December, 2024 BandBits

President’s Message

First and foremost, THANK YOU ALL!

This has been an amazing year for the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club. Our club is growing and is strong. The Midwest Superfest was a great success and is looking to be stronger next year and we will be hosting the Section 9 ARRL Section Convention in 2025.

Our digital footprint is growing with the Club web page www.w9uvi.org, HamClub Online www.hamclubonline.com, Facebook www.facebook.com/w9uvi.org and Discord! If you have not had the opportunity to check out any of those pages, you really should! The Discord page is fast becoming a wealth of information for HamShack Hotline phones, DMR related information, and DX and POTA spots!

Speaking of footprints, have you noticed that our repeater coverage is bigger too? Our .075 Groveland antenna is higher and is now linked to the .85 machine in Glasford. You can even get into the .075 machine with Allstar node 62516 and EchoLink. I’m hoping we might even see a link to Allstar from the HamShack Hotline bridge that the club now has.

We have been busy, and the plan is to stay busy. But we do need your help. We have some positions open on the board and a few committees that could use your help. This is your club and the group is fun and growing. As far as future plans, we are planning on having Winter Field day at the Tazewell EMA building and finishing up setting up the club as a 401c3 and of course Midwest Superfest 2025.

Hope to see you all on the air soon!

Ben, KD9RYH

Slate of Officers for 2025

President: Ben Knapp, KD9RYH
Vice Pesident: Jake Walters, K9LE
Secretary: Scott Tranchitella, K9XJT
Treasurer: Darren Weir, KD9HZZ
1 year Director-At-Large – Rich Schmitz, K9RCS
2 year Director-At-Large – Rob Herrin, KD9DBQ
Trustee: Tom Hunt, W8NWG (appointed)
Midwest Superfest™ Chairperson: Darren Weir, KD9HZZ (appointed)
Repeater Chairperson: Jacob Walters, K9LE (appointed)

Meeting Minutes

Board of Directors – October 3

7:01 Ben calls meeting to order

7:02 Ben calls for Treasurer’s report. Darren give report.

7:05 Ben calls for motion to approve Treasurer’s report. Rich motions and Tanya seconds. Motion is approved.

7:05 Ben calls for Midwest SuperFest report. Darren reports.

7:11 Ben calls for motion to approve Midwest SuperFest report. Rob motions and Tanya seconds. Motion is approved.

7:12 Ben calls for the Repeater report. Tom reports.

7:16 Ben calls for Activities Committee report. Rich reports.

7:18 Ben asks for old business. Old business is discussed.

7:23 Ben asks for new business. New business is discussed.

7:29 Ben calls for motion to adjourn. Rich motions and Jake seconds. Meeting adjourns.

______________________________________

Peoria County ARES

Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.

December 4, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
December 11, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
December 18, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM

ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/

Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES
email: kd9anu@arrl.net
Winlink: kd9anu@winlink.org
Cell: 309-256-4272
Hamshack Hotline 6103049

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November Net Logs

11/3
W9WTF KD9RYH W8NWG KD9ANU W9WGN KC9PZP KD9IBC KE9BSA NP2WJ KC9IH KD9YPM K9HJZ W9JDP NM0O N9NDF KD9PXZ KD9VAN KD9AER N9WFT KD9ERS K9LE K9RCS KD9IVV KD9NYE KD9JXR KD9YYD KD9WVP KD9YER KC9TCM KD9STL KB9SE KE9AOJ N9ASP W9GLO KD9RJH KE9AON K9XJT Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

11/10
KD9RYH KD9DBQ N9WFT MN0O K9HJZ KD9IBC W9WGN KC9IH KD9YPM KB9YYD KD9HZZ K9TNT N9NDF KD9WVP KD9ZKZ W8NWG K9QZ WW9DLM KD9NYE KB9ATO KE9BMA KD9PXZ KD9VIN KD9STL W9JDP KD9VAN K9RCS K9TCM KE9BSA K0GSH N9PSU KD9JXR K9XJT Submitted by K9LE 73

11/17
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9XJT K9LE W9WGN KD9IBC K9HJZ KC9IH KD9YPM KB9YYD W9JDP K9TNT NM0O W9WTF KE9BMA KD9ZKZ NP2WJ KD9HZZ KD9PXZ K9RCS N9WFT KD9STL W8NWG KD9IVV N9NDF KC9TCM KD9AER KD9VAN KD9QOB N9CS KD9YER KE9AOJ KD9ERS KB9SE KD9JXR KD9RJH W9GLO N9ASP WW9DLM KE9BSA KE9AOR Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

