That’s right friends…one week from now the 75th Annual Orlando Hamcation (and ARRL National Convention) will be happening!
There are lots of great things to see, a fabulous swap meet and some excellent forums going on. Go to https://www.hamcation.com/ for more information. See you there!
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.
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!
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 EOCOne of the emergency communication set-ups on displayWCF Section (and Polk County’s) Emergency Coordinator Christine Duez, K4KJNWCF Section Assistant Section Manager – Rural Communities Coordinator Chuck Johnson, W4CWJ
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/.
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?
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!
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”.