Category: Meetings

Monthly Meeting April 22

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting is held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. This month our meeting is on Wednesday, April 22, at 7:00 p.m.

Okay, we’ve got another great presentation for you this month! The technology of today has changed the landscape of so many things, especially for us. Today, each of us have the capabilities that previously existed only in billion-dollar organizations. In this presentation we’re going to learn about taking your projects to completion, from concept and schematic design to PC board production, and having that delivered right to your door. This is the circuit design and creation of what 3D printing is to fabrication. Combine the two and you can be your own production facility. You don’t even need a 3D printer. There are people and companies out there that will print your basic projects for a reasonable fee. For more advanced projects there are companies that can print a wide variety of materials, including different types of steel. All of these can be one-off or quantity.

Coincidentally, we have another member who’s working on a project involving Home Assistant and an ESP32 microcontroller for a home automation project. We may also be able to have him talk about his project and how our presentation integrates with his project. We saw Dominic build a simple AM radio transmitter to teach Primary School students basic RF principles. He did that on a breadboard for proof of concept, and now that can easily be designed on a PC board and produced. This presentation will also include designing and building your own 50 ohm dummy load. The applications are limited only by your imagination! 

As always, we welcome everyone who has an interest in what we do, so join us in our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can assist you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4800 Dreher Trail N, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the 2026 year, we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building.

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting March 25

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting is held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. This month our meeting is on Wednesday, March 25, at 7:00 p.m.

We are all in for a treat with this month’s presentation by our very own solar weatherman, Jim. Space weather influences radio operations in many different ways. Jim is going to share with us the tools that he uses, and teach us how to predict and evaluate radio propagation. He is also going to touch on contesting. Even if you’re not interested in contesting, the radio techniques used there will help you in being a better operator. Jim is a Vietnam era Seabee, who brings a lifetime of experience, and reminds me of the EF Hutton commercials of the 70s… when Jim talks, people listen!

As always, we welcome everyone who has an interest in what we do, so join us in our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can assist you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4800 Dreher Trail N, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the 2026 year, we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building.

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting February 25

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

It’s going to be Meshtastic Monthly Meeting!

Okay, we are back to our regularly scheduled meetings. Last month was a one-off and we are not expecting any other changes for the year.

Our monthly meeting is held on the fourth Wednesday of the month. This month our meeting is on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at 7:00 p.m.

Our presentations have been great. Our members have done an excellent job working and putting them together for all of us. I’m particularly excited to announce our presentation this month will be on Meshtastic. That may not come as a surprise to those who have seen recent posts on our Forums. Marcos will be our presenter this month. If you have a Meshtastic node, bring it. Part of the presentation will be setting up an ad hoc network with your node. This will continue outside of the presentation, so you don’t want to miss this one! if you can, update to the latest stable firmware. If you don’t have gear, don’t worry, it’s not necessary. If you do and you want some help before the meeting, just reach out to me. 

As always, we welcome everyone who has an interest in what we do, so join us in our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can assist you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4800 Dreher Trail N, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the 2026 year, we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building. 

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting January 29 (Changed – See Below)

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting is normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, but this January, due to construction, we moved it Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. This change is for January 2026 only.

We will be installing our officers for the new year. Rex will be performing that honor. After that, we will have a year in review of what we accomplished in the past year. Richie has put together another fantastic presentation. This one is all fun! It’s a music video of our year in review. I am excited to see what Richie has done!

As always, we welcome everyone who has an interest in what we do, so join us in our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can assist you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the 2026 year, we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building. 

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting November 19

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting is normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, but in November we move it back a week because of the Thanksgiving holiday, so this month our meeting is on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

We will hold our elections and Ed E will be doing our presentation as he provides the results and analytics of our comprehensive survey. We will review and look towards preliminary planning for the coming year on those activities the membership showed an interest. We’ll have a lot of ground to cover, and we look forward to hearing from everyone who expressed an interest in volunteering in those activities.

This year is far from over and we still have activities including two Saturday in the Park events and our holiday party next month. Then get ready for January because we’re hitting the ground running with WFD!

As always, we welcome everyone who has an interest in what we do, so join us in our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can assist you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building. 

