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SM--Tom Ciciora KA9QPN
ASM/SRM--Ron Morgan, KB9NW
ASM/SEC--Brad Pioveson, W9FX
ASM/ASEC--Shari Harlan, N9SH
ASM for Youth--Neil Gebhardt, KB9ZGZ
ACC--Joe Serocki, N9IFG
SGL--Charles Richey, K9DUE
STM--Roy Eades, KA9MZJ
PIC--Fritz Bock, WD9FMB
TC--John Dinella, WA9IL
OOC--Tim Childers, KB9FBI
ASEC--Curtis Williams, W5DTR
ASEC--Kelly Robertson, KC9FVK
ASEC--Pat Ryan, KC6VVT
ASEC--Pat Stowell, N9PN
ASEC/Digital Ops--Danny Pease NG9R
DEC: Region 2--OPEN, Region 3--Dale Marzano N9JH, Region 4--Neil Ormos N9NL, Region 6--Gary Shanks KA9FAJ, Region 7--OPEN, Region 9--John Van Sandt N9YRX, Region 8--Curtis Williams W5DTR, Region 11--Bruce Talley WA9APQ

From the top...
**Just when you thought that it was safe to store the winter coat... As I write this, we're coming off of a few days of 70-plus degree weather. It's cold rain out the window right now. Yuck.
**It's not grandpa's ham radio. That's my battle cry when promoting the Service. Just to prove that, ARRL reports that a ham developed software package, Spectrum Analyzer, was used in the search for Malaysia Air Flight MH370. These are the kind of things that we mention when someone pulls out that 'old guy in the dusty basement' image.
**Speaking of that image, A local ham pointed out an article to me on a Windows computer forum, comparing Windows XP users to that mythical old guy ham in the basement. The writer suggested the analogy that neither group was ready to let go of old technology. Fifteen reply posts later, the original post was countered by every possible iteration of the Service. I'd link to it, but the original author retreated under the hail of verbal tomatoes and deleted his burst of wisdom.
**One more: Apple quietly enabled a feature in iOS 7 called Multipeer Connectivity Network. Just as quietly, an app was released to take advantage of that platform via wireless mesh networking. Immediately, the Apple world proclaimed this the next Big Thing. More than a few of us smiled and said 'isn't that cute'. Because hams have been repurposing the ubiquitous Linksys WRT54 series router (among others) to create and use Broadband-Hamnet networks for some time. It's always fun when the mainstream catches up with where we've been for a while. Not grandpa's ham radio.
 

Get informed...
**Following up to last month's concern over enforcement of PA 098-0506 (hands-free cell phone use): Through the efforts of John King W9KXQ, a concise summary of the two-way radio usage exception was prepared and sent to the Illinois Association Chiefs of Police. It was incorporated in their 20 March Weekly Bulletin Alert. Charlie Richey K9DUE undertook identical efforts with the Chicago Police Department and the Cook County Sheriff's Police. Let's hope that we've heard the last of this. (liberally borrowed from a FB post)
**In response to an FCC Report, the League has filed comments containing the opinion that enforcement of Rule violations needs to be timely, visible and vigorous. As most of us nod our heads and utter some variant of 'no kidding!' Gone are the old days of Prose and Riley when Amateurs (mostly) toed the line and obeyed the Rules. I imagine that one could build a remotely circumstantial parallel between relaxed license standards and Rule violations, but those aren't newbies on 14.313 or calling CQ over the DXpeditions. I submit that any new crop of lids is the harvest of ignoring newcomers and letting them figure things out on their own. We are steeped in 100 years of tradition, and if we do not pass that tradition on to the new licensees, we run the risk of having a percentage of operators with no clue as to how to act. And, I took a lot of heat back in February of '07 when I used this space to make that suggestion. It's a lot like not having family meals together and then wondering why the kids have no table manners. Mercifully, there is still a stout number of good operators out there. That's what makes the renegades more noticeable.
**I am very saddened to learn of the passing of Patti Colvin AF9H. If you had cards checked at a hamfest in the Section over the years, chances are that you met Patti and her husband Jess AI9L. No matter which hamfest I ended up at, their table was invariably next to mine, and I passed more than a few Sunday mornings with them. The Colvins had recently moved west and hadn't been at any area hamfests recently. My sympathies to Jess and the extended family. (Via Kankakee ARS)
 

Around the Section...
**Had another wonderful day with elements of Lake County ARES/RACES, the county EMA director C. Kent McKenzie KM8A, and a few representatives from other NE IL ARES groups. Once again, we had an informational table in the lobby of the Ramsey Auditorium  at Fermilab before the Tom Skilling Weather Seminars on 5 April. It's always fun to describe to lay people what we are about these days. Never fails to bring the 'I didn't know that' comment.
**The W9DXCC Convention is moving its venue to the Hyatt Regency Schaumburg for the event on 19-20 September. It's going to be a scramble to get back from the Peoria Superfest on the 20th for the Convention banquet, but I've attended the banquet the last couple of years and it's worth the running around.
**I'm very happy to mention hamfests and other events here in the News. Remember that I post these around the 15th of the month, so plan your notification to me accordingly, else you fall in that black hole betwixt and between.

Ye Olde Traffic Report DE KA9MZJ...

Illinois Side Band Net - Net Manager WB9QPM
Daily on 3905 at 1800 local time
QNI 239 QTC 65 Sessions 31
 
Illinois Phone Net - Net Manager K9GYI
M-F on 3857 at 1645 local time
Sunday on 3940 at 0810 local time - right after the Illinois Emergency Net
QNI 261 QTC 23 Sessions 26
 
Illinois Emergency Net - Net Manager K9HEZ
Sunday on 3940 at 0800 local time
QNI 91 QTC 8 Sessions 5
 
North Central Phone Net – Net Manager K9HEZ
M-F on 3912 at 0700 local time
QNI 284 QTC 6 Sessions 21
 
Illinois CW Net (ILN)   Net Manager WB8SIM
Daily on 3838 at 1915 local time   
QNI  16 QTC 6 Sessions 4
KF9ME reporting