South Florida is blessed with a number of amateur Astronomy clubs and Observatories. It is also blessed with a very large dark sky footprint. With so many amateurs and excellent viewing conditions, it is a great location to pursue amateur Astronomy.
Amateur astronomers are mostly interested in observing with an optical telescope. This is a great way to get to know the night skies, and to still see some pretty interesting objects without a lot of practice and only a modest investment. However, the weather and scattered clouds are always a bit moody, so a scheduled session always needs a backup plan. Radio astronomy, on the other hand, does not rely on perfectly clear skies. The investment is a little more involved, but the opportunity to fill in the cloudy nights with radio observation is a nice benefit. Projects that overlap Optical and Radio observing programs will be designed and pursued.