Updated 09/21/2026
10/08/26 – Lake Wales Radio Amateurs (LWRA) – Meeting starts at 7pm – Meetings are at the Lake Wales City Fire Department Station 1, 253 W Central Ave, Lake Wales, FL 33853. Our Polk County clubs are some of the best around and you’ll find a lot of friendly amateur radio operators. Find more information at https://lwra.us
10/9 & 10/10 – Melbourne Hamfest 2026 & ARRL Florida State Convention in Melbourne, FL, at the Melbourne Auditorium (625 E Hibiscus Blvd). This event is hosted by the Platinum Coast Amateur Radio Society (PCARS) and will mark the 61st annual celebration of the Hamfest, which has been a Florida tradition since 1965. Admission: $10 for adults (covers both days), free for youth 18 and under. Online Tickets: Available via https://hfpcars.plumtx.com/. Features: Commercial vendors, outdoor tailgate area, amateur radio license exams, forums, youth tech workshops, and special event stations
10/12/26 – Lakeland Amateur Radio Club (LARC) – Meeting starts at 7pm. Amateur Radio exams begin at 5:30pm. Meetings at at the Parkview Baptist Church, 509 Parkview PL, Lakeland, FL 33805. You can find more information at https://lakelandarc.org
10/17 – ZAARC Fall Picnic – Food and Fun – Lunch begins at noon – The club will provide hot dogs, potato salad, and soft drinks. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. Kilby Ranch, 13721 Old Dade City Rd., Kathleen, Florida, 33849. RSVP jgtr_101@yahoo.com. W1PB.
11/07/26 – EPARS Fall Hamfest – American Legion Post 15, 37745 Church Ave., Dade City, FL 33523. Admission: Adults & Kids $5 Donation (free parking). Talk-In on 146.88 PL 146.2. Food & Refreshments, ATM machine, restrooms. VE testing is available ($15 fee). http://k4ex.org
11/14/26 – SPARC Fest – FREE Swapmeet and Tailgate FREE, Freedom Lake Park, Pinellas Park, FL, 8:00 AM UNTIL NOON, FREE ADMISSION, VE TESTING, TALK-IN ON 147.060 (+), NO PL – more info at https://www.sparc-club.org/sparcfest/
11/14/26 – K4KDI Tailgate – Orlando, FL – South Conway Rd. Baptist Church, 6099 S. Conway Rd., Orlando, FL 32801 – find more information at https://www.arrl.org/hamfests/k4kdi-tailgate-1
12/11 thru 12/12/26 – 51st Annual Tampa Bay Hamfest – This year’s Tampa Bay Hamfest will again be held at the Strawberry Festival facilities in Plant City, Florida. The address is 301 N. Berryfest PL, Plant Citu, FL, 33563.
The Hamfest will open to the public at 1 PM on Friday, December 11th, closing at 6 PM and will run through Saturday, December 12th, 2026, opening at 8 AM and closing at 3 PM. Please see the event details under the ‘Venues and Hours’ and the ‘Testing, Forums, etc.’ pages under the menu on their Web site at https://fgcarc.org/general-information/
Again, the Tampa Bay Hamfest will be the West Central Florida Section Convention of the ARRL, American Radio Relay League. ARRL will have a location and will have representatives available to answer any questions you may have.
Exhibits and commercial vendors will be located in the Expo Hall. The general public parking and the only entrance is at the intersection of Berryfest Place (was Lemon St.) and West Palmetto Avenue.
02/12/27 thru 02/14/27 – HamCation 2027 – ARRL Southeastern Division Convention – Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32801 – Talk in frequency 146.76 (-.600) 103.5. If you can’t make it do Dayton Hamvention, this is the next best thing! You won’t want to miss this one. More information at https://www.hamcation.com/