Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society
Events
September 1, 2026
The Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society is an active radio club. We have many activities throughout the year related to a variety of ham radio interests.
Hams & Eggs
About 8:30 AM CT every Saturday morning, dedicated radio enthusiasts gather at our beloved Whataburger at PGBT and Old Denton for breakfast and camaraderie. All Hams or Want-to-Be-Hams are invited to drop by.
Next Regular Meeting
Thursday, September 10, 2026 • 7:00 PM CT
Rob Steenburgh, AD0IU, with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center will talk about the solar-terrestrial environment and how it affects communications as well as our everyday lives.
This will be a hybrid in-person/Zoom meeting. You will receive the invitation if you are subscribed to our Newsletter.
Radio Play Day
Radio Play Days are the third Saturday of the month.
Our next Play Day is Saturday, September 19, 2026. • 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
For New Hams: Programming Your HT
A lot of new hams first get on the air with a low-cost handie-talkie, such as a Baofeng UV-5R. But programming several memory channels from the keypad can be a challenge. During September 19 Play Day, Mike Brown, W5MDB, will show you how to program your HT using free CHIRP software. Mike will have a list of local repeaters for you to load into your radio. Here’s what to bring:
• Your radio
• Your laptop with CHIRP installed. https://chirpmyradio.com/projects/chirp/wiki/Home
• A cable to connect your rig to your computer. If you have a Baofeng, Amazon is your friend with this nifty FTDI chip-based serial cable for only $23: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HUB0ONK. There are many cables out there, but this one has been tested and it works.
If you have any questions, contact Mike treasurer@kb5a.org. Hope to see you there!
Amateur Testing
Saturday, September 19, 2026. • 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CT
Allan Batteiger, WB5QNG, will have an in-person test session. Allan continues remote testing on Tuesdays. Please visit https://wb5qng.org/ to learn how to sign up.
Upcoming events
ARRL Contest Calendar
ARRL Special Events
Route 66 On The Air
September 12–20, 2026
0001 Z September 12–2359 Z September 20
For complete information visit https://w6jbt.org/route-66-on-the-air/ or just tap the logo.
Texas QSO Party
September 19–20, 2026
1400 Z September 12–0200 Z September 20
For complete information visit https://www.txqp.net/ or just tap the logo.
Belton HamEXPO
October 2–3, 2026
For complete information visit https://tarc.org/hamexpo-schedule/ or just tap the logo.
Texoma Hamarama
October 24, 2026
For complete information visit https://hamarama.org/ or just tap the logo.
We provide these links as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society, Inc. of any of the products, services or opinions of the corporation or organization or individual. The Metrocrest Amateur Radio Society, Inc. bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.