Jul 18, 2026
SARA & MVARA POTA Meetup and Picnic July 18, 2026
Information from SARA:
Stillwater Amateur Radio Association and the Mississippi Valley Amateur Radio Association of La Crosse, WI are getting together for a meetup and picnic and some POTA on Saturday July 18. 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
- July 18, 2026 at Frontenac State Park, 29223 County 28 Boulevard, Frontenac, MN 55026, 651-299-3000
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We'll be leaving at 8 am to give enough travel time and ample check in/set up time. It's set for 11 am to 4 pm. It takes about1 hr 40 minutes to to drive there.
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If you're interested in attending please respond as such. Depending on how many will be going we'll figure out the vehicles, and the starting location later.
- Park website: https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/park.html?id=spk00160#homepage
- A day event, with Stillwater taking care of the Hot Dogs for lunch
- We will be checking on requirements for use of the park and if a permit is required
- The shelter is $60/day.
- MVARA is using the Bus and 1 tower at Frontenac State Park.
- Daily State Park pass is $7.00 per vehicle
- We may have to change the location depending on the response from the park Ranger