PARC | Ham Radio

The Best Amateur Radio Club in Florida

Category: Technical Page 1 of 4

DX the World, Inspiring Others!

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On February 8, 2026

In Announcement, Community, Events, Excitement!, Pile-Up, Super Bowl, Technical

What a great gathering today at the Playground Amateur Radio Club! The Pile-Up was wonderful and had many visitors! The Super Bowl and DX Watch Party was great! The Sunday Night Nets were wonderful! In all, we had visitors from multiple areas with Hams and Non-Hams alike joining in and visiting us! Thank you to all who made this another successful event and thank you to the DX contacts all over the globe!

Coming this week the parking lot will finally be getting repaved! This is a wonderful thing that has been in need for a long time! Be sure to catch the ball and make your first down with the Playground Amateur Radio Club by following our Calendar for your next touchdown!

PARC GOES dIGiTaL!

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On February 6, 2026

In Announcement, Events, Excitement!, Meetings!, Technical

PARC Goes Digital! Great Tech Night at the Playground Amateur Radio Club Technical Night! Mark NC4MR took the reins and taught us a thing or two about digital modes in ham radio. Starting with a great presentation followed up with some time at Station 2 to demonstrate using WSJT-X and GridTracker on FT8.

 

Thanks, Mark for the great presentation and the work you have put into making PARC a digital powerhouse.

 

Thanks to everyone who showed up

 

73, KQ4ATC

Ready to unlock a world of voices from across the globe? 

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On February 1, 2026

In Announcement, Community, Excitement!, Meetings!, Pile-Up, Technical

📻✨

Amateur radio isn’t just a hobby—it’s a passport to connecting with fellow enthusiasts from every corner of the planet, all without needing the internet! Whether you’re chatting with someone across town or bouncing signals off the atmosphere to reach another continent, every conversation is an adventure.

What makes ham radio so incredible? You’re part of a community that values skill-building, emergency preparedness, and the pure joy of making contact. From learning Morse code to experimenting with digital modes, there’s always something new to explore. Plus, when disasters strike and modern communication fails, amateur radio operators become lifelines for their communities.

Getting started is easier than you think! Study for your license, grab a starter radio, and suddenly you’re part of a global network of operators who share your passion. The thrill of making your first contact, hearing that voice crackle through the static, and exchanging call signs—it never gets old.

Whether you’re interested in contesting, satellite communication, or just making new friends worldwide, amateur radio offers endless possibilities. It’s technology, community, and adventure all rolled into one. 🌍⚡

Ready to get on the air? The frequencies are waiting!

#AmateurRadio #HamRadio #RadioHobby

 

KC5RFU 10 Meter Ranking!

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On December 28, 2025

In Announcement, Community, Excitement!, Technical

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!

Did you Gobble?!

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On November 30, 2025

In Announcement, Community, Events, Excitement!, Technical

Howdy!

We hope you all have had a wonderful Thanks giving and are preparing for Christmas and New Years! Next Year we embark on the ARRL Year of the Club! This will be an exciting time to go forth and promote YOUR organizations, Clubs, activities, and more! Be sure to take part of all of it and recruit people to join out wonderful hobby!

Coming to You on Thursday Dec 4th at the PARC Clubhouse, 17 First St SE Fort Walton Beach Florida we are having a hands on Tech Night with Station 1 introductions and future plans! Be sure to attend and we will see you at 730 pm CDT Thursday Night!

 

 

Test Fit and Operation of the PARC Fan Diploe

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On November 23, 2025

In Announcement, Community, Excitement!, Field Day, Pile-Up, Technical

At the Pile-Up, we here at PARC pulled out the Fan Dipole to test and tune it. As well, we are coming up with a permanent deployment plan to install it on our tower! This will aide us in standing up Station 3 for Winter Field Day at the Playground Amateur Radio Clubhouse! More to come on this project!

By the way, we DX’d Paraguay with ease!

Video

 

 

Class has Begun!

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On October 29, 2025

In Announcement, Events, Excitement!, Technical

Class has begun at the Playground Amateur Radio Club! This is occurring in person and online! For details go to w4zbb.org.

PILE-UP ACTION!

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On October 12, 2025

In Announcement, Community, Pile-Up, Technical

Cleaning the Clubhouse, organizing items, testing antennas, updating firmware, playing with WIRES-X, enjoying each other’s company, reflecting on the NOARC Hamfest, and oh, so, much, more!

It’s hard to be a cameraman and get multiple things done at once! If you have not been at a PILE-UP, you, are definitely missing out! Out of town and returning members, all ages, and the same goal in mind! The Playground Amateur Radio Club is certainly having a wonderful time! If you are so inclined, check our club calendar and you will see that this Thursday we have a meeting! Come on out and see us, join in, and partake in this wonderful journey of Amateur Radio!

FREE Amateur Radio Technician Course!

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On October 5, 2025

In Announcement, Classes, Community, Events, Technical, Testing

⚠️ 📢 🚨 ⚠️ Interested in learning about Ham Radio and getting your license to operate with other operators all around the world?

 

Playground Amateur Radio Club is hosting a FREE (yes, I said FREE) Technician Licensing course beginning Wednesday, October 29, 2025 @ 1830 local!

 

Classes will be held on Wednesday evenings until the first testing session of 2026 on January 10th.

 

This course is “come as you are, where you are” in that all students of all levels of knowledge are welcome to join! Information will be available on www.w4zbb.org, Facebook, Instagram and, as always, you can email instructors at parcfwb@gmail.com

APRS Tech Night was ON the Beacon!

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On October 3, 2025

In Announcement, Events, Technical

PARC Tech Night! was awesome! APRS was taught by KQ4NWD Rob, and he smashed it! Ok, not literally, but what a great presentation and way to encourage more operators and communication enthusiasts to explore more operating capabilities in the area!

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