SPARC | St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club

Weak Signal On-Air Demonstration

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 09/16/2016

Join us at the Friday, Oct 7^th SPARC meeting where Ed, NZ1Q will demonstrate digital modes JT65 and JT9. This demonstration will be conducted live on the HF bands.

The “JT” in JT65 is Dr. Joe Taylor, K1JT. Joe is the Nobel Prize winning physicist who wrote the software that makes amateur weak signal communication possible. This software is available at no cost to amateurs who would like to explore the world of weak signal communications. Even when the bands are close there are stations on using the JT … Click for more

Tower Installation Update

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 09/13/2016

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.

tower-pour-8 — Threaded rods bolted to tower template and

… Click for more

Tower Installation Progress

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 09/12/2016

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.

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Help Support SPARC at Science Fest

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 09/06/2016

SPARC will again be participating in the St. Petersburg Science Festival. This event is designed to

Not a bad place to spend a Saturday... — Last years demonstration

provide children hands-on access to the wide world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math).

If you are interested in being part of SPARC’s ham radio demonstration team, please contact Bob, N2ESP. Additional details on the festival can be found by clicking here.

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All 2016 Field Day Photos Uploaded

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 07/01/2016

2016 Field Day is over. Many thanks to Coy, KK4JMP our field day chairman for putting together an exciting event.

After clicking on the title of this article, click here for 2016 Field Day Photos.

Photographers:

Tom, AI4QP
Stephan, K4SHK
Howard, KC3BIO
Donn, N4KII

Thanks for all the great photos guys.

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Military Communications, by Col. Craig Hook, USAF (Ret.)

By Bob Wanek N2ESP on 06/04/2016

Don’t miss a special presentation by Retired USAF Colonel Craig Hook, KE4VPK and SPARC member. Craig will tell us about military use of communications equipment used in the field and share some of his slides from his deployment in Afghanistan right after 9/11.

The US Military has developed robust satellite communications used in conjunction with more traditional HF radio communications. We will hear about communications equipment in the military, how it is deployed, used, important features, and some of Craig’s experiences, along with comment on how well it all … Click for more