⚠ Demo Preview — Prepared by cloaked.agency for W7TBC Board Review — This site expires May 10, 2026 ⚠
cloaked.agency

W7TBC Site Modernization Audit

A page-by-page analysis of w7tbc.org with modernization recommendations for the Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club
Prepared April 10, 2026 — Presented to Board of Directors
Opens as a single printable document

Executive Summary

4
Critical
7
Major
11
Moderate
2
Modern

Key Finding: Consolidation Opportunity

The tbirdfest.org hamfest site is a separate WordPress instance with its own hosting costs. All of its content (event details, photos, raffle prizes, vendor info) can be absorbed into a single page on w7tbc.org, eliminating the duplicate hosting fee and simplifying maintenance. The current hamfest page on w7tbc.org still shows a January 2019 date.

We audited all 32 pages on w7tbc.org using automated crawling and visual inspection. Two pages have already been modernized (the new Join W7TBC and How to Join pages), which serve as the quality benchmark for this project. The remaining pages range from critically broken (empty gallery, 7-year-old dates) to functionally adequate but visually dated. This report covers the 11 highest-priority pages with specific modernization recommendations for each.

Quality Benchmark: What "Modernized" Looks Like

These two pages were built in April 2026 using raw HTML+CSS delivered via the WordPress REST API. They define the target design language.

Join W7TBC page screenshot
Live — /join-w7tbc/

Join Thunderbird Amateur Radio Club

Modern tier-card layout with three membership options ($25 Membership, $20 Silver Kit, $25 Gold Kit). Features CSS-only expandable comparison sections with green checkmarks, scoped CSS namespacing, and direct links to SeraphinaGrey merchandise and Ham Club Online registration. Mobile-responsive, clean typography, and contextual CTAs throughout.

Technical approach: Raw HTML fragment pushed via WP REST API. No plugins, no page builders. Scoped under .w7tbc-join CSS class. Theme page title hidden with .entry-header { display: none }. CSS-only accordions using checkbox+label pattern.

Critical Broken or Severely Outdated

These pages are actively harming the club's image and need immediate attention.
Critical

Hamfest Page

/thunderbird-amateur-radio-club-hamfest/
Current hamfest page
Current Page

Current Issues

  • Shows January 12, 2019 — seven years out of date
  • The hamfest moved to its own site (tbirdfest.org) but this page was never updated
  • Visitors landing here see massively outdated information
  • Two separate WordPress instances = two hosting bills

Recommendation

  • Absorb all tbirdfest.org content into this page (event details, photos, raffle info, vendor/tailgate pricing, seminar schedule)
  • Redirect tbirdfest.org domain to w7tbc.org/hamfest/
  • Cancel the separate tbirdfest hosting — saves hosting costs
  • Use the join-page design language: event hero, info cards, photo gallery, pricing section
Critical

Photo Gallery

/photo-gallery-2/
Current photo gallery page
Current Page

Current Issues

  • Completely empty — just the page title with zero content below it
  • Likely relied on a gallery plugin that was removed or deactivated
  • The club has excellent photos scattered across other pages (Field Day, meetings, picnics, hamfest)

Recommendation

  • Build a CSS grid gallery pulling from photos already in the WP media library
  • Organize by event: Hamfest, Field Day, Picnics, Meetings, POTA, QSO Party
  • Use Blocksy lightbox (already built into the theme) for full-size viewing
  • Add captioning with event name, date, and photographer credit
Critical

Old Membership Page

/thunderbird-amateur-radio-club-membership/
Current old membership page
Current Page (Superseded)

Current Issues

  • This page has been replaced by the new /join-w7tbc/ page but is still live
  • Shows only "$25 yearly membership" with no mention of Silver/Gold kits
  • Just 5 bullet points and a "Click here for Ham Club Online" link
  • Search engines and old links still send visitors here

Recommendation

  • Set up a WordPress redirect from this URL to /join-w7tbc/
  • Preserves SEO value of the old URL while sending visitors to the modern page
  • No content changes needed — just the redirect
Critical

Field Day

/field-day/
Current field day page
Current Page

Current Issues

  • Title still says "Field Day 2025" — needs 2026 update
  • Massive unoptimized images cause slow page loads
  • Plain bullet-list format (When/Where/Who/Why/What to bring)
  • No embedded map, no photo gallery section, no registration CTA

Outdated Content

  • Date shows "June 27-29, 2025" — needs 2026 dates
  • Location, contact details may need verification for 2026

Recommendation

  • Update to 2026 dates, location, and details
  • Modernize with event hero card, embedded Google Map, and optimized photo gallery
  • Add "What to Bring" checklist in an expandable accordion
  • Link to past Field Day photo galleries

Major Functional but Poor Design

High-traffic pages that work but don't represent the club well. These are what visitors see most.
Major

Homepage

/ (front page)
Current homepage
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Wall of text mixed with Blocksy page builder widgets
  • Upcoming Events section is a manually maintained text list
  • Activity bullet list (VE Testing, Meetings, etc.) has no visual formatting
  • "Become A Member" button at bottom still links to old membership flow
  • Inconsistent visual style between sections

Recommendation

  • Redesign with clean sections: hero, upcoming events cards, activity grid, membership CTA
  • Update "Become A Member" CTA to link to /join-w7tbc/
  • Use card-based layout for events instead of text list
  • Consistent typography and spacing matching the join page style
Major