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting – September 24

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, is Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

As the weather will soon begin cooling off and we look towards doing more outdoor activities, including ham radio, we will be turning our attention to portable operations. That also includes next month’s annual start of Saturday in the Park, which we will be kicking off with a BBQ. Look for more information coming soon on that. That brings us to this week’s presentation.

This week’s presentation will be on the Delta Loop, what it is, how it works, and how to build and deploy it. The subject matter will focus its application in portable operations. Randy, who is an accomplished orator and educator, will also show us how he uses it in portable operations, including last month’s annual International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW). If portable operations interest you – whether it’s POTA, contesting, or just getting outdoors and operating – and you’re looking for an antenna project, this presentation is especially for you! And of course, expect the usual fare of fun, friendship, and camaraderie.

As always, we welcome everyone to our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can help you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building. 

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting – August 27

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, is Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

This is going to be another exciting meeting! We’re going to have a very interesting and enlightening presentation on the NanoVNA. If you have been thinking about getting one, or you already have one and you’d like to get more use out of it, this is the presentation for you! As a bonus, bring your aftermarket HT antennas. It will be one of the things you will learn how to test using the NanoVNA, and if you don’t have a NanoVNA, we can test yours for you. Chances are, you’re going to be very surprised at the results! And of course, expect the usual fare of fun, friendship, and camaraderie… along with no shortage of goodies from our very own Tabletop Titan, the Snack Sorcerer, Jo!

As always, we welcome everyone to our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can help you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. The stem center now has its own parking right in front of the building. 

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting – July 23

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, is Wednesday, July 23, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

This is going to be another exciting meeting! We will have a recap of Field Day from last month, with an awards ceremony, and then we are in for a treat as Ed and Bruce, our satellite subject matter experts, will be doing a presentation of a software application called ISS Detector, which is also available now for Windows. I have used it on my phone when working the birds, and it is an invaluable piece of software. Despite being familiar with it, I am looking forward to learning new things from these two pros. And of course, expect the usual fare of fun, friendship, and camaraderie… along with no shortage of goodies from our very own Tabletop Titan, the Snack Sorcerer, Jo!

As always, we welcome everyone to our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can help you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. There are privacy walls and the construction is dynamic, so instructions cannot be specific, but the Cox Science Center has always made it easy.

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting – June 25

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, is Wednesday, June 25, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

Marcos will be doing a presentation on logging for Field Day. We use N3FJP, so it will be focused, but not exclusive, on that. If you’re planning on operating at Field Day, this will be very useful. N3FJP is one of the two of the most popular Field Day logging applications. We will also be reviewing our Field Day event, which begins that weekend on the 28th. Even if you’re unable to attend our Field Day event, there will be a lot of useful information.

As always, we welcome everyone to our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not! If you’re a new ham or thinking about getting your license, come on out and meet us! We can help you in all aspects of getting your license and getting started in amateur radio.

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. There are privacy walls and the construction is dynamic, so instructions cannot be specific, but the Cox Science Center has always made it easy.

Note: We will host Field Day at the American Legion post 47 in Lake Worth again this year. We had a great turnout last year, and we expect even more this year!

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/

Monthly Meeting – May 28

Posted on By Michael M
Meetings

Our monthly meeting, held on the fourth Wednesday of the month, is Wednesday, May 28, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

Randy will be doing a presentation on POTA QRP/QRO at John D. MacArthur Beach State Park. As an educator, Randy is a great orator, and he always has just the right amount of visual aids, including photographs and equipment, to accompany him. I don’t know the details, but I’m excited to see what he has in store for us!

As always, we welcome everyone to our meetings and activities, members and non-members, whether licensed or not!

Location:
STEM Center
Cox Science Center and Aquarium
4801 Dreher Trail North, West Palm Beach, FL 33405
https://www.coxsciencecenter.org

For the remainder of the year we will be holding our meetings at the STEM Center. That building is on the North East corner of the general parking area. If you’re standing at the Cox Science Center looking out into the parking lot, it is straight ahead to your right. There are privacy walls and the construction is dynamic, so instructions cannot be specific, but the Cox Science Center has always made it easy.

Note: Our Saturday in the Park is the Saturday after our monthly meeting. May is our last Saturday in the Park until the cooler weather in the fall. In June we will host Field Day at the American Legion post 47 in Lake Worth again this year. Look for more information on that to follow.

Stay up to date with what we’re doing, local community events, and amateur radio related news and events in our Forums here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/