The Playground Amateur Radio Club had a great time with many visitors and operators! Be sure to catch us at the Pile-Up next Sunday!
Category: Excitement! Page 1 of 2
Winter Field Day at PARC! Has had an awesome start! There are more photos to come! Be sure to catch us again tomorrow for more Playground fun!
What a weekend!
Wow what fun at the Playground ARC Garage Sale and with @everyone Playground Amateur Radio Club Pile-Up! We topped it off with a great net! So much activity and great collaboration! Here’s a few pics! Sorry we weren’t shutter bugs but hey, sometimes you just gotta Ham It Up!
- Here is a listing of area Hamfests gathered by our good friend John, KI4HIE! Be sure to note your calendars!
Hamfests and Tailgate Calender 2026 (REVISED – 01-09-2026)
Blount County ARC Freeze Fest
Jan. 3, 2026 – Locust Fork High School,
77 School Road, (HWY 79), Locust Fork, Alabama 35079
Playground ARC Garage Sale – Noon to 5:00pm
Jan. 17, 2026 – 17 First Street SE, Ft. Walton Beach, Florida 32548
Jackson, Ms. Hamfest – ARRL Mississippi State Convention
Jan. 30-31, 2026 – 1200 Mississippi Street, Jackson, MS.39202
Orlando Hamcation – ARRL SE Division Convention
Feb. 13-15, 2026 – 4603 E. Colonial Drive, Orlando, Florida 32803
DeFuniak Springs Tailgate
Feb.21 – 8am until noon. Location is 312 College Ave. DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435.
Dalton Hamfest
Feb. 27-28, 2026 – North Georgia Fairgrounds, 500 Legion Drive, Dalton, Georgia 30719
Birmingham Hamfest – ARRL Alabama Section Convention
March 6-7, 2026 – Trussville Civic Center, 5381 Trussville-Clay Road, Trussville, Alabama 35173
Bud’s Tailgator
March 14, 2026 – Steele Creek Park, 368 Juniper Ave. Satsuma, Alabama 36572
Ft. Walton Beach Hamfest
March 20-21, 2026 – NWFL Fairgrounds – 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd. FWB, Florida 32548
Memphis Freefest (Delta ARC)
April 11, 2026 – Agricenter International, 7777 Walnut Grove Road, Memphis, Tennessee 38120
Mobile ARC W4AIX Hamfest
April 18, 2026 – 8:00am to 2:00pm – Mobile Fairgrounds,
1035 Cody Road N. Mobile, Alabama 36601
Wiregrass ARC Spring Tailgate
April 25, 2026 – Park Street, Headland, Alabama 36345
Knoxville Hamfest – ARRL Tennessee State Convention
June 13, 2026 – Wallace Memorial Baptist Church, 701 Merchant Drive, Knoxville, Tennessee 37912
Shreveport-Bossier Hamfest – ARRL Delta Division Convention
August 7-8, 2026 – State Fairgrounds of Louisiana, Agricultural Building,
3206 Pershing Blvd., Shreveport, Louisiana 71101
Huntsville Hamfest – ARRL National Convention
August 22-23, 2026 – Von Braun Civic Center – South Hall
700 Monroe Street SW, Huntsville, Alabama 35801
Shelby Hamfest – ARRL North Carolina State Convention
September 4-5, 2026 – Cleveland County Fairgrounds,
1751 E. Marion Street, Shelby, North Carolina, 28152
Bud’s Fall Tailgator
September 26, 2026 – Steele Creek Park,
368 Juniper Ave. Satsuma, Alabama 36572
Crestview Hamfest
October 9-10, 2026 – Crestview Community Center,
1446 Commerce Drive, Crestview, Florida 32536
Deep South ARC Hamfest (Mobile)
October 17, 2026 – Mobile Fairgrounds,
1035 Cody Road N. Mobile, Alabama 36601
Headland Fall Tailgate
October 24, 2026 – Park Street, Headland, Alabama 36345
Montgomery Hamfest
November 14, 2026 – Alcazar Shrine Temple
555 East Blvd. Montgomery, Alabama 36117
Playground ARC Swampfest / Tailgate
November 21, 2026 – 665 Denton Blvd. NW, Ft Walton Beach, Florida 32548
What a great day at the Playground Amateur Radio Club! We had a lot of activities going on at once and we even had multiple guests!
