Come join the DARC for the September 2026 Lecture and Lab – In this lecture and lab you will build mini DARC Flight Radar console. The build will take place at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person Septermber 26, 2026 start time is 10am central time. More details below.
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Update on 8/23/2026: only three kits are left! Please email me at nt5tm at w5fc dot org to order one. Kits will be available for pickup or purchase (with updated, illustrated instructions) at the September DARC meeting.
Last-minute update! A special backpacking version of this kit will be available for an extra $15.00.
The September, 2025 issue of QST helped to popularize the excellent “POTA Performer” antenna. With a telescoping whip and two elevated, resonant radials, the antenna covers 6 through 20 meters, and it doesn’t need a tuner once you’ve worked out the correct lengths for your whip. The QST version of the antenna suffered from one key problem: it could easily cost several hundred dollars to build! This version, designed by James Shugart, N5BKL, will cost $60.00 and is easy to put together. We’ll be building it from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Saturday, August 22nd, 2026 in the 3rd floor community room of the Dallas Medical Center–the same place our club meets. I’ll be updating this post with more details, including detailed construction instructions. Ten kits are reserved so far. Five are still up for grabs! If you’d like to sign up and reserve your kit, please fill out the sign up form!
Come join the DARC for the April 2026 Lecture and Lab – In this lecture and lab you will build multi-band 6-40 meter end fed antenna that is fast and easy to setup and deploy and will support 100W. The build will take place at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person April 25, 2026 start time is 10am central time. More details below.
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Come join the DARC for the March 28, 2026 Lecture and Lab. This lab will be a Radio In the Park Day. A Shine only event at a nearby POTA Park (Parks On the Air) in the Garland area just off the Geo Bush highway. Join the DARC on site at Spring Creek Forest Preserve Mar 28, 2026 start time is 11am more details below.
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Come join the DARC for the February 2026 Lecture and Lab – In this lecture and lab you will build a 12volt 34Ah LiFePo4 battery box complete with a 10amp charger, volt/amp meter, LED lights, 65W PD power/USB-C (this is enough to charge/power a MacBook Pro and more). The build will take place at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person Feb 28, 2026 start time is 10am central time. More details below.
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The DARC needs your help – please sign up below to help the DARC support the 2025 YMCA Turkey Trot. The “Trot” is Thanksgiving Day Nov 27, 2025 – more details on the event can be found here on this link. The race starts at 9am but the DARC will be there bright and early. To Volunteer please sign up using the form below. Additional details to follow. The DARC needs at least 28 volunteers – but the more the better.
Click “continue reading” to sign up to help at the trot. If you’d like to sign up for the Dallas Marathon as well, you can find the volunteer information and sign-up for that event here.
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The DARC Lecture and Lab for September 2025 has been RESCHEDULED! The event will take place on October 25th, 2025.
You can download the lab notes here and the original “cheap yagi” paper here.
Please join us for the October, 2025 Lecture and Lab. Tony Mendina, NT5TM, will introduce the famous “cheap yagi” series of antennas, and participants will built a 435-MHz yagi antenna suitable for AMSAT or fox-hunting use. Thanks to donations of valuable materials by Virginia, NV5F, and Rollin, WA5RFG, the kit cost will be only $10.00. Remember that you don’t need to be a DARC member to attend our event. We’ll meet up at our usual meeting location at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 25th. Please watch this post for more updates about tools and instructions.
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For April 2025 the DARC Lecture and Lab will be out at Custer Park in Richardson TX for a Radio in the park day. We will NOT be at the Dallas Medical Center. This is a SHINE ONLY event. Check back here for the latest updates and a go, no go status.
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The next DARC “Lecture and Lab” is set for Saturday, March 22, 2025 at 10am (central) In this lab series you will learn how to properly build coax cables and terminate them. In addition you will assemble a 50 Ohm 20W dummy load that you can use to test coax cables and coax runs to antennas.
Come join the DARC for the annual Winter Dinner Thursday Dec 5, 2024 6:30pm Central Time at Sonny Bryan’s Smoke House 1251 W Campbell Rd Suite 240, Richardson TX 75080.
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