SARA This Week June 5 – June 11
Good morning!
Here’s SARA’s happenings this week.
SARA’s Summer in the Parks
This Thursday we will be at Birkmose Park, 50 Coulee Road in Hudson WI 54016. This beautiful location sits atop the bluff overlooking the St Croix River. It is easily accessible by taking WI 35 north from I-94 to Coulee Rd, turn right (at the Diary Queen) and head up the hill to the park entrance road on your right.
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.
Advance notice: we will travel to the north side of Stillwater Thursday evening June 16 to Otto Berg Park at Hwy 96 and Stagecoach Trail. Another great location for some portable operations! Full details next week.
SARA POTA Activity Day Saturday June 11
Our first SARA POTA Activity Day is this coming Saturday. The day will begin at 7:30 AM with the 2nd Saturday Breakfast at Perkins in Stillwater and will be followed by POTA activations from some of the POTA entities in our area.
For those interested in participating as roving activators, we’ll gather in the parking lot adjacent to Harbor Freight (across from Perkins) at 9:00 AM, break into small teams, and head to various POTA entities in the area. The activator teams will rotate parks throughout the day. Activators may also go out on their own for POTA activations at entities near them.
Hunters will be key to the success of the day. Watch POTA spots https://pota.app/#/ for familiar callsigns. Most teams will work 40 meters for close in QSOs first before moving to 20 meters. Listen to the SARA repeater for activation info as well.
We’ll wrap up the day with dinner at a local establishment.
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 Challenge ’22
The Challenge is underway! Summer is almost here and even warmer weather is ahead. 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
April stats are on the radioham.org website. 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 5
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 6
08:15 Central (14:00 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew June 7
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 9
Time 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Birkmose Park, 50 Coulee Road in Hudson WI 54016 - SARA 2nd Saturday Breakfast June 11
7:30 AM Central
Perkins Restaurant 2050 Frontage Road Stillwater, MN - SARA’s POTA Activity Day June 11
9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Central
Watch POTA Spots for SARA activators.