Are you ready to join the world of amateur radio? NFARL is hosting a special “Ham Cram” session designed to take you from zero to licensed in a single day! Why Join the Ham Cram? Accelerated Learning: Spend 6 hours in a classroom environment where we teach you the answers to the FCC Technician pool. Immediate Testing: Take your VE exam right after the class while the information is fresh. Awesome Bonuses: If you pass the test, you’ll receive: A FREE 1-year NFARL Membership. A programmed Handheld Radio (HT) with “NFARL Metro Atlanta” channels already set up, if you’re under […]
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Building a Compact HF Go Box: G90 + XPA125B in an Apache 3800
Introduction: What Is a Go Box? A “go box” is a self-contained, portable radio station built into a protective case that can be grabbed and deployed at a moment’s notice. Whether you’re activating a park for POTA (Parks on the Air), setting up a Field Day station, or responding to an emergency communications event, a well-built go box means the difference between being on the air in minutes and spending that same time untangling cables on a picnic table. The challenge with any go box is the same: how do you pack a capable, full-featured HF station into something you […]
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🎙️ Fire Up the Rig — The Georgia QSO Party is Coming!
Contest season is heating up and N4TOL is here to get you ready! In this new club video, John Tramontanis breaks down everything you need to know about the Georgia QSO Party (April 11–12, 2026) — whether you’re a veteran contester or just getting your feet wet for the first time. John also walks us through the NFARL Challenge, our club’s own contest-within-a-contest where members compete across multiple categories for certificates and some well-earned bragging rights. Sign up ahead of time so your score gets tracked and you can spot familiar callsigns on the bands! The GQP is calling — […]
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📡 No Cell Towers? No Problem.
What if you could send text messages with zero cell service, no internet, and no infrastructure at all? In this new club video, Mike Cohen dives into Meshtastic — a license-free, off-grid radio texting system with a typical range of up to 50 miles. But here’s where it gets really interesting for us hams: when Meshtastic teams up with amateur radio, it becomes a serious emergency communications powerhouse — capable of carrying health & welfare messaging, disaster response traffic, and public service support well beyond the local area. If you’re into EmComm, mesh networking, or just love cutting-edge radio tech, […]
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The object of Field Day is to work as many stations as possible on the 160-, 80-, 40-, 20-, 15- and 10-meter HF bands, as well as all bands 50 MHz and above, and in doing so to learn to operate in abnormal situations in less than optimal conditions1. A premium is placed on developing skills to meet the challenges of emergency preparedness as well as to acquaint the general public with the capabilities of amateur radio. NFARL checked all the boxes again in 2025 during their annual Field Day event in June. Emergency power was used throughout, where messages were sent to others and hands-on training […]
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📻 Join Us for the 4th Annual Georgia State Parks on the Air
Fellow NFARL members — mark your calendars and dust off your portable rigs! We’re inviting you to participate in the 4th Annual Georgia State Parks on the Air — a fantastic opportunity to combine the great outdoors with the joy of ham radio. 🗓️ When 2026 Contest Period: Start: Saturday, April 18, 2026 @ 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) End: Sunday, April 19, 2026 @ 7:59 PM EDT (2359 UTC) (Operating hours are subject to individual park rules and schedules.) 🏕️ What Is It? Georgia State Parks on the Air is a statewide ham radio event with a simple but ambitious […]
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🎙️ March Meeting: Get Contest-Ready & Explore Meshtastic!
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: […]
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Join the NFARL Team for the Georgia QSO Party!
April 11-12, 2026 The Georgia QSO Party (GQP) is fast approaching, and NFARL members are gearing up for another exciting contest! Whether you’re a seasoned contester or new to radio competition, this is a great opportunity to get on the air, make contacts, and have fun with fellow club members. The NFARL Challenge As part of the Georgia QSO Party, we’re hosting the NFARL Challenge, a friendly club event that tracks member participation and recognizes achievements with certificates in various categories. By signing up in advance, you help us: Keep everyone informed about the Challenge’s progress Identify familiar calls on the air during […]
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Reconditioning the MFJ-260C Dummy Load — Tips from the Bench
While numerous articles on the internet cover cleaning the aluminum case of an MFJ dummy load to improve grounding, Ted K4MPM adds a few extra considerations from his recent reconditioning of an MFJ-260C. What He Found Going In At the outset, the MFJ’s load looked alarming on the Smith Chart — the trace resembled a fender washer, and the SWR was a wavy line spanning the HF bands. A DMM reading came in at approximately 70 ohms, well off spec. A Few Things to Watch For The covers are directional. In Ted’s case, particularly with the heat shield, one orientation […]
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[Updated] NFARL February Meeting – Exploring FreeDV
Are you interested in the future of digital voice on the amateur radio bands? Whether you are a long-time club member or someone brand new to the world of ham radio, we invite you to join the North Fulton Amateur Radio League (NFARL) for our upcoming monthly meeting. This is an open meeting—everyone is welcome to attend! Presented by: Roy, KQ4OYM While VHF/UHF digital modes like DMR and D-STAR are common, digital voice on HF has often been limited by proprietary technology. Enter FreeDV. Roy will take us through the story of FreeDV and its flagship mode, RADE (Radio Autoencoder). […]
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