11/24
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE K9XJT W9WGN K9HJZ NP2WJ KC9IH W8NWG KB9SE W9JDP K9TNT KD9JXR KD9WVP KD9IVV W9FYR NM0O KD0PXZ KD9ZKZ KD9WLD N9WFT K0GSH KD9AER KD9VAN WW9DLM KD9QQU KE9BMA KE9AOJ KD9YER KB9ATO K9RCS K9QZ W9GLO KD9STL KD9TZU KD9NYE WF9E N9PSU KE9AOR AE9DM Submitted by KD9DBQ

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December Club Events

December 3 – 7:00 p.m. – Board Meeting – Zoom

December 4 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

December 10 – 6:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting – Holiday Gathering at Avanti’s Ristorante, 2320 East Washington, East Peoria. Members and guests are welcome (dinner on your own). Note that the event starts at 6:00 p.m.

December 11– 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

December 18 – 700 p.m. – ARES Meeting – details TBA

December 21 – 12:00 noon – FCC License Testing: Morton Knights of Columbus, 616 W. David Street, Morton, IL. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). Testing Fee: $15

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November, 2024 BandBits

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

First off, Happy Halloween!

I just wanted to let you know the repeater committee has been doing some amazing things. The .075 antenna is better and our two repeaters are linked! stay tuned!

Now, into November we go, with elections and time changes. Good luck changing all your clocks and go check those smoke detectors batteries!

Most importantly, go vote!

Speaking of elections, PAARC will be having our club elections very soon. Please be sure to consider joining the board in one of the roles. More informaton at out November meeting.

In other personal news to pass along, I just completed my fourth chemo session and so far things are still going well. Desired results are being seen!

Enjoy your radios!

Ben, KD9RYH

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MEETING MINUTES

Board of Directors – October 3, 2024

7:01 Ben calls meeting to order via Zoom

7:02 Ben calls for Treasurer’s report. Darren give report.

7:05 Ben calls for motion to approve Treasurer’s report. Rich motions and Tanya seconds. Motion is approved.

7:05 Ben calls for Midwest SuperFest report. Darren reports.

7:11 Ben calls for motion to approve Midwest SuperFest report. Rob motions and Tanya seconds. Motion is approved.

7:12 Ben calls for the Repeater report. Tom reports.

7:16 Ben calls for Activities Committee report. Rich reports.

7:18 Ben asks for old business. Old business is discussed.

7:23 Ben asks for new business. New business is discussed.

7:29 Ben calls for motion to adjourn. Rich motions and Jake seconds. Meeting adjourns.

______________________

Membership Meeting – October 8

The meeting was called to order by President Ben Knapp at 7:09 p.m. at the Bartonville American Legion.

The Treasurer’s Report was not available.

Midwest Superfest: It was reported that Midwest Superfest cleared approximately $3,000 in net profit. More details will be available at the November meeting.

Repeaters: Tom Hunt reported that all the hardware is in place and has been configured. It is hoped that we can link the .85 and the .075 repeaters possibly as early as next week. Steve, KD9AER adjusted the squelch on the repeater input. Preliminary indications are that this adjustment helped the repeater performance. More work needs to be done.

Old Business: The Red Cross building has been sold, and we need to remove the tower and antenna as soon as possible.

There being no further business, Mark, W9WGN made a motion to adjourn/second by Ron, N0XOH. The meeting was adjorned at 7:15 p.m., followed by a presentation on Numbers Stations from Scott, K9XJT.

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REPEATER UPDATE

Climbers from Noize Communication working on one of the antennas on the Groveland tower.

On Friday, October 25, significant work was done on the Groveland (W9UVI 147.075) tower. The tower work was generously provided by Noize Communications. The antenna at 180 feet was thoroughly checked, including sweeping the transmission line and inspecting the connectors. Prior to this, we had been using the lower antenna at 160 feet. The higher antenna is more desireable, so we made the switch.

The Repeater Committee also made several adjustments to the settings on the repeater, and upgraded the computer. These changes improved the coverage (mainly in low terrain) and improved the receive capability of the repeater.

In addition, the Committee has been working on linking the W9UVI repeater with the Club’s K9PEO repeater in Glasford operating on 146.85 (output). For those not familiar with linked repeaters, this is common around the country with one or more repeaters networked together to combine coverages for broader service. When you key up one of our repeaters, you will be heard on the other repeater. It’s a two way system. The .85 repeater will provide better coverage, especially in areas south of Peoria.

This is still a work in progress, and there may be occasional disruptions in the link between the two as we continue to make adjustments in the system. Let us know of your experiences with the linked repeaters.

