From the top... **Lots to cover this month, what
with the MVPA Convoy and the normal goings-on.
**Before we start: a quiz. Do you know what's the most useless thing on the Internet? An online petition. Until there is an ironclad way to universally verify signatures as added and
maintain that verification while circulating, the best thing to do with an online petition is
to print it out and blow one's nose in it. This includes petitions to the FCC. The June CQ contains a wonderfully detailed article on how to prepare an FCC Petition for Rulemaking. Nowhere in the instruction set does it say 'get twenty of your online buddies' names to add to an email...' or 'post something on QRZ.com' or the infamous and annoying 'send this to everyone you know!'
**Due to events in my city for which I was responsible and a line of thunderstorms with warnings, I only got to see two FD sites: the Starved Rock RC in northern LaSalle County and the Kishwaukee ARC in DeKalb. I had a family friend in tow, a 14yo boy who was treated to his first contact and his first MRE by the SRRC folks. He now has a copy of Ham Radio for Dummies under his arm courtesy of his 'uncle' Tom.
Get informed...
**Late last year, I was contacted by the organizers of the Military Vehicle Preservation Association about assisting with communications for their reenactment of the 1919 Transcontinental Convoy. I immediately selected Tom Lower K9GPC as my point person to get this accomplished. Tom is EC of Ogle County and known to me as a great organizer. Tom picks up the story: "On Saturday, June 13 the Military Vehicle Preservation Association's 2009 Transcontinental Motor Convoy departed Washington DC for their coast to coast re-enactment of the route that Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower took on the original Convoy in 1919. The Convoy is scheduled to arrive in San Francisco on August 11. They are following the old Lincoln Highway route which runs right through Northern Illinois. On Saturday June 20, at approximately 08:00 AM the Convoy of 90 MVPA vehicles plus support vehicles entered Illinois at the Indiana border near Dyer, Indiana and Amateur Radio was waiting for them. The ARRL asked the Illinois Section to serve as the Convoy's Guardian Angels while in Illinois. Over six months of planning had taken place between the Convoy's executives and members of Illinois ARES to ensure a smooth 2-day trip across the Land of Lincoln. Illinois ARES had to provide seamless communications between the Convoy and their organizers waiting for the Convoy's arrival at a planned stopover at the Rochelle Airport on Saturday night where special activities were held for the community. Amateur Radio also supplied advance notification to 42 communities and law enforcement agencies along the route; each at the ready to activate their traffic control plans as the Convoy neared their jurisdictions. The Convoy arrived at the Rochelle Airport on Saturday afternoon, albeit 3 hours late, to a warm welcome by people from all over the state who had gathered at the airport hours earlier to enjoy the music, food, and other festivities organized by the City of Rochelle, the Chamber of Commerce, the Airport Authority and many others, along with a visit from Governor Pat Quinn. During the vigil for the Convoy, one of the real hot spots at the airport was the Amateur Radio Special Event Station booth run by Bob Yurs - W9ICU, Dekalb County EC, Luc Yurs - KC9PJM, DeKalb County ARES and myself, Tom Lower - K9GPC, Ogle County EC. In addition to running the special event station we were in constant communication with the Net Control Stations along the route. We displayed a large map of the route and marked the Convoy's progress as reports came in from the NC Stations. Many, many people visited us to inquire as to the whereabouts of the Convoy and once there were intrigued with the dits and dahs emanating from a loud speaker connected to our HF rig. At the key was Bill Vickers - KN9N, one of the Kishwaukee Amateur Radio Club's best CW operators who was busy making Qs most of the day. Most people visited thought CW was no longer used. I reminded them of one of Mark Twain's famous quotes, 'News of my death has been greatly