[GCARC] Join the GCARC WSPR Beacon Network — Group Session May 9

[Jon Pearce]

This spring the club is launching a group WSPR beacon project, and we'd like as many members as possible to participate. We'll be rolling this project out at the General Membership meeting tomorrow but here's an advance heads-up for members who may not be attending.

WSPR ("whisper") is a weak-signal digital beacon mode that transmits your callsign, grid square, and power level at 200 milliwatts or less — then automatically reports which receiving stations around the world heard you, updated every two minutes. It runs unattended, 24 hours a day, from any HF antenna you already own or want to build. WSPR signals of less than 100 milliwatts have routinely been heard from Australia, and WSPR is commonly used for antenna evaluation and band condition monitoring.

When enough club members are on the air together, we can do something no single station can — crowdsource propagation data from across South Jersey, analyzed by our own AI-driven server, with individual station results available for every participant. You'll be able to see exactly how far your signal is reaching, which bands are open, and how your antenna compares to others in the club.

In addition the clubhouse will host a permanent 5-band reference beacon running 40m through 10m simultaneously, giving the group a consistent comparison point across all the major HF bands.

Technician licensees: 10m beacons are fully supported — Solar Cycle 25 is near its peak and 10m is producing some of the best conditions in a decade.

Here's how to participate:

1. Order a TAPR Universal WSPR HAT — either directly from TAPR at tapr.org/product/wspr/<https://tapr.org/product/wspr/>, or through our club group order for a slight discount (see the registration link below). An optional Raspberry Pi 3 combo package (including the Pi, HAT, SD card, and power supply) is also available through the group order - the Pi is required. The HATS are band-specific so pick a band for which you have an antenna. If you don't have an HF antenna 30 meters is a good choice, and we'll have antenna building sessions later in the month.

2. Register at the link below by April 15 to join the group order or to sign up for the May 9 session.

3. Come to the May 9 Group Build Session at the clubhouse. We'll cover a short project overview, set up your Pi with a pre-built SD card (replacing the one with your Pi), walk through the brief soldering assembly on the TAPR board, and calibrate and verify everything before you leave.

Group order deadline: April 15, 2026
Group Build Session: Saturday, May 9 — clubhouse
Pickup of group orders: Clubhouse only — no shipping

Register and order here:
https://registration.w2mmd.org/wpregp/wspr-build/

Full project details, band selection guide, and technical reference are on the club's Skunkworks site under Technical Resources:
https://skunkworks.w2mmd.org

Questions? Reach out on Discord in #wspr-project or bring them to the next club meeting.

73 de Jon WB2MNF