The Florida AM Group consists of Radio Amateurs in the southeast US devoted to the preservation, restoration and on-air operation of antique Amateur, commercial, HB and Military Radio equipment. We meet on the air regularly and gather several times a year at ham fests and group dinners.
Come back to the days of vacuum tubes and hi-fidelity audio, when real radios glowed in the dark. No need to have vintage gear to join in, if it says AM join the net! All licensed amateurs are welcome. Florida AM Group net is for amateurs everywhere, meeting 7:00 AM eastern time [pre-net 6:30 AM] on 3885 kHz, Sundays.
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Newer posts are listed and categorized on the left Older posts and info are in the pages at the top
At Hamcation 2024 Stan, WA4NFY displays the Pang Jen transmitter and tells a bit of the story. After the Friday Ham Fest activities, we gathered at Stan and Mary’s QTH. Watch the video clip
Florida AM Group net control for Jan & Feb 2024. All AM’ers are invited to join the Florida AM Group every Sunday morning between 6:30 and 8:00 AM Eastern time using Amplitude Modulation (AM) on 3885 kHz.
December 31, 2023 Maury, N4GUI January 7, 2024 Duane, KI4JMH January 14, 2024 Bruce, KI4HHK January 21, 2024 Jim, AA4MD January 28, 2024 Jerry, W3XM February 4, 2024 Duane, KI4JMH February 11, 2024 Ed, NZ1Q February 18, 2024 Stan, WA4NFY February 25, 2024 Jim, AA4MD March 3, 2024 Dave, WG4K
If you have a conflict please contact WG4K, Dave, or Ed, NZ1Q(at)arrl(dot)net Standby net controllers are: KI4HHK Bruce, NZ1Q Ed, WG4K Dave We invite others to volunteer for Net Control. Contact Dave, WG4K. We always love to have new NC ops join us. The net is logged each Sunday morning starting at 6:30 AM (on 3.885 MHz AM mode) using http://netlogger.org/ Download a free copy if you wish to follow along. PreNet at 6:30AM
Save the date! For a get-together in Tampa, FL on Saturday, November 12th, 2022, at noon. The Florida AM Group will hold our Fall luncheon in Tampa.
All AM’ers are invited. We hope to see many of our old friends there so forward this invite to those we haven’t heard from in a while. We look forward to having many eyeball QSOs throughout the afternoon of Nov 12.
The FL AM Grp invites all friends of the Warren Elly Memorial Net and our Sunday morning 3885 kHz on-air AM gatherings. As always spouses are invited, so we hope to see all those who are able to attend. Bring something for example a covered dish to make it a success or bring salads, main dishes, desserts, or refreshments.
Watch for updates to this event on our Facebook page (see below). This early afternoon FL AM Group meet-up in Tampa will be held after SPARC-Fest (8 AM-11 AM in Pinellas Park, near St Pete, FL). We have had similar luncheons/eyeball-QSOs following ham-fests over the years.
It is an easy trip to Tampa from the SPARC Fest at Freedom Lake Park. SPARC fest is one of the biggest ham fests in the surrounding counties. SPARC fest is always FREE to attendees and sellers. Plan to attend.
As a special attraction this year Jim will unveil the “Ham Shack in the sky” (a.k.a. the Navigation Bridge of the Enterprise). Don’t miss this official viewing of Jim’s new shack built over the garage. All AM’ers and their significant others are invited to both the ham-fest and The FL AM grp Luncheon.
Family and friends say goodbye to their beloved Billy Cannon (Macclenny, Florida), born in Bryan, Texas, who passed away at the age of 83, on August 19, 2021.
“Ringing the bell in a better place”
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From BJ’s QRZ page:
Hamming on AM, 3885, globe king 500C national nc300, a lot of wire in the air, have the HF stuff, stuffed for the time being. Hallicrafters sx-28, with a ranger !! feeding an SB200 just in case. Collins kws1 as a doorstop – what a disappointment, how many different ways can you spell JUNK! collins 75A4 collins 32V3- IC7600/pw1, quad for the “other bands” stuffed ________________________________________
From the Obituary for Billy “B.J.” Cannon, Macclenny, Florida
Billy Joe “BJ” Cannon, age 83, went to be with the Lord on August 19th, 2021. He was born in Bryan, Texas on March 5th, 1938. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Marie Cannon, and their daughter, Robin Lane, a special niece and nephew, Brandie Gray Orfield and Snapper Gray, his sister, Judy Faye Hughson, many nieces, nephews, and wonderful friends. BJ retired from the United States Navy in 1977. While in the Navy, he served on the U.S.S Lexington, the U.S.S Kitty Hawk, the U.S.S John F. Kennedy, which he commissioned in 1968 and decommissioned in 2007, and the U.S.S Forrestal. During his career in the Navy, he received many commendations for going over and beyond the call of duty. After his retirement from the Navy, he and Marie made Macclenny their home. He founded, and was President of the Shadetree Miniature Aircraft Association for many years and was a licensed HAM radio operator in Macclenny for many years. He served as Baker County City Commissioner from 2002 to 2005 and took great pride in the opportunity to serve his community. BJ had a genuine passion for classic cars, which consisted of Model T’s and Model A’s, as well as many others, including a couple of pristine Chevrolet Corvettes. He restored countless numbers of cars and fellow car enthusiasts from across the country would look to him for advice and wisdom, as he was a master in all he did. BJ was a fun-loving, easy-going man who was loved by all who were blessed to know him.
