SARA & MVARA POTA Meetup and Picnic August 15, 2026
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) and the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association of La Crosse, WI got together for a meetup and picnic and some POTA on Saturday August 15th, 2026 at Frontenac State Park in Frontenac, MN. This was a fun event and SARA members loved the bus. One SARA member made his first HF DX contact and another asked if he could take the back room of the bus home. Jake KE9FFT received us in Colorado and said we sounded great. Rob W9LUP made his first POTA activation and contacted his WY friend Tony KG7SDB (who went with us to Hamvention 2025)
A couple of photos from the event are below, then you will find the original information we posted prior to the event.
Information from SARA:
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association (SARA) and the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association of La Crosse, WI are getting together for a meetup and picnic and some POTA on Saturday August 15. We will gather at Frontenac State Park, 29223 County 28 Blvd in Frontenac, MN 55026, about 10 minutes southeast of Red Wing on Highway 61. The Google Maps Plus code for the park’s day use area is GMP7+69. We will be there from 11:00 AM to about 4:00 PM.
SARA is bringing the food for the picnic and the MVARA is bringing their Emergency Communication Bus! MVARA was the recipient of a generous grant of $116,399 from Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) in October 2021. This grant allowed MVARA to refurbish and maintain a bus that had been previously used as a commercial emergency communication center. This includes equipment upgrades, such as matching HF/VHF/UHF stations and accessories and a fold-over tower attached to the bus for antennas. The equipment allows the club to operate four stations simultaneously, using a variety of different modes, including CW, voice, and digital modes.
Come on out and meet some new friends from the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association and you don’t want to miss the chance to view the bus!
Additional Info from MVARA:
Event with the Stillwater Amateur Radio Association
- August 15, 2026 at Frontenac State Park, 29223 County 28 Boulevard, Frontenac, MN 55026, 651-299-3000
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We will meet at Tri-state Sound & Light in Onalaska to caravan to the park.
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We’ll be leaving at 8 am to give enough travel time and ample check in/set up time. It takes about1 hr 40 minutes to to drive there.
- MVARA is using the Bus and 1 tower at Frontenac State Park.
- Daily State Park pass is $7.00 per vehicle
- The shelter is $60/day.
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Schedule operation is from 11 am to 4 pm.
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If you’re interested in attending please let us know (via our mailing list).
- Park website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00160#homepage
- A day event, with Stillwater ARA taking care of the Hot Dogs for lunch.
- We’ll have water for drinking. If you want something else, bring your own.