SPARC | St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club

Moving the SPARC Station, Jan 2023

By Ed NZ1Q on 01/23/2023

The SPARC club radio station is in the process of moving within the DMI Research building. The work is being done in stages with the removal of everything from the old shack a couple of weeks ago. The video clip link (below) is of the latest phase from Jan 21 beginning the process of cleaning both rooms and starting the wiring. The AC facilities were added several weeks ago with the assembly of the antenna switchboard and the removal of old antenna cabling this past weekend.

Enjoy the video clip… Click for more

2022 Year in Review

By Pat AAØO on 12/26/2022

Sunset at DMI before December 20th VE session

During my research for the update to the SPARC History page, I came across the Year in Review post from our previous Club President Bob N2ESP and that inspired me to write one for this year. I feel that SPARC had a great 2022 and 2023 is looking good too.

We started out the year with Winter Field Day, collaborating with CARS and UPARC, the event was setup at the Clearwater Fire Training center. Due to forecasted low temperatures and … Click for more

Membership Cards and Certificates

By Pat AAØO on 12/14/2022

We had a request from a member paying dues for a membership card. Looking at the automated certificates on the ARRL contest website, I got the idea that we could do the same thing. You can now download your Membership Card or Certificate from the Members List. Find your callsign and click on it. Scroll down to the bottom to find the links for Certificate or Card, for this year or next(if you’ve paid next year’s dues). This will generate a PDF that you can print at home.

If … Click for more

Winter Field Day

By Tom Schaeffer W4CU on 11/30/2022

Winter Field Day will be held in January. Mark your calendar for January 28th and 29th, 2023. SPARC plans to participate. Details will be provided as the date approaches.

Note for FT8 Operators

By Tom Schaeffer W4CU on 11/30/2022

The FT Roundup Operating event will be held starting the afternoon of Saturday December 3rd and running through Sunday the 4th. The club station will not be activated but you may like to participate from home. Full details on the easy setup and operation can be found at the FT Roundup Home:
www.rttycontesting.com/ft-roundup

The exchange will be unusual. RST and State/Province will replace the usual Grid Square and dB report. WSJT-X has an advanced function that automatically translates db reports to an RST and sets up exchanges for you that … Click for more

“Clean Sweep” for the SPARC Club Station

By Tom Schaeffer W4CU on 11/30/2022

The SPARC club used the ARRL Phone Sweepstakes to train new operators, and those who have not participated in the Sweepstakes before. We also conducted antenna evaluations. We did not expect a “Clean Sweep” which requires contacts with all 84 US and Canadian sections. But we got the sweep through a team effort of nine hams.

The team used only 16 of the 24 hours allowed. Additionally the sweep was accomplished used only one operating position – forfeiting use of a second mult (multiplier) position. Participating were: WQ4DVG, KO4WPO, KB9LXM, … Click for more