SARA This Week July 17 – July 23
Good morning!
Here’s SARA’s happenings this week.
SARA’s Summer in the Parks
This Thursday we head to the park with the most scenic view in Stillwater: Pioneer Park, 515 North 2nd Street from ~6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
The weekly Eyeball QSO Party is outdoors for the summer months. We will continue to visit different Stillwater-area parks throughout the summer. There will be POTA activations, hands-on radio, POTA portable operating tips and tricks, Mobile Station Show-n-tell, and more possibilities plus a picnic or two. Valley View Park in Oak Park Heights will be a regular location, with the shelter reserved for Aug 4, Aug 25 and Sept 15. Other weeks could see us at Lowell Park in downtown Stillwater, along the St Croix National Wild & Scenic River, along Brown’s Creek State Trail or the Gateway State Trail for “Late Shift” POTA activations. Watch the SARA This Week bulletin for details each week.
ARRL Field Day 2022
Club Aggregate Scoring for ARRL Field Day is now a permanent feature. If you worked Field Day on your own – from home or out in the field – be sure to list “Stillwater Amateur Radio Association – MN” as the club for aggregate scoring credit to SARA. Entries must be postmarked or submitted via web app at field-day.arrl.org/fdentry.php by Tuesday, July 26, 2022.
SARA POTA Challenge ’22
The Challenge is at the halfway point! The number of participants continues to grow! Watch for June stats are on the radioham.org website later Sunday July 10.
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). 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 Summer “Support Your Parks” weekend goes until 23:59 UTC July 17. That means there is still time to hunt and activate today. Activators and hunters alike will qualify for additional recognition (“wallpaper”) through POTA this weekend.
Watch for the next SARA POTA Activity Day August 13th. It all starts with 2nd Saturday Breakfast, activators will rally immediately after breakfast. Teams spread out across the region to spend the day activating and then meet again for dinner and brag session. The last activity day was a lot of fun.
Bob WØGAF and Brian KB9TBB are leading the SARA POTA Challenge. If you are planning to participate, drop them an email to let them know you are taking the challenge. Bob’s email is w0gaf@me.com and Brian’s email is kb9tbb@arrl.net.
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 July 17
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 July 18
08:15 Central (14:00 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew July 19
Time: 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 July 21
Time 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Pioneer Park, 515 North 2nd Street, Stillwater MN 55082