Celebration of Life Event for Sam Shaver, N7CUC

A Celebration of Life to honor Sam Shaver, who passed away on January 15th, will be held in the social hall of Parkview Baptist Church on SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 12th from 1:00pm until 3:00pm. 

It won’t be a funeral or service, just a casual time for family and friends (including his LARC friends) to gather and mingle, and to share memories and stories about our dear Sam.  Light dessert refreshments will be served. 

An RSVP is requested a.s.a.p. so that we may plan.  Please contact Sam’s wife, Kay (KN4OTO) by Email = akfan45@aol.com or leave a phone message= Ph#863-686-8081.  Thanks and hope to see you there. 

Hamcation is almost here!

The 2022 Orlando Hamcation is almost upon us! It actually begins on Thursday, February 10 with some special programs and a luncheon to be held at the Doubletree Orlando near SeaWorld.

The real “meat & potatoes” starts on Friday, February 11 at the Central Florida Fairgrounds with three days of exhibits, forums and a swap area with any equipment you could hope to find!

For more information, go to https://www.hamcation.com/ See you there!

ARRL WCF ARES Quarterly meeting report

Today was the quarterly meeting of the ARRL West Central Florida section ARES group and it did not disappoint!

It began with lunch at Sonny’s Barbecue for those who wanted to meet, and let’s face it…barbecue and ham radio is always a great combination! There were approximately 13 in attendance and good food & good fellowship was enjoyed by all.

This was followed by the ARES meeting which was held at the Pinellas county EOC, and it is quite a place. Approximately 30 were in attendance in person as well as several more over Zoom. Discussion ranged from FEMA’s ICS training and Auxcomm training to the High & Dry emergency exercise and the NXDN capability of the NI4CE repeater system.

Lastly we were introduced to Pinellas county’s own “Go-Boxes”, and to say they are impressive is an understatement.

If you’re at all interested in emergency communications (after all, even the F.C.C. defines Amateur Radio as a service), it would behoove you to learn more about ARES and to attend the quarterly meetings to really get an idea of ARES in action.

Just a part of the Pinellas county EOC
One of the emergency communication set-ups on display
WCF Section (and Polk County’s) Emergency Coordinator Christine Duez, K4KJN
WCF Section Assistant Section Manager – Rural Communities Coordinator Chuck Johnson, W4CWJ

WCF ARES Winter Luncheon & Meeting Saturday, January 22

The Winter 2022 Section ARES Luncheon will be held on Saturday January 22nd at 1100 EST, at the Sonny’s BBQ located at 2250 Seminole Blvd. in Largo.   The Winter 2022 Section ARES Meeting will follow the luncheon at 1300 EST, and will be held at the Pinellas County Emergency Operations Center, 10750 Ulmerton Road, Building 1, Suite 267, in Largo.

The Section ARES Luncheon and Meeting is open to anyone who wishes to attend.  The meeting will be available on the Section Zoom account as well.  The Zoom meeting information is available on the Section ARES page which is located at http://arrlwcf.org/wcf-section-programs/ares/.

Are you an ARRL member? If not, you’re missing out!

The Lakeland Amateur Radio Club is a “League Affiiliated” club. The Amateur Radio Relay League has been around for over 100 years, and if it weren’t for the league, amateur radio as we know it today wouldn’t exist.

That being said, there are many benefits to being a league member. Just a few of them are…

  • Journals and Magazines (all league members get their choice of QST or On The Air in print as well as getting all league publications electronically
  • Technical information service
  • Outgoing QSL Service
  • Volunteer Opportunities
  • Advocacy (this is big! The League is the only voice we have in Washington)

If you’re a League member, thank you! If you’re not, won’t you consider joining?

Meeting time!

It’s time for the monthly Lakeland Amateur Radio Club Meeting. Monday night, January 10, 7:00 p.m. at the Parkview Baptist Church, 509 Parkview Place in Lakeland. See you there!

Hamfest Season Kicks in to High Gear

The Christmas decorations are put away and we’re done wishing each other “Happy New Year”, and hamfest season is shifting into high gear!

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First on the list is TARCFest this coming Saturday!

If you’d rather go to Orlando than Tampa, the K4KDI tailgate is always a good time.

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The Southwest Florida Regional Hamfest is in Fort Myers and is worth a road trip.

And let’s not forget the Orlando Hamcation is coming next month! More on that one in a later post.

Be sure to keep an eye on the hamfest calendar at http://www.arrl.org/hamfests-and-conventions-calendar for upcoming events. 73!

POTA? What is POTA?

If you’ve ever thought it would be fun to activate a park (POTA: Parks On The Air), there is going to be a meeting of POTA activators and hunters on Saturday, January 15 at the Colt Creek State Park.

This will be a combination group activation and social event, and anyone who is interested in learning about POTA is cordially invited to attend. While the pavilion rental is already paid for, event organizers ask for a head count of all that are attending to make sure there is enough food and supplies.

For more information, please check the POTA Facebook group page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/parksontheair or contact contact Bill, K4NYM at kfournym@gmail.com. If someone is not a member of the group they can apply by visiting the Facebook group page, and information about the event can be found on the page under “Events”.

Do something new in 2022!

As we look back on 2021 and look ahead to the new year (it’s already 2022 in much of the world as this is posted), have you considered doing something new in amateur radio this year?

Maybe you’ve considered trying your hand at a contest. The North American QSO Party is coming up in January and it’s a great contest for first-timers (you’re limited to low power and it’s only 10 hours).

Maybe you’ve considered going portable, even activating a part for POTA. It’s lots of fun and you can use equipment you’ve already got! If you’ve ever considered it, there are lots of folks among us who are full of information and tips. PS…check back here soon for more info 😉

Ever thought of doing public service? There are events coming up where hams are always needed to provide communications. The Bike MS Citrus Tour is coming up in March and they always need volunteers.

The Lakeland Amateur Radio Club is always looking for Volunteer Examiners for license testing. There are few experiences in amateur radio as rewarding a new ham pass a license exam.

There may be an entire world of amateur radio that you’ve never considered…all it takes is a little “I think I’d like to try…” to get you on your way!

Best of luck in 2022. May it see us all healthy and happy. 73 and Happy New Year!