We appreciate the extensive research, hard work and many hours put in by Steve, KD9AER and Jake, K9LE on both of these projects.

Tom Hunt, W8NWG
Trustee

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PEORIA COUNTY ARES

Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.

November 6, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
November 13, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
November 20, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM

ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/

Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES
email: kd9anu@arrl.net
Winlink: kd9anu@winlink.org
Cell: 309-256-4272
Hamshack Hotline 6103049

______________________________________

OCTOBER NET LOGS

10/6
KD9RYH K9LE KD9QQU W9WGN K0GSH KC9IH KD9YPM K9XJT K9HJZ K9TNT NM0O N9NDF KD9PXZ W8NWG KE9BMA N9WFT K9RCS KD9JXR KD9WVP KD9NYE KE9BMC KE9AON KD9VAN WW9DLM KD9STL WF9E KE9AOJ K9CEW Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

10/13
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE W9WGN KD9IBC K9HJZ KC9IH NP2WJ KD9YPM KD9TEG N9NDF W9JDP K9TNT KD9JXR KD9VAN KE9BMA N9WFT W8NWG KE9BMC KD9AER KD9HZS KD9WVP KB9ATO K9RCS KD9STL WW9DLM Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

10/20
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE KD9HZZ W9WGN KD9IBC W8NWG NP2WJ K9HJZ KC9IH K9RCS W9JDP K9TNT KD9JXR NM0O KE9BMC KD9PXZ KD9VAN N9WFT KD9ANU KD9ZKZ K9CT KD9STL KE9AOJ WW9DLM KE9BMA N9NDF WF9E KD9AER KD9WVP KD9WLD KF7ZWJ W9WTF KD9QQU KE9APN KD9HZS N9PSU N9ASP K9CEW K9QZ Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

10/27
KD9RYH W8NWG KD9HZZ KD9ANU K9LE K9XJT W9WGN WS9J NM0O NP2WJ KD9IBC K9HJZ KC9IH KD9NYN W9JDP N9NDF KE9BMA KD9UIM KD9AER KB9ATO K0GSH W9WAS KD9ZKZ N9WFT N9ASP KD9NYE KD9VLZ KD9TZU WF9E K9RCS KD9JXR KE9BLJ KD9STL KD9QQU KD9WVP KD0PXZ KE9AOJ KD9VAJ KD9WLD N9NCS KD9YER K9TNT Submitted by KD9DBQ 73 

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NOVEMBER CLUB EVENTS

November 5 – 7:00 p.m. – Board Meeting – Zoom

November 6 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

November 12 – 7:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting: Understanding propagation charts – Thom Beebe, ARRL – Bartonville American Legion Hall, 4501 S Airport Rd, Bartonville.

November 13 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

November 20 – 700 p.m. – ARES Meeting – details TBA

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CLUB EMAIL LIST

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October, 2024 BandBits

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

THANK YOU ALL!
That was an amazing Midwest Superfest!
I wish I could tell you how proud I am to be president of such an amazing group of hams. Thank you to all the unsung heros and helpers. Thank you to all that just came out. And the biggest thank you to Darren for being the chairman

We will be having elections coming up soon. If you would like to be on the board, or help out with anything please let a board member know

Be sure to check out our new YouTube page (link) as well as Discord and Facebook pages, and as always, check the w9uvi.org page for all kinds of great information including when and where all the meetings are. Don’t forget, our next meeting will be October 8 at 7:00 p.m. in Bartonville. Hope to see you all there!

73’s
Ben KD9RYH

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MEETING MINUTES

Board of Directors – September 3, 2024 via Zoom

7:21 Ben calls meeting to order

7:22 Ben calls for Treasurer’s report. Darren reports.

7:26 Ben calls for motion to approve Treasurer’s report. Jake motions and Tanya seconds. Motion is approved.

7:27 Darren announces that there is official club paperwork that needs a secretary signature.

7:27 Jake offers to resign as Repeater Chairman and offer himself to be appointed to the open secretary position.

7:27 Board begins discussion of potentially appointing Jake as Secretary.

7:34 Ben accepts Jake’s resignation as Repeater Chairman and appoints Jake as Secretary via presidential decree.

7:34 Ben calls for Midwest SuperFest report. Darren reports.

7:43 Ben calls for motion to approve Midwest SuperFest report. Jake motions and Rich seconds. Motion is approved.

7:51 Ben calls for the Repeater Chairman report. Jake reports.

7:52 Ben calls for Activities Committee report. Rich reports.

7:55 Darren provides updates on the schedule of events for the setup for the upcoming Midwest SuperFest.

