SARA | SARA This Week Sept 4

SARA This Week Sept 4 – Sept 10

Good morning!

Here’s SARA’s happenings this week.

SARA’s Summer in the Parks

Only two more Thursdays left for SARA’s Summer in the Parks! We will be at Lily Lake Park 1208 Greeley St S, Stillwater, MN 55082. It features a nice little covered picnic area overlooking the lake.

The final Summer in the Parks evening will be September 15^th at Valley View Park. The Eyeball QSO Party returns to the Stillwater Public Library on September 22^nd.

September Meeting Saturday September 10
Program: Field-Expedient Antenna Show-N-Tell

We start the 2022-23 meeting year this Saturday September 10. We meet in Auditorium A at Boutwells Landing, 13575 58th Street North, Oak Park Heights, MN 55082. Do not arrive before 9:00 AM as we need to follow Boutwell’s check-in policy at the front desk. Masks may still be required in the common spaces, so be prepared.

The meeting will also be available via SARA’s Zoom Meeting room. Please email SARA president Joe KC0OIO president at radioham dot org for Zoom meeting link.

This month’s program will host a “field-expedient” portable antenna show-n-tell. Members are encouraged to bring up to 3 different antenna types they have used for portable operations and give a brief explanation of your choices and how they have performed for you. For those joining the meeting virtually, you will be able to participate too. Take some pictures of your antennas to share on-screen your experiences with them. Those at the Summers in the Park session at the St. Croix Boomsite saw a unique vertical antenna – something intended used as a retriever! And it loaded up and contacts were made!

SARA POTA Challenge ’22

The Challenge has proven to be a great activity for SARA. Hunters and activators alike are enjoying getting on the air and working POTA parks. The Fall season is a great time to visit parks across the region!

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.

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.

SARA POTA Awards are planned for both activators (most parks, activations, QSOs & park to park) and hunters (most QSOs). We have created Legends and Leaders divisions for hunters. The super performing Legends are out in front of the pack and are challenging each other. Those with 500 Hunter QSOs move into the Legends division. That means the Leaders still have a chance to claim top spots in their division. Now is your chance to get back in the running. 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.

The next big SARA POTA activity will be up at Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Nov 4 – 6 for the Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Weekend. WØJH will be activating both the state park K-2524 and the Gitchi Gammi State Trail K-8095. And individual operators can get activator credit as well while operating as WØJH.

Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald Special Event

For the 18^th consecutive year, SARA will be Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald with a Special Event Station from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park Nov 4 thru 6, 2022. Make plans to attend this special commemorative event, SARA’s biggest. We will offer the opportunity for you to operate as part of the group onsite or from your own home. The club’s callsign WØJH will be used exclusively from Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. The 1×1 callsign WØF has been secured for exclusive use by those working from home stations, for any mode, any band, any time. A SignUpGenius page will be created to manage mode/band/time slots for WØF. The Mariner Motel in Silver Bay is open and taking reservations! More details to come.

General License Study Class to begin Sept 22.

SARA’s Education & Training team will be conducting a General License study class this fall. Classes will begin on Thursday Sept 22 and will run 8 weeks. The VE Exam Session is planned for Thursday Nov 17. Classes will run from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Classroom space is being arranged at the Stillwater Public Library. If interested, contact Bob Jensen WØGAF at w0gaf at me dot com. The class is open to all so spread the word to friends and family.

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.