WCARES Field Day 2026 is here

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WCARES 2026 Field Day News

Dates:  Saturday June 27 and Sunday June 28.
Location: 3000 BrightStone Pkwy, Franklin, TN 37064.

From the Field Day Team: 

Field Day is upon us and throughout the weekend you are invited to participate, observe and learn more about ham radio, and particularly field operations. This is also a friendly reminder that Field Day participation counts toward the requirements for WCARES membership. Visitors are encouraged and welcome to attend!

Field Day Venue
BrightStone, 3000 BrightStone Parkway, Franklin 

Activities will be beneath the (afternoon shaded) covered back porch spanning the rear of the building. Light snacks and water provided; should you be operating during meal hours we encourage you to bring your own food and drink. 

Field Day Friday Setup (June 26)
Beginning at 4.pm., our team will gather on site to deploy antennas, set up stations and get equipment tested and organized. This is a great opportunity to observe and learn new skills about various types of antennas. Volunteers are welcome to assist. There is no need to sign up, just come to the site. This will be an outdoor activity so stay hydrated and dress accordingly. 

Field Day Saturday (June 27)
Beginning at 1 p.m. the Field Day stations will operate on radios dedicated to SSB, CW, Digital and Satellite. Operations will cease at 11 p.m. That’s not all … also on Saturday: 

Get On The Air (GOTA) Station
Newly licensed hams, anyone wishing to become one (or are curious about the hobby), technician class hams thinking of upgrading or longtime hams out of practice can all take their turn at the GOTA station. Work at your own pace and have fun while being mentored by experienced hams. Youths are especially encouraged and welcome to participate. 

Kit Building Session
Our resident kit building guru, Randy Paulson, will host a session on how to make various DIY radio and related components. Participants already signed up will bring their unassembled kits to the session. If you have such a kit, bring it and join the fun. If not, this is another opportunity to learn more about a fun activity of the hobby. 

Field Day Sunday (June 28)
Radio operations will begin at 5 a.m. and conclude at 1 p.m. 

More information: 
WCARES VHF Talk-In frequency: 146.505 (simplex). Contact us on that frequency if you are near BrightStone. Or contact us on the WCARES repeater system. Hub frequency is 145.210 (PL 173.8/ – Shift). 

We will have 4 operating stations: SSB1, SSB2, CW and GOTA as well as the Kit Building session. Reach out to a station captain should you have last minute availability to fill one of the open time slots. 

Still got questions? Email the team:

(You can find their e-mail addresses in the Thursday, June 25th WCARES Notes e-mail)

Kit building: Randy Paulson (N4OPI).
SSB station captain: Jeff Standifer (WB5WAJ).
CW station captain: Cliff Batson (N4CCB).
GOTA station captain: Doug Miller (W4DML).
Field Day coordinators: 
Craig Lamb (N4BAX).
Trey Spain (KI4ZIN).

 

May 2026 Presentation – Solar Power for Ham Radio Operators

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In this video, Tim Kreth (AD4CJ) talks about calculating the power requirements for ham radio stations in the field. He discusses the different types of solar panels and charge controllers. He shows voltage curves for lead-acid vs. lithium phosphate batteries.

This is an excellent video for any ham who wants to power their station with a battery charged by solar panels.

Recorded at the WCARES monthly meeting in May, 2026.

Apr. 2026 Presentation – 3D Printing for Ham Radio

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David Rogers (W4DER) gives a brief history of 3D printing and then shows the myriad ways it can be used for ham radio and beyond. Recorded at the WCARES monthly meeting in April of 2026.

Mar. 2026 Presentation – Radio and the Sinking of the Titanic

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Chris Brown (K4MGY) has long been interested in understanding the radios used on board the R.M.S. Titanic, which sank off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada, on April 12, 1912. You’ve heard the story, you likely saw the movie, and you might even have seen the musical (yes there is a musical about the RMS Titanic and it’s quite good). But you have likely not heard the backstory of the radios on board that famous ship. This video captures Chris’s presentation on the Radios Onboard the R.M.S. Titanic in use on the tragic day of its sinking.

Recorded at the WCARES Monthly Meeting in March 2026.

WCARES Field Day 2026

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Dates: Saturday June 27 and Sunday June 28.
Location: 3000 BrightStone Pkwy, Franklin, TN 37064.

SIGN UP TO WORK A STATION:
(Contact the station captain below if you want to work a station – you will find their contact information in the May 26 WCARES Notes e-mail. You can also Contact us if you are not on the WCARES Notes e-mail list and would like to be added.)

KIT BUILD EXCERCISE During Field Day.
June 27th from 1-3pm

Due to popular demand and success of our last kit building exercise, we’ve decided to do it again! This time we will be holding the session as part of Field Day on June 27th from 1-3pm and beyond, if interested parties are still hanging around. You supply the kit, your tools, and a lawn chair to sit on, and we’ll supply the table, shade, electricity, and support and encouragement. We’ll have some extra tools just in case. You can find a list of kits here: Kit Sources
But don’t limit yourself to my list. There are plenty available through other sources.

You can bring any kit or project you wish, as long as it involves electrons and soldering. Order soon though, as we are only 5 weeks out and some of these come from Turkey.

Contact: Randy Paulson – his contact information is in the May 26 WCARES Notes e-mail.

Feb. 2026 Presentation (Zoom) – Porthcurno Telegraph Station & Museum

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Ted Edwards (W3TB) visited the Porthcurno Telegraph Station & Museum and gave this presentation during the February 2026 WCARES monthly meeting.

Due to the EOC activation and ongoing issues from the recent ice storm, our meeting was held virtually via Zoom.
You can find more information about the PK Porthcurno Museum at this link: https://pkporthcurno.com/ .

January 2026 Presentation – How to Use an ICOM 7600 (WCARES Field Day tutorial)

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This video was shown at the WCARES January monthly meeting. It was put together as a teaching tool for those working SSB using an Icom IC-7600 at WCARES Field Days.

January 2026 Presentation – Update on WCARES Discord

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Would you like to easily learn about our WCARES DISCORD Channel? The Discord server has been nicely enhanced and organized for greater application to the WCARES group and beyond. At the January 18th WCARES Meeting, Ryan KN4VKW and Blake KN4VKY Pearson give us an update on DISCORD and all it can do for you.

WCARES Monthly Meet will be ZOOM-only for Feb. 14

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Due to on-going storm recovery, the Public Safety Center EOC is still in partial activation (3). As such, the room will NOT be available for the WCARES Monthly meeting on Saturday Feb 14 so the meeting will be conducted over ZOOM. Details will be sent out this week in Discord and e-mail.

WCARES Monthly Meeting – ZOOM only – Feb. change

Severe Weather Awareness Day 2026 / SWAD2026

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Saturday, February 21, 2026
Details, schedule, parking and registration information for SWAD 2026 can be found here:

https://www.weather.gov/ohx/swad

From NWS Nashville:

Severe Weather Awareness Day (SWAD) is a FREE event open to weather enthusiats of all ages!

Hosted by NWS Nashville and Trevecca University, this event encourages weather safety and preparedness as we head into the peak severe weather season.

Meet your favorite Nashville TV meteorologists!

Special guest speakers and presentations are scheduled during the afternoon!

While all ages are welcome to attend, younger children may enjoy the morning activities over the afternoon presentation. So come early!

Location:

Trevecca Nazarene University
Boone Business Center
333 Murfreesboro Road
Nashville, TN 37210