SARA This Week Nov 13 – Nov 19
Good morning!
Here’s your SARA update for this week!
VE Exam Session November 17
The SARA Volunteer Examiner team is conducting an amateur radio exam session on Thursday Nov 17. The session will be in Auditorium B at The Gables at Boutwells Landing, 13575 58th Street North, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 beginning at 6:00 PM. Pre-registration is encouraged, email N0DRX at hotmail dot com if you plan on testing that evening. Exam fee is $15. Please note that Boutwells Landing is a senior residential care facility and facemasks are required in common areas of the building.
SARA CW Study Group
SARA is organizing a Morse Code study group. If you are interested in learning Morse Code, already do some CW operating and want to brush up your skills or are an experienced CW operator who would like to assist others getting started, this cooperative learning experience is for you.
We are planning to kick things off in late November with an initial informational meeting, followed by four weekly study group sessions. Since this is a study group, and not a class, content and structure of sessions will be tailored to the needs of the group, and success will be largely dependent on the level of commitment by each participating member. Study group sessions will be held via Zoom meeting, and each session will include practice time as well as review of CW learning resources and various aspects of equipment used by CW operators.
If you would like to join the SARA CW Study Group (or if you have questions about the group), send an email to K0GW or W0GAF at their email addresses below. Please include a brief description of your current level of CW experience or operating skill (Beginner, 5 WPM, etc.). We’ll add you to the list and will begin communicating details to the group.
TNX ES 73 DE,
K0GW Greg – K0GW at arrl dot net
W0GAF Bob – W0GAF at me dot com
SARA POTA Challenge ’22
The Challenge is nearing the end for 2022. This has proven to be a tremendous success for SARA. The level of activity from Hunters and Activators alike has been astounding. As of the end of October, Hunter QSOs are over 10,000 contacts! And Activators have over 200 activations from almost 150 parks! Plenty of hunting and activating time left in 2022.
The Legends and Leaders divisions for hunters were created to reinvigorate hunters. Those with 500 Hunter QSOs move into the Legends division. We had four more hunters attain Legend status in October. Congrats to KØCFL, NØDRX, WØGIB, and W2SAD for exceeding 500 QSOs! Leaders still have a chance to claim top spots in their division. Contacts with all POTA stations count. 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.
Be sure to check POTA spots regularly for activations.
SARA POTA Awards will be presented for both activators (most parks, activations, QSOs) and hunters (most QSOs). The Awards Ceremony will take place at the SARA monthly Meeting on Saturday Feb 11, 2023. The prize plan is being finalized by the Challenge team this week. Prizes will include certificates and POTA swag. Details will be shared at a future date.
Bob WØGAF and Brian KB9TBB lead the SARA POTA Challenge and have done a fantastic job bringing this all together. Brian has informed us that he has been able to refine the data collection method he uses to pull data from POTA so that the 2023 SARA POTA Challenge can include Modes (Phone, CW, Digital). Early discussions for the 2023 Challenge indicate few changes in the program. There will be a focus on providing Activator mentoring opportunities out in the parks.
Nominations for SARA Officers for 2023
Nominations for SARA Officers for 2023 will take place at the December 10th monthly meeting of the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association. The offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer are elected annually. The Director positions are 2-year terms, each elected in alternating years. One Director will be elected for the 2023-2024 term.
The current SARA officers are:
Joe Heitzinger, KCØOIO – President
Bob Jensen, WØGAF – Vice President
Dave Iverson, N9JNQ – Secretary
Rich Smith, ADØSN – Treasurer
Zack Zaccagnini, AAØU – 2021 & 2022 Director
Brad Harris, VE3MXJ – 2022 & 2023 Director
Trustee: Shel Mann, NØDRX (Note: The SARA Trustee officer is an appointed position; chosen by the elected officers)
Now is the time to consider helping shape the future of the Association by serving as an official of SARA!
Virtual Technical Topic Thursday December 1st
The SARA Eyeball QSO Party will be pre-empted December 1st for a virtual Technical Topic Thursday Zoom session. The topic will be “Dressing up your qrz.com page” lead by Bob WØGAF. Zoom details will be provided closer to the date.
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 Nov 13
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).
Due to poor local propagation, the SARA Top Band Crew may 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.
Alternates: 21.316 MHz +/- QRM (USB) 50.166 MHz +/- QRM (USB) - SARA Monday Morning 75-meter Ragchew Nov 14
08:15 Central (14:15 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew Nov 15
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 Board of Directors Virtual Meeting Wednesday Nov 16
6:30 PM Central (00:30 UTC)
SARA Zoom Teleconference Room - SARA VE Exam Session Thursday Nov 17
6:00 PM
Auditorium B, The Gables at Boutwells Landing, 13575 58th Street North, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082 - SARA Eyeball QSO Party Thursday Nov 17
6:00 to 7:50 PM
Conference Room, Stillwater Public Library, 224 3rd Street N, Stillwater, MN 55082