Come join the DARC for the Feb 2023 Lecture and Lab – In this lab you will solder/build an aviation band PLL Receiver Double Frequency Conversion Aviation Radio Aircraft Tower receive only radio kit – this kit will also receive FM broadcasts as well. The kit comes complete with a case. This will be a fun in-person event at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person Feb 25, 2023 start time is 10am central time. More details below
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Come join the DARC for October 2022 Lecture and Lab – you will build a vertical J-Pole Antenna for 146 and 455 MHz. Rollin Gary WA5RFG will be leading this build. This will be a fun in-person outdoor event at TW Richardson Grove Pavilion in Irving just off Interstate 635 and part of the Tech-Net in the park later that afternoon. Plan on attending in-person Oct 22, 2022 start time is 10am central time for the antenna build. Details below
Come join the DARC for September 2022 Lecture and Lab – you will build a CW (continuous wave) Morse code key kit – complete with a 3D-Printed CW key, and 3D-printed case. This will be a fun in-person event at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person September 24, 2022 start time is 10am central time. Details below
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The latest revision of the instruction sheet and information guide is now available. I’ve also added some information about on-line resources.
The August, 2022, Lecture and Lab will be held in-person at the Dallas Medical Center on Saturday, August 27th, at 10:00 am. We’ll have an antenna build and a presentation, too. The antenna we build will be a 137-MHz helicoidal loop antenna pair for receiving weather satellite images and aircraft radio voice transmissions. The presentation will discuss the best software tools for decoding satellite imagery for yourself. The antenna will be very easy to build, and the cost will be only $30.00. 20 kits will be available!
You’ll need to bring a soldering iron and some general hand tools such as a tape measure, a sharpie, and your favorite set of files. The club will provide the antenna parts, but not the receiver: you’ll want to have a device that can receive signals at about 137 MHz. Most ham radios can’t do that, so now’s the time to check on your scanner or even order an RTL-SDR dongle or one of its competitors like an Airspy or SDR-Play. You’ll also want an adapter from a PL-259 connector to whatever connector your receiver uses.
I hope to see you there!
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Come join the DARC for July 2022 Lecture and Lab – you will build a powerful ATMEAG328 M328 Transistor/Component Tester. This will be a fun in-person event at the Dallas Medical Center on the 3rd floor. Plan on attending in-person July 23, 2022 start time is 10am central time. Details below
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Join the DARC for Lecture and Lab Sat Sep 25, 2021 from 11am until 2/3pm Central Time virtually via Google Meet. (The virtual meeting ID/Link is always on the W5FC event calendar) During this lecture and Lab, we’ll be building an DIY FM Radio – it is a complete kit with all the parts and a case – runs on 5 volts via USB cable. Participants can purchase a kit by coming out to the Dallas Medical Center parking lot Sep 18, 2021 between 10:30am – 11:30am central. Cost of the kit is $20.00 – KF5ZBL will be there passing out the kits – we have a total of 15 available.
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Join the DARC for Lecture and Lab August 28th, 2021 from 11am until 2 pm Central Time virtually via Google Meet. (The virtual meeting ID/Link is always on the W5FC event calendar) You will get to build two easy kits: a 1:1 choke balun and a 49:1 impedance transformer. Both will be enclosed in waterproof PVC enclosures and neither kit will require precision soldering. The balun will be constructed to hang below the center of your dipole, and the transformer will be set up for use at one end of an end-fed half-wave antenna. To pick up your kit, you will need to come to the front parking lot of the Dallas Medical Center on August 21st, 2021 from 10:30 – 11:30 to pick up your kit from the Dallas Medical Center parking lot from Tony, NT5TM.
Continue readingField Day Logging Options
Join the DARC for Lecture and Lab May 22, 2021 from 11am until 2/3pm Central Time virtually via Google Meet. (The virtual meeting ID/Link is always on the W5FC event calendar) During this lecture and Lab, we’ll be helping all participants learn how to use the free QRUQSP.org Field Day logger. This is an online logging system designed for Field Day and Winter Field Day and all you need is an internet connection and any device with a web browser with access to the https://qruqsp.org site.
Continue readingDIY Custom Shack LED Lighting Controller
Join the DARC for Lecture and Lab April 24, 2021 from 11am until 2/3pm Central Time virtually via Google Meet. (The virtual meeting ID/Link is always on the W5FC event calendar) You will be assembling a 12 volt custom LED lighting controller for your HAM Shack based on the QuinLED board with a WiFi enable Wemos board programed with WLED. In this LnL you will solder and assemble a complete WiFi enabled LED controller – it even comes with a case and a length of LEDs. Like previous virtual LnL events, participants will need to come to the Dallas Medical Center Apr 17, 2021 from 10:30 – 11:30 to pick up their kits from the Dallas Medical Center parking lot from Bill KF5ZBL.
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Join the DARC for Lecture and Lab March 27, 2021 from 11am until 2pm virtually via Google Meet. This will be an Anderson Power Pole Workshop – This Workshop will give you a complete overview of Anderson Power Poles and how they are used in HAM Radio. Participants will have a choice of five different Power Pole accessory kits to purchase and build. Like previous virtual LnL events, participants will need to come to the Dallas Medical Center March 20, 2021 from 10:30 – 11:30 to pick up their kits from the Dallas Medical Center parking lot from Bill KF5ZBL.
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