Contact Us

/contact-us/
Current contact page
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Dense wall of plain text — committee chairs, officers, mailing address all run together
  • No visual hierarchy, no grouping, no cards
  • Email addresses are raw mailto: links in a text block
  • Officer list duplicated with Board Meeting page

Recommendation

  • Organize into grouped cards: Board Officers, Committee Chairs, General Contact
  • Each card shows name, callsign, role, and email with click-to-email button
  • Add mailing address with Google Maps embed
  • Include quick-links to meeting pages and social channels (Discord)
Major

Club Repeaters & Weekly Nets

/club-repeaters-weekly-net/
Current repeaters page
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Plain text lists for each repeater — frequency, offset, tone buried in paragraphs
  • No visual distinction between linked repeaters and standalone
  • Net control operator schedules are just name+callsign lists
  • Page references 5 repeaters in some places, 4 in others

Recommendation

  • Repeater info cards with clear freq/offset/tone/location in a structured layout
  • Visual badge for "Linked" vs "Standalone" repeaters
  • Net schedule in a clean table or timeline format
  • Add coverage map showing repeater locations across the valley
Major

Monthly General Meeting

/monthly-general-meeting/
Current general meeting page
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Meeting details (location, time, Zoom link) buried in dense paragraphs
  • 2026 schedule is a long flat bullet list with no month grouping
  • Cancelled meetings shown inline with no visual distinction
  • Zoom link not prominent enough for hybrid attendees

Recommendation

  • Meeting details hero card with location, time, parking, and a prominent Zoom button
  • Schedule organized by month with presentation topics highlighted
  • Cancelled dates visually distinct (strikethrough + note)
  • Pre-meeting dinner info in a callout box
  • Driving directions linked inline (or embedded map)
Major

Board Meeting / Board of Directors

/monthly-board-meeting/
Current board meeting page
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Board member photos exist (good!) but are inconsistent sizes and borders
  • Some officers have colored photo borders, others don't
  • Meeting dates in a plain text block
  • Mix of centered and left-aligned text

Recommendation

  • Uniform officer card grid: consistent photo size, name, callsign, title
  • Meeting details in a clean info card (same pattern as General Meeting)
  • Board meeting dates in a structured schedule list
  • Link to Constitution and Bylaws from this page
Major

VE Exams

/ham-radio-license-ve-exams/
Current VE exams page
Current Page (Cropped)

Current Issues

  • Long scrolling page with inconsistent formatting
  • Important info (location, room number, parking) buried in paragraphs
  • Garish blue "Click Here For Free Online Exam Registration Now!" link
  • 2026 exam dates in a plain text list
  • "What To Bring" section could be much cleaner

Recommendation

  • Clean info card at top: next exam date, location, room, time, "it's FREE!"
  • Prominent registration button (styled like the join page CTAs)
  • "What To Bring" as a visual checklist with icons
  • Exam dates in a clean calendar-style list
  • FAQ accordion for common questions (walk-ins OK?, study resources, etc.)
Major

Presentations Archive

/tbarc-presentations/
Current presentations page
Current Page

Current Issues

  • Plain bullet list showing only title + presenter callsign
  • No dates — impossible to tell how old each presentation is
  • No descriptions or links to slides/recordings
  • No categorization or search capability

Recommendation

  • Presentation cards with title, presenter, date, and brief description
  • Link to slides/recordings where available (YouTube channel has content)
  • Group by year or category (technical, operating, emergency comms)
  • Add YouTube video embeds for recorded presentations

Consolidation Opportunity: tbirdfest.org

tbirdfest.org screenshot

Separate WordPress Instance — Unnecessary Cost

  • tbirdfest.org is a full WordPress site (Hestia theme) with its own hosting
  • Contains: event details, 28 photos, raffle prizes with winners, ticket/vendor pricing, seminar schedule, drone video
  • Updated for 2026 (Haven Church, January 17, 2026)
  • All this content fits cleanly into a single modernized page on w7tbc.org
  • The w7tbc.org hamfest page currently shows 2019 data
Recommendation: Migrate content to w7tbc.org/hamfest/ → Redirect tbirdfest.org → Cancel separate hosting

Cross-cutting Issues

No Design Language

Every page looks different. No consistent card styles, typography, or spacing. The new Join page establishes a pattern that should be applied site-wide.

Duplicate Page Titles

The Blocksy theme displays the page title, and then the content repeats it. This creates a doubled-up heading on most pages.

No Cross-linking or CTAs

Pages don't link to related content. A visitor on the VE Exams page gets no prompt to join the club, check the meeting schedule, or explore repeaters.

Flat Information Architecture

All 32 pages sit at the root level with no parent-child grouping. Events, governance, and resources should be organized in sections.

No Mobile-Specific Design

Pages simply reflow text on mobile. No responsive cards, no mobile-optimized navigation, no touch-friendly tap targets.

Hardcoded Dates

Every event page has manually typed dates. When events pass, pages go stale (see: Hamfest 2019, Field Day 2025). Dates should be easy to update.

Modernization Approach

Proven on the Join page — no plugins, no page builders, no theme changes required.

1

Write HTML + CSS

Raw HTML fragment with scoped CSS. Each page gets its own namespace (e.g., .w7tbc-repeaters) so styles never conflict with the theme.

2

Push via WP API

Content is delivered through the WordPress REST API using Application Password auth. No FTP, no wp-admin editing, no plugin dependencies.

3

Review & Iterate

Changes are visible instantly on the live site. Each page can be reviewed, refined, and rolled back without affecting the rest of the site.