SARA Home Page ~ last update:  11 Oct 2024

Next Scheduled VE Testing  24 Oct 2024 @ 6:30 P.M.

YOU MUST 'PRE REGISTER' before 21 Oct !

Shiawassee Amateur Radio Association [SARA]

Welcome to our web site! Our [SARA] is a non-profit amateur radio organization in lower central Michigan (Shiawassee County) and dedicated to public service, emergency communications, and the advancement of amateur radio through education and technical excellence. Our club call sign is W8QQQ - listen for "Quack-Quack-Quack" on the air and give us a call ! [We also use Quebec-Quebec-Quebec & Queen-Queen-Queen].

Check out our 'club details' on "SARA Club History". 

SARA invites anyone with an interest in amateur radio or public service to come to our meetings and/or join our club. We hold  meetings at the James P. Capitan Building in Corunna. Meetings the Second Tuesday of each month (except December, which has a 'social event' meeting) at 7:00 PM local. We utilize 'Zoom meetings' for added convenience for members who can not physically attend. Meeting changes may affect details so check our meeting schedule link as we post all current information there [look for any changes]. Dues are $15.00 a year prorated at a 1/2 year interval rates. You can find our membership application here. For any new licensee - we give a period of 'reduced club dues' (free till end of calendar year) - so it is "very low cost", come check us out and join our local group. You can join us at any of our monthly meetings or at other times. Direct any questions to Dennis Phillips, KC8ETW, SARA Treasurer at KC8ETW (email) or email us at W8QQQ <at> arrl.net. [Hint: most SARA members can be reached with email by using their "call letters"@yahoo.com.]

Shiawassee Amateur Radio Association Members ~ HINT:  The "SARA Announces" link on the main menu will have items that you may wish to check frequently! We frequently post items that are new and changing in this local ham's information area, you can use it to stay current on local ham items! {or just let us know and we can assist getting information spread to local  hams.}

NOTE: To All SHIAWASSEE County Hams ~ We always require more EMCOMM Assistance! This is for ALL Shiawassee County Hams (not just club members). We have 200+ hams in the county and about 10 are active in the ARES activities (with most in SARA)! Please review and report your status for the SARA's ARPSC [ARES/RACES] Local Inventory Form.  We try to keep a log of capabilities and contact information for Emergency Management in Shiawassee County. In general, if you are not  'preapproved' for EmComms [ARES and Skywarn] you may not be able to assist in an emergency, so it is very important to preregister which is free and has no 'strings'. You can <email> data to:   W8QQQ <at> arrl.net or to Shiawassee County Emergency Coordinator [EC] who was Phil Bates, AC8FW - he resigned 09 Jan 2024, still use him as a contact.  The position is currently 'open' with Kevin Middleton and Don Warner, the assistant ECs filling in for now..  Let Jody Thompson know if you would be willing to assist with county EMMCOMs / Skywarn.  WE NEED MORE EMCOM  HELP from ALL HAMS for Shiawassee county! The ARES group meets as part of the regular monthly SARA meetings, so come to a meeting and check out our EMCOMM group capabilities. Equipment and other emergency capabilities for use in an emergency need to cataloged and logged to allow quick deployments when required by Homeland Security. We wish county hams would help for Field Day in June and Simulated Emergency Tests [SET ~ usually in Oct] to further test and update our skills!

We have a weekly 'Skywarn' 2m net at 7:00 PM on each Mondays (147.02 + .6 MHz - 100 Hz), N8VDH. Stop in and check it out. We are looking for a local ham to lead this activity - are you interested?

SARA's Social Grouping ~ Google

We have a Google Group that is open for anyone to join. SARA's Google Group is called "W8QQQ" and we invite anyone {that is you} interested to join us. It is free to join. Click on the link to get started. If you join you will get electronic notifications on some important 'local' ham information whenever it is published (meeting notifications, events, etc.). Additionally, club emails on current topics for all Shiawassee area Hams. Also, if you join, emails to the group will cover the group's members - SARA hams.

We hope to see you at a club meeting (in person) soon! or a Zoom check in as it is really easy. Check out the top menu link path "SARA Club Items" - "Meetings" page for current status and more Zoom connect access information.

W8QQQ Website is hosted on 'Google Sites'

SARA's Web presence moved to Google Sites {2022} and required a change into a simpler page structure from earlier Web designs. In the 'move' we lost some of our past features, but we continue trying to make things relevant. Previously the pages were maintained in "raw html" code and we controlled all details in how each Web page was presented, now Google limits some of the details that can be utilized. Remember this is just free labor for our hobby. A June, 2023 announcement ~ leaves us waiting information on how the sale of 'Google Sites' to 'Square Space' might impact us. Open statements say - "the same structure for the next 12 months". We will see what happens as June, 2024 approaches and passes {yep still no information}. Currently we are not aware of any disruptions or major changes.

Website menu operation on a 'Google Site'...

The website menu on the top line on each page works by "clicking the down arrows" at the end of a menu topic. {Note: Clicking the 'Menu Text' and the 'drop down arrow' list items are DIFFERENT actions, very important if you are using a cell phone.} You may not properly (as intended) move through the site unless you "click on those down arrows"! The menus are 'layered' and can go several levels deep ~ it is a 'Google Sites' thing. Take you time and/or use the site search feature to assist you (the little spyglass in upper right corner). Like nearly all Web Sites, the links are "interactive" and there is no single path through the information ~ only your path as you navigate the site's web {the reason we call it a 'Web"}. Try 'hovering' over links and make sure you know where you are going next! [Watch the lower left corner of your computer screen on most browsers]. This is a area that is quite different than our older 'historic sites', so we/you need more effort to stay safe. There has always been a major difference between 'local links' and 'external links'. PLEASE Surf safely!