Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season. Now it’s time to get back into the swing of things and kick off a brand-new year of ham radio fun.

The next meeting of the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club will be held Monday evening, January 12th at 7:00 PM at Parkview Baptist Church, located right across the street from Lakeland Regional Health.

📡 License Testing Returns

We’re also resuming our monthly license testing. If you’re interested in getting your first license or upgrading your current one, testing begins at 5:30 PM.

Best of all–testing is FREE! So really… what do you have to lose?

🎤 Guest Speaker: Emergency Communications

We have a great guest speaker lined up for January:

Paul Womble, K4FB

Paul is an avid QRP CW operator and enjoys Parks on the Air (POTA) both as a Hunter and an Activator. In his day job, Paul serves as the Emergency Management Director for Polk County.

Paul will be speaking to us about emergency communications–a timely and important topic as hurricane season will be here before we know it. Being prepared matters, and amateur radio continues to play a vital role when it’s needed most.

We hope to see you Monday night as we start 2026 strong!

It’s time once again to enjoy the holiday season and the great friendships that make LARC such a special place. December is also when we look back on the highlights of 2025 and celebrate another fantastic year in amateur radio.

And of course… dinner is served!

Dave Z, KI4WPX, has us covered with an amazing holiday menu:

• Brisket
• BBQ Chicken
• Potato Salad
• Cole Slaw
• Baked Beans
• Mac & Cheese
• Tea (several varieties)
• Cakes & Desserts

🍽️ YUM! 🍽️

As with last year, adults are $10 each, and children 12 & under are $5. Everyone is welcome–bring your family, invite a friend! This is a great opportunity to introduce someone to ham radio.

We will start the meeting early, as we have done in years past.

➡️ Be there at 6:00 pm (not 7:00 pm).

Also note that there will be no VE testing this month, but sessions resume at the January 2026 meeting.

Fred, K1DU, will also present the 2025 Field Day results–and LARC did very well!

Make sure you bring some cans of food for VISTE. They are in-need of this right now. Let’s help them out!

In Other News…

At our November meeting, we held elections for the 2026 LARC Officers and Board of Directors. Two key roles–President and Treasurer–were open at the time. Those positions have now been filled! Thank you to everyone who stepped up to serve.

Your 2026 LARC Officers

• President: Geoff Schuck, WA4MMO (moving up from VP)
• Vice President: Buddy Morgan, WB4OMG
• Secretary: Eleanor Marshall, KK4VCN (unchanged)
• Treasurer: Lydia Morgan, KF4TPW

🎄Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 🥳

We look forward to celebrating with you at the December meeting!

Here’s a quick follow-up to share the results of our LARC elections–and some really GREAT news!

LARC Election Results

As you may have noticed, the positions of President and Treasurer remain open.

Outgoing President Jim Stewart is actively talking with potential candidates, so stay tuned. As soon as these positions are filled, we’ll post an update here on the blog.

As things stand now, here are the results for the 2026 leadership team:

Officers

• President: OPEN
• Vice President: Geoff Shuck, WA4MMO
• Secretary: Eleanor Marshall, KK4VCN
• Treasurer: OPEN

Directors

• Richard Sharp, KQ4KX – Trustee (De facto Board Member)
• Eric Clark, W4EMT – PIO (De facto Board Member)
• Mike Oliver, KT2T
• Fred Delaney, K1DU
• Steve Bratton, KQ4DRX
• Buddy Morgan, WB4OMG
• Mike Shreve, N6MRS

Now for some GREAT news!

The December issue of QST has just been published, and it includes the official Field Day results.

LARC placed 18th out of 180 entries in Class 4A!

That’s a tremendous showing for our club. LARC has never done better! Fred, K1DU, will share more details at the December meeting.

And speaking of the December meeting…
Don’t forget–this will be our annual Christmas party! It’s scheduled for Monday, December 8th at 7:00pm at the Parkview Baptist Church..

