SARA This Week June 12 – June 18
SARA’s Summer in the Parks
This Thursday we will be at Otto Berg Memorial Park at Highway 96 and Stonebridge Trail on the north side of Stillwater. If the shelter is available, we’ll be there. Otherwise, bring a lawn chair and we’ll gather under the trees. The park is accessible on the north side along 90th Street North.
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 June 23, July 14, Aug 4, Aug 25 and Sept 15. Other weeks will 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, or nearby MN & WI State Parks for “Late Shift” POTA activations. Watch the SARA This Week bulletin for details each week.
ARRL Field Day 2022 – June 25-26
SARA is participating in the ARRL Field Day operating event Saturday June 25 and Sunday June 26. We will be at Autumn Hills Park 5697 Norwich Parkway in Oak Park Heights. Set-up will begin Saturday morning at 10:00 AM and get on the air beginning at 1:00 PM (1800 UTC). We’ll operate until around sundown Saturday and get back on the air as early as possible on Sunday morning until 1:00 PM. Teardown will follow. We will operate as WØJH 2A MN with a PHONE (SSB) station and a CW/Digital multi-use station located in the park. Coffee and donuts & rolls provided in the morning, along water & pop. We have secured an alcohol permit so you may bring your own adult beverage.
SARA POTA Activity Day #1 – a great day discovering parks and getting on the air!
Our first SARA POTA Activity Day was Saturday June 11. The day began rain! The rain stopped during the 2nd Saturday Breakfast at Perkins. The clouds broke and the sun came out later in the morning. After breakfast, the group of activators gathered and broke into teams and then headed out on their respective POTA expeditions. Each team of 2-3 ops activated at least 3 entities each for the day. The after-action dinner and brag session at Acapulco Restaurante Mexicano saw a tired but energized group of members recapping the days activities. Watch for the next SARA POTA Activity Day in August. And the international version will be back next June.
SARA POTA Challenge ’22
The Challenge is underway and the number of participants continues to grow! May stats are now on the radioham.org website. Look for POTA activations by SARA members to continue to increase. 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.
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.
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 June 12
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 June 13
08:15 Central (14:00 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew June 14
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 June 16
Time 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Otto Berg Memorial Park at Highway 96 and Stonebridge Trail