Field Day Fun

Posted on July 17, 2019 by w5tcb

A handful of local hams came together at Entergy Park from 1pm until 6pm on Field Day to operate under the WB5SPA call sign. The weather was miserably hot and the radio conditions were tolerable, but good fun and fellowship was enjoyed by all in attendance. Participating hams included Frank (N5WEM), Drew (KG5UFU), Daniel (W1HDL), Kevin (K5MOH), Pat (WV5Y), and Chris (W5TCB).

The club operated as 3A (three transmitters, club or group operation). Bonus points were claimed for:

  • 100% emergency power
  • Operating in a public location
  • Completing a minimum of five (5) QSOs using alternate or natural power
  • Youth participation (participant under 18 completing at least one QSO)
  • Entry submitted via web

All total, the completed six (6) voice QSOs, five (5) CW QSOs, and seventy-one (71) voice QSOs, for a grand total of 756 points claimed. Thanks to all who participated for their efforts. By the way, Field Day is scheduled for June 27 & 28, 2020…

WB5SPA Field Day HQ
Map of WB5SPA Field Day QSOs
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July Meeting

Posted on July 9, 2019 by Robert King

Our meeting for JULY (tonight) has been cancelled! Due to Election Commission activities, the meeting room is not available tonight. Sorry for the short notice!

Our next meeting is scheduled for August 13 at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

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Field Day 2019

Posted on June 21, 2019 by w5tcb

ARRL Field Day is the single most popular 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 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.

SARA will be participating in Field Day 2019 from Entergy Park located near Carpenter Dam in Hot Springs. 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. How many stations we operate will be driven by how many turn out to participate. Operating hours will be Saturday, June 22 from 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. (approximately). Our talk-in frequency is 146.880- (PL 114.8).

The club will have water bottles on hand, but no food will be provided.

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June Meeting

Posted on June 3, 2019 by w5tcb

Our next meeting is scheduled for June 11 at 6pm. Hope to see you there!

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May Meeting

Posted on April 10, 2019 by w5tcb

Our next meeting is scheduled for May 14 at 6pm. Bob (AB5N) will be presenting on the topic of Utilizing Electric Vehicle Batteries. Sounds very intriguing… Make plans now to join us and find out more about this very interesting project.

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The results are in…

Posted on March 21, 2019 by w5tcb

Winter Field Day 2019 results have been posted. WB5SPA did itself proud by receiving high score in Arkansas for the Outdoor category. Congrats to all who participated in this event. Well done!

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April Meeting

Posted on March 18, 2019 by w5tcb

What is portable operating? Why would I want to operate outside of my home shack? What would I need to get started? Our next meeting scheduled for April 9 at 6pm will include this discussion and more. Make plans now to join us for this conversation!

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March Meeting Recap

Posted on March 18, 2019 by w5tcb

SARA held its 3rd meeting of 2019 on March 12. Wayne (WA5LUY) gave an informative overview of local repeaters and their locations, configurations, and possible uses in support of our local communities. A brief recap:

  • W5LVB (146.880) is located on West Mountain in Hot Springs. This repeater has wide VHF coverage over Garland County. This machine is in place to serve weather events that may require activation of a SkyWarn net, but is also available to local amateurs when not in emergency use. This machine is linked full-time to KA5WPC (146.715) near Mt. Ida.
  • W5LVB (444.600) is located on West Mountain in Hot Springs. This repeater has wide UHF coverage over Garland County. This machine is in place to serve as a backup to the 146.880 machine, but is also available to local amateurs when not in emergency use.
  • WB5SPA (147.180) and WB5SPA (442.350) are located atop St. Vincent Hospital in Hot Springs. These repeaters belong to SARA and are available for use by local amateurs. These repeaters have a smaller usable footprint than the West Mountain units due to antenna height and placement, but have good coverage around Hot Springs and near-located areas.
  • KA5WPC (146.715) is located near Mt. Ida on High Peak Mountain. This repeater has wide VHF coverage over Montgomery County and beyond. This machine is in place to serve weather events that may require activation of a SkyWarn net, but is also available to local amateurs when not in emergency use. This machine is linked full-time to W5LVB (146.880) in Hot Springs.
  • KA5WPC (444.475) is located near Mt. Ida on High Peak Mountain. This repeater has wide UHF coverage over Montgomery County. This machine is in place to serve as a backup to the 146.715 machine, but is also available to local amateurs when not in emergency use.
  • KA5WPC (52.910) is a 6m repeater located near Mt. Ida on High Peak Mountain. This repeater offers regional coverage over SW Arkansas. This machine is in place to serve as a backup to the 146.715 machine, and is also available for use by local amateurs.

Thanks to the owners and trustees of these local repeaters and to Wayne (WA5LUY) for his continued efforts in maintaining all of this equipment!

Additional local repeater information can be found here.

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Next Meeting

Posted on February 14, 2019 by w5tcb

The next meeting is scheduled for March 12 at 6pm. There might just be a presentation on a topic that is of interest to you, but you won’t know unless you show!

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February Meeting Brief

Posted on February 14, 2019 by w5tcb

SARA held its 2nd meeting of 2019 on February 12. Pat (W5VY) gave an excellent presentation on using meteor scatter for ham radio communications. Basically, meteor- scatter work is performed by bouncing radio signals off the ionized trails produced by meteors burning through the ionosphere. Getting started in meteor scatter does not necessarily mean spending a large sum on extra equipment. In fact, you can use a homemade antenna similar to the one presented by Wayne at the January club meeting. If you want to find out more, this is a good place to start.

Pat (W5VY) discusses meteor scatter propagation.
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