There will be no ham testing that night. We’ll have more details soon, so be sure to check back.

It’s that time of year again — Election Night at LARC!

The next Lakeland Amateur Radio Club meeting will be held on Monday, November 10th at 7:00 PM at Parkview Baptist Church in Lakeland (across from LRH).

The main focus of this meeting will be to complete the voting and announce the results for the 2026 slate of club officers and the Board of Directors.

If you’re a member in good standing (meaning your dues are current for this year), you should have received an email ballot from Jim Stewart, W4XDS. Simply print it, fill it out, take a photo of your completed ballot, and email it back to Jim at W4XDS@outlook.com.

Prefer to vote in person? Paper ballots will be available at the meeting as well.

🗳️ Please vote!
This is your opportunity to help decide who will lead the Lakeland Amateur Radio Club into 2026.

Special Guest: Jimmy Russ, AB4KA

Also joining us Monday evening will be Jimmy Russ, AB4KA, Section Manager for the ARRL West Central Florida Section. Jimmy will share updates on pending federal legislation aimed at protecting the right of amateur radio operators to install antennas on their property — even in areas with HOA or deed restrictions.

You can read more about this important issue on the WCF Section website: https://arrlwcf.org.

Last Chance for License Testing This Year

As always, license exams will be offered before the meeting — whether you’re aiming for your Technician, General, or Amateur Extra license.

But note: this will be the final testing session of 2025! The December meeting is our annual Christmas gathering, and no exams will be held that evening.

Mark Your Calendar: December 8th

🎄 December LARC Meeting — Annual Christmas Party
Monday, December 8th, Parkview Baptist Church*
Stay tuned here for more details — but go ahead and save the date now.

On Saturday, October 25th, LARC participated in the annual Warrior Walk around Lake Hollingsworth. During the walk, we were able to render aid to someone who had trouble halfway around the lake.

Here are some of the photos we took!

Participating this year

Net Control: Fred, K1DU

Around the Lake:

• Russ, N4RTD
• Cheryl, N4CAD
• Jim, W4XDS
• Bill, KF4Q
• Bob, NC8I
• Uriah, KQ4JVD
• Josiah, KQ4BIW
• Darrell, KT4WX

Tail-end Charlie (walking behind the crowd):

• Kenny, KM4UYX
• Eric, W4EMT

Thanks to all who participated! The BBQ from Mission Barbecue was fantastic

This Saturday, October 25, 2025, LARC will support the annual Warrior Walk around Lake Hollingsworth to honor our fallen heroes. The pictures above were taken at last year’s event. We need radio operators stationed around the lake to provide communications during the event.

Where: First Presbyterian Church, 175 Lake Hollingsworth Dr.
Meet: 8:00 AM Saturday (10/25) for assignments and check-in
Bring: A 2-meter HT. We’ll use the K4LKL 146.685 repeater.

A brief ceremony begins at 9:00 AM; we’ll be in position before the walk starts. We expect to wrap up by 12:00 PM.

Can you help?
Contact Jim Stewart, W4XDS at W4XDS@outlook.com.

Quick prep checklist

• Fully charged HT + spare battery
• Earbud or speaker mic (street noise)
• Water, hat, sunscreen; comfy shoes

See you there!

The Lakeland Amateur Radio Club will hold its October meeting on Monday, October 13 at 7:00pm at Parkview Baptist Church (across from LRH).

We’ve got a great program lined up! Grant Burhans, W2BF, will be sharing his expertise on powering your ham station with batteries and solar energy. Grant has an elaborate home setup that shows just how effective (and fun!) renewable power can be for amateur radio. But remember–when you’re working with solar arrays and storage batteries, you’re dealing with some very impressive electrical power. Safety comes first! Grant will walk us through how to harness free energy from the sun while keeping both yourself and your equipment protected.

Also at this meeting:

• Club Elections — This is your last chance to put your name forward for one of LARC’s leadership positions. We need members like YOU to help keep the club moving forward!
• License Exams — As always, amateur radio license exams will be offered starting at 5:30pm before the meeting.

