HOME

Next SARA Club Meeting on Wednesday April 2nd, 2025 at 7:30 PM

“How to be useful in an emergency.”

NOTE: New Zoom Link for Monthly SARA meetings —

Recent and recurring events:

Our last SARA meeting was a special event involving Mr. Kevin Conant, Senior Public Safety Specialist for PG&E, giving the “second half” of his most excellent PG&E Gas and Electrical Safety presentation during an emergency. It was very informative.

CERT: We had numerous meetings involving Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) documents. We have a new simpler CERT Radio Report form to minimize the amount of writing required per each radio report transmission. We resumed CERT monthly radio check-ins in November 2024 using the new simplified message form. The next Cox Division CERT radio check-in will be April 7th at 5PM, 2025 using channel 2. Stay tuned!

Thursday evening “Ragchew” question & answer session on our same two repeaters weekly at 9:00 PM. Fun and informative. Typically, a “round robin chat.” Come on…don’t be afraid to hit your PTT button to speak up and ask….or perhaps simply listen and learn.

The Ham Swap Meet has resumed again this year on Sunday mornings once a month at West Valley College, Lot 3, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070. Next one is on April 13th. Registration begins at 6AM and the swaps begin around 9AM and continue until Noon. Always a lot of great ham equipment at low prices.

Future events:

****

ARES/RACES website: https://www.scc-ares-races.org/activities/events.php

A Santa Clara Countywide CERT Drill is scheduled on Saturday, May 3rd, 2025 from 09:00 AM until 4:00 PM at San Martin/Gwinn Elementary School. This is an opportunity for CERT members as well as ham radio operators to participate and hone their skills as emergency communicators. We have developed a scenario in collaboration with the county ARES/RACES organization. I suggest that you contact Charles Rader if interested in participating.

Our SARA training sessions

There are several other potential upcoming activities.  These include: more Fox hunts, antenna build/testing, safety training, others? Please join us in helping plan SARA’s sessions!

More SARA sessions at Kevin Moran Park such as RF Safety characterization.
Looking to help volunteer as a Ham radio operator? Help make a difference during a emergency by becoming a trained and credentialed County ARES member. Classes are available through the Santa Clara County ARES/RACES website.

**************************************

Note: Our 2-meter repeater S-meter signal strength report is now UP once again, responding with a maximum of “S9 plus 30.” To utilize it, key up the 2- meter site, continue holding your PTT, and hit the “8” key for a second, then release the PTT. You should then receive a signal strength report response. The maximum strength report will be S9 plus 30. Try different power levels. Be curious. Voila! FYI: Our 70cm repeater does NOT have this capability.

Nets

• Sundays – 2M Net at 9:00 PM on both K6SA repeaters. Stick around for Morris’s after net lectures. VERY informative.
• Tuesdays – SVECS 2M Net at 8:00 PM on AA6BT at 146.115 MHz + 100 Hz or on linked K6SNY 70cm at 443.275 MHz + 107.2 Hz
• Thursdays – Rag Chew/Question and Answer session at 9:00 pm on both K6SA repeaters

SARA Frequencies

Channel Name	Resource Name	R/S	Frequency	Offset	PL
Command	K6SA	Repeater	146.655	– (minus)	114.8
Command	K6SA	Repeater	443.150	+ (plus)	100
Tactical Alt		Simplex	146.505
Tactical Alt 2		Simplex	146.595

General Information

• Our brochure contains an overview of our club’s history, member interests, net, meetings, activities, and how you might become a member. If you would like to become a member, please complete our membership form and mail it to: Saratoga Amateur Radio Association, P.O. Box 2034, Saratoga, CA 95070.

Meetings

• Meetings are normally on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM. As of March 2025, we are now In-Person as well as available via Zoom. https://zoom.us/j/99317500744?pwd=RUVXajlQK1dZVWwwQXNZZ3JtME5uZz09
• Meetings will be held in the Saratoga Senior Center (19655 Allendale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070) at 7:30 PM. 
• Prior to the in-person meetings, we often have dinner at Jake’s; a Saratoga Restaurant located at 12175 Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road (and Prospect Road). Map. We usually meet around 6:00 PM. Someone will be monitoring the K6SA repeaters while we are at dinner so check-in and say “Hi” if you are on your way.
• We strongly suggest you bring your 2M HT in case you have difficulty finding the meeting. If you have difficulty finding the meeting, please contact someone on the club repeater.

Documents

Access to Saved Documents Procedure: NOTE: New methodology: Go to the RESOURCES Tab on the Home Page and click on it. Then drop down to PRESENTATIONS and click on it. Scroll down to see the long list of saved documents and presentations from years gone by. You can read and download any of them. There is a wealth of ham radio knowledge covered. Enjoy!

*** Annual Club Dues: ***

With inflation compounded with equipment replacement costs, Zoom, GoDaddy, and governmental fees rising substantially, we have found it necessary to collect annual dues once again. This will be twenty ($20) dollars for an individual or thirty ($30) dollars for a family membership. NOTE: If you paid in November or December of the prior year, you will be credited for the next year. Please help keep our club strong. As of March 2025, 38 members have paid. Thanks!

Current Member Payment

For current members, there is no need to reregister. All one must do is make a dues payment. You have two payment options:

Option#1; pay by submitting a check written out to SARA and mail it to our Saratoga mailbox; SARA, P.O. Box 2034, Saratoga, CA 95070. Be sure to write your callsign(s) on the check!

Option#2; Make a direct payment using our PayPal account at https://PayPal.me/saratogaamateurradio. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the PayPal form where you can enter your name and callsign(s).

New Member Payment and Registration

For new members, please scroll down to the “Read All About Us” section below and use the link to the Membership form. Please print, fill it out, then mail it in. Sorry, but online registration is not available at this time. Payment can be done by either by mailing a check written out to SARA, P.O. Box 2034, Saratoga, CA 95070 or via our PayPal link: https://PayPal.me/saratogaamateurradio. Your new membership will keep you as active on our email distribution list. Help keep our club strong. Thanks.

Our Charter

• Facilitate scientific education and knowledge of radio engineering and communication skills by providing training, reference materials for self-education and operating practice.
• Provide voluntary noncommercial communication, particularly providing emergency communication as a public service and without any remuneration.
• Promote amateur radio by facilitating the exchange of information, improve individual operating efficiency and strengthen the welfare of amateur radio in the community.
• Our current officers are Jack Griswold KM6ZWR; President, Steve Steps AJ6HM; Vice President, and Allison Cassidy N6ALI; Treasurer and our board members Peter Melhus AA6PM, Morris Jones AD6ZH, Don Steinbach AE6PM, Jeff Walker N6ADE, and Walter Spector W6WS.

• Our brochure contains an overview of our club’s history, member interests, net, meetings, activities, and how you might become a member. If you would like to become a member, please complete our membership form and mail it to: Saratoga Amateur Radio Association, P.O. Box 2034, Saratoga, CA 95070.