SARA This Week July 26 – August 1

SARA This Week July 26 – August 1

Here is your weekly SARA update!

2026 SARA’s Radios in the Park

Radios in the Park, SARA’s outdoor eyeball QSO party, continue through September 10th. Folks start to gather around 5:30 PM and we wrap up by 8:00 PM every Thursday evening.

Here is the rest of the schedule through September: (click on the Google Maps Plus link for the location). The July 16th visit to Birkmose Park that was cancelled due to heat and air quality warnings is rescheduled for August 20th.

July 30th       Sunfish Lake Park    3554 Kelvin Ave North, Lake Elmo
(Google Maps Plus code:    233W+2F Lake Elmo, Minnesota)

Aug 6th         Baytown Township Hall     4020 McDonald Dr N, Stillwater
(Google Maps Plus code:    2554+4M Stillwater, Minnesota)
1st Thursday Tech Topic Night: “Fused Power Distribution Block Group Build”

August 13th   Valley View Park      5421 Osgood Avenue, Oak Park Heights
(Google Maps Plus code:    25JX+35V Oak Park Heights, Minnesota)
“Mobile & Portable Stations Show-N-Tell”

August 20th   Birkmose Park         50 Coulee Road, Hudson, WI 54016
(Google Maps Plus code:    X68W+XF Hudson, Wisconsin)
Note location change.

August 27th   Brown’s Creek Park  8312 Neal Ave N, Stillwater – trail parking area
(Google Maps Plus code:    35C4+39V Stillwater, Minnesota)
POTA site for Brown’s Creek State Trail US-9386 and/or Brown’s Creek Aquatic Management Area US-10721

Sept 3rd        Baytown Township Hall     4020 McDonald Dr N, Stillwater
(Google Maps Plus code:    2554+4M Stillwater, Minnesota)
1st Thursday Tech Topic Night; “Let’s Talk About … Wavelog”

Sept 10th      Pioneer Park 515 2nd St N, Stillwater
(Google Maps Plus code:    356R+7J Stillwater, Minnesota)

1st Thursday Technical Topic Night “Let’s Talk About…”

1st Thursday Technical Topic Night features a technical presentation and discussion based upon the level of interest in the club and the willingness of someone to prepare and lead the session. The sessions are livestreamed via Zoom for those who choose to join the session virtually; and are recorded and posted to the SARA YouTube channel for future viewing and reference.

The 1st Thursday Technical Topic Nights are held at the Baytown Township Hall, 4020 McDonald Dr N, Stillwater, MN 55082, beginning at 6:00 PM Central (23:00 UTC).

  • Aug 6, 2026 1st Thursday Tech Topic Night
    “Let’s Talk About … Fused Power Distribution Block Kit Build Night”
  • Sep 3, 2026 1st Thursday Tech Topic Night
    “Let’s Talk About … Cloud-based logging with Wavelog led by Collin KEØIYN
  • Oct 1, 2026 1st Thursday Tech Topic Night
    “Let’s Talk About … 3d Printing and ham radio” led by Leslie KD9ZMI
  • Nov 5, 2026 NO 1st Thursday Tech Topic Night
    due to the pending Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event Nov 6 – 8, we will not have a Tech Topic on this evening
  • Dec 3, 2026 1st Thursday Tech Topic Night
    To Be Determined!

The ZOOM livestream will NOT be available for the August session.

SARA’s WIRES-X Connection now on Version 2.0 software

If you are connecting via WIRES-X to the W0JH-Room 63969 with a PDN or HRI-200 connection, the WIRES-X software on the link computer has been updated to WIRES-X Version 2. You must update your computer’s software to Version 2.0 to be able to connect to the W0JH Room.

Yaesu’s WIRES-X software version 2.0 (and later v2.01 updates) introduces IPv6 support, eliminating traditional IPv4 UDP port-forwarding hurdles. It attempts IPv6 connections first (falling back to IPv4 if needed), adds room-host controls like node muting/removal, and expands digital node compatibility.

Key Features & Changes in Version 2.0

  • IPv6 Protocol Support: Connects natively via IPv6 to bypass CG-NAT and strict ISP firewall blocks where traditional IPv4 port forwarding fails.
  • Automatic Fallback: Gracefully switches back to IPv4 connectivity if an IPv6 path is absent.
  • Enhanced Room Management: Gives room hosts added tools to mute troublesome nodes or remove specific nodes directly from their active rooms.
  • Streamlined Setup: Reduces reliance on complex router configurations or specialized VPN workarounds previously required by restrictive ISPs.

Updating and Getting the Software

  • Check your current software version via the help/about menu; if you are already on version 2.000 or higher, an update may not be mandatory.
  • Official downloads and release instructions are accessible through the Yaesu WIRES-X Official Site.

YEASU USA has a video webinar available on YouTube that explains the changes in Version 2.0 and walks you through the software update process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8mpN3FX-aI&t=4s

This does NOT affect the direct RF connection to the System Fusion digital voice mode of our repeater. It only applies to those connecting to the W0JH-Room 63969 via the internet.

The SARA POTA Challenge

The numbers for June 2026 are now posted on our website.  >> CLICK HERE << to view the most recent posted results.

POTA raised the minimum contacts returned in the Top Hunter search to 50 Hunter contacts. Therefore, the hunter threshold has changed to the minimum 50 for the 2026 Challenge because of what we can extract from POTA’s database.

SARA members who have registered on the POTA website https://parksontheair.com/# (sign up is under the Help/Getting Started tab) are automatically included in the SARA Challenges.

This week’s SARA activities

  • “Sunday Fusion” Digital Voice Hangout July 26
    19:00 Central (Daylight Time) (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 Evening HF Ragchew
    Nightly
    20:00 Central (01:00 UTC)
    Frequency: 3.813LSB +/- QRM
    Alternates: 1.966 MHz +/- QRM (LSB), 21.316 MHz +/- QRM (USB) 50.166 MHz +/- QRM (USB)
  • SARA Monday Morning 75-meter Ragchew July 27
    08:00 Central (13:00 UTC)
    Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM
  • Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew July 28
    7:00 – ~8:00 pm Central (or until we finish!)
    SARA Repeater 147.060+ MHz (DCS/DTCS 026 Normal)
    1stTuesday of each month 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.
  • Radios in the Park Thursday July 30
    6:00 PM
    Sunfish Lake Park
    3554 Kelvin Ave North, Lake Elmo
    (Google Maps Plus code:    233W+2F Lake Elmo, Minnesota)