12/12/2025
St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club
Today (9/20) the crew of Dave, KR4U; Donn, N4KII; and John KI4UIP installed the tower tilt assembly on the concrete base. Notice the ancient Egyptian influence used in keeping the heavy mechanism above the threaded rod so as not to bend the rods. Now we get to prepare the tower while the concrete base continues to cure.
Today (9/13) we poured concrete. Four yards (16,000 lbs.) of mud, 200 pounds of re-bar, followed by
by eight ¾” threaded rods. Everything went as planned. As we wait for the concrete to harden, we can now come up with a plan to relocate the log periodic antenna that is currently atop the Glen Martin tower that is mounted on the shipping containers.
Our tower foundation has been dug, the re-bar cage has been installed, and inspected. We are ready to pour concrete. A few photos below show our progress. We will need to wait awhile while the concrete hardens. Then we get to install the tower base, the tower itself, and finally transplant our LP antenna. Thanks to all that contributed to this effort.
The site behind the DMI Research building where the SPARC station is located is being prepared for the tower. Click on photos to enlarge.
Next step is getting the dirt out that is in the way of the concrete (a.k.a. a BIG hole is needed). White paint marks the spot! The hole will be dug near the building foundation. The tower base will be angled to allow folding over with clearance for the fence and A/C units. John, KI4UIP reports the … Click for more
Today (12/29/2015), several SPARC members met at the SPARC Clubhouse to work on several 
projects to help with contesting and other activities at the W4GAC station. Bob N2ESP, John KI4UIP, Dave KR4U, Ron KP2N and Tom NY4I worked on various projects that needed to be done for this weekend’s ARRL RTTY contest. While John, Dave and Bob wrestled the Cushcraft R7 antenna into position outside and ran coax, the rest of us worked on tweaking the Elecraft K3 to work on RTTY FSK mode. For a reason that would … Click for more
In order to promote our club, SPARC “eyeball” QSL cards are available free to members. These cards are business card size versions of our world famous W4GAC QSL cards, and feature our web address and Mr. Sun on the reverse side.
Carry a few in your wallet or in your car. When asked about the world’s greatest hobby, simply hand out a card. Personalizing the card with your name and call is encouraged.
Cards are available at all club meetings.