We are in the middle of getting ready for our Business Meeting on Thursday and the Playground Yard Sale on Saturday! Be sure to read up on the news posts for it and plan on attending Saturday Jan 17 from Noon to Five! Get that ham radio piece, component, radio, or gadget that you have been looking for!
While installing some coax, PARC members found a blast from the past under some spray insulation! This is not the first time cool things have been found up there and wow what an awesome pull! This sign will be restored! Look for it at the March Hamfest! For details about it, click the Hamfest Tab!
Paul, KC5RFU got a surprise score in the ARRL 10 Meter Contest! His entry category was Single Operator, Low Power Phone only. He operated roughly 28 of the 48 hours of the contest. He was ranked #9 for the US Call Area 4, #5 for the Southeastern Division, and #2 for NFL Northern Florida Section. Instead of utilizing his crank-up tower and yagi antenna, Paul opted for the limited antennas overlay, meaning he used a homebrew Ladder Line J Pole antenna for 10 Meters mounted on a fiberglass mast in his front yard for the duration of the contest! The antenna is based on a design by N1LO. Radio used was a Yaesu FT-710 Field.
Great job Paul!
Thank you to all who attended the Holiday Party!
We sure had a wonderful time and hope to see all of you again soon! There will be more pictures after gathering them form other members and sharing them!
The Playground Amateur Radio Club is proud to announce this years winner for Ham of The Year! Traditionally awarded at the famed Holiday Party, The winner this year will be traveling for the holidays. So we made the decision to award and present at the Business Meeting!
Meet Zach, KR4FWK!
Zach recently joined the Playground Amateur Radio Club and ever since, he, just like many others, keyed the mic from the start! Zach is an avid experimenter in communications! He consistently strives to improve his station and share his experiences with others! Zach also participates in multiple Club functions and leads by example often teaching his lessons to other new operators and those interested in amateur radio! Zach also has been a regular on a multitude of frequencies, answering the call while testing out his experiments for other operators to advise on signal reports and offering insight on what to do to improve communications capabilities in the area! If you are at the Playground, on the repeaters, on the air or even an event, be sure to congratulate Zach on his achievement!
Zach’s selection was as a result of polling in the club and recording the votes. This year a large thank you goes out to Rey, KM4DYA for his contribution to transform a Eimac Tube into a desk lamp! Thank you Rey for taking an idea, and making it a reality setting the standard to be followed for years to come!
Honorable mentions that were close in the running this year include (in no particular order):
KQ4FRB, KQ4ATC, AA0EU, NC4MR, KK4SSM, and KQ4YXY.
In Beautiful Downtown Fort Walton Beach Florida there is a long standing tradition of putting on a Spring Amateur Radio Hamfest! Through the years the team at the Playground Amateur Radio Club has brought Amateur Radio Operators and Communication Enthusiasts from all walks of life together to participate in one of the Southeast’s best shows!
Coming in 2026 with dates tentatively set for the third weekend in March on the 20th (Friday) and the 21st (Saturday), the Playground Amateur Radio Club, Inc. of Fort Walton Beach invites YOU to the Rigdon Center (formerly the Northwest Florida Fairgrounds) at 1958 Lewis Turner Blvd, Fort Walton beach Florida for its 56th consecutive and annual tradeshow!
As we embark upon this journey together, watch this page for more information concerning prices for tables, admission fees, reservation instructions, prize notifications, and more! This hobby is great because YOU choose to be involved! We function as a team to proudly give back to the community and extend our handshake in welcoming you to the 56th Playground Amateur Radio Club Hamfest!
Admission: $10.00
Scouts in Uniform: Free
12 and Under: Free
Over 85: Free
Tables: $15.00 each
Location:
1958 Lewis Turner Blvd Fort Walton beach Florida
Dates: Friday March 20 & Saturday March 21, 2026
Friday Show Information: March 20 Set Up 8 AM – 2 PM
Friday March 20 Pre-Show: Open 3 PM to 5 PM – No Raffle
Saturday Show Information: Saturday March 21 Set Up 6 AM – 8 AM
Saturday Full Show! 8 AM to 1 PM
Amateur Radio Testing at 900 AM March 21, 2026. Must Pre-Register@ PARCFWB@gmail.com
Prizes To Be Announced!
Door Prizes During the Day – Must be present
Main Prizes – Need not be present to win!
Main Prize drawings at: 3rd Place: 1200 PM, 2nd Place: 1230 PM, Main Prize: 100 PM
RV Camping on site available but no services (No Water, No Power) as the area is being refurbished.