From johng_olson_186 at comcast.net Fri Jan 2 20:27:11 2015 From: johng_olson_186 at comcast.net (John G. Olson) Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 19:27:11 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] Rockford Amateur Radio Association Monthly meeting for January 2015 Message-ID: <54A7456F.2010507@comcast.net> At *7:00 PM* on *Friday January 9, 2015* the monthly meeting of the /Rockford Amateur Radio Association/ will be held at St. Anthony Hospital, 5666 East State St., Rockford, IL The meeting is in the Foundation Room on the ground level. Ask at the desk at the main entrance for help in finding the group. All are welcome. You do not have to be a member to attend, though the club really appreciates new members. Please join us. We look forward to meeting you. We meet on the second Friday of each month. Visit our website at http://www.w9axd.org for repeater info, news letter, and club information. 73, John Olson, W9JGO 779-475-3882 unofficial PIO, RARA From w9jbl at comcast.net Fri Jan 9 06:24:55 2015 From: w9jbl at comcast.net (John B. Leonard Jr) Date: Fri, 09 Jan 2015 05:24:55 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] DeKalb VE Testing Message-ID: <54AFBA87.6000506@comcast.net> The DeKalb, IL (W5YI-VEC) VE (Volunteer Examiner) Team is pleased to announce its 2015 VE Testing schedule. In addition, *_we are administering tests now on Saturday mornings_*, rather than the Tuesday or Wednesday evenings held previously. So, please note the new days - the third Saturday of every odd-numbered month, from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon. Future dates in 2015 (all times from 9AM to Noon. Be there early, as we have to finish up no later than noon): * ** * January 17** ** * March 21** ** * May 16** ** * July 18** ** * Sept 19** ** * Nov 21* The testing site remains the same, Community of Christ Church, 1200 South Malta Road, DeKalb, IL 60115 (see Google Maps for directions). Appointments should be made 5 days prior to the test date, via either email or phone (see below). Sorry, no walk-ins. To make an appointment, simply contact Barry Leonard, W9JBL, via email at w9jbl at comcast.net or by phone at 815-756-5159. If no contact is made for some reason, feel free to notify one of the other alternate contacts at "Contacts" on our VE page . Further information and a list of necessary things to bring to the session, go to: www.karc-club.org , and click on the "License Testing" link, or go direct to http://home.comcast.net/~w9jbl/ Any questions, email Barry Leonard, W9JBL, at w9jbl at comcast.net, or call at 815-756-5159 Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in 2015. From ilham at mailman.qth.net Fri Jan 9 10:16:00 2015 From: ilham at mailman.qth.net (Rich Bauer via ILHam) Date: Fri, 9 Jan 2015 09:16:00 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] Last Call for WCRA Hamfest Advance Tickets Message-ID: <004e01d02c1f$2e4b4ec0$8ae1ec40$@com> WCRA MID-WINTER HAMFEST Sunday, January 18, 2015 PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY TICKET ORDERS RECEIVED AFTER MONDAY, JANUARY 12TH, WILL BE FILLED BUT THE TICKETS WILL BE HELD AT THE TICKET BOOTH AT THE HAMFEST. TICKETS HELD FOR PICKUP WILL BE IN THE NAME OF THE PERSON PLACING THE ORDER. THOSE PICKING UP TICKETS WILL BE ASKED TO SHOW PHOTO ID. The 2014 WCRA Mid-Winter Hamfest will be held at the Kane County Fairgrounds Exposition Center in St. Charles, Illinois on Sunday, January 18, 2015. This is the same location as last year! We're planning a great hamfest that will include the usual flea market and commercial vendors but also several interesting and informative breakout sessions, on-site VE Testing, hourly prizes and more! Hamfest hours are 8am to 1pm and there will be plenty of FREE parking. The confirmed forums are: . The Fascinating World of High Altitude Ballooning . Using Drones in Amateur Radio Antenna Installation . Tower Safety Flea market tables may be reserved in advance for $25, $35 with electricity. After January 7th tables, if available, will be $30, $40 with electricity. Everyone at your table must have a hamfest admission ticket. Advance admission tickets are a bargain at $8 each and include four prize stubs! Day-Of tickets will be $10 and have only one prize stub. Children under 12-years of age are admitted free as are boy and girl scouts in uniform. Talk-In on 145.31/r (no tone) or 146.52 simplex. All hamfest traffic will turn west on Oak Street (about 1/2 mile north of Illinois Route 38) off Randall Road and then follow the signs to parking. There is a stop light at the intersection of Randall and Oak. Advance tickets and tables can be purchased by mail. