06/28/2007 | W9F The Northwest Illinois Amateur Radio Club used a 1x1 call sign this year & the short call in conjunction with premier CW op Vic Shields (K9IUY) resulted in a nice CW score despite condtions which made the bands above 20M not very productive.

The Stephenson County Repeater Association had their annual picnic at our operating location, Flagstaff Hill, Krape Park, Freeport, IL. & invited the Field Day participants to chow down at noon before the contest began (a lot of people are members of both clubs). We started setting up at 8 am & despite a bit of slingshot trouble, got all our antennas up in time to enjoy lunch before the start of Field Day operating.

On Sunday, a reporter from the local paper, The Freeport Journal Standard, came out and interviewed us & the result was a nice article in the Monday paper.

A couple of interested people made some phone QSO's & are planning to have their license by next year's event. -- W9RB