The Six Meter Club of Chicago(SMCC) promotes interest in the Amateur Radio Service by fostering activity on all radio bands(HF, VHF, and UHF), provides emergency communications, community radio services, and technical assistance related to radio and its use in communications.

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SIX METER CLUB of CHICAGO

The next meeting of the Six Meter Club of Chicago
Friday  July 10, 2026 at 7:30

St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran

Church 9035 Grant Ave. Brookfield IL.

Our Club Activities
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The Six Meter Club of Chicago
Will Again Participate in
Route 66 on the Air
W6Q

The Six Meter Club of Chicago
Will Again Participate in
Route 66 on the Air
W6Q

The Six Meter Club of Chicago
Will Again Participate in
Route 66 on the Air
W6Q
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Drones and Ham Radio


José Arrom, KE9ANL, presents at the SMCC meeting on May 15, 2026. 
Photo by KD4SLL.
José Arrom, KE9ANL, shows the audience a drone with propeller guards during his presentation at the May 15, 2026 SMCC membership meeting.  Photo by KB9LCD.

AllStarLink Connects Isolated SMCC Members

John Gercken, AA9UF, of Bellflower, Illinois, has very little access to his basement radio room anymore.  Suffering from ulcers on his feet and a list of neurological symptoms, he’s not allowed to go to his “man cave” without supervision, which rather defeats the purpose of having a “man cave.”  He needs to keep his feet elevated for most of every hour to keep the healing process on track, but that is difficult to accomplish when there’s PSK31 to chase.  All of his feed lines terminate in the basement, and there’s no ready means to have feed line access in the living room where he now has to spend most of his time.  To add insult to injury, his Comet GP3, mounted on an 8-foot mast on top of a Rohn 30-foot tower dating from 1963, is presenting an SWR of > 2:1 to his VHF/UHF transceiver at “Station A,” which indicates either a compromised antenna or feedline.  That’s too high a reading for good operating practice and John’s comfort.

Neither John’s son, Scott, KB9LCD, nor his granddaughters, Julianna, KE9ATL, and Marilyn, KE9DVD, are tower climbers.  His nephew, Lee, however, is investigating renting (or buying!) a bucket truck to tackle some tree work on the family farm, and may be able to reach the top of the tower for service.  Until that time, John has no access to local repeaters in Champaign-Urbana and Bloomington-Normal, both of which are 30 miles away in opposite directions. 

John doesn’t use a smart phone.  Computer use has become difficult with increasing vision challenges.  Using EchoLink via his laptop has proven difficult.  However, with SMCC’s new AllStarLink node, John’s ham radio isolation is finding some alleviation.  At a recent visit to John’s QTH, Scott set up for him an AllStarLink hotspot consisting of a Raspberry Pi 4 and a HotSpotRadio-USB 70cm simplex RF dongle. 
During his visit, Scott programmed John’s Yaesu FT-60R HT with a dedicated memory channel for the hotspot’s simplex frequency and programmed its DTMF auto-dialer.  Rather than having to punch in PTT + *3419310 to connect to K9ONA/R, John only has to press the PTT and tap the 3 key to connect and PTT and 4 to disconnect.  This eliminates the need for changing audio settings on a laptop to run a headset, squinting to find the right icons to double-click, and numerous other obstacles to enjoying the company of other hams.

AllStarLink, like EchoLink, is yet another form of internet linking for amateur radio communications, but the beauty of the system lies partly in the authentic radio experience for the end user.  In John’s case, there is real RF in the 70cm spectrum linking his HT to the rest of the world, albeit over a distance of 2 wavelengths at most.  But during this season of relative radio isolation, to be able to hop on the K9ONA repeater system and talk to his son and granddaughters on a Yaesu FT-60 like he’s a mile from the repeater site means the world to him.
AA9UF’s AllStarLink hotspot prior to installation, powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 (with a 52pi Ice Tower Cooler) and a HotSpotRadio-USB from hotspotradios.com.  Photo by KB9LCD.

