SPARC

Help Support SPARC at Science Fest

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 10/06/2019

After a year absence due to station relocation, SPARC will again be exhibiting at the St. Petersburg Science Festival on October 19th. This event is designed to provide children hands-on access to the wide world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).

We need your help. We will be demonstrating “Worldwide Communications over Amateur Radio,” and will have an HF station running. We need CW and phone operators to man the station. We also need folks that can explain the excitement of our hobby to the public. If you are interested in being part of SPARC’s ham radio demonstration team, please contact Bob, N2ESP by clicking here.

If you like to chat with people, (after all we are communicators) this a great place for eyeball QSOs with potential hams. It’s also a lot of fun to watch the kids quickly associate the dits and dahs of CW with the alphabet and subsequently tap out their name on one of the code practice oscillators. Hopefully we can plant the ham radio bug in one or two visitors and will see them on the air in a few years.

The festival runs from 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM along the waterfront campus of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg so drop by anytime. Additional details on the festival can be found by clicking here. Hope to see you, the kids and grandkids at this fun event.

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SPARC Club Meeting Friday, Oct 4.

By Ed NZ1Q on 09/20/2019

Don’t miss this special program with Alan Dewey, WB9JTK, President of JTK Communications, Inc. Alan will demonstrate how his company fabricates circuit boards for builders and experimenters using his desktop equipment. Since we expect the demonstration of his process will last one hour we will start on time and expedite the break and business meeting.

Alan will tell us about advances in PCB fabrication now that through-hole components are disappearing. With that we are experiencing greater challenges to test and prototype our electronic circuit ideas. It is just not possible to run hookup wire to surface-mount components with leads spaced only 1/2mm center-to-center. Advancements in 3-D printer technology and the development of improved conductive inks now makes it practical to drill, print, and solder, circuit boards right on the desktop.

Join us at Hobson Hall, 5th Ave Baptist Church, 7:30 PM. See you there.

PS Don’t forget about the 50/50 raffle and give away table. It should be filled with many items from a couple of ham estates.

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Do you like fresh air, food, hanging around with radio buddies?

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 09/14/2019

If you like fresh air, food and hanging around with your radio friends, make the drive to Eagle Lake Park in Largo on September 21st. It is first and foremost a chance to spend time with some friends (new and old), talk radio and maybe see how people do other parts of the hobby you may not see all the time. We were planning on a transmitter hunt and some satellite operations. It is much more low-key than Field Day in that people are ENCOURAGED to bring their own equipment they can setup portable. We always have people bring out portable HF stations that you can operate if you are new to HF.

I am writing this not to beg, but because so far we only have about 14 people signed-up total and only 4 responses from SPARC people. If filling out the form on the website does not work for you for some reason, you can email me directly to let me know you are coming. I can tell you what we need from the list.

Again, the date is September 21st, 2019 starting at 9 AM (all day) at Eagle Lake Park in Largo (Keene Road between East Bay and Gulf to Bay). Yes, I know it is north of Ulmerton road and some of our members think that is a trip out of town, but it will be worth it to tune up the car, and make the trip. We always have fun at these events.

Click here for more info on the event…

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SPARC club brochure, latest update – rev 13

By Ed NZ1Q on 09/09/2019

This is revision 13, the latest release of the SPARC’s brochure used at meetings, events and VE exam sessions. One address received minor clarification. Prospective members are encouraged to take a look, print it to review or present to other prospective members.

2019_Sparc_3-fold r13

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Executive Board meeting cancelled due to WX

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 08/29/2019

Due to the impending bad weather, this Saturday’s (8/31/19) SPARC Executive Board meeting has been cancelled.

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Radio Clubs in the Park

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 08/21/2019

>>> Please click here to sign-up <<<

Our friends in the north, the Upper Pinellas Amateur Radio Club, have for a long time done a monthly foray into a local park called UPARC in the Park. This is to setup radios/antennas and just get together for some outdoor fun. Since we all enjoy getting together at the “Field Days” with UPARC and CARS, we decided to do a joint Radio Clubs in the Park. On September 21, 2019, at Eagle Lake Park in Largo, we invite everyone to join us for Radio Clubs in the Park. CARS/SPARC/UPARC will once again team up to have a great day of operating in field type conditions. This is a more hands-on type activity and you are encouraged to bring any portable gear you have to setup. The setup and testing of gear is the important part. Of course, being hams, we will also have a picnic lunch with the clubs providing the main dish. Look for a sign-up sheet soon to put your name to bring something to make the picnic possible. Planned activities include a transmitter fox hunt (so bring your HT, directional 2m antenna and any other gear for that). We will also have a satellite demonstration with maybe even a contact or two.

Make plans now to attend Radio Clubs in the Park on September 21, 2019 at 9:00 AM at Shelter #4. We will go as long in the day as we want to hang around. This is sure to be a fun even you will not want to miss.