The Best Amateur Radio Club in Florida

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PARC @ the Okaloosa County FL Hurricane EXPO!

What in the preparation for Hurricane Season is going on?! PARC teamed up with Okaloosa County at the County Administration Building in Shalimar Florida to convey our mission as partners in the Community!

We introduced ourselves and described where we where, what we can do, and how the communication process within Amateur Radio can directly aide to other network signal degradation or complete loss. PARC was in force with portable set ups all on battery power and showcased how easy it is to get a license and better protect your life, loved ones, and property. We talked with many and were even interviewed not only by the County, bur also by a YouTube Channel. That channel is https://www.youtube.com/@TajCam/videos ! Before you blindly click on that link, please understand he covers more categories than Ham or Hurricane Preparedness. We do not have an estimate as to when the video will be posted.

Overall, a great time was had and if you missed this event, you missed a really good one. Stay Tuned with PARC and watch the Club Calendar for more upcoming events and great times at the Playground Amateur Radio Club!

   

May the 4th be with you!

Star Wars fan?! Ham Radio fan?! Stop by the Playground Amateur Radio Club Sunday at 300pm and saber your way into the Pile-Up!

 

Pile-Ups at the Playground Amateur Radio Club are an informal meeting each week which allow for collaboration on projects, working DX, ragchewing, Club Planning, and so much more!

 

17 First St SE Fort Walton Beach Florida

May 3 2025 Okaloosa County Hurricane EXPO!

FREE – FREE>>>Come on out on May 3, 2025 for some freebies and hurricane preparedness info!! (10 a.m.-1 p.m.) 1250 N Eglin Pkwy. See who will be there👇

Speakers:

Jason Beaman (National Weather Service)

Patrick Maddox (Public Safety)

Laura Bair (FPL)

Ryan Prince (Okaloosa EM)

Maj. Kevin Kirkpatrick (OCSO)

Chris Hiestand (Okaloosa Gas)

Mike Hackett (Okaloosa W&S)

 

Food trucks:

DollSnackz Food Truck

Oh So Juicy

 

Booths:

◼ Keep Okaloosa Beautiful – (FREE high-end tote bags for the first 100 attendees)

◼Ocean City Wright Fire Control District

◼ Stormwater demonstration from Okaloosa stormwater division

◼ Florida Fish & Wilflife Conservation Commisssion ( FWC)

◼ Playground Area Amateur Radio Club

◼ North Okaloosa CERT

◼ Destin-Fort Walton Beach Natural Resources Team

◼ C Side Roofing

◼ Okaloosa County Human Resources

◼ Extension Services

◼ Library Co-op

◼ Verizon Wireless

◼ OWMRC and Lean on Me

◼ Stormwater demonstration from Okaloosa Stormwater Division

🌀 FREE – This free event is open to the public and will feature complimentary 2025 Hurricane Guides, various vendors, food trucks, public safety discussions with first responders and interactive displays related to storms and preparedness. The first 100 participants will receive free premium branded tote bags sponsored by Keep Okaloosa Beautiful containing surprise “party” items.

Go kits & Portable Ops & Gear Oh My!

Tech night last night at the Playground Amateur Radio Club was designed by Hams, for Hams! @everyone who made it out had wonderful ideas and deployment kits ready to display! Share your knowledge and expertise! You never know who you’ll inspire and what ideas you’ll exchange in the future development of Amateur Radio!

Testing Announcement!

Are you or anyone you know looking for an opportunity to obtain or upgrade your Amateur Radio Liscense?

Seek no more and register for the upcoming exam session on May 10th at the Playground Amateur Radio Club!

Go to https://w4zbb.org/exams/ for all of the information you need!

What’s Cooler than Cool?!

What’s cooler than cool? Geeking out over vintage Ham Radio Gear that’s what! Today Bryan, KB0MEE (great call sign) brought in an Instructograph! A What? An Instructograph! The Instructograph is a paper tape-based machine used for the study of Morse code. Talk about awesome! These vintage assets are still in circulation and while some are not in operational condition, this one was! And we got to play with it, inspect it and use it! The Sunday Pile-Ups at the Playground Amateur Radio Club continue to never disappoint and bring in things that you normally do not see or get to experience!