exaggerated.' At 09:00 AM on Sunday morning the Convoy departed the Rochelle Airport for points west. The torch was passed from Ogle County to Lee County and then to Whiteside County, where the Convoy crossed over to Iowa at Fulton where all the Convoy vehicles were accounted for. I would like to thank the following ARES Members in Cook, Will, Kendall, Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Lee, and Whiteside Counties for all their hard work in getting the Convoy - on Father's Day weekend - from the east side to the west side of the state of Illinois. You performed professionally and your efforts were appreciated by the MVPA, Section Manager Tom Ciciora, the ARRL, the communities along the route, and myself. N9NL, Neil R. Ormos - DEC Cook County;
AB9EE, Bob Cockream - DEC Northeast District
W8MQ; Jim Conrad - DEC Northwest District;
KC6VVT, Pat Ryan - Assistant SEC;
AA9MZ, Greg Rosenburg - Eastern Counties NC Station;
KC9TVS, Mike Landelius - convoy;
WX9TOR, Ben Rock - convoy; KC9PIT, Mike Smith - convoy, photography;
N9GOI, Ted Osar, - Cantigny Point person;
K9WDB, Dave Bulkley - Geneva route; NF9D, Bill Muhr - LaFox route;
N9NTM, Marty Stark - Geneva route;
KR5WF, Wyatt Foard - Rural route;
N9CV, Cyd Runde - EC Kane County, Net Control Station;
W9ICU, Bob Yurs, EC DeKalb County Net Control Station, Special Event Station Organizer and Phone Operator;
KC9PJM, Luc Yurs - Special Event Station (14yo--Ed.);
KN9N, Bill Vickers - Special Event Station CW Operator; WB9NJJ, Larry Raymond - Ogle County Net Control Station;
KC9FSC, Debbie Lower - Convoy Shadow Vehicle; N9JWI, Frank Lachat - EC Lee County and Net Control Station;
KC9MND, Kevin Lalley - Lee County Emergency Manager;
KB9SWL, Raymond Albert;
KB9VQE, Joseph Fenwick;
W9PX, James Pepper;
W9JMT, James Higby;
N9ZVO, Tim Frey; KB9APW, Lloyd Sherman - AEC Whiteside County, Net Control Station;
K9JZ, Jim Zeigler;
NE9N, Dave McLaren;
KC9KYU, Dick Abbas;
K9BEF, Paul Johnson;
N9NDI, Mark Mayfield;
KB9KUZ, Randy Swemline. I would also like to thank the FISHFAR organization, the Kane, DeKalb, Ogle, Lee and Whiteside County trustees for the use of their repeaters for this event. Three Illinois ARES members that deserve special recognition are Mike Landelius - KC9TVS, Ben Rock - WX9TOR, and Debbie Lower - KC9FSC who rode in the Convoy or shadowed the Convoy through the state and provided the links back to the NC Stations." I cannot say enough good things about the way that Tom Lower took charge of the Amateur Radio presence for this event and ran with it. He is a credit to the Service and a fine example to us all. The people who stepped forward and assisted in making this work represent the finest traditions of the Amateur Radio Service. They are who we should all aspire to be.
**Sadly, a ham in the Niles MI area was killed when a FD tower on which he was climbing collapsed. The really unfortunate part of this is that the gentleman in question routinely climbed commercial towers. A lot of clubs have special gear put aside, which only gets hauled out on FD. Make it a point to inspect that stuff quarterly. Pull it out and set it up periodically. I don't know if this poor unfortunate soul had a bum tower section give way underneath him, but occasional inspection would have avoided that possiblity. Field Day is as much about safety as preparedness and contacts.
**In the latest Western IL ARC 'Feedline' newsletter is an interesting discussion of their FD, including how tough it is for people to keep their brain wrapped around preparedness. We here in the US got pretty good at preparedness for about six months after the 2001 attacks, but it kind of fell out of our heads as 'duct tape and plastic' became a late night TV joke rather than items to keep around just in case. Again, how many of us have provisions made for our families when we go out the door to weather spot? Or deploy for a few days away from home? How about your own go-bag(s)? I can't tell you how many times that I've seen guys show up for a comm support function with a dead HT, no headset, and no spare battery. An orange badge does not an OES make. You have to work at it. Are you ready? Is your family ready to ride out an event without you? WHY NOT?
