Iroquois County Amateur Radio 147.030+ and 444.625+ - Meetings 2nd Thursday at the Red Cross Office in Watseka, IL

Public Demonstration of Emergency Communications June 28th in Watseka

This activity gives Amateur Radio operators the opportunity to practice
communication skills under primitive conditions with generators, battery
powered equipment and portable antennas.   Field Day is a competition as well
as a ‘trial run’ for emergency communication skills used during disaster
situations such as severe weather.   The lessons learned in the aftermath of
Hurricane Katrina demonstrated factually that even the best state-of-the-art
communications systems were no match in a severe storm. Amateur Radio
remained viable to save lives and provide the vital communications so
desperately needed.   The Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club is a regular
participant and major player in the Multi-County SKYWARN severe weather
spotting activities. During a time of severe weather threats, they dispatch
volunteer spotters into the field to report back to the National Weather Service
 via Amateur Radio of weather conditions in their immediate
area, providing the National Weather Service with additional ‘eyes in the
field’. The Crescent City VHF (2-Meter) repeater, manned by Iroquois
SKYWARN control operators and ICARC members, provides coverage for all of
Iroquois County and to our local ESDA coordinator.

Thousands of Ham Radio operators will be showing off their emergency capabilities this weekend. Over the past year, the news has been full of reports of ham radio operators providing critical communications in emergencies world-wide. During Hurricane Katrina, Amateur Radio – often called “Ham radio” - was often the ONLY way people could communicate, and hundreds of volunteer “hams” traveled south to save lives and property and during the recent flooding in East Central Illinois and West Central Indiana ham radio operators worked directly with local authorities to pass along critical communications. When trouble is brewing in our Illiana skies, ham radio people are often the first to provide critical information and communications to the local ESDA office and work in conjunction with local radio. On the weekend of June 28-29, the public will have a chance to meet and talk with these ham radio operators and see for themselves what the Amateur Radio Service is about. Showing the newest digital and satellite capabilities, voice communications and even historical Morse code, hams from across the USA will be holding public demonstrations of emergency communications abilities.

This annual event, called “Field Day” is the climax of the week long “Amateur Radio Week” sponsored by the ARRL, the National Association for Amateur Radio. Using only emergency power supplies, ham operators will construct emergency stations in parks, shopping malls, schools and back yards around the country. Their slogan, “When all else fails…”is more than just words to the hams as they prove they can send messages in many forms without the use of phone systems, internet or any other infrastructure that can be compromised in a crisis. More than 34,000 amateur radio operators across the country participated in last year’s event.

“We hope that people will come and see for themselves, this is not your grandfather’s radio anymore,” said Allen Pitts of the ARRL. “The communications networks that ham radio people can quickly create have saved many lives in the past months when other systems failed or were overloaded.”

In the Watseka area, the Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club will be demonstrating Ham and Amateur Radio communications at the Watseka Glenn Raymond School on SATURDAY FROM 1-6 (or anytime you see a ham operator outside at the school). They invite the public to come and see ham radio’s capabilities and learn how to get their own FCC radio license before the next disaster strikes.

There are 650,000 Amateur Radio operators in the US, and more than 2.5 million around the world. Through the ARRL, ham volunteers provide emergency communications for the DHS Citizens’ Corps, Salvation Army, FEMA and hundreds of state and local agencies, all for free.

To learn more about Amateur Radio, go to www.emergency-radio.org. The public is most cordially invited to come, meet and talk with the hams. See what modern Amateur Radio can do. They can even help you get on the air!

Kankakee County ARES is sponsoring Tech license classes at the Kankakee County EOC, off Rte 45 near I-57.  Classes will be Thursday evenings beginning Jan 10, 2008, for five weeks.  A testing session will be held during the fifth class (Feb 7) and all who pass will have earned their Technician class licenses.

For more info, see http://www.kares.net/training08.pdf or call 815-915-4333.

Also, there will be an upcoming testing session at 7:00PM, Jan 23, 2008, at the Red Cross office at 214 E Walnut Street in Watseka.

73, CarlK9CS

Hello to All Radio Guys and Gals
 
Please remember the meeting at Red Cross office this Thursday night.  I will be at Monical’s Pizza at 6:00pm if you would like to join with other members please be there.
 
If you would like to wear your ESDA shirt for the pictures please do so.  The program is on Phil’s trip to Aruba and the DX that went on a few years ago.
 
