1. POTA event for Nov. 25th. All are welcome to come, From around 10 am to 3 pm or whenever people are done. The event is scheduled for Resaca De La Palma State Park, POTA park K-3052.
This will be an opportunity to see real live POTA activation in the wild. You can just come and ask questions or sit down and make a few contacts or a lot of contacts. Bring your own equipment and set up a station or use one of the stations that are already set up.
There should be a few seasoned POTA folks there who would be happy to answer any question that you may have or to assist you in getting started. For those who don’t have HF privileges yet, we are planning on using the club call sign, K5RGV, if not we can use our own callsign.
If you would like to bring your own HF station, that would be great. The park has a $4 per person fee. Just park in the parking lot, go in and pay at the visitors center, and come on over towards the observatory where we will be set up. The park staff are friendly, I will give them a heads up when I get there. If you tell them you are there to play radio they will happily point you in the right direction.
Even though the park has picnic tables, we suggest bringing your own chairs so you will be more comfortable while learning and making contacts on POTA.
2. Winter Field Day is scheduled for January 27 and 28, 2024.
From the Winter Field Day Website. "Winter Field Day is a communications exercise. WFD is held on the last full weekend in January. WFD can be worked from the comfort of your home or in a remote location. You can participate by yourself or get your friends, family, or whole club involved. Winter Field Day is open to participants worldwide. Amateur radio operators may use frequencies on the HF, VHF, or UHF bands and are free to use any mode that can faithfully transmit the required exchange intact. Similar to the ARRL’s Field Day, bonus points are earned in several ways, including using non-commercial power sources, operating from remote locations, satellite contacts, and more."
3. The Rio Amateur Radio Club (Rio ARC) Hamfest has been tentatively set for February 24, 2024. The Hamfest will be located in Sunshine RV Resort at 1900 Grace Avenue, Harlingen, Texas. We hope to see you there. More information will be provided soon.