November 2009 Letter from the Prez

What happened to fall? It seems like the season skipped by us. There is so much going on in SARA this time of year. It is hard to remember all of it – let alone keep it organized. Many of our members are getting ready to go to Split Rock Lighthouse for “Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald”. This is always good time. From the stories I hear, there is always good food, good drinks, and good times for those able to attend. They seem to always “raise the bar” which can include over stoking the wood stove. The SARA repeater will be linked into LSAC. If you can’t make the event, then you can still talk to them through the SARA repeater. Hunting is another big choice this time of year and it often allows us to spend time with family and friends. During these times, we enjoy the companionship and related memories of spending time with family, friends and doing things we love. Either way, the greatest gift we can give each other is that of our time.

The SARA board has decided to assist active members attend club events. This is an important SARA duty to its members and part of the MAP. This assistance can be as simple as rides to events, loans of equipment, installation of an antenna, or financial assistance for an event. Please advise on any assistance you may be able to lend or someone you know who may need some help. As Red Green would say, “Remember, we are all in this together.”

The TWG is looking at adding Echolink to the repeater. The cost and maintenance will be evaluated before the board makes a decision. We hope to have the information to make a decision by Q1 2010. We are making headway with the interference. Some likely causes have been narrowed down, although we will not be taking any action until we have proof of the signal location.

The SARA Ballooning Team has been busy this summer with several launches of the SARApod. I’ve lost count of the number of times that the SARApod has flown this summer. I think it has flown five times into Near Space and the last flight may have reached 120,000 feet on October 31st. A few SARA members have even taken a continuing education course at the U of MN about high altitude ballooning. Two balloons were launched on this date and both were recovered.

Elections are coming soon and we need candidates for positions. Remember the gift of your time – contributing time to the club is a great gift and one you will gain from too! Please send your nominations to Shel N0DRX, our Trustee, at trustee (at) radioham.org before the December 1, 2009. This deadline allows Shel to organize the election process. This includes any of the current officers who may be planning to rerun or run for a new office. It would be really exciting for our members to have variety of candidates to choose from. This is a very rewarding experience and your chance to help SARA continue to “raise the bar”. Elections for SARA Officers will be at the January meeting. Email, snail mail, and phone votes can be sent to Shel.

The presentation this month will be by Mike N0ODK on the topic of QSLing. He will be sharing his tips and tricks on how get those QSL cards and save money while doing it. I wish everyone a great Thanksgiving with friends and family.

RicKØBRennan
SARA President