Western Springs Tower Trot Recap

The Six Meter Club of Chicago provided amateur radio-enabled course monitoring for the 49th Annual Western Springs Tower Trot on Saturday, May 23, 2026.  Our volunteer corps consisted of these 13 operators:  
José Arrom, KE9ANL
Ralph Barzditis, KE9NT
Scott Gercken, KB9LCD
Julianna Gercken, KE9ATL
Marilyn Gercken, KE9DVD
Mike Huedepohl, WD9GJK
Dawn Hull, KA9ERS
Jim Hull, W9JGH
Mike McGuire, K9ACM
Steve Rauter, N9ATO
Vern Schultz, K9LAE
Cindy Schultz, WA9IYZ
Glenn Wentink, KC9ALX
A pre-event Zoom call occurred on the Thursday evening before the event to lay out procedures.  Our volunteers were asked to check in to the Grand Avenue Community Center Gym (4211 Grand Ave.) between Friday afternoon and pre-race on Saturday morning to pick up printed materials, volunteer T-shirts, and a provided safety vest (if needed).  Many operators met at the net control location on Chestnut Street south of the Grand Avenue Community Center to help Scott Gercken, KB9LCD, set up a base of operations. 
Vern Schultz, K9LAE, provided Scott with a drive-over mast mount, four-section mast, feed line, and a dual-band open-stub J-pole made by Arrow Antennas.  After relocating the vehicle a few feet forward to avoid collision with overhead cable and fiber lines, the crew helped assemble the base station in Scott’s trunk before dispersing to their checkpoints.
Net control started roll call after 7:45 a.m. to ensure all stations were in place before Western Springs Police & Auxiliary closed down streets at 8:00.  The 10K run began at 8:30.  Before the 5K event started at 9:30, net control initiated a safety check roll call for all net participants.  The event ended around 10:30 a.m., and many SMCC participants returned to net control to help disassemble the station. Net Control asked participants to provide email feedback about the event, both about what went well and what could be improved.  Responses were overwhelmingly positive.  The Incident Action Plan (IAP), course maps, and communications documentation were described as clear, thorough, and easy to follow.  Operators reported that they felt well prepared for their assignments and confident in their ability to support the event if an emergency arose.  Net control received high marks for professionalism of the net, regular status checks, clear communications, and smooth handling of radio traffic.  Participants noted the good teamwork of the volunteer corps, positive attitude, and a favorable impression amateur radio left on race organizers and the public. Suggestions for future events focused on enhancing radio coverage in parts of the course hardest to reach by handheld transceivers, reinforcing the club’s role as communicators rather than traffic controllers, and adding further structure such as scheduled communications checks and a brief pre-event gathering.  Additional recommendations included working with race organizers to provide better detour information for motorists, considering portable repeater coverage, and identifying comfort-break resources for longer-duration events, should they arise.
Overall, participants agreed that the Tower Trot was a successful operation that showcased the professionalism and public-service capabilities of the Six Meter Club of Chicago.  The feedback received will help refine future events while building on a strong foundation of planning, teamwork, and effective communication.

K9ONA/R 2m Machine “Last Man Standing”

It’s been a few weeks since the K9ONA repeater system has been a functional multicast system.  At time of publication, the repeater outputting at 146.970 MHz is doing all the heavy lifting for VHF traffic as well as AllStarLink and EchoLink.  The repeater outputting at 224.820 MHz has some squelch issues that are hampering its inclusion in the multicast network.  At time of publication, it was up but unlinked.
Attempts to rehabilitate our repeater outputting at 443.300 MHz from the hospital in Hinsdale stalled for a time, but members of our repeater committee recently have located a source for additional replacement parts at significantly reduced cost. 
Members of the Six Meter Club will receive emailed status updates about the K9ONA repeater system.  Others may follow our official Facebook page for similar updates.

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IN OTHER NEWS

We are always looking to expand our library of amateur radio resources. If you have an article, a photo story, or a technical tip you would like to share with the global ham community, we’d love to feature it. No contribution is too small—help us build the ultimate resource for operators everywhere by submitting your content today.
Your contribution may appear on the website or in the HALO or both!
Repeater Committee Report
Our UHF-1 multicast repeater is unfortunately out of action again. Soon after it was reinstalled and up and running again, something else blew on it. We hope to get it back on the air in the very near future. An inspection revealed that our 220 MHz repeater was causing interference to the rest of our repeaters, and thus was taken down until we can diagnose the issue. One of our repeater technicians, Vern Schultz, K9LAE, suggests tightening the squelch control, then booting up the repeater again to see if that resolves the issue.
Newsletter Report
The deadline for article submissions for the June edition of The Halo is May 30 and is anticipated to be published on the 2nd of June. Editor Scott Gercken, KB9LCD, entered our newsletter in the ARRL's newsletter contest to celebrate The Year of the Club. The contest rules stated that winners would be contacted sometime during the month of May. No word has been received yet. Winners will be honored by the ARRL at the Huntsville, Alabama Hamfest in August.
Vice President Report
Vice President Scott Gercken, KB9LCD, anticipates receiving a list of equipment for the AllStarLink node that will need to be added to our insurance. Courtesy of Dave Atkerson, N8IQV, the Tuesday Net Control operator now has the option to play ARRL Audio News and/or Amateur Radio Newsline during the net.
Grumpy Report
Jim Riley, W9JPR, thanks Wally Kramer, KD9OGA, for giving last month's report in his stead. Since last month's meeting, two more Grumpies have joined the ranks: #311 William Walsh, W9UXB; and #312, Paul Ellis, G1ILF. Jim would like to look into attempting another Parks on the Air activation. Unfortunately, the site we had planned to activate previously recently installed an electric vehicle charger, which fills the park with unmanageable electromagnetic noise. Jim will look into finding a different park to activate.

