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/

April 25th – Open House & Florida QSO Party

Posted on By Michael M
Activities, Announcements

This month our Saturday in the Park coincides with the Florida QSO Party, so for the hat-trick we are doing an Open House and Picnic on Saturday, April 25th, starting at 10:00 a.m.

This is where we get together for laughs and fun, while we play radio. Come join us!

Set-up starts at 10:00 a.m. and will wrap up by 2:00.

Directions can be found here – Saturday in The Park & Directions – WPBARG Forums

As always, everyone is invited… members, non-members, participants and observers, come one, come all!

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/

We Will Be Testing Saturday, April 4

Posted on By Michael M
Testing

Now is the opportunity to sit for your technician or upgrade your current license. We are excited to announce there is no longer any cost to to sit for the exam. We will be absorbing all costs incurred in administering the FCC Radio Exams.

We are accredited to administer all elements of the FCC Amateur Radio exams, and we do so every OTHER month, on the first Saturday of the month, at the Cox Science Center in West Palm Beach.

Testing begins at 10:00 a.m. Below are links on what to bring Saturday with an FAQ.

Candidates must have an FRN number before sitting for the exam. See here – https://larc-vec.org/frn.php

More information on the exam is here – https://larc-vec.org/faq.php

While walk-ins are welcome, you can register here – https://exam.tools/reg/693f8b4947eb4c852ddd50fd

Any questions, register and post on our forms here – Click here

Saturday in the Park – March 28

Posted on By Michael M
Activities

Do you have portable gear? Bring it! It’s a Run What You Brung, Saturday in the Park! Don’t have any portable gear? No problem… we share! Come on out, have some fun, and maybe get some ideas if you’re thinking of building your own go box, or share your ideas with others who may be considering building theirs.

This is where we get together for laughs and fun, while we play radio. Come join us!

Set-up starts at 10:00 a.m. and usually wraps up by 2:00. Some folks like to get there a little earlier.

Directions can be found here – Saturday in The Park & Directions – WPBARG Forums

As always, everyone is invited… members, non-members, participants and observers, come one, come all!

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/

Saturday in the Park – February 28

Posted on By Michael M
Events

Do you have portable gear? Bring it! It’s a Run What You Brung, Saturday in the Park! Don’t have any portable gear? No problem… we share! Come on out, have some fun, and maybe get some ideas if you’re thinking of building your own go box, or share your ideas with others who may be considering building theirs.

This is where we get together for laughs and fun, while we play radio. Come join us!

Set-up starts at 10:00 a.m. and usually wraps up by 2:00. Some folks like to get there a little earlier.

Directions can be found here – Saturday in The Park & Directions – WPBARG Forums

As always, everyone is invited… members, non-members, participants and observers, come one, come all!

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/

We Will Be Testing Saturday, February 7

Posted on By Michael M
Announcements, Testing

Now is the opportunity to sit for your technician or upgrade your current license. We are excited to announce there is no longer any cost to to sit for the exam. We will be absorbing all costs incurred in administering the FCC Radio Exams.

We are accredited to administer all elements of the FCC Amateur Radio exams, and we do so every OTHER month, on the first Saturday of the month, at the Cox Science Center in West Palm Beach.

Testing begins at 10:00 a.m. Below are links on what to bring Saturday with an FAQ.

Candidates must have an FRN number before sitting for the exam. See here – https://larc-vec.org/frn.php

More information on the exam is here – https://larc-vec.org/faq.php

While walk-ins are welcome, you can register here – https://exam.tools/reg/693f8b4947eb4c852ddd50fd

Any questions, register and post on our forms here – Click here

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/

Winter Field Day 2026 – January 24-25

Posted on By Michael M
Activities, Events

South Florida is the best location for Winter Field Day!

Winter Field Day is quickly approaching. Our Winter Field Day last year was a huge success and this is going to be an outstanding event!  In addition to a gazebo, we have tents, tables, chairs, generators, lighting, all the necessary radio equipment, and an amazing location. Additionally, we will have personnel supplies, including a motorhome for operators to rest and nap! We have secured Phipps Park from the city of West Palm Beach. The location is outstanding and beautiful!

Never been to a Field Day or not familiar with it? Don’t worry! This is a great time to get started and we will help you with that. Don’t have your license yet? No problem! In addition to our operators’ radios, which we share, we have a station set up for first timers. With supervision – which we provide – you will be able to work the radio. One of our operators will be right next to you, assisting you with making contacts with others hundreds and even thousands of miles away. 

We work with today’s youth, so if you have an interest in STEM, you don’t want to miss this event. If you’re a minor, you will need to have a parent or guardian with you. 

As with everything we do, it’s SFL… Safety, Fun, Learn. 

We will be open to the public beginning Saturday at noon, and we will wrap things up Sunday around 2:00 p.m.

Phipps Park – 4715 S Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33405

If you’re a member of WPBARG, click here – https://wpbarg.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1110

Note: As announced back in November, due to construction, our monthly meeting for January has moved to Thursday, January 29th, 7:00 pm in the STEM Center at the Cox Science Center. This change is for January 2026 only.