The Spa Club will hold its July meeting TOMORROW NIGHT, July 12 at 6pm.
We will discuss our recent Field Day operations and possible future events/programs/training.
Garland County Department of Emergency Management – 401 Mid America Blvd. – 18:00
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
ARRL Field Day is the single most popular Amateur Radio on-the-air event held annually in the US and Canada.
On the fourth FULL weekend of June of each year, more than 35,000 radio amateurs (HAMS) gather with their clubs, groups or simply with friends to operate from remote locations.
It is a time where many aspects of Amateur Radio come together to highlight our many roles. While some will treat it as a contest, other groups use the opportunity to practice their emergency response capabilities. It is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate Amateur Radio to the organizations that Amateur Radio might serve in an emergency, as well as the general public.
SPA Amateur Radio Association will be participating in Field Day 2022 from the Garland County Department of Emergency Management, 401 Mid America Blvd. If you will be in the Hot Springs area, join us! We’re planning a multi-transmitter setup on HF with opportunities for visitors to Get On The Air.
Operating hours will be Saturday, June 25th from 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. (approximately).
TALK-IN Frequency will be the W5LVB Repeater, 146.880(-) 114.8 CTCSS.
Setup will begin around 08:00. We will be utilizing the Garland County Emergency Communications Trailer, Inflatable Mast and other provided personal equipment. We will have at least (2) operating HF voice stations, as well as an FT-8 Digital station.
We have invited ALL Local Government officials, as well as the local media. Looking forward to a great event. Hope to see you there!
The Spa club will hold its June club meeting on June 14 at 6pm. We are in the final countdown to Field Day and will be discussing related information.
June 14, 2022
Garland County Department of Emergency Management
401 Mid America Blvd.
18:00 hrs
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
Notice anything unusual about this antenna? The 147.180 repeater will be out of service until further notice due to apparent lightning damage to the antenna, repeater, and controller. Updated information will be provided when available.
The Spa club will hold its May club meeting on May 10 at 6pm. It is time to get stirring on our preps for Field Day. With the solar index increasing, some may even be having visions of rare DX. Regardless, it is time to spring into action and get prepared!
May 10, 2022
Garland County Department of Emergency Management
401 Mid America Blvd.
18:00 hrs
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
The Spa club will hold its April club meeting on April 12 at 6pm. Likely topics include:
April 12, 2022
Garland County Department of Emergency Management
401 Mid America Blvd.
18:00 hrs
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
From KB6NU’s Ham Radio Blog:
The $35 licensing fee that’s been talked about for more than a year now will finally be going into effect on April 19, 2022, according to Public Notice A-22-307A1, dated March 23, 2022. It says:
This Public Notice announces that the new application fee rates for the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, codified at 47 CFR § 1.1102, will become effective on April 19, 2022. Wireless application fees can be paid through the Commission’s Universal Licensing System (ULS) at https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/universal-licensing-system.
For further guidance regarding Wireless Telecommunications Bureau application fees, please refer to the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Fee Filing Guide located at https://www.fcc.gov/licensing-databases/fees/application-processing-fees. For further information regarding this Public Notice, please contact Roland Helvajian, Program Analyst, Financial Operations, Office of the Managing Director, Roland.Helvajian@fcc.gov.
If you are looking for an opportunity to test prior to April 19, check out:
Saline County ARES testing on April 13
Online Testing: Can you take the ham radio license test online?
Also, check for other local test sessions on the ARRL website.
In spite of current events, the Spa club will hold its March club meeting on March 8 at 6pm.
March 8, 2022
Garland County Department of Emergency Management
401 Mid America Blvd.
18:00 hrs
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
The Spa Amateur Radio Association is pleased to announce that Josh KE5MHV, the new ARRL Emergency Management Director, will address the Spa Amateur Radio Association meeting February 8th, 2022 at 6pm. Please consider this an invitation to attend and pass this along to other hams.
Please RSVP to N5XFW so we can keep track of numbers.
February 8, 2022
Garland County Department of Emergency Management
401 Mid America Blvd.
18:00 hrs
All are welcome regardless of license or club status.
Field Day is not just for summertime anymore. Winter Field Day, sponsored by the Winter Field Day Association (WFDA), takes place the last full weekend of January each year. The annual event’s stated purpose is to encourage emergency operating preparedness in the winter, but it’s also an excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the great outdoors. According to the WFDA, getting ready for emergency communication in a winter environment is just as important as the preparations and practice that take place each June during ARRL Field Day.
SARA will be participating in Winter Field Day 2022 from Lake Ouachita State Park, near Mountain Pine, Arkansas. If you will be in the greater Hot Springs area, join us! We do not have a specific location in the park nailed down, so give us a shout on the radio when you arrive. Operating hours will be from 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (approximately). Our talk-in frequency is 146.880- (PL 114.8).
In addition to Field Day, we will be doing a Parks on the Air activation from around 10 or 11am until Field Day begins at 1pm.
Links:
Visits: 