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope plus your check or money order made out to WCRA Hamfest to: WCRA Hamfest PO Box QSL Wheaton, IL 60187-1055 PLEASE NOTE THAT ANY TICKET ORDERS RECEIVED AFTER MONDAY, JANUARY 12TH, WILL BE FILLED BUT THE TICKETS WILL BE HELD AT THE TICKET BOOTH AT THE HAMFEST. TICKETS HELD FOR PICKUP WILL BE IN THE NAME OF THE PERSON PLACING THE ORDER. THOSE PICKING UP TICKETS WILL BE ASKED TO SHOW PHOTO ID. General questions about the hamfest? Call us at (630) 604-0157 or via e-mail at info at w9ccu.org. Ticket questions should be directed to me. N9DKO at arrl.net. '73 Richard Bauer, N9DKO Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs From johng_olson_186 at comcast.net Sat Jan 10 19:58:29 2015 From: johng_olson_186 at comcast.net (John G. Olson) Date: Sat, 10 Jan 2015 18:58:29 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] VE Exams in Rockford Jan. 17, 2015 Message-ID: <54B1CAB5.5050908@comcast.net> Amateur Radio exams are held the 3^rd Saturday of every month in Rockford IL. The next session is 9AM January 17, 2015. Walk-ins welcome. Check-ins and exams start at 9AM. Check-in ends at 10AM. No exams will be started after 10:30. We require two signature ID?s and a photo ID. If you are a licensed Amateur Radio operator, bring your original current license and a copy. If you are using a CSCE as proof of passing a previous exam, bring the original and a copy (We need to see the originals & keep a copy of each document used for exam credit). No copier on site. The test fee is $14.00. Bring a non-programmable calculator. Your social security number is required unless you obtain an FRN number from the FCC ahead of time. If you are already licensed, your FRN number is on your license. The location is: OSF St Anthony Medical Center 5666 E State St (Bus US20, 2.3 miles west of I90/I39/US51) Rockford IL 61108 Exams are held in the St Francis Room (Main Entrance then turn right). Make sure you are using current study guides: General: July 1, 2011-June 30, 2015 Extra: July 1, 2012-June 30, 2016 Technician: July 1, 2014-June 30, 2018 73, James Holich AB9SX 260-433-0219 jholich at comcast.net Alternate sites: Freeport IL. For info, contact: Joel Schroer, NW9J, 815-616-5179, nw9j at comcast.net . Janesville WI. For info, contact: Scott Fry, N9FRY, 608-774-5250, n9fry at arrl.net . From w9jbl at comcast.net Sun Jan 11 10:41:41 2015 From: w9jbl at comcast.net (John B. Leonard Jr) Date: Sun, 11 Jan 2015 09:41:41 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] 2015 DeKalb VE Testing Schedule (Next date - this Saturday) Message-ID: <54B299B5.4070002@comcast.net> The DeKalb, IL (W5YI-VEC) VE (Volunteer Examiner) Team is pleased to announce its 2015 VE Testing schedule. In addition, we are administering tests now on Saturday mornings, rather than the Tuesday or Wednesday evenings held previously. So, please note the new days - the third Saturday of every odd-numbered month, from 9:00 AM to 12 Noon. Future dates in 2015 (all times from 9AM to Noon. Be there early, as we have to finish up no later than noon): * January 17 (If you wish to test on this date, please contact us for an appointment by Jan. 12) * March 21 * May 16 * July 18 * Sept 19 * Nov 21 The testing site remains the same, Community of Christ Church, 1200 South Malta Road, DeKalb, IL 60115 (see Google Maps for directions). Appointments should be made 5 days prior to the test date, via either email or phone (see below). Sorry, no walk-ins. To make an appointment, simply contact Barry Leonard, W9JBL, via email at w9jbl at comcast.net or by phone at 815-756-5159. If no contact is made for some reason, feel free to notify one of the other alternate contacts at "Contacts" on our VE page. Further information and a list of necessary things to bring to the session, go to: www.karc-club.org, and click on the "License Testing" link, or go direct to http://home.comcast.net/~w9jbl/ Any questions, email Barry Leonard, W9JBL, at w9jbl at comcast.net, or call at 815-756-5159 Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you in 2015. From ilham at mailman.qth.net Fri Jan 16 11:34:20 2015 From: ilham at mailman.qth.net (Rich Bauer via ILHam) Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 10:34:20 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] *** PLEASE READ IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THE WCRA HAMFEST ON SUNDAY *** Message-ID: <009101d031aa$48791300$d96b3900$@com> If you are planning to attend the WCRA Hamfest on Sunday please be aware of a change in how traffic will be entering the fairgrounds. If you have been to the WCRA Hamfest before then you know that we have had traffic enter the fairgrounds through a gate off of Randall Road. We were informed, quite late I might add, that this year the city of St. Charles has forbidden us to have northbound Randall Road traffic make a left turn across southbound Randall Road traffic to enter that gate. No reason was given but I suspect that it had to do with safety. The city wants us to direct ALL Randall Road traffic...NB and SB...to turn WEST at the intersection of Oak St and Randall Road (LEFT for NB traffic, RIGHT for SB traffic). Oak Street is 1-BLOCK north of the fairgrounds gate. the intersection is controlled by a stop light which will make it easier, and safer, for traffic to enter and exit the fairgrounds. On the map (see URL link