**Proclamations saluting Amateur Radio were in order this month. From Marilyn Gardner W9LUO comes news of a proclamation by Pat Quinn, Governor of Illinois, declaring June as Amateur Radio Month in the State. For years, Mr. Quinn issued a proclamation on our behalf as Lieutenant Governor. It's good to see him continue the tradition now that he's in charge. Also, and to my own delighted surprise, the Chicago Suburban Radio Association (via Frank Crescenzi K9KTU and Alderman Eugene Schulter) was able to have Richard M. Daley issue a proclamation declaring 22-28 June as Amateur Radio Week in the City of Chicago. Wouldn't it be wonderful to have amateurs who have a good enough relationship with their local government to obtain a whole slew of these resolutions for next year? They'd make great ammunition for the upcoming PRB-1 efforts. Sometimes, all that it takes is a little education of an Alderman or Trustee. If Joe and Sally can get a resolution congratulating them on their fiftieth wedding anniversary by just asking, you can certainly get one for Amateur Radio in the same way.
**From John Coker N9FAM comes the following: 'Ten Hams from the Peoria-Area Amateur Radio Club provided route and safety communications Saturday, June 13, for a walk in downtown Peoria. The walk raised funds for ALS Research (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The walk began at O'Brien Field, and went to the riverfront and back. Several hundred walkers participated in the 3-mile event. The Hams were: Darhal Wolf K9DRF (Net Control), John Gillespie N9YUY, Mark Riggio K9MPR, Jim Hornbaker KC9FWR, DeWayne Barton KB9ATO, Anthony Lawson K9ADL, Rodney Davis KC9OJN, Gene Lalicker KB9NBG, Jim Hamp KB9OMH, John Coker N9FAM. Thanks to all that participated and/or offered to help! It was a great opportunity to show Ham Radio support for a community event. This was the fifth year of the event, and the fifth year of Ham Radio support.'
**There will be a forum during the KARSFest at the Will County Fairgrounds on 19 July relating to the deployment of WinLink2000 as a digital backbone for Section-wide ARES use. Local WL2K guru Art Bertheaume N9ZZK will facilitate, along with Brad Pioveson W9FX, Kelly Robertson KC9FVK (ASEC/CAP) and Bob Cockream AB9EE NE DEC. I will be in attendance as well. Those ECs within driving range of this fest are urged to attend, not only for the forum but to have a face-to-face with Brad. I know that he is planning a Section ARES forum at the Peoria Superfest, but here's an opportunity to gather beforehand.
Around the
Section...
**The venerable Hamfesters RC celebrated the US' birthday during their meeting on 3 July. The local VFW/American Legion Post presented colors. A slide presentation featuring club members and their families who served in the military or public safety was shown.
**The Chicago Suburban RA TXT Newsletter contained some great old photos of the club's FDs past.
**As always, the Egyptian RC's Podunk Hollow News serves up another wonderful article. This time, it's history pertaining to the early regulatory efforts of the Federal Government on fledgling Amateur Radio. For an expanded version of this history, check out 200 Meters and Down by Clinton DeSoto, available from the ARRL Bookshelf.
**The Central IL RC had their first ARES activation under their reconstituted group earlier in the month. It was a relatively uneventful weather net, but they are back in action and interfacing with the county EMA.
**The Metro ARC is seeking permission from the Evanston Park District to activate the Gross Point Lighthouse for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend in August. Good luck, folks!
**Early post this month, as I'm going to be out of town on my customary second weekend for publication. Get those FD stories in!
Ye Olde Traffic
Report...
** IL Emergency Net -- QNI 59 -- QTC 4 -- 4 Sessions K9HEZ
** IL Phone Net -- QNI 136 -- QTC 19 -- 26 Sessions KA9CYJ
** North Central Phone Net -- QNI 175 -- QTC 18 -- 21 Sessions K9HEZ
A large mobile map of the MVPA Convoy route (all photos by Pat Ryan KC6VVT)
One of the participant vehicles
Ben Rock WX9TOR, one of the shadows of the convoy through the Section
Randy Swemline KB9KUZ, another shadow operator
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