Hey NFARL! 👋
Mark your calendars and charge your radios — our next club meeting is right around the corner, and we've got a fantastic lineup you won't want to miss!
📅 Date: Tuesday, March 17th, 2026
📍 Location: Preston Ridge Community Center 3655 Preston Ridge Road, Suite 100, Alpharetta, GA 30005
🚪 Doors Open: 7:00 PM
💻 Joining Virtually? Click here to join the video call
Whether you're joining us in the shack — er, the meeting room — or tuning in from home, all are welcome. Bring a friend, bring a newcomer, bring your enthusiasm!
🏆 Presentation #1: The Georgia QSO Party Presented by John Tramontanis, N4TOL
The Georgia QSO Party (April 11–12, 2026) is fast approaching, and John is going to get us fired up and ready to compete! Whether you're a seasoned contester or brand new to radio competition, the GQP is a phenomenal opportunity to get on the air, rack up contacts, and have a blast alongside your fellow club members.
John will also be walking us through the NFARL Challenge — our club's own friendly contest-within-a-contest that tracks member participation and hands out certificates across a variety of categories. Signing up in advance makes a real difference: it keeps everyone in the loop on the Challenge's progress, helps us spot familiar callsigns on the air, and ensures your scores get tallied for NFARL Challenge awards. Don't sit this one out!
📲 Presentation #2: Meshtastic and Ham Radio as a Team Presented by Mike Cohen, AD4MC
Ever heard of Meshtastic? If not, you're in for a treat. Meshtastic is a license-free, local radio texting system — think off-grid text messaging with a range typically under 50 miles. But here's where it gets really exciting for us hams: when Meshtastic users and licensed amateur radio operators work together, they can form a powerful team capable of providing emergency health and welfare communications well beyond the local area.
Mike will explore how these two technologies complement each other and what that means for emergency preparedness and public service. This is a timely and thought-provoking topic for anyone interested in emergency communications, mesh networking, or just cool radio tech!
This is shaping up to be one of our best meetings of the year. Two outstanding presentations, great company, and plenty of time to connect with fellow hams before and after.
See you there — 73! 🎙️
