Welcome!

Welcome to the web site of the Amateur Radio Association of Southwest Florida (ARASWF). This site is best viewed at a monitor resolution of 1024 x 768 ppi.  Our club call is K4YHB. We are an affiliate Special Service Club with the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and we serve the local community of Naples and Collier County, Florida. We're in grid EL96.

We'd like to say Goodbye to our seasonal members who are returning to their homes up north. We hope to see you all again in the Fall. In the meantime, please stay in touch. And remember, you might be able to join our Wednesday night Net using EchoLink from your home station - our node number is 47325.

Upcoming Events

This Upcoming Events section is revised as needed to inform you of events of interest. Dates and times of future events are accurate as of the most recent information available, and are always subject to change due to re-scheduling, conflicts, etc. Please be sure to verify dates and times before committing yourself - this usually can be done on the Wednesday night net. Please inform the Secretary of any other event that should be listed here.
 

May 27, 2008 - Membership Meeting
The next regular ARASWF membership will be held on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008, at 7:30 pm, at the Golden Gate Community Center - 4701 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples, FL.  Arrangements and schedules for Field Day are expected to be finalized at this meeting. Non-members are welcome.  The meeting will be preceded by a Board of Directors' meeting at 5:30pm at Mel's Diner,12035 Collier Blvd. (Rte.951), just North of Golden Gate Parkway. All ARASWF members are invited to attend.

Please note that there will be no regular membership meeting held in June because of Field Day.  The next regular membership meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 22nd, 2008.

June 28-29, 2008 - Field Day

RADIO INTERVIEW ABOUT AMATEUR RADIO IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Click HERE for a link to the audio of the WGCU Gulf Coast Live radio program about Amateur Radio in Southwest Florida, that occurred on September 5th, 2007, starring our own Peter Gaddy KK4PG, Jordan Mash WB2QLP and George Tomlinson N3ISH.

ECHOLINK
Echolink is active again. The primary 146.67 repeater has been repaired and retuned, and is back on the air enabled with Echolink.  Click the Echolinklink on the menu at the left to visit the Echolink page and review operating procedures. 

MEMBERS GALLERY
Check out the new Members Gallery by selecting the Photos link at the left, then selecting Members Gallery.  Here will be posted photos of members and their stations, together with whatever details the member submits. 

Be among the first on your block to have your photo and station details (or mobile station details) listed here.  Simply send photo and station information via email to the webmaster - click on the Webmaster link at the left.  Photos are best sent in .jpg format, but almost any format can be converted if necessary.

PHOTOS FROM PAST EVENTS
Also, visit the Photos page and click on any of the links there to view photos from past events, including Field Day 2007, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 1999, 1998, and other notable events that are worthy of archiving.

LOGO MERCHANDISE
A new page, Logo Merchandise, has been added to the link menu at the left.  Click there for more information about the array of merchandise that is available with the ARASWF logo, including T-shirts, jerseys, sweat shirts, hats, mugs, coasters, tote bags, pillows, aprons, mouse pads, stationery, buttons, magnets, bumper sticker, clock, license plate frame, Teddy Bear, and other items.

Attention All Amateurs

It's Official! Morse Code Requirement Ended Friday, February 23, 2007. That's when the current 5 WPM Morse code requirement officially disappeared from the Amateur Radio Service Part 97 rules. After that date, applicants for a General or Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio license no longer have to demonstrate proficiency in Morse code. They'll just have to pass the applicable written examination.  Deletion of the Morse requirement -- still a matter of controversy within the amateur community -- is a landmark in Amateur Radio history.

Next scheduled test date is being planned for May, 2008.
Start time is 9:30 am. Please click on the "VE Testing" link button at the left for details and directions to the test site. Members, non-members, and persons wanting to take a test to become licensed for the first time, or to upgrade their existing license, are all invited to attend - no reservations are necessary.
 

Net and Repeater Notes

The 146.670(-) club repeater K4YHB is on the air! - PL is 136.5

(Backup 2 meter repeaters are on 146.64(-) No PL,
and the EOC repeater on 147.03(+) - PL 136.5 )

Please join us every Wednesday night at 7:30 pm on the ARASWF Information Net on K4YHB, 146.670(-), PL 136.5. Members and non-members with or without traffic are welcome.

Echolink is also active. Identify with your callsign, then enter " * " before the node number to connect. Enter " # " to disconnect when your QSO is complete.

Our new 6 meter AM Net is active every Monday night at 7:30 PM on 50.400 MHz. - horizontal polarization. Everyone is welcome to check in with a vintage 6 meter AM radio or a modern solid state radio using AM mode.

Solar & Geomagnetic Conditions Solar X-rays:   Geomagnetic Field:   From n3kl.org

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