The St Augustine Amateur Radio Society will meet Tuesday March 4th at 6:30 PM via Google Meet. Please see Bob’s email for meeting information.
Meeting Program will be a Roundtable discussion on future events and programs for the club.
Saturday, February 22 is the last Saturday of the month when we do a Breakfast Social. This Saturday we will be at “The Spot” which is located 4508 US 1 St. Augustine near the airport. (MAP) The Spot opens at 7:30 which is also our normal time to gather for breakfast.
The St Augustine Amateur Radio Society will meet Wednesday February 5th at 6:30 PM. The meeting location will be the St. Augustine Airport Conference Center, 4730 Casa Cola Way, St. Augustine. (map).
Meeting Program: Sunspots! Grab them while you can!
A sunspot-cycle peak is upon us – this is a drive-by guide to what they are, what they cause, and tips and techniques on how to simply work the world.
Steve was first licensed in the late ’60s as G3YDV. Professionally he is a DSP developer in the audio and broadcast fields, and SDR is a present favourite playground besides operating. Steve has explored many facets of the hobby all the way from LF to satellites, tubes to DSP, and is a recovering contester.
This is his sixth sunspot cycle.
The St Augustine Amateur Radio Society is planning its first operating event of 2025, Winter Field Day, at Armstrong Park (map), 4950 Harvey Ave, Elkton, FL 32033
Setup time
If you arrive at the park in the 8:30 am to 9 am timeframe you should have plenty of time to set up.
Operations time
Formal Winter Field Day operations start at 11 am on Saturday, but we’ll start “warm-up” operations as soon as we get stations on the air.
We expect the bulk of our operation to be on Saturday until about 5 pm.
Rigs, antennas, filters, etc.
Members typically bring a variety of rigs and antennas, and the club has a comprehensive set of filters to improve the multi-station/multi-band/multi-antenna experience. We encourage you to bring any equipment you wish to operate in the harsh outdoor winter environment of North Florida.
We’ll likely operate in the 40, 20, 15, and 10 meter bands, and hope to have at least one FT8 station on the air.
As of this date we expect to have at least four rigs and antenna systems, and we encourage everyone to bring a rig or antenna they would like to experiment with.
Logging
Please bring your laptop computers loaded with the club version of the N3FJP software for logging. That will enable easy consolidation and submission of logs at the end of the event.
If you would like to get the N3FJP software loaded on your computer, please indicate such on the Winter Field Day 2025 planning survey (you will receive a link for this under separate cover).
If you don’t have a laptop to bring, no worries – we will still have paper logs available.
Food and drink
There are no concession stands at the park, and not much else in the general vicinity. We recommend that you bring food and drinks for the day.
Fleas and ticks
Insect repellent is recommended (just in case).
The St Augustine Amateur Radio Society will meet Tuesday January 7th at 6:30 PM via Google Meet. Please see Bob’s email for meeting information.
Please join us for our January 2025 monthly meeting (online). Following our regular business meeting we will be joined by Andy Milluzzi, KK4LWR, Vice Director of the ARRL Southeastern Division, for an update on the happenings at the ARRL and in the amateur radio world.
Christmas Party Time
It’s been another GREAT Year for SAARS. Let’s finish it off with a bang! Come join us one and all for our annual Christmas Party
Tuesday – December 3rd – Brisky’s BBQ Resturant
6 pm (Arrive between 5:30 and 6:00 pm)
State Road 16 @ Hwy. US-1
Buffet style — Beef Brisket, Pulled Pork and Turkey along with sides, tea, and a desert. Some alcoholic beverages available at your own expense. $20 for members and guests. Beverages extra. We will be needing commitments on attendance so that we can give the restaurant a number. Please reply to Bob’s email for head count.
RSVP by November 30, 2024
Saturday, November 30th is the last Saturday of the month when we do a Breakfast Social. This Saturday we will be at “The Spot” which is located 4508 US 1 St. Augustine near the airport. (MAP) The Spot opens at 7:30 which is also our normal time to gather for breakfast.
On Saturday, November 16, 2024 SAARS will be operating N4AUG at the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument in downtown St Augustine. Here are the details.
We will be operating from the top deck of the fort, in the area of the northwest bastion. The plan is to operate on HF using the club’s IC-718 and a Buddipole antenna (thanks to Jim, KQ4SXE). We will have one tent and one table for the operating position, a couple of chairs, as well as club pamphlets and a sign-in sheet for visitors. We will aslo bring a DMR radio.
Admission: You will need to wear your club shirt and/or bring your SAARS 2024 membership card in order to enter free of charge. Also, we need to have a list of names prior to the event for admission and planning.
Parking: Since we will be in downtown St Augustine you need to have a parking plan. While we may have access to a very small number of National Park Service spaces, priority will be given to vehicles of those bringing material for the event. Information on discounted parking for St Johns County residents is available at: https://www.citystaug.com/Faq.aspx?TID=47. General information on parking in St Augustine is available at: https://www.citystaug.com/498/Parking
The St Augustine Amateur Radio Society will meet Tuesday November 5th at 6:30 PM via Google Meet. Please see Bob’s email for meeting information.
During the meeting we will be discussing and accepting club officer nominations for 2025.
Following our business meeting we will be treated to a presentation by Patrick Bolan, KJ7ZSU, of Geochron to hear about the World Clock, past, present, and future.