Looking Ahead:

Mark your calendars for Saturday, October 25th. All licensed hams are invited to assist with communications for the annual Warrior Walk around Lake Hollingsworth. This is one of LARC’s signature public service events and a great opportunity to showcase amateur radio in action. If you’d like to participate, contact Jim, W4XDS so he can reserve you a spot. More details will be shared at the meeting.

If you couldn’t make it, here’s a quick recap of the Monday, September 8th LARC Meeting along with some excellent CW resources you can explore at your own pace.

We began with guest Tom Shaffer, NY4I, who is running for ARRL Southeastern Division Director. You can learn more about his candidacy at ny4i.com.

Our main speaker, Pat Connelly, AA4O, shared his experiences with CW and introduced a wide range of helpful learning tools and operating resources. If you didn’t copy them down during the meeting, here’s the full list:

CW Training & Clubs

• CW Ops
• CW Academy
• Learn CW Online
• Long Island CW Club
• Morse Code Ninja

Operating Resources

• KPH
• CW Waveform by Richard Harris G3OTK (PDF)
• Jean Shepard Code School Story (YouTube)
• Reverse Beacon Network
• DX Summit

Hardware & Software (as used by AA4O)

• Hermes Lite 2 SDR
• CW Skimmer
• RX Audite T/R Switch (also available at DX Engineering)
• HL2 with CW Skimmer Instructions
• CWSL_Tee and CWSL_DIGI for FT8/WSPR

Contests

• Florida Contest Group
• Florida QSO Party
• CWT Weekly Tests
• CQ Worldwide
• ARRL Sweepstakes

📅 Next LARC Club Meeting: Monday, October 13th — stay tuned for more details on our program! Be sure to be there! You might even get a charge out of it! ⚡️

The monthly LARC club meeting is coming up on Monday, September 8th at 7:00pm at the Parkview Baptist Church (across from LRH). As usual, we will have ham testing starting at 5:30pm.

Have you ever thought about learning Morse code but just haven’t taken that first step? CW is alive and well, and this month’s meeting is your chance to explore it!

Pat Connelly, AA0O

We’re excited to welcome Pat Connelly, AA0O from the St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club, who will be presenting “An Evening with CW.” Pat is an experienced CW operator, and his presentation will cover:

• The world of CW operating
• CW resources such as the Reverse Beacon Network (RBN) and CW skimmers
• Insights from his article “Surprise CW Skimmer” published in the SPARC newsletter (page 6)

Pat brings a wealth of experience to the table:

• Past President of the St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club
• POTA activator and member of the Florida Contest Group
• CWOps member and CW Academy graduate
• ARRL VE Liaison and Laurel VEC Team Lead

CW may not get much airtime in our regular meetings, but it continues to thrive with a strong global community of dedicated operators. If you’ve ever been curious about Morse code, this is the perfect opportunity to get inspired.

📅 Join us for “An Evening with CW”

Monday, September 8, 2025
7:00pm (Ham testing at 5:30pm)
Parkview Baptist Church (across from LRH)

–… …– …-.- (73, SK)

Don’t buy any ham gear from this guy!

Instead–come to the LARC TableGate!

Our next LARC monthly meeting is just around the corner–Monday, August 11th at Parkview Baptist Church, right across the street from LRH.

• Ham testing starts at 5:30 PM
• Meeting starts at 7:00 PM

This month’s meeting features two great events:

1. Presentation by Jimmy Russ, AB4KA, our ARRL WCF Section Manager.
2. TableGate! Bring along any ham gear you want to sell or trade, and some cash for that “must-have” item you didn’t know you needed. It’s a perfect time to score a deal–or turn your old gear into something new.

Don’t forget VISTE!

When you come, please bring a non-perishable food item to help support Volunteers In Service To The Elderly (VISTE). Your donation will help local seniors in need.