Welcome To The Richardson Wireless Klub

We promote Amateur (Ham) Radio to the public in Richardson TX and the surrounding North Texas area as a useful, life-long hobby. We also serve the Richardson TX community by providing self-supporting special event, severe weather and emergency communication networks and capabilities.

Our club is comprised of over 350 amateur radio operators in Richardson, North Dallas, the surrounding communities, around Texas and even out of state, with a wide range of radio and technology skills and interests. We provide our members with many opportunities to increase knowledge and enjoyment of amateur radio through fun, fellowship and unique learning experiences. Our members include hams ranging from teenagers to radio pioneers in their 80s! The Richardson Wireless Klub has been an ARRL affiliated club since 1957 and is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

• RWK May 31 2025 High-Altitude Balloon Launch Wrap-Up
  by Chip Coker KD4C
  June 2, 2025
  By Chip Coker KD4C The Richardson Area Balloonatics successfully launched (and mostly successfully recovered) another High-Altitude Balloon (HAB) on May 31 2025. Launch location was Gainesville TX and the landing/recovery location was Celeste TX (about 9 miles north of Farmersville TX). Highest Altitude was 120,042 Feet – an new RWK record (around 22 miles high, or one third of the way to space)! We had around 60 people at the launch site, including at least 20 RWK members and several UTD students (some from their AIAA group) and a number of DCARA members. We even had a pilot ham (Greg…
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Latest RWK General Meeting Announcement & Recording

• General Meeting – June 2025 – Field Day/DFW Ham Expo/Balloon Launch Results + Remote Radio Operating

  Please join RWK on Monday June 9th for our General Meeting. 

  Well June is a busy month for ham radio, and we’ve been doing our part at RWK.  We’re just off the DFW Ham Expo. We’ve had another successful High-Altitude Balloon Launch and we’re working our way to Field Day at the end of the month, and we’ll talk about all of those at the meeting.  Plus Josh N4NZ will tell us some ways that he has to work his radios remotely.  I know we covered on-line options like Remote Ham Radio a couple of years ago, but this is not that.  You can operate your own radios remotely with just a bit of work!

  In-person VE Testing begins at 5:30 and the RWK Social Hour begins at 6pm.  Please enjoy coffee and cookies and chat with other members!  If you have radio questions, please be sure and stop by our Radio Operating position – we’ll try to show you some new things and help you get answers.  At 7pm we will begin our main program. 

  As usual, the meeting will be In-Person and the main program will be simulcast on Zoom for those that do not want to attend in-person.  We will also have a recording available on the K5RWK.org website after the meeting is over.

  Please wear your RWK Nametag!  We have lots of members and everyone needs a little help in matching callsigns to smiling faces.  If you can’t find (or don’t have) your RWK nametag, we will have blank paper nametags and you can order a replacement for a nominal charge.  I’d like everyone to introduce themselves to at least two members that they haven’t previously met face-to-face!

  Meeting Location: St. Barnabas Church, 1220 West Belt Line Road, Richardson TX 75080.  Park in the rear parking lot and enter from the rear.  Click this for the map.

  We look forward to seeing you on Monday!

  – – – – – – – – – –

  If you can’t come in person and want to attend on Zoom, you can use the following link:

  Topic: RWK Social Hour/General Meeting Zoom invitation

  Time: RWK Main Program starts at 7:00 PM

  Join Zoom Meeting

  https://zoom.us/j/94737740567?pwd=QllKd1Ava0lma3FtbDVwdDZKVGlMUT09

  Meeting ID: 947 3774 0567
  Passcode: 081381

• General Meeting – May 2025 – Double Inverted Delta All-Band HF Vertical

  Please join RWK on Monday May 12th for our General Meeting. 

  It’s antenna month (the few weeks a year that we all have to check and put up HF antennas, before the sweltering heat of the Texas summer sets in), so we thought we would show you an alternative to the traditional backyard dipole and end-fed half wave antennas. Something that might be suitable for people with small backyards or that might be concerned about nosy HOA police. Our old friend John Portune W6NBC has an inverted delta loop that fits the bill. To hear him tell it: “A small footprint wire vertical that will compete with a small beam on a tower, but it far less visible to the neighbors. It has low angle radiation, BUT is horizontally polarized for lower noise than other verticals. And also unlike other verticals, it has horizontal gain.” How does it work and how do you build it? Well I guess you’ll just have to show up to find out!

  [recording coming soon]

  Presentation Slides

For all previous RWK Meetings, see the General Meetings page.

Check out the Presentation Archives. There are tons of presentations from Klub meetings over the years. Scan through them and you will be sure to find something interesting.

RWK Newsletter – The Chawed Rag

The RWK publishes a monthly on-line newsletter, “The Chawed Rag“, for members and others interested in the Klub’s activities.

• 
  The Chawed Rag – April 2024
  by Chip Coker KD4C
  April 30, 2024
  Here’s The Chawed Rag for April 2024. We’ve got a huge solar storm, what’s to become of MFJ, more on the hackable Quansheng UV-K5(8) HT, RWK Newest Hangout, Tracking the Skies Overhead, an update from W5RLP, the usual upcoming events and news and so much more. Hope you enjoy! – KD4C
• 
  The Chawed Rag – March 2024
  by Chip Coker KD4C
  March 28, 2024
  Here’s The Chawed Rag for March 2024. We’ve got a potential Baofeng killer, FCC changes, upcoming hamfests, rebuilding the K5UTD antennas, spring antenna maintenance, the usual upcoming events and news and so much more. Hope you enjoy! – KD4C

Previous Chawed Rags can always be found here.