8:00 Ben calls for motion to adjourn. Rob motions and Rich seconds. Meeting adjourns.

________________________

Membership Meeting – September 19, 2024 – Three Sisters Park, Chillicothe

The meeting was called to order by President Ben Knapp at 7:05 p.m.

Midwest Superfest chair Darren Weir went over information for this weekend’s Midwest Superfest, including immediate tasks at hand.

Tom Hunt gave a brief update on the repeater situation, including linking the .075 and .85 repeaters. The plan will be impemented in the weeks following Midwest Superfest. There was also a disucssion on getting a tower climber to check the antennas and the repeater receiving system.

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:40 pm.

_____________________________________

MIDWEST SUPERFESTTM

Well, that’s a wrap for Midwest Superfest 2024. I would like to thank all who helped out with getting it set up as well as those who helped during the event and tearing down. IT TAKES A TEAM TO DO THIS AND I THINK WE HAVE A GOOD ONE.

We had lots of great comments this year on a great Midwest Superfest and some ideas for next year. Planning has already started for 2025 Midwest Superfest as we will hold the ARRL Central Division Convention as well as the Illinois Convention. Thom Beebe will be at our club meeting Nov. 12th to do a forum on understanding propagation charts, as the weather kept people from showing up early for the forum Sunday morning.

I will get the rafle report turned in here soon and apply for next year’s raffle license so we can get tickets printed for next year. We had lots of comments this year on how quick people got their tickets and placards.

Our next Midwest Superfest meeting will be 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, October 22nd on Zoom. As of right now we will not have a Midwest Superfest meeting in November or December to give time to redo all the letters and get our playbook redone also. If anything changes it will be posted.

THANKS EVERYONE
Darren Weir KD9HZZ
Midwest Superfest Chairman

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PEORIA COUNTY ARES

Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.

October 2, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
October 9, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
October 16, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM

ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/

Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES
email: kd9anu@arrl.net
Winlink: kd9anu@winlink.org
Cell: 309-256-4272
Hamshack Hotline 6103049

______________________________________

SEPTEMBER NET LOGS

9/1
KD9HZZ KD9RYH KD9ANU W9WGN KD9YPM K9HJZ KC9IH W9JDP NM0O KD9PXZ KD9IVV N9WFT KD9WVP KD9ZKZ KD9JXR KD9AER KD9QOB KE9AOJ KD9STL KD9VAN KB9ATO N9NDI KD9YER KB9OJS K9XJT Submitted by W8NWG 73

9/8
KD9HZZ KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE KE9BAQ WF9E K9XJT W9WGN KD9VAN KC9IH KD9TEG K9HJZ KD9YPM KD9IBC W8NWG K9RCS KD9IVV KD9WVP K9QJ KD9AER KE9AON N9ASP W9JDP KD9STL KD9PXZ KD9YWB N9NDF KD9NYE KD9ZKZ NM0O KD9JXR N9WFT W9DAY KD9QQU K9CEW KR9AOJ KD9YER WW9DLM W9GLO KB9ATO K9UQF Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

9/15
KD9HZZ KD9RYH KD9ANU W9WGN KD9IBC KD9VAN KD9TEG NP2WJ KC9IH K9HJZ K9XJT W9JDP KD9PXZ N0XOH KB9ATO KD9IVV W8NWG KD9AER K9QJ KD9ZKZ N9WFT KE9AOJ KD9YWB KD9YER K9QZ N9NDF KD9STL WF9E KD9JXR KD9WVP W9DLM KD9VRW KD9QQT N9GZ K9RCS Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

9/22
KD9RYH K9LE KD9ANU W8NWG K9XJT W9JDP KD9IBC W9WGN KC9IH KD9YPM K9HJZ KD9TEG K9TNT N0XOH KD9IVV KD9AER N9NDF N9WFT KD9JXR KD9PXZ AA9MK KB9YYD KE9AON WF9E KD9VAN KB9ATO KD9QOB N9CS KF7ZWJ KD9ZKZ KD9NYE W9DAY KD9YER K9RCS N9ASP KD9STL KB9OGS K9UQF KB9UMT Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

9/29
KD9ANU K9XJT K9LE W8NWG W9WGN K9HJZ NP2WJ KD9VAN KC9IH W9JDP K9TNT N9WFT N9NDF K9QZ KD9PXZ KD9ERS KF7ZWJ KD9AES N9CS KD9QZ KD9STL K9RCS K9EOJ KD9RD WW9DLM KD9QQU KD9NYE KD9DBQ KD9YER KD9JXR K9CEW WF9E Submitted by KD9RYH 73

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OCTOBER CLUB EVENTS

October 1 – 7:00 p.m. – Board Meeting – Zoom

October 2– 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

October 8 – 7:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting: “Numbers Stations” – Bartonville American Legion Hall, 4501 S Airport Rd, Bartonville.