Following the time we spent drooling over cool stuff, we helped Bryan program one of his radios, teaching him how to do it, and teaching him how to operate it! While Bryan is not new to Ham, he asked for assistance with his new to him radio and wanted a hands on approach! If you are in the Fort Walton Beach area [or even nearby] (don’t be afraid to travel to us either) you are more than welcome at the Playground Amateur Radio Club and take part in this exceptionally awesome pastime! We would love to see your projects or collectible pieces and share your story. We might even posit on our website, social media or make a tech night out of the experience!

Florida QSO Party & Live Radio Demo!

What in the Ham Radio?! We went out to Valparaiso Florida for thier Heritage Museum event and interacted with the public while demonstrating Amateur Radio to all of the public! While there we made multiple contacts for the log over many different set ups! From portable gear to micro transmitters to satellites to aprs and WIRES-X, we surely had a ton of interest and enjoyed showing off! We even talked to Ukraine, Switzerland, France, Texas, and more!

 

We even had a GOTA station and had multiple people get on the air from all ages of 7 to 86! The Playground Amateur Radio Club thanks the city of Valparaiso and all that stopped by including all members that came out to support this local community communications event!

 

The Fox was Found!!

KQ4YXY was the first to find the Fox!! Joins us at noon today the 19th of April for a Bbq!!

World Amateur Radio Day!

World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president. A major theme for 2025 is celebrating 100 years of IARU.

 

WARD is Friday, April 18, 2025, at 0000 UTC until Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 0000 UTC

 

This Event page will be updated as we have more details, and we hope to see you and your friends and family down at the Clubhouse!

 

17 First St SE Fwb Fl

 

*ANNOUNCEMENT *

 

FOX HUNT!!!

 

There will be a foxhunt at 10am Saturday April 19th! Following the foxhunt at noon, there will be a BBQ at the Playground Amateur Radio Club Clubhouse! Successful hunters will receive a ticket for free lunch and 1 free entry into the Split-the-pot 50/50 raffle!

 

Here’s what you need to know:

 

Start @10am

Fort Walton Beach area

Open to the public, bring a friend!

BBQ @12pm at 17 First St SE FWB

Plates are $5 for burgers, brats or dogs, chips and a drink

 

50/50 Split-the-pot $2/ticket

Fox frequency 145.300

 

WARD Open House operations will continue until 7pm, come join the fun!

World Amateur Radio Day! 18 – 19 April 2025 @ PARC Clubhouse

World Amateur Radio Day is coming to PARC with an open house!

2025 World Amateur Radio Day is April 18/19

17 First St SE, Fort Walton Beach Florida 32548

Open from 1900 Fri 18 April to 1900 Sat 19 Apr 2025

What: Ham Radio Open House for World Amateur Radio Day 2025

Who: All amateur radio operators worldwide

When: WARD is Friday, April 18, 2025, at 0000 UTC until Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 0000 UTC but the Ham Radio Open House can be held any time in April, as works best for your local club.

Where: A global event covering all regions of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)

Why: World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president. A major theme for 2025 is celebrating 100 years of IARU.

How: 

Get Ready for “Ham Radio Open House” for World Amateur Radio Day 2025

To help promote amateur radio science and technology, and to honor the 100th anniversary of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), ARRL is inviting radio clubs and schools to organize a Ham Radio Open House in April, centered around World Amateur Radio Day on April 18, 2025. The event is intended to highlight the Amateur Radio Service for its development and practice of the latest radio communications and technology, and as a hands-on pathway into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for the next generation. In April 2025, amateur radio clubs, school stations, and other groups will have the opportunity to advance public knowledge about ham radio by welcoming their communities into their stations for the Ham Radio Open House, around World Amateur Radio Day. The focus will be on scientific advancement and demonstrating cutting-edge technology. This is a chance to not only shape the conversation about modern ham radio but also to show how it serves as a steppingstone and testbed for many young people pursing future STEM education and high-tech careers.

