It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Janet Cobb, beloved wife of our long-time member and club cornerstone, Bill Cobb (K4YJJ). Bill has been instrumental in NFARL’s growth, beautifully designing and managing our website through 2024, and capturing the spirit of our community for years through his event photography. A service of remembrance and thanksgiving for Jan will be held at 1:00 PM on Saturday, June 13th, 2026, at the Park Springs community in Stone Mountain. To read her full life story and leave your condolences for Bill and his family, please view Janet Cobb’s Obituary.
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Big News and Big Plans: Join us for the May Meeting!
This month is going to be a busy one! We’re kicking things off with an important vote to adopt our 2016 Bylaws. The Board has given their unanimous “thumbs up,” and we’re excited to share how these changes support our club’s long-term strategy. We’re also shifting gears into Field Day 2026! NFARL is a force to be reckoned with in Class 3A (with five #1 finishes in the last ten years!), and Mike will be walking us through the game plan. We need you to volunteer and help us bring home another win. To wrap things up, John Tramontanis will […]
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Bridging the Licensing Gap: The NFARL Metro Atlanta Frequency Plan
For many aspiring hams, the “Ham Cram” is a rite of passage — a whirlwind day of study ending in a celebratory handshake and a shiny new Technician license. But at NFARL, we kept noticing a recurring problem: a newly minted ham would walk out the door with a license in their pocket and a silent, unprogrammed radio in their hand. That disconnect sparked an idea. The “Get On The Air” Initiative The Get On The Air (GOTA) initiative was born from a simple realization: licensing is the beginning, but connectivity is the goal. Our original mission was straightforward — […]
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NFARL’s 2026 Ham Cram: 88% Pass Rate and the Next Generation Is Already on the Air
The North Fulton Amateur Radio League just made history — and the future of this hobby looks very bright indeed. Our 2026 Ham Cram class has wrapped up, and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the results: an 88% pass rate on the first attempt. But the numbers only tell part of the story. How We Built Our Model When planning this event, we looked to proven results. The Georgia Tech Bootcamp, using materials from KB6NU (Dan Romanchik), achieved a remarkable 39 out of 40 students passing. We adopted the same approach, and it delivered. I taught the first two […]
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Important Notice: Vote on 2026 NFARL Bylaws – May 19, 2026
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Vote has been re-scheduled to the May 19th meeting Dear NFARL Members, As we move into 2026, our goal is to ensure the North Fulton Amateur Radio League remains a vibrant, efficient, and forward-looking organization. To support this, I am pleased to announce that after several months of diligent work, the Board of Directors has approved a proposed set of 2026 Bylaws to be put before the membership for a vote. Official Notice of Vote This email formally notifies you that I have called for a membership vote on proposed amendments to the NFARL Bylaws. Vote Details: […]
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🏆 Celebrating Excellence: 2025 NFARL Award Recipients 🏆
At our holiday party, we had the honor of recognizing two outstanding members whose contributions have made a tremendous impact on our club! Roy has transformed NFARL’s digital presence and capabilities through his visionary work and countless hours of dedication. His accomplishments include: Leading a complete redesign of our website to attract new members and enhance collaboration Implementing Google Workspace, achieving significant long-term cost savings Developing custom applications including our Event Registration system and HamJam Point of Sale software Designing our new audio-visual system and launching our YouTube channel Roy didn’t just build better technology—he created a unified, service-oriented digital […]
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🎄 NFARL Holiday Party 2025 – What a Night! 🎄
What an absolutely AMAZING evening! Our holiday celebration at the Roswell Brookwood Grille was a smashing success, with nearly 80 members, guests from the Southeastern DX Club, and friends and family filling their largest party room to capacity! The atmosphere was electric, the new venue was perfect, and the food? Outstanding! Everyone had such a fantastic time that we’ve already locked in December 19th, 2026 for next year’s celebration—that’s how good it was! Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate the season with great food, great company, and that special camaraderie that makes our amateur radio community so […]
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📣 Holiday Party Update: Final Menu, Extended Deadline! 70+ already registered🎉
Get ready, NFARL members! The 2025 NFARL Holiday Party is just around the corner, and we have some exciting updates to share that will make you want to reserve your spot right now! 📅 Registration Deadline Extended! Good news! We’ve extended the deadline to reserve your spot! The original deadline was Tuesday, December 9th, but the new cutoff date is Thursday, December 11th. Don’t wait—secure your ticket for a fantastic evening of great food, fellowship, and holiday cheer at the Brookwood Grill on Saturday, December 20th! 🍽 The Finalized Dinner Menu is Here! We’ve finalized the delicious, plated meal options, […]
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📻 Digitizing My Recycled Rescue Powered Speakers: A Tale of Cooked Components and Cool Efficiency!
Hello NFARL members! Lee, N4WYE, here. As many of you know, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of rescuing a piece of gear and getting it back into top shape. I recently had a little adventure with a pair of Monoprice Pro Audio Series Model 605300 powered speakers that I picked up. They’re excellent speakers, and they truly made my home computer setup sound professional, even making my Hermes Lite SDR transceiver sing. The Fryer, Not the Amplifier The only snag? One channel was completely inoperative. Since I’ve shed my bench full of test equipment over the years, I called […]
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Kittredge School Radio Club Builds FM Radios! 📻
The Kittredge Magnet School Radio Club is continuing its strong engagement in ham radio and STEM activities, following the successful antenna setup earlier this semester. The club’s momentum is growing, with a massive 47 students signed up this year! To meet this impressive demand and provide a new challenge, teacher Ms. Charamie DeMarco, W5FRM, has introduced a hands-on electronic project: building small FM radio kits! The first build session proved to be a huge hit. NFARL volunteers Lee Johnson (N4WYE) and Ted Macklin (K4MPM) assisted Ms. DeMarco and about 15 enthusiastic students. “Sooo rewarding! Lee (N4WYE) and I (K4MPM) showed […]
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