October 9 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

October 16 – 700 p.m. – ARES Meeting – details TBA

October 19 – 12:00 noon – FCC License Testing: Location Change: Hopedale Community Center, 101 East Main Street, Hopedale – FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). Testing Fee: $15

October 22 – 7:00 p.m. – Midwest Superfest meeting on Zoom

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CLUB EMAIL LIST

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September, 2024 BandBits

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Huge Flea Market area at Three Sisters Park

It’s time for the MIDWEST SUPERFEST! September 21 and 22 at Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe.

I cant tell you how excited I am for this years Superfest. there is so much work yet to do and we need your help! All current club members get free enty to the Superfest and the plan is to use the hamclub online, so be sure to make sure your dues are paid!

Tickets with raffle stubs are available at the gate or online. We have amazing door prizes, forums and all the great stuff and treasures to look over. Don’t miss it!
Please be sure to come out and help setup and run the event, there will be lots to do and it’s always a great time.

This months club meeting will be held on site on THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 at 7 pm, and I hope to see you there for that as well.

Reserve your Flea Market space on line or when you arrive at Three Sisters Park

Hope to see you all on the radio if not in person. we had a great time last year and expecting this year to be even better! Let’s grow this club!

On a personal note, I’ve started chemothepary and so far, it’s going well enough but i’m expecting it to be a long haul fight.

73’s
KD9RYH
Prez Ben

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MEETING MINUTES

Board of Directors – 8/6/2024

The meeting was called to order at 7:09 pm on Zoom

Board Members Present: Ben Knapp KD9RYH, Tom Hunt W8NWG, Rob Herrin KD9DVQ, Tanya Knapp KD9YPM, Darren Weir KD9HZZ,Jake Walters K9LE, Rich Schmidt K9RCS
Guests: Steve Grob KD9AER, Casey Kerchner KC9IH

JULY MINUTES
Read and Approved

TREASURERS REPORT
Read and Approved

OLD BUSINESS
No Old Business Reported

NEW BUSINESS
Annual Report needs to go to State of Illinois, and will require sending a Check for the Filing Fee.

REPEATER REPORT
Antenna Issues continue. It might be as simple as a Part Replacement up on the Tower. Test and Trouble Shooting planned. A Tower Climber may be needed to resolve the Antenna issue, but it may be possible to share that expense next time he works on the Tower. The removal of the D-Star Antenna and Feed Line was discussed, and it is currently being borrowed by another user. RPT and EchoLink Linking Hardware will use different Hardware than originally planned, and at a slightly higher cost. The planned Equipment will be able connect to HamShack Hotline. The Link Budget was increased from $300 to to $500, Motion by Tom, Second by Darren.

HAMFEST REPORT
Ticket & Flea Market orders are coming in, and Darren will have Tickets at the 8/13 Meeting for Club Members. HamFest Signs are Ordered, and Flag Holders being made. Golf Cart needs and procurement finalized. Flea Market Paint and Marking determined. Table Order Verified with A-Z, Table Cover is in, Porta-Potty’s on Track, and have Received more Door Prizes. Everything is progressing satisfactorily.

ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE
Jake reported Membership has increased to 63 from 50 since earlier this year. The Discord Site is working satisfactory and gaining use and users. HamShack Hot was discussed, and will have a Presentation at the 8/13 Meeting. POTA Activation discussion continues with additional information coming soon.

There being no further business, Tom made a Motion, Seconded by Rich, and the meeting adjourned at 7:50 p.m.

Submittted by Casey Kerchner – KC9IH 73

_______________________

Membership – August 13

KD9RYH calls meeting to order. 7:13 pm.

KD9RYH calls for the Repeater Report. K9Le delivers the report and details the progress made on linking the repeaters and adding a ClearNode Allstar/Digital node to the Groveland (W9UVI) repeater.

KD9RYH calls for the Midwest SuperFest report. Darren details the sequence of events for setting up Midwest SuperFest in September. He reports updates on the rental of golf carts, and porta-johns. He updates the status on vendors and flea market tables rented. He then solicits members to volunteer to work various jobs at the event.

KD9RYH reminds the membership in attendance that a membership with PAARC, in good standing, provides the member with free access to Midwest SuperFest. KD9DBQ proposes that the free access information be shared on the PAARC Discord server

KD9RYH details the benefits of the PAARC Discord and the differences between it and the PAARC Facebook page.

