The final countdown is at hand for the 2019 Irving Hamfest—click here for the latest, updated flyer. Sign up to help by using the “contact us” form here on the site. The hamfest will be taking place one week from today—March 2nd, 2019—from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Betcha Bingo hall in Irving. Help with set-up, take-down, and security will be needed.

There are also a few contests this weekend. There are QSO parties in both North and South Carolina, as well as the CQ WW 160-meter SSB Contest, for folks with big ambitions on the top band.

If you have time to get on the air and catch a rare one, Antarctic Activity Week runs through Sunday. I missed out on hearing about this event when it started, but I’ll be doing my best this weekend.

Our next club meeting, on Tuesday, March 5th, will focus on the most popular of all radio antennas, the dipole. Jim Eatman, KG5WAW, will discuss the electrical characteristics of dipoles and how to use them effectively.

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