WØJH 2004
SARA Does Skywarn
AGØH 2013
SARA Work Party 2
Fitzgerald Crew 2012
SARA Work Party 3
2017 SARA Officers
Split Rock Lighthouse 2012
2020 S.A.R.A. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
2021 W0TBC Memorial Award

SARA This Week Aug 28 – Sep 3

SARA’s Summer in the Parks

This Thursday we will be at the St. Croix Boomsite Scenic Overlook north of Stillwater. This at the far south boundary of K-0637 St Croix and Namakagon National Wild and Scenic River. The location is on Highway 95. Coming from Stillwater, it’s the first turn after the boat launch and marina. Coming from Marine on St Croix it’s the third turn for the Boomsite.

The weekly Eyeball QSO Party is outdoors for just a few more weeks. September 8th will be at Lily Lake Park on Greeley St in Stillwater and the final Summer in the Parks evening will be September 15th at Valley View Park. The Eyeball QSO Party returns to the Stillwater Public Library on September 22nd.


SARA POTA Challenge ’22

The Challenge has proven to be a great activity for SARA. Hunters and activators alike are enjoying getting on the air and working POTA parks. The Fall season is a great time to visit parks across the region!

Special notice: Afton State Park’s visitor center, campgrounds and lodging will be closed for two weeks in September while a bridge repair project takes place on the main road through the park. Major portions of the park will be inaccessible by vehicle starting Sept. 12 and running through Sept. 26, including the paved trail that runs alongside the main road, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Activators: be sure to post planned activations on the POTA Scheduled Activations. Activators can also drop a note to the SARA groups.io page to give members advance notice. If you are not on the groups.io, sign up now at https://groups.io/g/StillwaterMNAmateurRadioAssoc.

Be sure to check POTA spots regularly for activations.

The goal of this club activity is to encourage SARA members to get on the air; as a park activator, as a park hunter, or both.

SARA POTA Awards are planned for both activators (most parks, activations, QSOs & park to park) and hunters (most parks, most QSOs). BREAKING: By executive order, I am creating Legends and Leaders divisions for the awards. The super performing Legends are out in front of the pack and are challenging each other. The Leaders still have a chance to claim top spots in this division. Now is your chance to get back in the running. Contacts with all POTA stations count. And it doesn’t get any easier for hunter credits as only the activator needs to submit their activation log. Be sure to sign up for an account at parksontheair.com.

The next big SARA POTA activity will be up at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Nov 4 – 6 for the Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Weekend. WØJH will be activating both the state park K-2524 and the Gitchi Gammi State Trail K-8095. And individual operators can get activator credit as well while operating as WØJH.


Call for Monthly Meeting Program Suggestions

September is approaching quickly. SARA resumes our monthly 2nd Saturday meetings on September 10th. I am soliciting ideas/suggestions for the meeting programs for the coming 9 monthly meetings through May 2023. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated! I am also looking for a volunteer to take up the yoke of arranging the monthly program. If you are willing to help me and SARA out with this position, please contact me kc0oio2002 at gmail dot com.


September Meeting Program: Field-Expedient Antenna Show-N-Tell

For the September 10th monthly meeting we will host a “field-expedient” portable antenna show-n-tell. Members are encouraged to bring up to 3 different antenna types they have used for portable operations and give a brief explanation of your choices and how they have performed for you. For those joining the meeting virtually, you will be able to participate too. Take some pictures of your antennas to share on-screen your experiences with them.


Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event

For the 18th consecutive year, SARA will be Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald with a Special Event Station from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Nov 4 thru 6, 2022. Initial planning is underway. We will again offer the opportunity for you to operate as part of the group onsite or from your own home. The club’s callsign WØJH will be used exclusively from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. The 1×1 callsign WØF has been secured for exclusive use by those working from home stations, for any mode, any band, any time. A SignUpGenius page will be created to manage mode/band/time slots for WØF. The Mariner Motel in Silver Bay is open and taking reservations! More details in the coming weeks.


This week’s SARA activities

SARA’s on-air and virtual activities are a great way to stay connected with others. These activities provide healthy social contact while maintaining personal distancing.

  • “Sunday Fusion” Digital Voice Hangout August 28
    19:00 Central (00:00 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 (01:00 UTC)
    Due to poor local propagation, the SARA Top Band Crew will QSY (move) to 75m. Look for us AROUND 3.820 to 3.826 MHz (depending on QRM). This change is temporary until the 160m and 75m band conditions change.
    Frequency:  966 LSB +/- QRM AROUND 3.820 to 3.826 MHz (depending on QRM).
    Alternates: 21.316 MHz +/- QRM (USB) 50.166 MHz +/- QRM (USB)
  • SARA Monday Morning 75-meter Ragchew Aug 29
    08:15 Central (14:00 UTC)
    Frequency:  3.856 LSB +/- QRM
  • SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew Aug 30
    7:00 – ~8:00 pm Central (or until we finish!)
    SARA Repeater 147.060+ MHz (DCS/DTCS 026 Normal)
    The Tuesday evening on-air round robin ragchew
    An HF Afterglow follows with the Top Band Ragchew on 160 meters
  • SARA Summer in the Parks Outdoor Eyeball QSO Party Thursday Sep 1
    6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
    POTA Activation Night – K-0637 St Croix and Namakagon National Wild and Scenic River
    Croix Boomsite Scenic Overlook, MN Highway 95 just north of MN Highway 96.