One of the great things about having a Club Site is the versatility it gives us for club events. One of the things that we do is to get together and build stuff. Below, you will see some of our more recent group builds.

2024 Antenna Builds

We have successfully completed three antenna groups builds and our final group build of the year is scheduled for November. We extend our gratitude to everyone for their support and involvement in these group builds.

November 9th, 2024

Hi PCARS members!

Would you like to expand your skillset? Well, on November 9th, we are hosting another group build session.

This one will cover basic soldering/desoldering techniques. No, I’m not going to demonstrate hot air rework stations, but rather the basic soldering techniques we’re all most likely to run into in our Ham Radio lives.
From cleaning & tinning the tip to practicing proper soldering techniques and working with circuit boards, you’ll learn how to handle a soldering iron.
Besides learning a new skill, you’ll come away from the morning with a fun project that you’ve built. For this session, we’ll be building a Two-tone European style siren. This will be just the thing to annoy the loved ones in your life!

Are you or your kids studying for the BSA Electronics Merit badge? Knowing how to solder/desolder is a part of the requirements.

When – November 9th, 2024 @ 9am -12 noon
Where – PCARS World HQ
Why – To
1) Have fun
2) Build something to amuse/annoy friends & family
3) Expand your skill set
How much? $15.00 payable via Paypal

August 13th, 2024

DX Engineering single band Low Power Dipole Kit Antenna Build

We successfully put together and tested the DX Engineering single band Low Power Dipole Antenna. John Myers, WG8X, took the lead on this project. Participants had a great chance to practice their soldering and assembly skills.

June 8th, 2024

John Myers, WG8X, led the session on assembling a roll-up J-pole antenna. The building process took around 2-3 hours. Participants had the chance to work with tools and methods they were not familiar with. They got to use crimpers, heat guns, VNA, and even had the chance to install a BNC connector. We had an absolute blast! Thank you, guys, for taking time out of your busy schedules to join us at PCARS and have a great time

April 27th, 2024

Assembly of a 4:1 hybrid Ruthroff-type balun/choke antenna. The participation fee for this construction was $40, encompassing all expenses except for the antenna wire. The construction procedure lasted approximately 2-3 hours. Brandon, KE8ARB, the instructor, was exceptional, and it appears that the participants were somewhat ready for the challenge, as depicted in the pictures below. The individual responsible for leading this construction was Brandon Mercer, KE8ARB.

2023 Builds

September, 2023 Arduino Programming session

On Saturday September 30th, we held a build day focusing on the basics of Arduino. This build was not a programming course. It presented information on making small edits to Arduino programs like changing call signs and other simple parameters. Jim Wilson (AC8NT) also covered some other tools that could be very useful for beginners such as the wokwi.com online simulator, Fritzing (Fritzing.org), and Scratch (scratch.mit.edu).

	October, 2022 Power Pole Build
	In October, 2022, we held another group build. This one was for a Power Pole Distribution panel. It sounds like all had a great time.