Follow us on Facebook at Illinois Section--American Radio Relay League!

Your Illinois Section News is located at http://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/illinois

#############################################

Update on Logbook of the World and CQ Awards (4/18)

ARRL and CQ Magazine Announce Launch of CQ’s WAZ Award Support on ARRL's Logbook of the World

 Newington, CT and Hicksville, NY – April 2, 2018 Officials from CQ magazine and ARRL, The national association for Amateur Radio®, are excited to announce the launch of support for CQ magazine’s Worked All Zones (WAZ) award program on ARRL’s Logbook of the World (LoTW) system, effective Monday, April 2, at 10:00 a.m. EDT (14:00 UTC).

The goal of the project was to create the proper technical support system to enable amateur radio operators to submit LoTW confirmations for WAZ credit and that has been accomplished, say CQ and ARRL officials.

“We are very pleased that participants in CQ's WAZ award program will now be able to use their LoTW confirmations for award credit,” said CQ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU. “CQ WPX Award participants have found it very helpful and we are sure it will be equally helpful for those pursuing WAZ and its many variations.”

ARRL First Vice President Greg Widin, K0GW, concurred. “Users of LoTW have been telling us for some time that they would like to use QSLs from LoTW to apply for the WAZ award. They will now be able to select confirmations to be used for WAZ credit.”

Beta testing for bringing CQ magazine's WAZ award program into ARRL’s LoTW system had been underway since mid-December. Any problems in the implementation discovered by testers were corrected by the technical support team. Also, the documentation has been improved by feedback from the testers. At the same time, each LoTW user was given an additional WAZ account. Standard LoTW credit fees and separate CQ award fees will apply.

Logbook of the World is ARRL's electronic confirmation system for amateur radio contacts. It provides a confirmation when both stations in a contact submit their logs to the system and a match between the logs is confirmed. LoTW has supported the CQ WPX Award program since 2012.

################################################

 The Western IL ARC invites all amateurs to a special event to celebrate 2018 as the Bicentennial for the State of Illinois. 
To showcase Illinois amateurs during 2018, WIARC, in addition to the ILQP, proposes:

http://www.w9awe.org/Challenge.html

WIARC will coordinate with other IL stations as "Activators" to put all 102 counties on the air multiple times during the period August 26, 2018 through December 3, 2018 (including October 21, the day of the ILQP).

Both during ILQP and during the rest of this period, activations will be coordinated through the ILQP Reflector http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP%20Reflector.html. "Activators" are encouraged to post plans on the reflector, and a weekly update of "Planned Operations" will be maintained on the WIARC page (link to follow).

 "Activators" will upload Cabrillo or Excel log files (with the required QSO information: template available at http://www.w9awe.org/ILQP.html.  Check the "Sample Log" tab at the bottom of the page.)  Outside of the ILQP period, "Activators" are encouraged to append their calls with "/IL200" to indicate they will be uploading their logs for the event.

 "Chasers" will attempt to contact all 102 counties during this period and will submit contact information on either the Excel template or .txt template provided on the ILQP website (link to follow). Both "Activator" and "Chaser" logs should be sent as attachments to n9jf@arrl.net no later than December 10, 2018.

Chasers who successfully contact all 102 counties will receive a special Bicentennial Challenge certificate.

Reach out to your membership to see who would be willing, during the period August 26, 2018 through December 3, 2018, to be "Activator Stations" for the Bicentennial Challenge detailed in the above link.

While home station activations are welcomed, we are going to need operators willing to do portable or mobile activations in order to make less-populated counties available multiple times.  Activations at various times of the day and week and on various bands and modes will be needed.

Only by involving a large number of amateurs from around the state can we make it reasonably possible for stations to achieve working all 102 counties!  Contacts during the 2018 ILQP (Oct 21) will automatically be registered from submitted logs.  If you have questions or comments, please contact the club through n9jf@arrl.net.

See https://illinois200.com/events/the-illinois-bicentennial-challange-award.

73, Jim N9JF

################################## 

 Affiliated Club Registration and Renewal -You have a link to allow one place for clubs to get registered. There is a link here to do the paperwork.

2016 Illinois Interoperability Field Operations Guide - This manual is updated every two years and is available for download in the files section of the Section News.

Cabinet Members

SM/AD--Ron Morgan AD9I
ASM--Mike Nowack NA9Q
ASM--Scott DeSantis KB9VRW
ASM/STM Roy R Eades KA9MZJ
ASM--Sean Travis W9STR
SEC--Fritz Bock WD9FMB
OOC/AD--Tim Childers K9CQ
PIC -- Vicky Whitaker KD9BAU
SGL -- Charlie Richey K9DUE
TC--John Dinnella WA9IL 
ASEC--Robert Littler W9DSR
ASEC--Danny Pease NG9R
ASEC--Garret Robinson KC9FVK
ASEC--Pat Ryan KC6VVT
ASEC Pat Stowell, N9PN
ASEC--Curtis Williams W5DTR                                                   

District Emergency Coordinators:

District 2--Lloyd Sherman KB9APW,
District 3--Debby Gray, WX9VOR (including District 4 Lake & Dupage Counties)
District 4--Robert (Bob) Langsfeld WB9TZC  ADEC for Cook County 
District 6--
District 7--Josh Kittle, N9WEW,
District 8--Curtis Williams W5DTR, ADEC Chris Pixton KC9EIZ
District 9--Jim Hudson WB9QPM,
District 11--Bruce Talley WA9APQ

Newsletter Topics
==> Section Manager Report
==> Net Reports
==> Illiniois Club Websites
==> Club Presentations

==> Section Manager Report

Illinois Sideband Net webpage

Illinois Nets This is a link to the open Amateur Nets

==> Club Presentations

Impedance Matching by Ward Silver