SARA This Week Feb 28 – Mar 6

SARA gathers daily via on-the air nets and ragchews. We also gather virtually for the weekly SARA Eyeball QSO Party or Tech Topic Thursday session, the monthly General member, and Board meetings. Although we’d love to gather in-person, our current on-air and virtual gathering plan remains the best choice for the health and safety of all our members.

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March Meeting Program Suggestion Needed!!!

I am looking for suggestions for programs and/or guest speakers for our monthly Saturday meetings. If you have any suggestions or requests, please send them to me at president at radioham dot org.

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Technical Topic Thursday on YouTube

• Sessions available include:
• Good Amateur Radio Practices (KCØOIO & VE3MXJ)
• Antenna Basics Part 1 VHF UHF (WØOXB)
• Antenna Basics Part 2 HF (WØOXB)
• Hamspeak – the language of amateur radio (KØGW)
• Shack Electrical Considerations (KAØPLT)
• Setting up your ham shack (WØTLG)
• New Ham Introduction to Operating SARA Special Events (WØGAF. WØOXB & others)
• Using the MFJ-259/269 Antenna Analyzers with Martin Jue K5FLU

The March, April and May Technical Topic Thursday session presenters have been lined up. March 11 we will have Will Jourdain AA4WJ, Sales Rep – Amateur & Receiver Products, from Icom America joining us for a presentation on Icom’s newest QRP radio – the IC-705, as well as other Icom news and products. April 8th brings us John Kruk K9UPC, National Sales Manager for Yaesu,

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Online classes (via WEBEX) for the General Class license, began Wednesday January 27. If you are interested in upgrading your license, or you know of someone that would be interested: this is the class for you. The class will use the ARRL General Class License Manual 9th Edition as the study guide. The study guide may be purchased online at the arrl.org or from Amazon.

The sessions will be recorded and will be available for viewing on the SARA YouTube channel in the near future.

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QSO Today Expo Announces ARRL CEO To Give Keynote And ARRL Booth To Feature “Ask The ARRL Lab”

The fast-approaching March 13-14, 2021 QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo (https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com) is proud to announce that the ARRL, the national association for Amateur Radio® in the United States, will have a significant Expo presence.

As part of the 80+ speaker lineup, ARRL CEO David Minster, NA2AA, will deliver the Keynote on Saturday, March 13, from 12-1 PT (ed: 20:00 UTC).  Although only in his position since September 2020, David already has started to make a significant impact to ensure ARRL’s continuing legacy of serving radio amateurs. He has cultivated relationships with ham radio leaders, volunteers, and staff to lay the groundwork for a stronger, more vibrant ARRL.

David has already launched major projects and assembled teams to foster innovation and individual skill development in radio technology and communications that benefit all amateur radio operators.  In his Keynote, David will share his enthusiasm for advancing amateur radio and highlight current ARRL initiatives to engage and inspire this current generation of hams.  Keynote topics will include:

• Accelerating ARRL’s digital transformation that promises to bring new value to ARRL members. An all-in digital approach will improve the way members access and engage with content, programs, and systems.
• Introducing the new Learning Center to serve as a hub for members to discover the many facets of amateur radio and develop practical knowledge and skills.
• Building a video production competency enabling exciting opportunities for current amateur radio content creators and member-volunteers. The publishing of new videos to its ARRLHQ YouTube channel and other social media outlets is a recent example.
• Improving training and tools to engage radio clubs, emergency communication volunteers, and students.

David’s bio and additional information about the Keynote and other speakers can be found at https://www.qsotodayhamexpo.com/speakers.html.

In addition, the ARRL Expo booth will feature “Ask the ARRL Lab.”  Engineers for the ARRL’s Lab will help answer any questions LIVE. Attendees can come into the booth lounge (featuring the Expo’s latest virtual meet-up and video technology), sit down at a virtual table, and ask ARRL Lab for tips about a project they’re working on or suggestions to overcome a problem with a station installation, antenna, or a piece of gear. Attendees can also learn about equipment testing conducted by the Lab on new radios for ARRL Product Reviews.

The ARRL and the ARRL Lab also support a vast collection of technical material available to members.  At the Expo, ARRL booth staff will point attendees to helpful resources. ARRL Lab engineers throughout the Expo weekend include:

• Ed Hare, W1RFI, ARRL Lab Manager
• Bob Allison, WB1GCM, Test Engineer
• Zack Lau, W1VT, Senior Laboratory Engineer
• Paul Cianciolo, W1VLF, RFI Engineer
• Joe Carcia, NJ1Q, W1AW Chief Operator

Anyone can attend the QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo from their home or office. Information about the Expo and Early Bird Ticket purchases are found at www.qsotodayhamexpo.com.

 

ARRL is a QSO Today Virtual Ham Expo Partner.  FlexRadio is the Expo’s Platinum Sponsor, and Gold sponsors include Elecraft, RFinder, QuickSilver Radio, and Connect Systems.

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Interested in QRP Operating

The Board of Directors is looking at a suggestion to assemble a loaner QRP radio kit for SARA members who may want to try QRP operating as a new challenge. The kit could include a small, modern QRP transceiver, wire antennas, and a power source. A short survey to gauge the interest of members is being developed by Bob WØGAF and Brian NØBJE. Watch for more info in the March newsletter.

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Radios in the Park Planned for 2021!

SARA’s Radios in the Park will return April 29th. With the health guidance on outdoor group gatherings easing some along with the increasing number of vaccinated people, The Board is comfortable in scheduling our Radios in the Park gatherings. We plan to meet at Valley View Park on Thursday evenings starting around 5:30 PM until 8:00 PM. The dates will be  April 29, May 20, June 10, July 1, July 22, Aug 12, Sept 2, and Sept 23. Reservations for the pavilion are being arranged with the City of Oak Park Heights. We will follow all health and safety guidelines including masks and social distancing. Attending the event will be your choice. We are also planning to utilize our Webex platform to stream live from the site for those who can not make it out to the park. More details to come.

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This week’s SARA activities