If you have not done so take a look at the new and improved ICARC web site.  Justin has put in a lot of work and has a lot of info about our club.  If there is anything you want to add email Justin with the info.
 
If you would like to run for office and be a club leader–this would be your chance as the election of officers for the next year is going to be held.
 
We plan to passout the first draft of the proposed new club constitution and by-laws for the first look and then vote on them at the Dec meeting.  Working toward the tax exempt status.
 
The officers have proposed a new dues plan that may save some money for some members.
 
Hope to have you all check in on the net tonight.   73

Sam Ripple W9QKF KAE7607

 Hello all, the new ICARC web-site is up and running at http://www.icarc.com

There is a Member information page… this has all of the contact information of all of the ICARC members…This page IS PASSWORD PROTECTED.  If you need access to that page, catch one of us on the repeater, call Sam, or e-mail Justin off of the Contact page.

In Iroquois County Sam’s HAMS provide voice in emergencies

By Jo McCord

The HAM radio philosophy — Helping All Mankind — is one the 10 members of the Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club have adhered to through deed and action.

The club participates in Skywarn Net Operations to track threatening weather, and was last involved when a severe thunderstorm came through the county on August 10. A description of the evening is provided on their Web site www.icar.com by their Web master, Justin Kaiser of Sheldon.

Vice-president Carl Schroeder of Woodland said the club is valuable when emergency service agencies need secure back-up communications.

He is working on a secure system. “It’s basically just a different form other than by voice, not Morse code, and you send it digitally,” he said. “We’re trying to be available and prepared,” Schroeder added.

The club also will help Iroquois Memorial Hospital in Watseka set up a radio system provided by the Illinois TerrorismTask Force, a division of Homeland Security. It’s for use when a disaster, manmade or natural, wipes out electricity and telephones. The club will use code to accommodate stricter privacy laws.

Sherry Garrelts, coordinator of emergency services at the hospital, contacted secretary-treasurer Sam Ripple for help when she heard the system was approved.

“I’m very impressed with the HAM radio operators,” she said. “I never got such a good reception as I got from them.” And this is Iroquois County where “people come out of the woodwork and help you,” she added.

If an event occurs, some club members will go to the scene and others will come to the hospital to operate the communication system.

“They opened up their arms and are very willing to help us,” Garrelts said.

Volunteer of the year

That’s what the club has done since the 1960s with the Iroquois County American Red Cross, which named Ripple its volunteer of the year in July for his work organizing the HAMs into a support group for emergency services.

That’s what HAM radio operators have been doing since the organization was launched in Canada 100 years ago.

The club also makes radio equipment available to Red Cross volunteers when they need reliable, alternative communication equipment, Ripple said.

Ripple has been the guiding force behind the revival of the club in the past three years or so, Schroeder said.

“It’s primarily through the efforts of Sam Ripple that this thing got started again. He’s really a mentor to the club.”

Sam’s HAMs can cover the whole county with hand-held radios and even go up into the Kankakee area, down to Champaign, west into Ford County and east into Indiana.

“All the members of the club have their own radios and some have portable ones in their vehicles and walkie talkies,” Schroeder said.

The repeater systems are housed at undisclosed places for security reasons, he said.

Being a HAM

So what’s the attraction of sitting in front of that tabletop radio at home, being a HAM?

“One of my main interests is in talking to people in countries around the world,” Schroeder said.

Hi wife, Christine, agrees. “I like talking to people in other countries — just seeing how they live and their priorities,” Christine said.

They’ve talked to radio people in almost every country of the world — English is universal.

“I’ve not radioed Iraq recently. Iraqis have more important things to worry about,” Carl said. “Some of the service people are able to get on HAM radio once in awhile.”

He prefers radios to the Internet. “It’s more of a thrill to know that I’m talking into a microphone and being heard directly in Australia.”

100 years

of HAMs

– B3

Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club

What: Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club meets at 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the American Red Cross office, 214 E. Walnut St. Watseka.

Membership: Anyone with a sincere interest in ham radio operation may join. Dues are $30 per year.

Officers: President Steve Farrington, Loda; vice president Carl Schroeder, Woodland; and secretary-treasurer Sam Ripple, Watseka.

Web site: www.icarc.com.

Licensing: For information, call American Radio Relay League (800) 594-0200 or visit the Web site, www.arrl.org.

For several months we have been discussing our 2 meter duplexers and the possibility of getting a set of TX-RX duplexers. Mike sells for Bird Electronics who bought TX-RX and was able to get us a good price on a set that we think would be more stable that our present set.

