Next SARA Club Meeting on Wednesday October 1st, 2025 at 7:30 PM
“Antenna Gain Testing Night”
The October 1st, 2025 SARA meeting will be an in-person only meeting. Due to the nature of the meeting, there will NOT be a Zoom option. The meeting will be held at the usual time and location: the Saratoga Senior Center (19655 Allendale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070) at 7:30 PM.
The October SARA meeting will be the third in a series of building and testing of antennas. It is easy to check the VSWR of an antenna (as we did last month), but checking gain is much more difficult. As Morris has pointed out, a 50 Ohm resistor will display a perfect (1.0) VSWR, but will transmit no signal.
So how good is your HT or Yagi antenna? A low VSWR does not necessarily mean it is performing well. We will NOT be able to make absolute radiation power measurements, but we can perform comparison measurements. This will be a “hands-on” meeting learning about how to perform testing of antennas.
There will be the usual pre-meeting gathering at Jake’s (12175 Saratoga Sunnyvale Rd, Saratoga, CA 95070) at 6:00 PM. The October 1st, 2025 SARA meeting will NOT be a hybrid meeting — thus will NOT be via Zoom. In-person is the only option since this is really a “hands-on” equipment building event again. The meeting will be held in the Saratoga Senior Center (19655 Allendale Ave, Saratoga, CA 95070) at 7:30 PM.
Zoom link for SARA Monthly Meeting NOT applicable for this October meeting!
https://zoom.us/j/99317500744?pwd=RUVXajlQK1dZVWwwQXNZZ3JtME5uZz09
Recent and recurring events:
SARA governing board nominations and election of its members was accomplished in June. We still do NOT have a Secretary and I am hoping to find a new “Net Nanny” Communications Officer since Jeff Walker has held that position going on five years. He needs a break! Steve Steps (Vice President) and I (Jack Griswold, President) will continue in our positions unless someone else will consider taking them on?
CERT: The next Cox Division CERT radio check-in will be October 6th at 5PM, 2025 using channel 2. Stay tuned! We have a new simpler CERT Radio Report form now to minimize the amount of writing required per each radio report transmission.
Thursday evening ham radio “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 now ended for the 2025 season at West Valley College, Lot 3, 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga, CA 95070. Hopefully it will resume in Spring of 2026 .
Future events:
ARES/RACES Communications Drill Saratoga ARES/RACES Communications Drill
ARES/RACES website: https://www.scc-ares-races.org/activities/events.php
Our SARA training sessions
There are several other potential upcoming activities. These include: more Fox hunts (open to all hams and non-hams!), 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. Possibly a joint SARA and CERT Picnic at KMP? Probably not until early October. Will definitely need volunteers to help. More to come.
Looking to help volunteer as a Ham radio operator? Help make a difference during an emergency by becoming a trained and credentialed County ARES member. Classes are available through the Santa Clara County ARES/RACES website.
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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 60. Try different power levels. Be curious. 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 (Main AA6BT is currently DOWN as of August 2025 at 146.115 MHz + 100 Hz) Instead use linked W6ASH 145.270 + 100 Hz or 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. We are often 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. 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.