Welcome to the Prescott Computer Society

The Prescott Computer Society is pleased to offer online meetings that are available to the public FREE OF CHARGE!

Online Meetings Using Zoom

PCS meetings are available to anyone, including non-members, who wish to join us online. We are using Zoom as a means of holding our meetings in the convenience of your own home.

We urge non-members to attend our online meetings. You may do so in advance of the meeting by registering below. You will receive a password and link to the meeting by email. This step is necessary to keep out spammers and hackers. PCS members do not have to register and may obtain meeting information by going to the link provided in your weekly newsletter. You may join the meeting no earlier than 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

For information on how to get and use a Zoom account please click the button below.

Getting started with Zoom

For help with Zoom by John Carter please click the button below.

Zoom Help

Currently Scheduled Online Meetings

January 23 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Special Topics - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

JB will serve up another copy of Special Topics on Saturday, January 23 at the usual 1:00 PM. You will learn many useful, interesting, unusual, educational, humorous and ancient chunks of knowledge that you just never thought of. Now you don't have to, because JB has thunk them for you.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

February 2 - Tuesday - 6:00-7:00 PM
PCS Board of Directors Meeting - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 5:45 PM

The board will meet to discuss PCS operations - Meeting Schedules, Zoom issues, etc.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

February 6 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Digital Photography SIG - Leader: Phil Ball
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Professor Phil Ball will resume our ongoing education in all things Digital Photography. Phil regularly peppers his programs with an eclectic mix of digital photo examples, shooting suggestions and post-production demonstrations. If you have a digital camera, and who doesn't with a smartphone in their pocket, you will benefit from Phil's expertise.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

February 13 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
General meeting - Leader: JB Burke
Ethernet via Powerlines & Crossover Networks and Virtual Tour of John Carter's Observatory
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Part 1 - John Carter - Local Area Network - a/k/a your Wi-Fi and Ethernet
Get a handle on how to improve the existing Wi-Fi and Ethernet availability in your home - no matter the size of your home. There are plenty of options to satisfy your needs, but let's try to keep it simple.

Part 2 - Tour of John Carter's observatory
Live tours are not readily available by Zoom, so this canned tour will have to do. See what it takes to be an amateur astronomer and get an inside look at the equipment, the software, and details necessary to capture and create a hopefully fabulous image of incredible objects in the night sky.

[Time Permitting] Phil Ball - Tips & Tricks
Today's program will be followed by Windows Master Phil Ball with another helping of his famous Windows 10 Tips & Tricks. No matter how well you know Windows, you will be sure to come away from Phil's session with at least one new insight - and probably many more as well.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

February 20 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
PCS Smartphones SIG - Leader: Murray Smolens
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Murray Smolens, Director of the Prescott Computer Society Smartphone SIG (Special Interest Group) will once again present a timely and informative session aimed at enhancing the productivity and enjoyment of that amazing super-computer in your pocket. Did you know that smartphone in your pocket or purse has more computing power than all of NASA had when they launched our Astronauts to the moon.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

March 6 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Digital Photography SIG - Leader: Phil Ball
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Professor Phil Ball will resume our ongoing education in all things Digital Photography. Phil regularly peppers his programs with an eclectic mix of digital photo examples, shooting suggestions and post-production demonstrations. If you have a digital camera, and who doesn't with a smartphone in their pocket, you will benefit from Phil's expertise.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

March 13 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
General Meeting - Leader: JB Burke
CableOne Email Switchover & Gmail Setup
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

John Carter & Carver Smith
Sparklight captured the attention of its customers by announcing that they are eliminating all email service in 2021 for the Quad Cities area. This means that your CableOne email is going away. So now you need to find a new email service, move your CableOne messages and contacts over to the new service, and notify your contacts of your new email address. Learn how in this not so live demonstration.

[Time Permitting] Phil Ball - Tips & Tricks
Today's program will be followed by Windows Master Phil Ball with another helping of his famous Windows 10 Tips & Tricks. No matter how well you know Windows, you will be sure to come away from Phil's session with at least one new insight - and probably many more as well.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

March 20 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Special Topics - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

JB will serve up another copy of Special Topics on Saturday, March 20 at the usual 1:00 PM. You will learn many useful, interesting, unusual, educational, humorous and ancient chunks of knowledge that you just never thought of. Now you don't have to, because JB has thunk them for you.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

April 3 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
Digital Photography SIG - Leader: Phil Ball
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

Professor Phil Ball will resume our ongoing education in all things Digital Photography. Phil regularly peppers his programs with an eclectic mix of digital photo examples, shooting suggestions and post-production demonstrations. If you have a digital camera, and who doesn't with a smartphone in their pocket, you will benefit from Phil's expertise.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

April 6 - Tuesday - 6:00-7:00 PM
PCS Board of Directors Meeting - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 5:45 PM

The board will meet to discuss PCS operations - Meeting Schedules, Zoom issues, etc.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

April 10 - Saturday - 1:00-3:00 PM
General meeting - Leader: JB Burke
Zoom meeting will open at 12:45 PM

First Hour: Is Cyber Security Really Important? - Bob Gostischa

Paying attention to Cyber Security is more important today than it has ever been. COVID-19 has exposed many more vulnerabilities than in prior years. More of us are now working from home, many children are learning from home, and many of us have added more IoT devices to make our lives easier. These devices present their own dangers which need to be addressed.

This presentation points out the dangers and offers suggestions that will aid in keeping you secure. Using the right programs and apps can help keep you safe and secure as well as reduce your privacy exposure. Using free programs and apps whenever possible to accomplish this goal is an added bonus and this presentation includes information on many recommended free programs. Join presenter Bob Gostischa as he guides you towards secure Cyber Security practices.

Second Hour: Tips & Tricks - Phil Ball
Bob's program will be followed by Windows Master Phil Ball with another helping of his famous Windows 10 Tips & Tricks. No matter how well you know Windows, you will be sure to come away from Phil's session with at least one new insight - and probably many more as well.

Register in advance for this meeting

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Other Computer Groups Sharing Meetings

Through PCS' affiliation with APCUG (see below) you may also virtually attend other computer club meetings throughout the country. Check out the wide selection of programs available to you.

Other Virtual Meetings

A typical PCS meeting scene.

General Information About PCS

The Prescott Computer Society (PCS) is a PC-based users group located in Prescott, Arizona. Our primary attention is focused on IBM-compatible computers, associated software and smart phones. We strive to provide personal, home office and small business computing solutions and presentation topics. You may obtain both basic and advanced information about computers by attending our club's meetings.

We hold several meetings each month to show you how to get the most out of your computer. These are our General meeting and several Special Interest Group meetings. Anyone with an interest in computers is welcome to attend our meetings and join PCS.

PCS is a member of the Association of Personal Computer User Groups (APCUG).

Interested in Membership?

Additional information about PCS is available at our Membership Info and About Us pages. For information about becoming a member of PCS, please contact Murray Smolens, our Membership chair.

Fun Stuff

A typical Q&A meeting chaired by some of our favorite PCS members. It's known as a "Stump The Geeks" session which is always enjoyed by all those who attend.

We often hold Question and Answer sessions at General meetings where our members attempt to "Stump The Geeks" with their questions about computer and smartphone problems and other related issues.

Do the geeks ever get stumped? Of course, once in a while they do but we all appreciate the very interesting and informative discussions that are held. I guess you'll just have to come to a meeting to see for yourself.