At last nights meeting the members present pledged over half of the cost of the new set. Steve volunteered to sell our old set at hamfest or E-bay after the new ones come in.

If you would like to donate some money toward this project please e-mail me with the amount of your donation and I will add it to the treasury. If you do pledge please send the check to Sam Ripple 420 E Locust St, Watseka, IL 60970. Any amount would be appreciated no matter how small.

We have talked a great deal over the last few months about used ones but are afraid that there must be a problem or people would not have them for sale. They are impossible to tell the condition just by looking at a picture or even to see the duplexer.

I feel that in the last 2 or 3 years we have done a great job for a small club. The 2 meter at about 500 feet on Jerry’s tower. The 440 repeater seems to be working great at its new location. The GMRS repeater works well. The APRS on 144.39 is working well at the new Cingular site. We still have 2 antennas and feed line for our use at Cingular. Our small site at Fairgounds at Crescent City is up about 30 feet and a dual band antenna is mounted and ready to go for SKywarn at the Fair.

Not to bad for a club with a total membership of 13 members. I feel that we are very lucky to have the members that we do. All have some special contributions to the radio systems and to the club.

 73 from the Old Sec-Treas for the last 27 years

On May 25th Governor Rod Blagojevich proclaimed June 2006 as AMATEUR RADIO MONTH in Illinois, and encouraged all citizens to recognize the services this state’s amateur radio operators provide in keeping our communities safe.

Done at the Capitol in Springfield and signed by both the Governor and Secretary of State, Jesse White, this proclamation, numbered 188, was received by Pat Ryan, KC6VVT, Illinois Section Emergency Coordinator. Pat received this proclamation on behalf of the more than 22,000 amateur radio operators residing in Illinois, and its many emergency communications teams.

The Starved Rock Radio Club will exhibit a copy of this proclamation at their annual Field Day event at Shabbona Park, and later at its facilities in Leonore. The original proclamation is in the hands of Division Director, Dick Isely, W9GIG.

Well we had the after school event on Monday and it went very well. I think we had 10 to 12 kids and several parents came as well. We made several contacts on PSK31 including a contact with Australia on Long Path, several European, and some South American contacts. Our regular monthly meeting will be held at Glenn Raymond at our normal time of 7 PM.

As always please invite people to come to the meeting who would like to find out more about Ham Radio. I think some kids will be back as well. Carla Waters was at the school event taking pictures and interviewing Sam, Troy, and myself. I presented a brief overview of Ham Radio and demonstrated SSTV, PSK31, CW, SSB, RTTY, and also talked about satellite communications as well as the recent contact by the KARS club with the International Space Station. I had two of the kids operate for a couple of the PSK31 contacts. Sam demonstrated operation on 2 Meters and 440 and made a demo contact with Jerry. Kids and attending faculty were all very impressed and will hopefully continue to pursue the hobby.

Thanks for all your personal support and support through WGFA!

Mike Marcier
KC9HHT

I wanted to give you information regarding Skywarn Net operations on Sunday April 2nd.

Net operations started in the early evening approximately 7:45 PM. The following spotters checked in for the Net:

W9QKF Sam Ripple Watseka
KC9FON Tim Focken Watseka
KA9MZJ Roy Eades Loda
WB9Z Jerry Rosalius Crescent City
KC9GNH Justin Kaiser WGFA
K9TA Steve Farrington Loda
KC9GWD Benny Marcier Watseka
K9BAC Brandon Campbell Bradley
KC9COR Kyle Conrad Brook, IN
KB9YZI Jeremy Green Hoopeston
KC9FAV Brian Erwin Bradley
K9CS Carl Schroeder 2 miles S. of Watseka
W9LIZ Chris Schroeder 2 miles S of Watseka
KB9JJJ Rolla Dolph 1359 E State Rt 49 (across from Kaufman Grain)
KC9GKG Dave Coomer McLean County ESDA

Reports to the National Weather Service were made through the Kankakee Area Radio Society Repeater to NW9V (Phil). Those reports included pea sized hail, heavy rain and gusts of 35+ MPH in Loda, High sustained winds of 55+ MPH in Watseka and Crescent City, rotating wall cloud near Rossville, estimated 70 MPH winds north of Oakwood with possible building damage. The primary reporting activity took place between 7:50 PM and 8:15 PM.

Mike Marcier - KC9HHT
Iroquois County Skywarn Net Coordinator
Iroquois County Amateur Radio Club