Ham Radio Open House 2026

 

  What: Ham Radio Open House for World Amateur Radio Day 2026

Who: All amateur radio operators worldwide  

When: WARD is Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 0000 UTC until Sunday, April 19, 2026 at 0000 UTC but the Ham Radio Open House can be held any time in April, as works best for your local club.  

Where: A global event covering all regions of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU)  

Why: World Amateur Radio Day, held on April 18 each year, is celebrated worldwide by radio amateurs and their national associations which are organized as member-societies of the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU). It was on this day in 1925 that the IARU was formed in Paris. American Radio Relay League (ARRL) Co-Founder Hiram Percy Maxim was its first president.

Here is a link to a map where to find open houses on  that day... https://www.arrl.org/open-house

How:  

Get Ready for "Ham Radio Open House" for World Amateur Radio Day 2026

It’s the Year of the Club and the second annual ARRL Ham Radio Open House event in April offers a chance to show off your club’s hi-tech gear and skills to your community! ARRL is encouraging radio clubs and schools to help promote amateur radio science and technology by opening their stations to the public with an open house during the month of April. In addition, groups are encouraged to set up in public places or conduct outdoor activities, such as a Parks on the Air (POTA) activation or satellite contact. The event is built around World Amateur Radio Day on Saturday, April 18, but your open house may be scheduled at any point in the month.

Ham Radio Open House is intended to highlight the Amateur Radio Service for its development and practice of the latest radio communications and technology, and as a hands-on pathway into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields for the next generation. This is a chance to not only shape the conversation about modern ham radio but also to show how it serves as a steppingstone and testbed for many young people pursing STEM education and future high-tech careers. As ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, writes in his March QST editorial, “the notion of hams sitting in Grandpa’s basement listening to tube radios is quickly dispelled when visitors see a modern transceiver and computer being used to work the world!”

  Two side notes: Fox Hunt on Sunday April 19 starting at 5:30pm;

                   

             If you have some input for the upcoming Hamfest or would like to help out in some way, come to the meeting at Festival on University , up on the deck- back above where the flowers and deli are.. 

A note from the Club President ...

 

Greetings,

I hope you have plans to attend our club meeting this Thursday, April 9th.  Our Tech Talk will be on Fox Hunts presented at 6:30 by Sarah, AD9FA.  This will be a good way to get ready for the Fox Hunting "season" that kicks off with our first hunt on Sunday, April 19. 

Other highlights will include a progress report on the move of the 147.360 repeater to Champion.  The plan is to install the antenna and hardline on Monday, April 6 with the repeater to be activated later in the week.

Additional topics will be Hamfest planning and preparation for our Brat Barn fund raisers.  We'll also talk about Ham Crams and how these important training opportunities can continue to be a part of our club's offerings. 

A particularly interesting opportunity will be presented for those of you who would like to share your skills in helping a disabled Ham.  This Amateur has worked through both the Technician and General tests and would like to operate from the confines of his nursing home environment.  Dave, N8KQS will go over the details for us.

I want to thank Sam, W9SJR for chairing the March meeting while I was away. I participated via ZOOM and it looked to me like everything went very well.

Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions about our club.

See you Thursday...73,

Bill, KB3KYH

(302) 537-4755 

Club HamFest May 30th

 

Radio Happenings for the End of Winter 2026

 

                           

                           THE GREEN BAY MIKE & KEY CLUB

  If we did not know before, we now know what a Blizzard looks like.. New stories that start with "Back during the blizzard of '26 ... "  Actually, it helped provide the time to sit back and turn on the radio shack and work the Wisconsin QSO Party... 

    Did you get on and give it a try? I did .. had a hiccup to start .. for some reason the WI QSO Log did not want to open on my PC.. I knew it was one revision old... so I tried to upgrade it .. but that did not work because the original was before 2021 (at least that what popped up on the screen) It might not have been because was running windows 7  ??  After a bunch of  uninstalls and deletes and upgrade downloads, it finally works.. just in time...  

      I started out on 40 meters where the waterfall was full on my 7300... so as I started to pick the stations up, everything  smoothed out.. after two hours I could not find a new call sign to call.. But I did enjoy  the chat with our own AB9GK, Gene on 7258. He brings out the real enjoyment of operating the radio. It is not just an exchange of call signs and counties. He asks how you are doing , what are you operating with or where are you operating from..     Thanks for being out there Gene..  

    Well, I switched over to 20 meters where I did well last year.. .. but not this year.. had a lot of Oklahoma QSO parties and POTA stations.. well I should not say "a lot" ..  But I did enjoy the time on the radio even knowing I was not in the line for any awards... Sent in my report to the host Club.. Even if you did not have a big score, turn in your log,, together we can have a good count for our GBM&K Club;

    One event that I really enjoyed was one station said. "Wow there sure is a lot of Brown County stations calling in.. you must have a great club to get that many participating !!!.""  

     As we make plans for warmer days there are few coming up faster than we may think ... 

    March 21.. First day of Spring !! 

    March 30..  Possible transferring of the .360 Repeater .. off the air.. 

    March 31     Non paid members become in the arrears .. 

    April  19,      Fox Hunt  on the 147.120 repeater 

  Just so you know that the dues payment policy has changed slightly...You can pay for the coming year in Oct through March. If you are not paid up by then, the whole payment still is due. And you will be removed from the active list and email.  There is not a partial year payment.  If you make a payment between April 1st and September 30th, you will be paying for that year and not the following year... 

  There will be VE testing again at the Hamfest at the end of May.... IF you know of someone  that would like to have some help with passing the Tech Level of the License.. Our In House Professor of the Ham Cram will be holding another session prior to that .. More information coming and it would help if they read the instructions on what is needed to register for the Cram..... 

     Thanks to everyone for their patience of not  using the .120 repeater last Saturday while the ARES group held a Simulated Emergency Test other wise know as a S.E.T. ..The event went well.. IF you are interested in being a part of the ARES group. feel free to contact Bill Duveneck, KB3KYH .. 

      

      Just a reminder that the contest for making a Kit or a "home brew" project will conclude in August.. so there is time to begin one or the other ... For kits, just have to mention STEM projects and up pops a pile of places to get some..  for home brew, I went to electronic projects and got this website with Ideas..  https://www.etechnophiles.com/100-electronics-projects-ideas/  If you need resistors, I have a bunch but not variable type.. 

     Speaking of building projects, the club will have an antenna building event when it gets warmer.. We have a number of insulators for the ends of a wire dipole antenna as well as the center connection with the SO 239 already  in place.. you would just need the wire.. Wire is not as inexpensive as it used to be.. but even the small wire used as the "invisible dog fence" or galvanized chicken wire works ....But you need a few feet more for when you tune  the antenna( Just in case)  ...   stay tuned. . 

     Mike, thanks for the information about the Promotion of one of our Club members from Chief Engineer to General Manager/CEO of Voice of The Master Radio Network. ... Congratulations to Brett Gibson, KTØT

            Stay Radio Active ... 

                                       Ben Franklin said " Life's tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late" ...