SARA | SARA This Week Oct 1

SARA This Week Oct 1 – Oct 7

General Class License Classes

Classes began Thursday, September 21 and will run through Nov 9. It’s not too late to join! The ARRL General Class License Manual Tenth Edition, updated for the new question pool now valid through June 30, 2027, will be the study guide for the class. This week’s session is in the Rosalie Wahl Room at the Lake Elmo Public Library. For more information or to sign up for the class, contact Bob WØGAF at w0gaf at me dot com. A VE Session is scheduled for Thursday Nov 16 at Boutwells Landing.

SARA Monthly Meeting is October 7^th!

The October meeting of the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association will be this coming Saturday the 7^th. This is a departure from normal due to the ARRL MN State Convention the following Saturday. We will meet in Auditorium B at Boutwells Landing.

The meeting’s program will be on Station Grounding. We will begin our discussion with a 15 minute video by Dave Casler KEØOG of Ask Dave fame. The video provides a very informative, easy to understand discussion of just how to properly ground your station. This will be followed by a facilitated discussion of the whats and whys of grounding. Members are encouraged to take a look at their current grounding system and share with the group what you have and how you constructed the system. If you have any photographs to share, please send them to the planning committee at dbiverson123@gmail.com to be included in the presentation. Questions for the group are welcome – we have plenty of members who have a solid understanding of grounding and are willing to share their knowledge with fellow members.

2023 ARRL MN State Convention Saturday October 14

The ARRL Minnesota State Convention will attract amateur radio operators from throughout the Upper Midwest for an all-day learning experience. It’s an important educational initiative that aims to develop a pool of radio operators ready to provide emergency communications in Minnesota communities. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the preeminent national organization supporting US Amateur Radio. It is through ARRL that ham radio partners with FEMA to support response recovery efforts in the wake of disasters.

The conference has been painstakingly designed to give you as much diversity of knowledge and subjects to enhance your ability to communicate effectively in whatever mode or operation you desire. Some of this you will already know, but maybe not completely. Even the most knowledgeable ham operator has some challenges of operations in their abilities.

Registration remains open. Registrants from October 1 until the event will pay $40, lunch is included for those registering through October 8th.

There is limited availability – register early!

For more info, go to http://mnconvention.org

SARA is one of the sponsoring organizations of the 2023 ARRL MN State Convention. We will have a table for sharing information on the club as well as a gathering point for members. Volunteers are needed to help staff the table throughout the day. If you are attending the Convention and are willing to staff the table for an hour, email Joe KCØOIO at president@radioham.org.

SARA POTA Challenge ‘23

The full results recap along with some interesting charts are available on radioham.org website. << CLICK HERE >> to view the update page.

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 thorough 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.

Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event Nov 3-5

Plans are well underway for operating WØJH at this year’s big event.

We’ll be operating from the usual facility, Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Trail Center, per the following:

Friday, Nov. 3 (half day, includes set-up; operating ~3:00 – ~5:00 pm)
Saturday, Nov. 4 (all day; operating ~10 am – ~5:00 pm)
Sunday, Nov. 5 (all day, includes take-down; operating ~10 am – ~5:30 pm)

Most of us stay at the Mariner Motel in Silver Bay. Call 218-226-4488 to reserve a room. The Mariner Motel is SARA’s Official Networking/Critiquing Sessions HQ. (Manhattans, beer, wine/whines, and whatever you have will be tolerated/served as necessary!)

The Black Beach Inn Grandstay (formerly AmericInn) in Silver Bay is another popular choice. You can book a room online https://www.grandstayhospitality.com/find-a-hotel/locations/silver-bay/overview

Make your reservations now as it is also the MN Deer Firearms season opener on Nov 4^th and rooms tend to book out for the weekend.

If you’re interested in attending, please contact Dave, WØOXB (W0OXB at arrl dot net) so we’ve got you on the official attendee list. Note: For insurance reasons, participants must be current SARA members.

If you’re unable to join us at the park, you can still participate. Operate as WØF for this year’s “Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald” from YOUR QTH! As WØF, those NOT able to attend, will be able to participate from YOUR OWN QTH this year. You can SCHEDULE your operating day, time, band & mode! And everyone will be able to schedule a slot on Nov 10^th as we commemorate the Edmund Fitzgerald on the anniversary of the loss of the ship and crew. A SignupGenius page link will be provided in the coming weeks.

This week’s SARA activities

SARA’s on-air, in-person, and virtual activities are a great way to stay connected with others.