Foothill Amateur Radio Society (FARS) MiniDXPeditions

MiniDXpeditions to Monaco (French Riviera) and St. Barts (French Caribbean).
There are many kinds of ham radio travel adventures where one may operate away from home, sometimes far away. POTA, SOTA, Field Day, and major DXpeditions are well known to hams. Jim Peterson, K6EI, talks about a different kind of ham radio travel adventure – a vacation to operate from a foreign country, called a “mini-DXpedition.”
Tonight he talks about two such adventures, operating from Monaco and St Barts Island. Jim’s adventure to Monaco was featured in QST, January 2026. Monaco, best known as a destination for either gambling at Casino de Monte Carlo or shooting film for movies, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, or the James Bond films GoldenEye and Never Say Never Again, is a sovereign city-state or “microstate” in Western Europe.
Monaco is located on the French Riviera, not far from Italy, and is bordered by France to the north, east, and west and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. Monaco is just 10 miles west of the Liguria region of Italy. Jim talks about planning, equipment, set up and operating his private miniDXpedition in this beautiful setting.
St. Barts is a Carribean island and territory of France. It is a volcanic island encircled by shallow reefs, with a population of about 10 thousand. The island was a Swedish colony for nearly a century before French rule, and retains a trace of Swedish art and culture despite being French in language and cuisine. The island is a popular tourist destination during the winter holiday season, geared towards the high-end, luxury tourist market. The name St. Barts is due to Christopher Columbus, who named the island after his brother Bartholomew. Jim talks about travel to, and operating from, this island paradise.

#### Meeting Schedule

• 7:00PM - General socializing. Meet and Greet.
• 7:30PM - Introductions, Announcements.
• 7:45PM - The evening's program.
• 8:45PM - FARS business. Announcements. Raffle.

After the program, and FARS business, we hold a raffle for a few prizes.
FARS Mini Flea Market:
We now offer a mini flea market at our monthly meetings where members may offer items for sale. Here is how to participate:

• The market table is set up shortly after the meeting room doors are opened.
• Sellers should place their items neatly on the market table.
• Sellers may include a small sign of prices, or place price labels on your items. Include your name and call sign.
• Sellers should watch their items and wait for buyers.
• Buyers can make offers for items and negotiate with the seller.
• When a deal is made, transact your business, collect your item/money directly with the other party.