SARA This Week April 28 – May 4
Signals From SARA to return with a May issue!
Dale Mathisen NØVXH has volunteered to be the new editor of Signals from SARA! He plans to put a special May 2024 issue together and then resume the monthly Sept – May cycle maintained previously.
To make this work, Dale needs content for the upcoming issue! Write up an article on your latest ham radio project, share your POTA adventure, review a new-to-you radio, share your trials with a new digital mode, the possibilities are endless. Field Day and other SARA events can be promoted. Accessing and using the WIRES-X capabilities of the SARA repeater can be explained.
Dale needs to have any submissions for the May issue by Sunday May 5th. You may send your content contribution to Dale direct at dale.mathisen at comcast dot net.
New Ham Night May 16
The annual SARA New Ham Night is coming to Valley View Park Thursday evening May 16. 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
New Ham Night guides newly licensed amateur radio operators to some of the choices and activities found in our unique hobby. There is a New Ham Net conducted on the SARA repeater to help the new folks make that all important first contact. Mark your calendars now!
Radios in the Park returns May 16
SARA’s season of eyeball QSOs known as Radios in the Park kicks off for 2024 on May 16 with New Ham Night at Valley View Park and continues through Sept 12. We gather in local parks throughout the season. The following schedule is tentative and subject to change:
May 16 Valley View Park, 5421 N Osgood Ave, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
May 23 Browns Creek State Trail 8312 Neal Ave N, Stillwater, MN 55082 (POTA US-9386 and US-10721 Browns Creek AMA)
May 30 Otto Berg Memorial Park 90th Street North & Norell Ave N 55082
June 6 Valley View Park FD Site planning
June 13 TBA
June 20 St. Croix Scenic Overlook Hwy 95, Stillwater, MN 55082 (POTA US-0673)
June 27 Valley View Park
July 4 NO SESSION
July 11 Birkmose Park, 329 Front St, Hudson, WI 54016 (park entrance is on Coulee Rd)
July 18 Valley View Park Mobile/Portable Show-n-Tell
July 25 Lions Levee Park, W 7th Ave, St Paul Park, MN 55071 (POTA US-3381)
Aug 1 Autumn Hills Park, 5697 Norwich Parkway, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082
Aug 8 Valley View Park Antenna Shootout, anyone? Buehler? Buehler?
Aug 15 TBA
Aug 22 TBA
Aug 29 Valley View Park
Sep 5 St. Croix Boom Site State Wayside, Hwy 95, Stillwater, MN 55082 (POTA US-0673)
Sep 12 Browns Creek State Trail 8312 Neal Ave N, Stillwater, MN 55082 (POTA US-9386 and US-10721)
ARRL Field Day 2024
SARA will participate in the annual ARRL Field Day Saturday June 22 and Sunday June 23. Our Field Day site will be at Valley View Park, 5421 N Osgood Ave, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082. Permits have been secured and the game is afoot for a fun and successful Field Day. Co-chairs Ray KFØEKD and Tim KFØJEL have been leading the team with site pre-planning, food and beverage plan, on-site networking of computers, antenna testing, and other tasks. Station captains for the CW and Phone stations and a GOTA Station Lead and Coach are needed. We have an on-site Field Day Planning Session scheduled for Thursday June 6 when Radios in the Parks visit Valley View Park.
Remote Station WØJH
The WØJH Remote Station, located in Hayward, WI, is online with TX limits as refining operation of the station continues. The station is limited to 75 watts transmit power and 80M to 6M for HF. With the arrival of Spring, work is planned to address a few issues at the site. The plan is to resolve them so that we can bring the station to full power on 160 meters to 6 meters.
This remote station is accessible to current SARA and Courage Kenny Handihams members. You need to have a General, Advanced or Extra class license to use the remote station. Contact Pat WAØTDA at his email wa0tda at gmail dot com for access permission.
To access the remote station, you will need to establish an account with remotehams.com and then download and install RCForb client from remotehams.com. It is available for Windows (download from remotehams.com) and Android (Google Play). Sorry, it is not available for IOS devices.
MN POTA Day 2024
Minnesota Parks on the Air Day is Saturday June 8, 2024, from 10:00 AM (15:00 UTC) to 6:00 PM CDT (22:00 UTC). Details can be found at mnpota.com. This is a free admission day to MN State Parks.
Activators can register their planned activation(s) and indicate if they are willing to mentor others interested in POTA activating, co-operate, demonstrate, or welcome visitors to their activation.
Activators: we recommend taking some time at the top of the hour to work “local” stations on 40 meters and 80/75 meters. You can grab the MN POTA park-to-parks as well as give the MN/ND/SD/IA/WI/Manitoba/Ontario hunters a chance to work you. Suggested frequencies for PHONE are around 7.260 MHz and 3.860 MHz.
MN POTA Day builds upon SARA’s POTA Activity Day the previous 2 years. The SARA POTA Activity Day will continue on the same day with a similar schedule as in previous years: 2nd Saturday Breakfast, day of operating in the parks, and dinner to follow at a local establishment in the evening.
This week’s SARA activities
- “Sunday Fusion” Digital Voice Hangout Apr 28
19:00 Central (01:00 UTC)
SARA Repeater 147.060+ MHz (DCS/DTCS 026 Normal)
or connect via WIRES-X to the W0JH-Room 63969
System Fusion digital voice hangout to expand use and familiarity with the digital voice capabilities available on the WØJH repeater. - SARA Top Band Ragchew
Nightly
20:00 Central (02:00 UTC)
160M on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Fridays: 1.966 LSB +/- QRM
80M on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays: 3.813 LSB +/- QRM
Alternates: 21.316 MHz +/- QRM (USB) 50.166 MHz +/- QRM (USB) - SARA Monday Morning 75-meter Ragchew Apr 29
08:15 Central (13:15 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew Apr 30
7:00 – ~8:00 pm Central (or until we finish!)
SARA Repeater 147.060+ MHz (DCS/DTCS 026 Normal)
1st Tuesday is Emergency Power Night – participants are encouraged to operate the stations on emergency power.
The Tuesday evening on-air round robin ragchew
Featuring the “Ask the Elmer” segment
The group leaders focus on encouraging any and everyone, especially those new to the airwaves, to join the session via the repeater. - SARA Eyeball QSO Party Thursday May 2
6:00 PM – 7:50 PM Central
Conference Room
Stillwater Public Library, 224 3rd Street, Stillwater- New Ham Night 2024 Planning Session 6:15 PM (23:45 UTC) in-person and livestream via Zoom