Next Club Meeting on September 6th, 2023
Our Wednesday September 6th 7:30PM ZOOM meeting agenda:
“Maui Fire and Lessons Learned“
The Maui wildfire was one of the deadliest wildfires in world history. Why did it happen and why did so many people die? This SARA meeting will consist of a series of video clips and other information, along with discussion about what went right and what went wrong.
We will end by discussing the upcoming Saratoga drill on October 16th. This will be a combined CERT/SARA/Saratoga city event.
Upcoming events:
We are in the planning stages of a joint SARA/CERT/City of Saratoga drill. Tentatively set for Monday October 16th at 6PM. It will involve a simulated earthquake, activation, the EOC, Mike-Mike reports, etc. It should be a great means of coordinating all of us. More details to come soon.
Recent and recurring events:
Santa Clara County ARES/RACES RDF (Fox Hunt) Saturday August 12th, 2023, 8AM until 12:30PM at Cuesta Park in Mountain View. This was a more serious style fox hunt but was plenty of fun. Yagi antennas, TDOA rigs, and other such sophisticated hardware were utilized in finding all four of the hidden foxes. A great success!
SARA Fox Hunt on Saturday July 29, 2023, 9AM until Noon at West Valley College (Fruitdale & Allendale Avenues). Eight of us joined together and had a great time wandering the back pathways of the campus seeking the three Foxes hidden around the campus. We look forward to doing that again.
Yagi antenna building/Fox hunt at Kevin Moran Park on July 8th. It was a fun, fresh morning for many of us fellow hams. We all learned a bit more about fox hunting. However, we were unsuccessful at contacting a satellite passing overhead. Oh well….
Several of us hams and CERT members attended the Saratoga Car Show on Sunday July 23rd. It was a bit warm at times but was a lot of fun. Over 200 classic cars. Spectacular! We issued a few band-aids and suntan lotion, but no emergencies occurred.
Ham Swap Meets (typically every month now on the SECOND SUNDAY during Spring and Summer). The next one is scheduled for Sunday September 10th at West Valley College, Lot 3, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070. Gates open at 6AM for booth set-up with a quiet time enforced until 8AM. The meet will stay open until 12PM Noon. There will be a three ($3) parking fee for each car. There will also be a concession stand selling coffee and donuts at $3 each or $5 for two items. Restrooms will be available nearby. Come join the fun and find some great deals on all sorts of ham equipment. THIS WILL BE THE LAST ONE THIS YEAR!
More interaction is planned between SARA and the Saratoga CERT members.
More SARA sessions at Kevin Moran Park such as RF Safety characterization.
Perhaps another picnic at KMP? Late September or early October? Any interest?
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Monthly in-person meeting venue: No further progress made yet on finding a new venue! Impending threats of new Covid19 outbreaks have many folks worried. In the meantime, we will continue our meetings only via Zoom.
We still need more fully trained and certified Credentialed members. Classes are available through the county ARES/RACES website.
Note: Our 2-meter repeater S-meter signal strength report is now UP once again since March 24th, 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. Voila!
*****Zoom Link*****
Join our monthly Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 408 621 5853
Passcode: K6SA
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******** Next Monthly Meeting will be held on Wednesday September 6th, 2023 at 7:30PM*********
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 August 14th, 34 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.
Nets
- Sundays – 2M Net at 9:00 pm on both K6SA repeaters
- Tuesdays – SVECS 2M Net at 8:00 pm on AA6BT at 146.115 MHz + 100 Hz.
- Thursdays – Rag Chew/Question and Answer session at 9:00 pm on both K6SA repeaters
Saratoga Frequencies
Everyone should have the following frequencies programmed into their VHF/UHF radios. A complete list of all county frequencies and local jurisdictions can be found at the ARES-RACES website at this link.
| 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 |
Read All About Us
- 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.
Mission
- 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, Michael Turner N6DXQ; Secretary, 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.
Meeting Guidelines:
- Meetings are normally on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:30 PM. As of June 8th, 2022, they may be In-Person (depending on member requests) as well as available via Zoom. However, with Covid19 still lingering amongst us we will default to Zoom only.
- The In-Person location has often been at the Saratoga Fire Station, located on 14380 Saratoga Avenue at the corner of Saratoga-Sunnyvale and Los Gatos-Saratoga Roads, in Saratoga. Map A new venue may be necessary. Stay tuned!
- Prior to the meeting, 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.