Centeral Division
Coming Events

We have curated the following events from the ARRL Central Division calendar to help you stay connected with what is happening across the region. However, the best resources are built by the community.  If you are organizing an event or know of a local gathering that fellow operators should know about, we invite you to contribute it to our list so we can share it with everyone.  Send your event information to "webmaster@k9ona.com"

Illinois

Saturday August 1, 2026
West Central Illinois Hamfest
Macoupin County Illinois Fairgrounds
21368 State Rte 4
Carlinville, IL 62626
More Information
Sunday August 2, 2026
Hamfesters 91st Annual Hamfest
Will County Fairgrounds
710 S. West St.
Peotone, IL 60468
More Information
Friday & Saturday
September 11 & 12, 2026
W9DXCC Convention & Universities
Chicago Marriott - Naperville
1801 North Naper Blvd.
Naperville, IL 60540
More Information
Saturday & Sunday
September 19 & 20, 2026
Midwest Superfest
ARRL Illinois Section Convention
Three Sisters Park
17189 IL-29
Chillicothe, IL 61523
More Information
Sunday September 27, 2026
Radio Expo
Boone County Fairgrounds
8791 IL-76
Belvidere, IL 61008
More Information

Indiana

Saturday July 18, 2026
Auburn Hamfest
 Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
1600 Wayne Street
Auburn, IN 46706
More Information
Saturday July 18, 2026
  LaPorte Tailgate Hamfest
Under the Tower
3354 W. Schultz Rd
LaPorte, IN. 46350
More Information
Saturday  July 25, 2026
East Central Indiana Hamfest
JAY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
806 E Votaw St,
Portland, IN 47371
More Information
Saturday August 1, 2026
Elkhart East Hamfest
Northern Indiana Event Center
21565 Executive Pkwy
Elkhart, IN 46514
More Information
Saturday August 1, 2026
Burning Ham!
American Legion Post 204
412 N New Albany St Ave,
Sellersburg, IN 47172
More Information
Saturday August 8, 2026
Hendricks County Tailgate Fest
Avon United Methodist Church
6850 East Hwy US 36
Avon, IN 46123
Saturday August 15, 2026
ARANCI Hamfest
Christ Presbyterian Church
7416 E 109th Avenue
Winfield, IN. 46307
More Information
Saturday  September 12, 2026
MARC Tailgate Hamfest
Atterbury FWA Headquarters
7970 South Rowe Street
Edinburgh, IN 46124
More Information
Saturday  October 10, 2026
The Hoosier Hills Hamfest
Lawrence County Fairgrounds
11265 US-50,
Bedford, IN 47421
More Information
Saturday  October 17, 2026
Hamtober Fest
LYNNVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER
207 Main St.
LYNNVILLE, IN. 47619
More Information
Saturday  November 28, 2026
Wabash Valley Amateur Radio Association, Inc. (WVARA) Turkeyfest
Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds
6550 North State Road 59
Brazil, IN. 47834
More Information

Wisconsin

Saturday  July 11, 2026
WI9SM Hamfest
American Leigon post 434
9327 S. Shepard Ave.
Oak Creek, WI 53154
More Information
Saturday  August 29, 2026
Circus City Hamfest
Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club Property
S3347 Sand Road
Baraboo, WI 53913
More Information
Saturday  August 29, 2026
CVARC 2026 Hamfest
 Bloomer Fair Grounds
1609 9th Ave.
Bloomer, WI 54724
More Information
Saturday  September 12, 2026
20th Annual ORC Fall Swapfest
Cedarburg Firemen's Park
W65N796 Washington Ave.
Cedarburg, WI 53012
More Information
Saturday  October 17, 2026
Hidden Valleys Amateur Radio Club
FREE HAMFEST
Grant county Fair Grounds, Youth and Ag Building
916 East Elm Street (County Road A)
Lancaster, WI 53813
More Information
Sunday November 8, 2026
FCARC Hamfest
Sunnyview Exposition Center Parking Lot
500 E. County Rd. Y
Oshkosh, WI 54901
More Information
Saturday April 24, 2027
ORC 47th Annual Spring Indoor Swapfest
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Expo Center
(Milwaukee Curling Club)
W67N890 Washington Avenue
Cedarburg, WI 53012
More Information

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