SARA This Week March 12 – March 18
Here is your SARA update for this week!
March 11 Meeting Presentation now online
Our guest presenter, Rob Sherwood NCØB, joined us via ZOOM from his rural Colorado contest station. His presentation “Transceiver Performance and Selection of a New Radio” is very interesting! Here is the link to the PDF of Rob’s presentation: https://radioham.org/specialinterests/monthly-meeting-presentations/transceiver-performance-and-selection-of-a-new-radio/nc0b-stillwater-ara-minnesota-2023-2c/
Rob’s presentation was recorded and shared on the SARA YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/Uvtpg08PvO4.
Spring Technician License Class
Do you know of someone who wants to get into ham radio? One of the best paths into the hobby is through learning from others. And one of the best places to learn from others is through the Technician License Class offered by SARA.
SARA’s Spring Technician License Class continues this week through April 20. A VE Exam Session will be April 27. The classes will be at the Stillwater Public Library from 6:00 PM to 7:40 PM. SARA instructors will guide students through the material from the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, preparing them for the 35-question Technician Class license exam.
There is plenty of room and it’s not too late to start. Spread the word that the SARA Technician Class license class are happening now. For more info, or to register for the class, contact Bob WØGAF at w0gaf at me dot com
SARA POTA Challenge ‘23
We have 38 hunters and 11 activators in Challenge ’23 through the end of February. Although no one has reached Hunter Legend status (1000 QSOs) to date, we have one knocking on the door! Through February, Hunters have made 4,230 QSOs. Activators have completed 63 qualified activations from 39 parks for 3,474 total QSOs, in winter weather!
Mark your calendars now for SARA’s POTA Activity Days. Saturday June 10 is the first firm date on the calendar – this will be the multi-op, multi-park, roving day, same as last year. Saturday August 12 will be the first ever SARA POTA Meetup Day. Will gather at one park, Wild River State Park in Almelund, for a day of multi-op activations. A picnic lunch is being planned. Watch for more details to come.
If you are a SARA member AND have registered on the POTA website https://parksontheair.com/# (sign up is under the Help/Getting Started tab), you are included in the SARA Challenge 2023.
A great source of information for those that want to get started POTA hunting or activating is also found on the POTA website. The https://docs.pota.app/ page is a great resource of all info for POTA. Start with the Getting Started with POTA page and go from there.
Bob Jensen WØGAF and Brian KB9TBB do a fantastic job managing the SARA POTA Challenge. If you have any questions on the Challenge or are interesting in working with them on the “backroom” details, Bob’s email is w0gaf@me.com and Brian’s email is kb9tbb@arrl.net.
Metro Skywarn Spotter Training May 6th
SARA is hosting a Metro Skywarn Storm Spotter training session on Saturday May 6th. Metro Skywarn is returning to a limited number of in-person training sessions this year, along with continuing to offer online sessions as well this spring. The session will be at the Stillwater Public Library (224 E 3rd Street 55082) in the Margaret Rivers Room from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Pre-registration is preferred. Registration can be completed by clicking on this link: In-Person SARA Metro Skywarn Training Session. Walk-ins only if the max pre-registered has not been reached.
The session is for all interested in Skywarn storm spotting, new and renewing. Spotters need to renew their training every two years to keep current with Metro Skywarn. Metro Skywarn is offering a total of 6 in-person and 5 online training sessions. The full class schedule can be found at metroskywarn.org/calendar/.
This week’s SARA activities
SARA’s on-air, in-person, and virtual activities are a great way to stay connected with others.
- “Sunday Fusion” Digital Voice Hangout March 12
19:00 Central (01:00 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 (02:00 UTC)
Frequency: 1.966 LSB +/- QRM or 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 March 13
08:15 Central (14:15 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew March 14
7:00 – ~8:00 pm Central (or until we finish!)
SARA Repeater 147.060+ MHz (DCS/DTCS 026 Normal)
1st Tuesday is Emergency Power Night – participants are encouraged to operate the stations on emergency power.
The Tuesday evening on-air round robin ragchew
New Feature: 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. - Technician Class License Class Thursday Mar 16
6:00 PM to 7:50 PM
Conference Room
Stillwater Public Library
224 E 3rd Street, Stillwater, MN 55082 - SARA Eyeball QSO Party Thursday Mar 16
6:00 PM to 7:50 PM
Lake Elmo Public Library Meeting Room
3537 Lake Elmo Ave N, Lake Elmo, MN 55042