The Richardson Wireless Klub > General Meetings

General Meetings

RWK General meetings occur on the second Monday each month at the St. Barnabas Presbyterian Church in Richardson (and simulcast on Zoom for those unable to attend in person). The meeting officially starts at 7:00pm but we have a social hour and mentoring round table ready to go by 6:00pm. Info for upcoming meetings as well as recordings of past meetings are available below.

  • General Meeting – June 2022 – Shack Fire & Rebirth:  Building the Ideal Modern Shack

    This program graphically tells the story of a massive shack fire at W7UUU back in October 2020.  While the structure was saved, all of the contents were destroyed, including almost 50 years of collecting and restoring vintage as well as modern amateur radio gear.  We then cover the complete rebuilding, with many practical and creative ideas that can be implemented in almost any shack.  Along the way I cover several very important safety lessons learned, and how viewers can avoid the mistakes I made that led to my own disaster.

    Click the image to watch the meeting recording

  • General Meeting – May 2022 – SDR applications: Ways to use the RF “Swiss Army Knife”

    SDR applications: Ways to use the RF “Swiss Army Knife” – Jack Spitznagel KD4IZ

    It is common knowledge that SDR devices make interesting and economical receivers and transceivers, but what else are they really good for? I will describe several of the many alternative uses for the spectrum scope and waterfall diagrams that are provided by SDR software. You will find these uses will help you to better understand what a poorly configured transmitter, the ionosphere, and QRM can do to signal quality and readability. Hopefully these bonus uses will help make you a better operator.

    [recording]

  • General Meeting – April 2022 – Slot Antennas for Ham Radio

    This month we have John Portune W6NBC presenting on “Slot Antennas for Ham Radio”.  You may not have heard of a “slot” antenna, but you’ve probably seen one (hint: a cubical quad is a type of slot antenna)!  Come learn about this unique antenna type and learn how it can help you get around your HOA restrictions on 2 meters, or how to have the best of both worlds (low noise and small footprint) on HF.  

    Click the image to watch the recording

    View the April Meeting Recording

    You can check out John’s website to see copies of the QST articles on all the antennas that he discusses in his presentation.

  • General Meeting – March 2022 – Linux for the Ham Radio Operator

    Greetings RWK!

    Many of us use computers as part of our stations and many are an integral part of the newer digital communications modes.  Linux-based computers are an attractive alternative to the traditional windows-based desktops, and can do most if not more than windows computers for ham radio usage.

    Click the image to play the recorded meeting

    View the March Meeting Recording

  • General Meeting – February 2022 – How to Learn and Have Fun with Morse Code

    This month we have Howard Bernstein WB2UZE and Jim Crites W6JIM from the Long Island CW Club with “How to learn and have fun with Morse Code”. There has been a growing interest in CW from some of the club’s new members. If you’re a non-CW licensee, you’ll see how knowing and using CW can add another interesting aspect to ham radio. If you’re an old fart experienced CW licensee, hopefully you will get excited that there will be a new crop of hams that are interested in keeping the tradition alive. After the February Meeting, we will kick off the weekly LICW sessions and local RWK practice sessions, followed by some QSO Nights.

    This will be the start of an organized program for the RWK members that want to learn CW. We’re going to partner with the Long Island CW Club (LICW) – they have a long history of knowing the best way to teach CW and hundreds of successful students – on learning the code. Then we’re going to have RWK practice sessions and “QSO nights” on the air to let the new CW students practice on the air in a low pressure, non-threatening environment. Hopefully, by summer we should have a new crop of CW ops to free up the FT-8 airways enjoy the uncrowded CW sub-bands!

    For more details on how our RWK program is going to work (and to register with the LICW), please go to our special page on the RWK Website: https://www.k5rwk.org/learn-cw/

    Click the image to play the recorded meeting

    View the February Meeting Recording

  • General Meeting – January 2022 – A DIY Battery for Ham Radio

    This month our own (and outgoing DARC President) Bill Brady KF5ZBL will give us a charge (the battery puns just write themselves) when he talks about battery technology and shows some DIY batteries that you can easily assemble yourself to make a storage pack that is suitable for portable operation or emergency preparedness. We hope you’re not shocked (see, like I said…)!

    Click to view the December Meeting Recording

    View the December Meeting Recording

    Here is Bill’s presentation which contains his links to resources.

Our Meeting Location

St. Barnabas Church
1220 West Belt Line Road
Richardson TX 75080

Meeting is in the church’s assembly room (Providence Hall). Park in the rear parking lot and enter from the rear.

Click this LINK for the map. 

Beau’s Korner Mentoring

Before the meetings (usually starting shortly after 6:00), we have informal sessions where you can pose questions to seasoned operators or “Elmers” who have plenty of experience and expertise in amateur radio equipment and on-the-air operations. Feel free to come by early and ask questions, or be an Elmer for somebody else.

Upcoming Events

Past Meetings

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