Operating

Antenna / Radio Smoked

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 02/16/2016

Bad Antenna install — Photo by Klein PhotoGraphics

While visiting this year’s Hamcation® Stephan, K4SHK heard a loud bang like a cannon going off. It turns out someone setting up their antenna let it contact high-power lines. The area was roped off while the electric company powered down the lines to remove the antenna. Stephan reports no one was injured but the radio was hooked up at the time and most likely fried. Looking around the camping area, Stephan noticed another accident waiting to happen (See photo to right). These stickers are required on … Click for more

SPARC Ham Radio Bucket List

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 01/01/2016

The challenge for 2016 is for each SPARC member to expand their activity in our hobby. To this end, the SPARC Bucket List below provides some potential growth areas. There are no prizes, just the personal satisfaction of learning a new skill or reaching a new goal.

Give a presentation at a club meeting
Upgrade your license
Help setup/takedown at field day site
Enter your first Radiosport contest
Win a contest award
Elmer a newbie
Write a SPARC GAP article
Write a SPARC Web site article
Confirm a new DXCC

… Click for more

A New R7 Vertical, Two Working FSK stations and One Step Closer on the K3 Remote Station…

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 12/29/2015

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

SKYWARN Basic Spotter Training Available

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 10/30/2015

WHO: Open to all, but you must be 18 to receive an I.D.

WHAT: SKYWARN Basic Spotter training by the National Weather Service.

For more information on SKYWARN, click here.

WHEN: Tuesday, December 15 at 7:00 PM

WHERE: Pinellas Coty EOC 10750 Ulmerton Rd. Largo, FL 33778

Seating is limited to 100 people so sign up by clicking here.

For additional information, contact:

Clayton Parrott, KJ4RUS

Emergency Management Coordinator

Pinellas County Emergency Management

(727) 464-4526

cparrott@pinellascounty.org

Related Images:

SPARC at the St. Petersburg Science Festival

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 10/27/2015

<h5by Bob Wanek, N2ESP —

Not a bad place to spend a Saturday... — Not a bad place to spend a Saturday…

The weather was perfect with a cooling breeze blowing over our waterfront venue. The 20M vertical and VHF/UHF Yagi antennas rose above the tent that provided us shade from the Florida sun. Signage identified our mission as strange sounds emanated from the radios we had set up. This was the scene at the SPARC booth as the 2015 St. Petersburg Science Festival got underway.
Tom, NY4I was searching for satellites to work aided by the custom antenna … Click for more

Attracting New Hams with Bright, Shiny Objects

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 10/08/2015

As you may have read on this site, SPARC is setting up a display at the St. Pete Science Festival. This is the first year I have been in town to attend so I thought it would be a “cool” display to go “whole-hog” with the satellite demonstrations. One of the things that first drew me to amateur satellites was, believe it or not, the rotor turning automatically. I visited a ham in Salt Lake City and he had two beams (2m and 440) on a common boom and they … Click for more

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