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Argh Matey….Get yourselves ready for the Florida QSO Party…

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 02/26/2025

Before you think I have completely gone around the bend, this year’s Florida QSO Party has special event stations to spell out the word P-I-R-A-T-E-S. Stations around the state will be signing special 1×1 callsigns where the single letter suffix spells out PIRATES.

The Florida QSO Party is both Saturday April 26th and Sunday April 27. It favors the daytime hours so you can still get your sleep. On Saturday, the contest starts at Noon local time and goes until 10:00 PM. Sunday morning we pick back … Click for more

After Holiday Party – February 2025

By Bruce Solov on 04/11/2025

The St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club held their annual After Holiday Party for 2025 on February 23, 2025, at Kristina’s Cafe in St. Petersburg.

There was a great turnout and great food, and a good time was had by all.

Here are the phots of the day’s festivities.

(photos by: Bruce, K2BHS)

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Parks-on-the-Air Trip to St. Marys, Georgia

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 04/03/2025

Sunrise over the southeastern Georgia coast [Photo by NY4I]

Just beyond the Florida-Georgia border, exit 1 off I-95 ushers you into a world that feels distinctly different. As you leave the bustling traffic of Jacksonville behind, time seems to slow in St. Marys, Georgia. The first landmark to greet you is the sail of a mock Polaris submarine, seemingly surfacing from the parking lot of the Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. From March 26th to March 30th, several members of local radio clubs made their way to … Click for more

SPARC Members at the Orlando HamCation

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 02/22/2025

At the Orlando Hamcation on February 8th, SPARC members joined other hams from the Tampa Bay area to their annual pilgrimage to the Central Florida Fairgrounds. Hamcation never disappoints with its balance of swap areas, commercial vendors and seeing good friends.

Some SPARC members seen were:

Dave KR4U
Carol AB4YI
Lou KB4DSL
Fred W2SUB
Tom NY4I
Olev N4OHI
Ron W4RFA
Ryan AF4O
Alex KO4CEE

My apologies if I missed anyone.

We renewed our tradition of the Noon picture but this time since we have so many members that are also … Click for more

New SPARC Board Member

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 02/19/2025

Please join me in welcoming Dan “Nic” Nichols KZ0J to the SPARC board. Nic was nominated and elected at the February meeting for the spot vacated by Tom W4CU. You can email Nic directly at boardmember3@sparc-club.org.

As you may know, SPARC is a board-run organization per our bylaws. We rely upon the board to steer the business of the club. Please join me in wishing Nic much success.

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Winter Field Day 2025 Follow-up Report

By Tom Schaefer NY4I on 02/10/2025

Participating Clubs’ Banners [Photo by K2BHS]

On January 25th & 26th, 2025, local ham radio clubs participated in the annual Winter Field Day event in Clearwater, Florida. The day started out as planned with people gathering at 8:00 AM–some even earlier–at the Clearwater Fire Training Center for Winter Field Day 2025. This was a joint effort between the Clearwater Amateur Radio Society, the St. Petersburg Amateur Radio Club and the Upper Pinellas Amateur Radio Club. This was the first time SPARC had been back in a few years … Click for more