September 2026
President’s Corner
Hello, Club Members!
What’s new:
- Congratulations to Brandon KJ5ROS and Robert KJ5ROP for obtaining their Technician FCC license.
- Want to specially thank Destiny our club secretary for changes to the website. We now have the Monthly Meeting Minutes posted on the website. We are working to have a Presentation page so you can check out and download presentations for your review.
- We have POTA Saturday this Saturday. Location for this Saturday is Cleburne State Park from 8am to 11am. Do not need to bring anything except your desire to learn HF and POTA.
Upcoming Events:
Monthly Club Meeting
Date: October 10, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Johnson County Emergency Operations Center.
Agenda Highlights:
- Discussing Christmas Dinner options for 2026. Craig and his wife has offered their home and smoker for the event on December 16th. Details to come.
- What to do next? Maybe getting together at a local park with a potluck and desserts?
- Belton Hamfest October 2nd and 3rd.
- Autumn Fest in Cleburne on October 31st.
- JCARC Fox Hunt on November 7th, check out our events page for details.
Learn to POTA
Date: September 19, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Location: Cleburne State Park
Details: Every 3rd Saturday, Ed (KJ5JQD) sets up his POTA antenna and transceiver and helps people get into the growing event. Come out and just chat or use his equipment to learn what POTA is and the excitement of hunting other parks. He starts at 8am and ends sometime around 11am.
I have my license, now what?
Date: September 19, 2026
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Johnson County Emergency Operations Center.
Details: This get together is to bring newly licensed HAMs with experienced HAMs to help you guide the way and answer your questions about the hobby. We will have some equipment to show and a lot of experience to get you started and help you with your ideas. Amateur radio has so many paths to take and we want to help you with your path, least provide some information or even guide you to other HAMs which can help you.
JCARC Fox Hunt
Date: October 10, 2026
Time: 7:00 PM
Location: Somewhere in Johnson County, Texas
Details: JCARC will be hosting another Fox Hunt in Johnson County on Saturday, November 7, 2026. See the events page on the website for more details.
Technical Corner:
Vertical amateur radio antennas are widely used because they offer an efficient omnidirectional radiation pattern, making them well suited for general-purpose HF, VHF, and UHF communication. A typical vertical antenna consists of a radiating element mounted perpendicular to the ground, often operating as a quarter-wave radiator against a ground plane or radial system. On HF bands, ground-mounted verticals usually require multiple buried or elevated radials to reduce ground losses and improve radiation efficiency. Their low-angle radiation pattern is advantageous for long-distance DX communication, especially on lower HF bands, because more energy is launched close to the horizon. However, vertical antennas can be more susceptible to local electrical noise than horizontally polarized antennas, and their performance depends heavily on installation quality, grounding, feed-point matching, and nearby conductive objects. Proper use of impedance matching networks, common-mode chokes, and lightning protection can significantly improve reliability and overall station performance.
Get Involved!
Our club is always growing, and this means we have opportunities for new Hams to learn through doing. If you are a new Ham, I urge you to be active in our club. Being active provides several benefits:
- Provides opportunities to learn new technologies and work with equipment you may not be ready to purchase.
- Great way to build community and networking. Opens doors to meet people in the hobby who may offer to help you.
- Often find many other club members working on similar projects and willing to assist you, radio and non-radio related.
- Opportunity for you to give back to the club as they provide information and knowledge to you.
If you are interested in helping with the planning and initiating of the fun, let me know at k5yiv@w5jcr.com.
- Club Photographer: Help us capture the fun at meetings and events!
- Event Organizers and Assistants. Looking to being involved in more events. Assist with organizing! It is fun and you learn too.
Stay Connected:
For more info and to join our mailing list, check out www.w5jcr.com. And don’t forget to follow us on social media for the latest updates! The website is updated, and the calendar reflects all our events as well as the event page. Check it out!
Thank you for being a vital part of the Johnson County Amateur Radio Club! Remember, communication is key—let’s keep those connections strong!
73,
Ted Jagen
President, Johnson County Amateur Radio Club