August Outing – Sat 08/24/2019

We have a long history of our monthly outings. Never know who or how many will show up, but we always enjoy the variety and get a lot of the world’s problems solved over breakfast. Come out and join us in the fun! Saturday August 24, 2019 is the date!

We start with breakfast at 0730 local time at the Cracker Barrel, Sanford, FL just off the I-4 / SR46 exit. This is where deep conversation, bragging and show n tell of new gadgets is the theme. It is a good way to start the day. Around 0900 you’ll find us setting up gear a Picnic Area A at Sylvan Lake Park. If that area has been reserved, we’ll either be at Area B or C, but 95% of the time we don’t have a problem staying at our normal site. Watch for soccer families and walkers as you enter the park please.

Let us hear your stories of the Flight of the Bumblebee contest and if you got out on Sunday 8/18 for the Skeeter Hunt (197 registered ops so far) we’d love to hear how things went!

While propagation has been not the best, we still manage to make contacts on CW and a few digital signals get out. Walt is normally doing DSB or SSB check-ins to his favorite nets so QRP still works.

See ya’ in the park!

72, Kelly K4UPG for the Central FL QRP Group

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Radio Outing – Saturday 27 July 2019

Yes it is HOT and the bands may or may not be great! But we always have a good time playing radio outdoors! So prepare for the wx and bring some water along to stay hydrated and stick to the shade where the heat is not as bad.

We’ll meet for breakfast at 0730 ET at Cracker Barrel in Sanford, FL. This gives us a chance to solve world problems and brag on our latest radio adventures. We also tell tall tales of the good ole days of ham band dx.

By 0900 we should be at Sylvan Lake Park setting up our gear in the shade. Look for us in Picnic Area A. Sometimes it is reserved and if so check Area B and C and watch for our license tags and antennas.

This is a good time to practice for the Flight of the Bumblebees QRP contest which is Sunday afternoon 7/28/19.  Next month is another favorite contest for the QRP gang, the Skeeter Hunt. These are two of the biggest QRP contests of the year and it is a good place to make some contacts and meet new QRP ops.

Despite the shift to avoid conflict with the ARRL Field Day last month, we had a pretty good turnout in June. Bands were fair to middling and we all had a good breakfast and made a few QSO’s to prove it can still be done with QRP gear. See ya in the park…

72, Kelly K4UPG

for the Central Florida QRP Group

NOTE DATE CHANGE! CFL QRP Outing Sat 29 Jun 2019

Due to annual ARRL Field Day falling on our normal meeting day, we will meet on Saturday 29 June 2019!

Please take note of this change and support your local club in its Field Day efforts!

If you are an OT Op like many of us, you have fond memories of your first Field Day portable operation. If my memory is correct, mine was as a new novice in 1963 or 64 in Windfall, IN. I had a great time with the big guys learning to speed log and copy code at faster speeds than I was used to hearing. Once home, I kept hearing CW in my head for the next few days. What a blast! That brought together my love of the outdoors and ham radio in a way that I still enjoy.

If you enjoy being in the outdoors and playing radio, we welcome you to join the fun! We normally meet on the 4th Saturday of the month with the exception of June. Here is our routine…

• 0730 ET we meet at the Cracker Barrel in Sanford, FL for show n tell and breakfast.
• 0900 ET we should be setting up our rigs at Sylvan Lake Park and Picnic Area A which is lakeside, tall trees, deer, birds of all kinds, pavilions and rest room facilities.
• 1200 ET depending on band conditions and weather we’re headed home for lunch, naps and honey-do projects

We have a great mix of regular attendees:

• EE’s EET’s and tech wanna-be’s that know how to build from scratch or fix your ailing gear – they’ll be sure to tell ya what you need to know
• Antenna experimenters who are trying to find the best way to make QRP contacts despite propagation challenges
• Hang ’em high or NVIS setups
• Quick up or takes 5 of us to get things to work

You just never know who or what is going to happen, but it is always fun and we learn something each time we gather. Time’s awastin’

72,

Kelly K4UPG for the Central FL QRP Group

No dues, officers, membership or rules – just fun!