below) the now unused gate is shown as 'Home Show St. Charles'. once you've made the turn on Oak street just follow the signs to parking. map ==> < http://tinyurl.com/kehsl7r> talk in will be 145.31/r (no tone needed) or 146.52. we hope you have a great time at the hamfest! '73 Rich, N9DKO ______________________________________________ From ilham at mailman.qth.net Fri Jan 16 14:50:39 2015 From: ilham at mailman.qth.net (mfgardner--- via ILHam) Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2015 14:50:39 -0500 Subject: [ILHam] VE Testing in Evanston January 26 Message-ID: <8D1FFDCD6C775F5-1FA8-19316@webmail-va015.sysops.aol.com> The Evanston Amateur Radio Community is offering VE testing for all license levels on Monday, January 26, at 6:45 p.m. at the Fire Department Training Room, 909 Lake Street in Evanston. Please contact me by January 23 if you wish to take an exam or exams. 73, Marilyn, W9LUO mfgardner at aol.com 847-866-9159 From w9jbl at comcast.net Mon Jan 19 21:47:42 2015 From: w9jbl at comcast.net (John B. Leonard Jr) Date: Mon, 19 Jan 2015 20:47:42 -0600 Subject: [ILHam] Google Map for VE Testing Message-ID: <54BDC1CE.2060201@comcast.net> I've had several people tell me that they weren't sure where the closest VE session was to their home. So I'm trying to make a Google map so prospective examinees can locate VE testing within 40 mi. of DeKalb. That puts us in the center of a circle the circumference of which is: * IL/WI Border to the North * I-80 to the South * I-355 to the East, and * Dixon to the West This map will be placed on the DeKalb VE Team's website, so prospectives can choose which VE site is best for them. If your team wants to be included in the map, email me with a short blurb like (FRRL and RARA, I've already got your info): > DeKalb VE Testing (W5YI-VEC) (Sat. AM) > 3rd Saturday, every odd-numbered month (Jan, Mar, May, etc.). No > walk-ins, sorry. To make an appointment and for more information, see > http://home.comcast.net/~w9jbl/ or > FRRL VE Testing (ARRL-VEC) (Weekday evenings) > The FRRL, in conjunction with the ARRL VEC, sponsors amateur > examinations the third Tuesday of January, March, May, September, and > November. ** > The club also conducts testing in July during the FRRL Hamfest. For > more info, go to http://www.frrl.org/ve-testing.php or > RARA VE Testing (W5YI-VEC) (Sat. AM) > In Rockford, Amateur Radio Exams for all amateur radio classes are > given by W5YI-VEC volunteer examiners on the third Saturday of the > month in the St. Francis Room of the OSF St. Anthony Medical Center, > 5666 East State Street, Rockford, IL, 61107. For more info, go to > http://www.w9axd.org/exams.html make sure to include a website they can go to and/or a contact phone no. Send the info to: w9jbl at comcast.net This is just an experiment now to see if it works. 73's Barry Leonard W9JBL -- "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." ?The Americans will always do the right thing? after they?ve exhausted all the alternatives.? - Winston Churchill From ormos at ripco.com Tue Jan 27 17:10:50 2015 From: ormos at ripco.com (Neil R. Ormos N9NL) Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 16:10:50 -0600 (CST) Subject: [ILHam] Cook County ARES Net WEDNESDAY 28 January 2015, 9:00 PM CT--146.88 MHz Message-ID: <201501272210.t0RMAoRc026334@shell3.ripco.com> Dear Cook County ARES? Members and Friends: Please join us WEDNESDAY ... 28 January 2015, at 9:00 PM CT... for the monthly Cook County ARES Net on the SARA repeater (146.88 MHz, R-600, PL107.2). All persons with an interest in emergency and public service communications are invited to participate in the Net. You need not be a member of ARES or any other organization. Residents of every county and state are welcome. For more information about Cook County ARES, including an ARES calendar of events, please visit our web site: 73 --Neil Ormos N9NL ARES? District Emergency Coordinator Amateur Radio Emergency Service ARES District 4 (Cook, DuPage, Lake Counties) Email: n9nl /at-sign/ arrl.net From ormos at ripco.com Wed Jan 28 19:32:13 2015 From: ormos at ripco.com (Neil R. Ormos N9NL) Date: Wed, 28 Jan 2015 18:32:13 -0600 (CST) Subject: [ILHam] Cook County ARES Net TONIGHT (Wednesday) 28 January 2015, 9:00 PM CT--146.88 MHz Message-ID: <201501290032.t0T0WDnU026124@shell3.ripco.com> Dear Cook County ARES? Members and Friends: Please join us TONIGHT (Wednesday) ... 28 January 2015, at 9:00 PM CT... for the monthly Cook County ARES Net on the SARA repeater (146.88 MHz, R-600, PL107.2). All persons with an interest in emergency and public service communications are invited to participate in the Net. You need not be a member of ARES or any other organization. Residents of every county and state are welcome. For more information about Cook County ARES, including an ARES calendar of events, please visit our web site: 73 --Neil Ormos N9NL ARES? District Emergency Coordinator Amateur Radio Emergency Service ARES District 4 (Cook, DuPage, Lake Counties) Email: n9nl /at-sign/ arrl.net