KD9RHY opens the floor for questions about the Midwest SuperFest report
A member asks a question about the availability of camping at the Midwest SuperFest venue. Darren explains the camping accommodations including the power availability for recreational vehicles. The membership begins a group discussion of past Midwest SuperFest camping experiences

KD9RYH reminds the membership of upcoming board of directors elections and the possibility of open seats for the treasurer, secretary, and potentially the president depending on the status of KD9RYH’s health at the time of election.

Rich Holtman – KD9ANU (ARES Coordinator) announces that he has completed and submitted a grant request with the ARRL which would fund ARRL speakers to come to our Midwest SuperFest and do presentations.

KD9RYH announces that the September membership meeting will be at Three Sisters Park, in Chillicothe, which is the venue for Midwest Superfest. It will be held on Thursday September 20th at 7 pm.

KD9HZZ announces the proposed Midwest SuperFest forum speaker roster as well as the schedule of non-forum events.
KD9RYH calls for additional members’ questions or comments. KD9ANU makes a request of the membership for a donation of a WiFi router to be used at the ARES Bunker. Scott – K9XJT agrees to make the donation.

A member asks about the website saying that club membership dues are required to be paid by December 31st. K9LE replied that the info was old and apologized for the oversight on changing it. He reminded the membership that dues are required to be paid on a member’s club anniversary date and that HamClubOnline is utilized to send automated reminders to each member.

KD9RYH moves to adjourn the meeting. K9LE seconds. The meeting adjourns at 7:25 pm

______________________________________

MIDWEST SUPERFESTTM

Midwest Superfest is three weeks away, Who’s ready? I still have tickets for some club members. You can still get them ahead of time and save some money. If you have your tickets already and have not paid for them please do so before Midwest Superfest. Any tickets not paid for will not win any door prizes.

We still have open spots for volunteer gate sale, shuttle driver and traffic director. Thursday the 19th we will start laying out the flea market area around 9am, and I hope to see everyone there to help get this done. Indoor tables will be on site Thursday evening or Friday morning. Club meeting will be Thursday the 19th at 7 pm, I will have my grill so bring something to cook.

Don’t forget, we will have dinner dinner at Grecian Gardens in Chilicothe Saturday night at 7pm. Let me know if you plan on being there.

Darren

______________________________________

PEORIA COUNTY ARES

Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.

September 4 ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
September 11, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
September 18, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM

ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/

Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES
email: kd9anu@arrl.net
Winlink: kd9anu@winlink.org
Cell: 309-256-4272
Hamshack Hotline 6103049

______________________________________

AUGUST NET LOGS

8/4
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE W9WTF K9XJT KD9VAN K9HJZ KD9TEG W9WGN KD9JXR N9NDF W8NWG N9WFT KD9PXZ KB9YYD KD9ZKZ W9JDP K9QZ KB9ATO KD9YPM KD9WVP KD9YER KD9AER KE9AOJ KD9STL WF9E KD9QOB N9CS K9RCS K9CEW N9ASP KD9IBC KC9IH Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

8/11
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE W8NWG W9WGN K9XJT K9HJZ KD9WRX NP2WJ KD9IBC KC9IH K9QZ WZ0CX KD9HZZ N0XOH K9TNT NM0O N9NDF KD9ZKZ KD9PXZ W9JDP KD9IVV KD9AER KB9SF KD9NYE KE9AOJ N9WFT K9CEW WF9E K9RCS KD9YWB KD9YPM KD9JXR KD9QOB KD9QQU KD9YER N9ASP K9UQF KD9WL

8/18
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE K9XJT KD9IBC WZ0CX K9HJZ W8NWG KD9VAN KD9WRX KC9IH W9WGN K9TNT KD9JXR KB9ATO NM0O KD9RJH KD9WVP KD9ZKZ KD9PXZ KD9YWB KD9IVV KD9AER KE9AON N9NDF W9JDP KD9STL KD9QQU KD9YPM KD9AOJ K9CEW K9RCS K9UQF N9ASP KE9AOR N9GZ Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

8/26
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE W9WGN K9HJZ KD9IBC NP2WJ KD9YPM KC9IH K9XJT KE9AON AD9W W9JDP KD9JXR W8NWG KD9IVV N9NDF KD9AER KD9WLD W9WTF KD9PXZ KD9RJH N9WFT KD9YWB KB9ATO KD9ZKZ K9RCS KD9YER K9QZ KD9QQU KD9STL KB9OGS KE9AOJ KD9NYE N9GZ K9UQF N9ASP Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

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SEPTEMBER CLUB EVENTS

September 3 – 7:00 p.m. – Board Meeting – Zoom

September 4 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

September 11 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

September 18 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Meeting – Details TBA

September 19 Note change in meeting time and location – Membership Meeting – Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe – Superfest

September 21-22 MIDWEST SUPERFEST – Three Sisters Park, ChillicotheMore details

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August, 2024 BandBits

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Somehow, it’s already August and it’s getting to be crunch time for the 2024 Midwest Superfest!

