, January 13th. We’ll discuss the big events we did back in 2024 such as Field Day, The Warrior Walk. Then we’ll talk about what we have planned for 2025 including our Spring Picnic coming up on March 15th at Colt Creek State Park.

See you at the next LARC Club Meeting!
Monday, January 13th at 7:00pm at the Parkview Baptist Church which is located right across the street from Lakeland Regional Hospital on Lakeland Hills Blvd in Lakeland, FL. We also have Ham Testing starting at 5:30pm. If you need to upgrade your license, come early for the meeting and give it a try. As always, there is no charge for taking a ham exam with us.

All of us, even Santa, needs to put down the mike/keyer every so often and enjoy the holidays! Mark your calendar now for our next LARC club meeting. It’s this coming Monday, December 9th and will be our special Christmas party. This is going to be a special treat, so we have a special time. Instead of meeting at our usual 7pm, the fun starts at 6:00pm. No change in location. It will be at the Parkview Baptist Church across the street from Lakeland Regional Hospital. Here’s what we will be enjoying.

• Beef Brisket
• BBQ Chicken
• Mac & Cheese
• Potato salad
• Cole slaw
• Baked beans
• Cakes and other deserts
• Also! Door Prizes. There are some really cool ones too including a dual-band HT.

Cost: $10/adult $5/children.

Everyone is welcome! Bring your family & friends. This will be a great time to include someone interested in ham radio.

Reminder: No VE session for this month only. However, if you want to try a ham exam, here’s a website showing where & when you can find one near you. https://tinyurl.com/radioexams.

See you Monday! Come Hungry!

One of the things that we would have discussed this past Monday at our regular meeting was the Warrior Walk which is on for this Saturday. We need your help to provide communications including operators for each of the stations as well one or more net controllers. This is very short notice. If you can help, contact Jim Stewart, W4XDS as quickly as you can.

Meet at the First Presbyterian Church on Lake Hollingsworth Drive. Be there by 8:00am at the latest. The Warrior Walk starts at 9:00am.

Due to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, the Board has decided to cancel the October meeting of the LARC which was set for Monday (10/14). Again, no meeting this month. There will also be no ham testing this month either. However, we still need to elect our 2025 Directors. Be looking for something from Jim Stewert, W4XDS. He will have the candidates for each office as well as voting instructions.

Also, the Fall LARC Fall Picnic set for Saturday (10/19) has also been canceled and will not be rescheduled. This is also due to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. This just means that our annual Christmas Party will be that much better!