David C Dally Jr. of Holiday, Florida, passed away of COVID complications on March 16, 2021 at the age of 77. David, a Jersey boy, was born December 1, 1943. He grew up in Berkley Heights, New Jersey, where his love of cars turned into his profession. He lived there until he married and moved to Florida in 1968. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Claudia and family.
David was a very talented artist and a true “Renaissance Man”. Not only was his artistic passion reflected in his paintings but also through his restorations of antique Hot Rods, jukeboxes, radios and anything and everything he touched. He loved music of the 50’s, 60’s and especially Doo Wop; was an Amateur Radio operator since the age of 13; belonged to a vintage car club and was a very proud brewery owner with his family. Along with having a way with words, he had a witty sense of humor with numerous one line “zingers”.
“I was first licensed as WN2ORL in 1957 at the age of 13 while living in New Jersey. After moving to Florida in 1968 my call was WB4CWB, then NY4D and in 1999 I was able to reclaim W2ORL under the vanity system. My current activity in the hobby is operating old classic AM rigs. There is a high level of interest among us older hams who share the same nostalgia and we QSO on 7290/95, 3880 and 3885.
My other interests and hobbies include restoring classic Wurlitzer and Seeburg 78 and 45 rpm juke boxes. As an ammeter artist I have traveled internationally and attended artist work shops. My favorite subject matter is realistic land and sea scape scenes. I use acrylics and oils on canvas panels. My first career was in the Auto Body business as a mechanic and painter, then later as an owner. In 1980 I chose another healthier path and worked for a major insurance company for the next 26 years Retiring in 2006 I began to restore a 1976 Penn Yan fishing boat then a 1998 Safari Airstream camper.
Over the past five years I have restored and modified a ’55 Chevy 2dr hard top coupe called “Earth Angel” and an old school flathead powered hot rod ’39 Ford coupe called “Heart & Soul” I am building one more car and then call it quits that being a ’40 Ford 2dr sedan. Photos posted. Although I don’t race cars now, in my younger days I ran several great cars at the drags in Jersey and Fla. In the ’70’s we raced a ’70 Nova ET class brackets and a ’64 Plymouth Sport Fury with a 426 wedge motor. In the nostalgia drags in the late ’80’s, I ran a ’61 Chevy Impala bubble top 409/425 hp in AS/S. My wife and I have been soul mates for 48 years and without her interest and support, my life could have been quite boring. Stay enthusiastic and stay tuned.” 73, Dave
A little black box of jewels and rocks, with lanterns that flicker and glow, Make lighter the gloom in my little back room, where often I hasten to go. An anthem it peals of whistles and squeals and voices so ghostly and dear that you’d never decry, should you chance to pass by, what a brotherhood foregathers here! Each separate tone has a soul of its own; each voice is the voice of a friend, United through space in this gathering-place at the radiant signal’s end. Reverberant sounds ride the wave that rebounds, like the waves of the sea from afar, Reporting the doings, the comings, and goings of brothers wherever they are. A curious band, spread over the land, yet joined from equator to poles, Disperses the gloom in the little back rooms by this magic communion of souls. I could part with a lot of the things that I’ve got, but I’ll carry my love to the tomb, Of that little black box and the joys it unlocks when I enter that little back room!
“A member of our Florida AM Group, Gary Blau W3AM died of Cancer at 1:30 Sunday morning under the care of Hospice. He is survived by his wife Diana. His desire was to be cremated. Services and burial will be in Pennsylvania, where he grew up. We will miss hearing his “usual bucket of bolts on the air from Sunny Sebring.” May he rest in Peace within range of Angel Music.” –K1HH.
“Never was heard more golden tones than from Gary.” –Jim AA4MD
“Sad to hear this. We will miss him.” –Lona, W1GUD
“A sad ending to a long story: I met Gary first time at the Gaithersburg Maryland Hamfest sometime in the late 1990s. He was online with a ‘nifty’ web page back then too. Rest in peace.” – Rich, WA3SXX
“So very sorry to hear of Gary’s passing. I will certainly miss his great AM audio on Wednesday evenings.” –Roger, K4WIP
“Always impressed with Gary’s AM signal quality and his knowledge of AM. Goals yet to be achieved at this station.” –Ed, NZ1Q
Florida AM Group 