I’m really excited for this year’s Superfest! We have a great thing going and we are growing. We are going to need help pulling it off, but i havee faith this will be an amazing event.

We have a full line up of speakers, vendors and flea markets stuff going on. Don’t forget that camping is available, and entry to Midwest Superfest is free for all paid up club members! But, if you need tickets, or want to get entered into the raffles, you will need to purchase those tickets, and that can be done in person at any meeting, online from teh club page or reach out to any of the board members.

Speaking of Board Members, elections are going to coming up before you know it and we still have open positions.

And on a personal note, i want to let everyone know that i’ve just been diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. And for now at least, I intend on keeping up my duties as your club president.

73’s,
Ben

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MEETING MINUTES

Board of Directors – 7/2/2024

The meeting was called to order 7:11 pm on Zoom

Board Members Present: Ben Knapp KD9RYH, Tom Hunt W8NWG, Rob Herrin KD9DBQ, Tanya Knapp KD9YPM, Darren Weir KD9HZZ, Scott Tranchitella K9XJT, Rich Schmidt K9RCS

Guests Rich Holtman KD9ANU, Casey Kerchner KC9IH and Steve Grob KD0AER

Treasurers Report

Repeater Report: Steve Grob talked about linking the  .85 repeater with .075 repeater. We will use Echolink to link them.  The repeaters have only one port each. To solve the problem, we will build an Echolink “station” using a Raspberry Pi attached to a transceiver. The total components cost will be about $200-300. A motion was was made by Tom Hunt/Second Darren Weir to authorize the expenditure. Motion passed.

Superfest Report: Ticket orders are coming in. We’re getting a table cover for the club table.  A second round of emails have gone out to vendors. 

With the help of Thom Beebe, Rich Holtman is working on an ARRL club grant to bring in ARRL guest speakers for the 2025 District Convention, hosted by Superfest. Tom Hunt will assist in the grant narrative. The application deadline is at the end of July. Motion by Rob Herrin/Darren Weir second  to approve going forward with the grant application. Motion passed.

We need to make speaker brackets for the PA system.

Activities Committee: Rich Schmidt did a Field Day recap. 17 people signed the log sheet.  There was a lot of positive feedback. Rich would like to do a POTA activation over the summer.

Old Business None

New Business – Rich Holtman discussed Emergency Expo July 25. 

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

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Membership – 7/9/2024

Ben, KD9RYH called the meeting to order at 7:07 pm at the Bartonville American Legion Hall.

K9ND has a equipment and a tower to give away. Just remove the equipment.

Minutes of the June meeting were accepted on a motion by Jake, seconded by Jon

Treasurer’s Report: None

Old Business:
– Jake talked about linking the .85 amd .075 repeaters.
– Field Day Review: According to Ben, “Nobody died.”
– Midwest Sperfest tickets are available to any club member that did not receive them.

New Business:
– Rich, KD9ANU talked about the club grant for the ARRL to bring speakers to Midwest Superfest in 2025

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 7:18 pm

Scott, K9XJT did a demonstration and talk about Mesh Net.

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MIDWEST SUPERFESTTM

Midwest Superfest is less than two months away, who’s ready for it? If you have gotten your tickets please get them paid for, if you still need tickets I will be at the meetings and you can get them from me or just reach out to me.

We are still getting orders for Flea market spots and a couple more vendors. If you need to get a spot you can reserve them on our website www.w9uvi.org

Here is the schedule for getting set up and for the weekend. We need everyone’s help to make this happen and still have a few spots till fill on a couple of the sign up sheets, I will have those at the meetings also.

Schedule of Events
Thursday September 19th
● 10:00am – Marking of flea market spaces.

Friday September 20th
● 9:00am – Indoor vendor table setup.
● 10:00am (as close as we can get to it) – Indoor Vendor setup begins.
● 12:00pm – Flea market vendor setup begins.
● 7:00pm – Setup ends.
● 10:00pm – Gates close for the night.
● Port-a-potty delivery sometime during the day. (4)
● Golf cart delivery sometime during the day.

