SARA This Week: Sept 3 – Sept 9
SARA’s Radio in the Parks Thursday
The Eyeball QSO Party is outdoors for SARA’s Radios in the Park summer season. We gather at various area parks on Thursday evenings through September 7. Final session for the outdoor schedule is at Browns Creek State Trail (K-9386) at Browns Creek Park 8312 Neal Ave N, Stillwater
Folks begin arriving at the park around 5:30 PM and we’re there until about 8:00 PM.
In case of inclement weather, Collin KEØIYN has offered the “shed” and “The Diner” at his QTH on Osgood Ave south of Valley View Park as a covered location for those evenings.
The Eyeball QSO Party moves back indoors at the Stillwater Public Library beginning September 14.
Monthly Meetings resume September 9
The Stillwater Amateur Radio Association meets monthly on the 2nd Saturday of the month, September through May. Monthly meetings will resume September 9th in Auditorium B at Boutwells Landing.
The program will be on using the NanoVNA with Chuck Hanson, NAØL. So you couldn’t resist the temptation to pick up one of the low-priced NanoVNA handheld vector network analyzers available on the internet, only to be stumped once you received it as to how to get all you can get out of the little gizmo! You will learn that you have a powerhouse in a small package. Chuck will fill us in on what we have been missing if you haven’t yet purchased a NanoVNA, and what you may have not yet discovered for those who do have the device. If you do have one, don’t forget to bring it along and follow along as Chuck provides hints on how to get more out of your device.
As has been our practice, the meeting will also be livestreamed via the SARA Zoom Meeting Room. Contact president at radioham dot org for the Zoom meeting link.
There will be an alteration to the meeting schedule for the October meeting. The Board of Directors has moved this session to October 7 to allow members to attend the 2023 MN State ARRL Convention being held on October 14.
General Class License Classes begin September 21
Fall is approaching and that means the SARA education team is preparing for the General Class License class sessions. Classes will begin Thursday September 21 and will run for 8 weeks, followed by a VE Session on Thursday Nov 16. 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. For more information or to sign up for the class, contact Bob WØGAF at w0gaf at me dot com.
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 is now open. You may register until September 30th at the rate of $30.00 including lunch. 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.
This week’s SARA activities
SARA’s on-air, in-person, and virtual activities are a great way to stay connected with others.
- NO “Sunday Fusion” Digital Voice Hangout Sept 3
- SARA Top Band Ragchew
Nightly
20:00 Central (01:00 UTC)
Frequency: 1.966 LSB +/- QRM or 3.813 LSB +/- QRM
Alternates: 21.316 MHz +/- QRM (USB) 50.166 MHz +/- QRM (USB) - SARA Monday Morning 75-meter Ragchew Sep 4
08:15 Central (13:15 UTC)
Frequency: 3.856 LSB +/- QRM - SARA Two Meter Tuesday (TMT) Round Robin Ragchew Sep 5
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
Featuring 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. - SARA’s Summer in the Parks Thursday Sep 7
~5:30 PM to 8:00 PM
Browns Creek State Trail (K-9386) at Browns Creek Park 8312 Neal Ave N, Stillwater - 2nd Saturday Breakfast Sept 9
7:30 AM
Perkins Restaurant, 2050 Frontage Road, Stillwater - SARA Monthly Meeting Sept 9
9:15 AM
Auditorium B; The Gables at Boutwells Landing
13575 58th Avenue, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082Boutwells Landing may require face masks in public spaces in the facility. Please bring your mask. We are asked not to arrive at Boutwells before 9:00 AM.