December 2009 Letter from the Prez

It seems like we all have much going on but not much to talk about. I am guessing it is just that time of year. Many holidays are approaching and we are trying to get ready for “Old Man Winter”.

Several members of SARA took a continuing education class at the U of M about Near Space and High Altitude Ballooning. On October 31st they launched two balloons and tracked them. The mission was successful with both balloons being recovered (Although there were some student experiments that weren’t quite as successful). SARApod failed on the ascent but the signal was received by Igates just before landing. John KCØUHY picked up the signal in his mobile to recover SARApod. It was determined that the failure was an accidentally broken antenna (that happened on the ground before the launch) which caused a very low signal to be transmitted by SARApod. The exciting news is that SARApod reached 18,000 feet. Too bad it was not showing on any of the APRS websites. We are just pleased it was recovered. No word on when the next U of M flight will be. I would like to see SARA launch its own balloon next year but as with all endeavors we will need help with funding. If anyone is interested in helping, please contact me.

The Split Rock Lighthouse “Remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald” crew is back. This event gets bigger every year. Dave WØOXB tried to limit it to 20 people but that didn’t work. I think we had 22 SARA members there and of course our Canadian friend Bill VE3XT joined in the fun. The SARA Board decided to add to the MAP (Members Assistance Program) and help sponsor a member that has attended SR before but was not going to be able to this time because of some financial hardships. A monetary donation was made that enabled this active SARA member to attend SR this year. We plan to continue to assist members with special needs. That is what the MAP is for and I am pleased to see it being put to good use.

Talking about MAP, Dave WØOXB gave a presentation about SARA’s MAP to the Quarter Century Wireless Association (QCWA). It was a great presentation that had their members asking for SARA MAP assistance. We reluctantly had to tell them we can only support SARA members due to the large time commitment this program requires. We may end up with a few new SARA members though. Dave told me that he did not think he could talk for more than about 15 to 20 minutes on the subject; but being true to his character, he talked for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Dave’s ability to hold conversation is one of SARA’s great assets.

Elections are coming and Shel NØDRX will soon be sending out a list of candidates for us to vote on. It’s not too late to get you or a friend on the ballot, but hurry. To run for office, you must be a member in good standing, which means getting your dues paid for 2010. It would really be great if we had multiple members to choose from in the election.

Dues are due! Please get your 2010 dues paid to support SARA and so that you can vote for your next SARA Officers. SARA is one of the most active Amateur Radio clubs around and we need your assistance to keep it that way. I’ve told people that what makes SARA great is that we are a friendly and social club. Please help us keep this going by continuing to support SARA with your membership. When you pay your dues we’ll make a new name tag for you showing you’ve paid your dues. Remember to bring your name tag to the meetings at Boutwells Landing. This helps them with their security if we have our name tags on.

We have Erik NY9D giving our December 12th presentation on D-Star and how it was used at the Medtronics Twin Cities Marathon. If you’ve been wondering about the capabilities of D-Star, this would be good presentation to see. We are in need of a presentation for January. If you have something you would like to present or presentation you would like to see, please let me know so I can get it arranged. The January presentation can be shorter than normal as we will also be giving the election results that day. Please help us out and volunteer to present to SARA. In February we are trying to arrange a presentation by John KCØUHY on VHF/UHF Coverage modeling.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I’m wishing you all wonderful Christmas. Wow, I found more to talk about than I thought I would. I guess I’ve been hanging around Dave too much. Thanks and 73.

RicKØBRennan
SARA President

PS. Please keep Marv WØMGI in your prayers. Marv fell and is at Good Samaritan Care Center recovering from two broken ribs and punctured lung. Hopefully he will be home for Christmas.