Saturday, September 21st
● 7:00am – Gates open – indoor vendors can get in Pavilion.
● 8:00am – Pavilion Opens
● 8:30am – K9LA; Solar Cycle 25 Propagation
● 9:00am – Hourly drawings begin.
● 10:00am – DXCC Card Checking – Mark Suhs W9WGN – Pavilion
● 10:00am – KB9VRW; Satern
● 11:30am – K9CT; DXepeditions
● 12:00pm – FCC License Testing in Museum
● 1:00pm – ARRL Sesion
● 2:30pm – Parks on the Air forum
● 3:45pm – Saturday 50/50 drawing
● 4:00pm – Pavilion closes
● 7:00pm – Flea market closes
● 10:00pm – Gates close for the night.

Sunday, Sept 22nd
● 7:00am – Gates open – indoor vendors can get in Pavilion.
● 8:00am – Pavilion Opens
8:30am – W9RY; understanding propagation charts
● 9:00am – Hourly Drawings begin.
● 10:00am – Go-Kit Competition in Museum
● 10:00am – KT9Y; DMR Forum
● 11:30 – WA9SWW; ARES Forum
● 12:30pm – 50/50 drawing
● 1:00pm GRAND Prize Drawing

We will have a dinner Saturday at 7:00 pm Grecian Gardens in Chillicothe. Email Darren, KD9HZZ if you are interested in attending.

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PEORIA COUNTY ARES

Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.

Rich, KD9ANU helps an Emergency Expo guest sign up to win a weather radio. Other ARES participants at the event included Tom- W8NWG, Rob,-KD9DBQ, Darren-KD9HZZ, David-KD9MPI, Jon-NM0O, Steve- KD9AER, Jason N9NDF and Jake-K9LE

ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/

August 7, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
August 14, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater
August 21, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:00 PM

Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES
email: kd9anu@arrl.net
Winlink: kd9anu@winlink.org
Cell: 309-256-4272

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JULY NET LOGS

7/7
KD9RYH K9XJT KD9ANU K9LE KD9WRX KD9VAN KD9TEG K9HJZ NP2WJ KC9IH KD9YPM W9WGN W9JDP K9TNT KD9PXZ KB9ATO W9WTF N9NDF KD9IVV NM0O K9QJ KD9AER N9WFT N0XOH K9RCS KD9YWB KD9MPI KD9YER KD9STL K9UQF KD9HZZ KD9JXR KE9AOJ N9ASP KD9QQU K9CEW Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

7/14
KD9ANU K9LE W9WGN KD9TEG W9JDP K9XJT W8NWG K9HJZ KC9IH K9TNT W9WTF KB9ATO N0XOH KD9IVV KD9AER N9WFT K9QJ KD9RJH KB9SF KD9IBC NM0O KB9GEG KD9STL K9UQF N9ASP KE9AOJ N9NDF W9FYR WF9E Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

7/21
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE W8NWG W9WGN KD9VAN KD9YPM KD9TEG KD9IVV KC9IH K9HJZ KD9JXR W9JDP N9NDF NM0O KD9PXZ KD9AER N9WFT KD9ZKZ KD9VIN KD9YER WW9DLM KD9RJH N9ASP K9XJT KB9ATO K9QJ K9RCS WF9E K9UQF KD9STL N9CS NP2WJ Submitted by KD9DBQ 73

7/28
KD9RYH KD9ANU K9LE K9XJT KD9YPM KB9SF K9HJZ W9WGN KD9YWB KC9IH KD9QQU NP2WJ K9TNT N9NDF KD9AER KD9IVV KD9PXZ N9WFT W8NWG KD9RJH K9RCS KD9ZKZ KD9ERS KE9AOJ KD9STL KD9JXR KB9ATO N9CS KD9YER KD9WLD N9ASP KD9WRX KD9TEG N9GZ N9SL KC9GGC KB9OMS Submitted by KD9DBQ

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AUGUST CLUB EVENTS

August 6 – 7:00 p.m. – Board Meeting – Zoom

August 7– 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

August 13 – 7:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting: details TBA

August 14 – 7:00 p.m. – ARES Net on the W9UVI (147.075) repeater

August 17 – 12:00 noon – FCC License Testing: Morton Knights of Columbus, 616 W. David Street, Morton, IL. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). Testing Fee: $15

August 21 – 700 p.m. – ARES Meeting – details TBA

August 27 – 7:00 p.m. – Midwest Superfest meeting

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CLUB EMAIL LIST

If you would like to be notified by email when BandBits and other club news is posted to the website, click here: email list sign-up to be added to our email distribution list.