Hamfest 2023 – September 9

Saratoga County Amateur Radio Association
presents our 37th annual

HAMFEST 2023

Saturday, SEPTEMBER 9th; Gates open at 7:00 am

Saratoga County Fair Grounds, 162 Prospect St, Ballston Spa, NY 12020

Only $10.00 per person includes door prize drawing, plus 8’x8′ “tailgate” space.

** GRAND PRIZE: Yaesu FT-710 AESS **

  • BUCKET PRIZES:
    • RigExpert – AA-230 Antenna Analyzer
    • Ultimate Crimp Kit (Tools & Connector Package)
    • MyAntennas – EFHW-8010 Multiband End-Fed Antenna
    • Anytone – AT- D878UVII DMR/Analog HT Transceiver
  • KJI Electronics will offer the latest radios, books, etc.
  • NEW and USED gear and accessories to haggle over
  • Fox-hunt on the fairground property
  • Under-cover tables available for $10 each
  • VE exam to be held at 8:30 am (on site this year!)
  • Under-cover tables available for $10 each
  • Delicious Food served all day

Directions

  • I-87 to Exit 12
  • West on Rt 67 to Ballston Spa
  • At intersection of Rts 50 & 67, follow 50 North; look for HAMFEST signs
  • In village, turn left at Citgo station on Prospect Street; up hill on left

Talk-In

  • K2DLL Repeater System
  • 147.000 Mhz, PL 91.5 Hz or
  • 147.240 Mhz, PL 91.5 Hz

GPS Coordinates

43.007438° N
-73.855821° W

For information or reservations contact: Jim Polewczak – KG2H
231 Northline Road, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. Email: kg2h@arrl.net

 


If you would like to help us out by distributing some flyers, a PDF document of the Saratoga County Amateur Radio Association HAMFEST 2023  is available. Please tell your friends and post where appropriate. Thank you for your assistance!

Sparks from the Spa Newsletter – October 2023

Hello all,

Attached is the October issue of the Sparks from the Spa Newsletter. I hope you enjoy it.

I urge you all to join our GROUPS.IO group. You will get more and fresher club information faster than I publish newsletters. Simply send an email to K2DLL+subscribe@groups.IO

Also, we are looking for a new editor for the newsletter. I have done this job for too many years and I want a break, seeing as I have other club duties. Send an email to any of the officers listed on the last page of the newsletter.

Jim KG2H

Sparks from the Spa Newsletter – July 2023

Hi All.

Happy 4th of July.

Here is the Sparks from the Spa Newsletter for July.  It contains information about our June meeting, and also a summary of our club’s Field Day effort.  (Spoiler, it was great)

Remember that we take July and August off from in person meetings.  Our next in person meeting is Monday September 11 at the Fire Training Center.

We need commitments for help at the hamfest on September 9, contact Fred W2EMS, ( W2EMS@ARRL.NET )

Jim KG2H

Field Day 2023

Field Day 2023

Hey, do you know about your ham radio club’s Field Day?
It’s “ALL HANDS ON DECK,” and you are requested to attend.

Field Day is an annual amateur radio exercise encouraging emergency communications readiness, and there’s no better way to prepare than Field Day. In the US, Field Day is the largest emergency preparedness exercise with over 30,000 operators participating. It’s always the fourth full weekend of June, and this year it begins on Saturday, June 24th and continues for 24 hours to test operators’ abilities to provide emergency communications.

Field Day is a test of rapid deployment of radio equipment in conditions ranging from tents in remote areas to operations inside Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). Emergency and alternative power sources are highly encouraged, since electricity and other public infrastructures are often the first to fail during a natural disaster or severe weather.

To gauge the effectiveness of each participating station, Field Day is also a contest among clubs both regionally and nationwide. We’ll operate for twenty-four hours straight, requiring scheduled relief operators to keep stations on the air. We’ll need hams of all ages, on all bands, in all modes – voice, CW, digital, etc. at all hours. There’s even a “Get-on-the-Air” station for hams who have never participated in Field Day before. And we’ll have tee-shirts for anyone who makes contacts.

This year, our Field Day will again be conducted at the Saratoga County Fire Training Center located at 6010 County Farm Rd, Ballston Spa, NY 12020. That’s just down the road from the Fairgrounds where we have our hamfests – and next door to the county Animal Shelter. There will be food – dinner on Saturday evening about 6pm.

Antenna setup begins on Friday the 23rd at 3:00 pm and takes about three hours. On Saturday morning, we complete the antenna setup and begin setting up radios, generators, laptops, and other equipment. Once the equipment is tested, antennas positioned, and radios tuned, we wait — until the official start of Field Day at 2:00 pm.

At 2:00 pm, the fun begins — all of our radios come alive, with operators calling “CQ CQ CQ” making contacts with other FD stations around the country. Contacts are quick with a very brief exchange and continue until 2pm on Sunday afternoon. It’s an exciting time! On Sunday at 2:00, all operations cease, the gear is packed up, the antennas taken down and the log files submitted to the ARRL for processing.

Does this sound like fun? IT IS! Come join us at Field Day this year. Spend an hour or two with us, hone your operating skills, and show your love for ham radio and your ham club. More details at the SCARA club meeting 7pm on Monday 6/12 at the Fire Training Center.

Sparks from the Spa Newsletter – June 2023

Hello all,

Here is this month’s Sparks from the Spa Newsletter.  It has very important information about this month’s meeting.  Please be sure to read it.

The top item of interest is a change in venue (this month only) for the monthly meeting. In Brief. It is sill the normal time, 7:00 PM on June 12, but we will be meeting at the Paul Lent Public Safety building on the county complex instead of the Fire Training Center.

There are also other articles of interest in there for your reading pleasure.

Jim KG2H