One Million Acts of Science

ARRL has teamed up with HamSCI — Ham Radio Science Citizen Investigation — and the science community organization SciStarter to invite the public to participate in One Million Acts of Science during April, which is Citizen Science Month. By hosting a Ham Radio Open House at your group’s station in April, you’ll introduce individuals who might never otherwise find out about today’s amateur radio where science and technology intersect with fun and learning. Clubs are encouraged to showcase the latest weak-signal modes, such as FT8 using WSJT-X or other digital modes. This could be a great opportunity to explore new areas of amateur radio and demonstrate how the service is at the cutting edge of electrical engineering.

HamSCI and SciStarter Collaborations

HamSCI (hamsci.org) has built a community by connecting radio amateurs and citizen scientists in ionospheric research. The Solar Eclipse QSO Parties held during the 2023 annular eclipse and the 2024 total solar eclipse provided significant data for researchers studying the ionosphere’s response to the eclipses, wrapped into fun operating events.   SciStarter is working to engage people from all walks of life in one million acts of science during Citizen Science Month in April (scistarter.org/citizensciencemonth), to promote public participation in scientific research. ARRL’s Ham Radio Open House provides a unique opportunity to help achieve that goal.

Imagine your open house visitors seeing a Software-Defined Radio (SDR) waterfall display and then hearing what the signal they see on the screen sounds like—that’s an act of science! Taking it a step further, let them take a Standing Wave Ratio (SWR) measurement of an antenna, modify it slightly, and take another reading. They’ve just gathered data, made a physical change, and measured the impact of their modifications. Not only is that an additional act of science, but it’s also a great way to engage people in hands-on learning about ham radio. With this kind of involvement, visitors will be more likely to return for a club meeting or participate in future events. Clubs will be asked to track those acts of science and submit a report to ARRL detailing the number of acts and the total number of visitors.

Amateur radio experimenters were the first to discover that the short-wave spectrum could support long-distance radio signal propagation. In the rush to use these shorter wavelengths, amateur radio was “in grave danger of being pushed aside,” the IARU’s history has noted. Amateur Radio pioneers met in Paris in 1925 and created the IARU to promote the interests of amateur radio worldwide and to protect and enhance its spectrum privileges. Today, the IARU is a federation consisting of more than 160 national amateur radio organizations in as many countries and separate territories. The International Secretariat of the IARU is ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® in the United States.

On World Amateur Radio Day, all radio amateurs are invited to take to the airwaves to enjoy our global friendship with other amateurs, and to show our skills and capabilities to the public.

World Amateur Radio Day is not a contest but rather an opportunity to “talk” about the value of amateur radio to the public and our fellow amateur colleagues. It is also a great opportunity to talk about your radio club and amateur radio in local media as a lead-up to ARRL Field Day (held each year during the fourth full weekend in June) and another ham radio related activity in your community – such as volunteers who serve in local emergency communication readiness including the ARRL Amateur Radio Emergency Service®.

Here are just a few ways to participate in, and promote, World Amateur Radio Day:

  • Get a station on the air! Create your own personal “event” to talk about amateur radio to others, including family and friends.
  • Find out more about World Amateur Radio Day by checking the IARU website and other Resources listed below.
  • Create and hold a special net or on-air event on World Amateur Radio Day to raise the level of attention for the celebration, and to encourage other hams to talk about our hobby. Consider creating and offering a commemorative certificate for contacting your special activation. It can be an electronic one as these are cost effective.
  • Get the word out! If you are an ARRL Public Information Coordinator, Public Information Officer, or responsible for radio club publicity, send a press release and conduct some public relations outreach to highlight the day and/or events. Talk about all of the activities radio amateurs have continued to support during the pandemic, and how amateur radio serves our communities. Find recent examples of amateur radio in-the-news at www.arrl.org/media-hits.
  • Promote your personal World Amateur Radio Day activity(ies) on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook by using the hashtag #WorldAmateurRadioDay. Make sure you send it to various clubs, reflectors, and media.

Join us in celebrating World Amateur Radio Day and all the ways amateur radio brings us together!

 

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