Starved Rock Radio Club, Inc - Static news

02/14/2026

Seth Love if you have any questions regarding amateur radio please message the club or reach out to KA9WRZ, Brad Nicholson for info or any assistance needed.

Send a message to learn more

02/10/2026

Katie Selbrede, 97 - formerly N9QAL of LaSalle, IL passed away February 2, 2026 in Peru, IL. Thanks, KC.

08/07/2025

Come on, SRRC! How about putting together a group to work at a medical tent in the upcoming Marathon? There was a time when the club was involved in a lot of events such as this.

MARATHON HAM RADIO CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Time to build our roster for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, October 12, 2025. This will be our 17th year supporting the Marathon and we are proud to be part of this world-class running event. The organizers are expecting 55,000 runners, which will put a strain on all aspects of the event. We are hoping to recruit 160 hams (and non-hams).

We support the volunteer medical team in multiple ways and locations. Each is a specialty area, requiring a specific set of skills.

Forward Command. The people who work in this environment must be excellent at handling radio traffic and be able to balance a hectic workflow with a calm demeanor. We need loggers, trackers, radio net controllers and liaisons.

Course Medical Tent. Typically, this is a small team of radio folks who support the medical team and the Aid Station Captain at the 20 on-course medical tents. For the most part, this group forms their own independent unit and is often organized by a club. Laflin is a medical transfer hub and has its own unique personality. The Course Medical Tents teams represent our largest block of volunteers.

Pre-Finish – this is a unique group that works with the medical teams to provide a response for the last mile of the course. Hams are staged in between medical people and serve as communicators. This can be the most challenging part of the course since it is near the finish line. Last year, we had 22 ham radio ops there and we could use even more!

Triage. This is a special team that roams around after the finish line with a small medical unit as a fast response to a distressed runner in Grant Park. Our job is to call for help if the situation requires more support. This group literally runs a great deal and operators need to be prepared to work a couple of long hours without a break.

We are also looking for a few people to help set up and takedown.
Finally, we will be staging a few people in the post-race party zone to help the medical teams assigned to that part of the event.
Registrations starts here. Fill out this Google form. Feel free to pass this along to friends or colleagues who might have an interest.

https://forms.gle/mCnVjbyrg4x4pSkz7

Thank you for your service to this event in the past and we look forward to working with you in 2025.

Rob Orr on behalf of Ham Radio Chicago Team (hamradiochicago.org):
Jeff Van Buren
Jerry Watts
Neil Zimmerman
Tim Wheeler
Mike Wilson
Brad Nicholson
Kermit Carlson
Kirk Timmerman

Event Date: Sunday, October 12, 2025 We are recruiting 160 ham radio radio operators to help with medical communication for this event. In some cases, non-ham frequencies (GMRS) can be used with a local team and in coordination with the ham leadership. We are seeking to fill positions with different...

06/30/2025

It's that time of year again! Reach out with any questions.

MARATHON HAM RADIO CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS
Time to build our roster for the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, October 12, 2025. This will be our 17th year supporting the Marathon and we are proud to be part of this world-class running event. The organizers are expecting 55,000 runners, which will put a strain on all aspects of the event. We are hoping to recruit 160 hams (and non-hams).
We support the volunteer medical team in multiple ways and locations. Each is a specialty area, requiring a specific set of skills.
Forward Command. The people who work in this environment must be excellent at handling radio traffic and be able to balance a hectic workflow with a calm demeanor. We need loggers, trackers, radio net controllers and liaisons.
Course Medical Tent. Typically, this is a small team of radio folks who support the medical team and the Aid Station Captain at the 20 on-course medical tents. For the most part, this group forms their own independent unit and is often organized by a club. Laflin is a medical transfer hub and has its own unique personality. The Course Medical Tents teams represent our largest block of volunteers.
Pre-Finish – this is a unique group that works with the medical teams to provide a response for the last mile of the course. Hams are staged in between medical people and serve as communicators. This can be the most challenging part of the course since it is near the finish line. Last year, we had 22 ham radio ops there and we could use even more!
Triage. This is a special team that roams around after the finish line with a small medical unit as a fast response to a distressed runner in Grant Park. Our job is to call for help if the situation requires more support. This group literally runs a great deal and operators need to be prepared to work a couple of long hours without a break.
We are also looking for a few people to help set up and takedown.
Finally, we will be staging a few people in the post-race party zone to help the medical teams assigned to that part of the event.
Registrations starts here. Fill out this Google form. Feel free to pass this along to friends or colleagues who might have an interest.
https://forms.gle/mCnVjbyrg4x4pSkz7
Thank you for your service to this event in the past and we look forward to working with you in 2025.
Rob Orr on behalf of Ham Radio Chicago Team:
Jeff Van Buren
Jerry Watts
Neil Zimmerman
Tim Wheeler
Mike Wilson
Brad Nicholson
Kermit Carlson
Kirk Timmerman

Event Date: Sunday, October 12, 2025 We are recruiting 160 ham radio radio operators to help with medical communication for this event. In some cases, non-ham frequencies (GMRS) can be used with a local team and in coordination with the ham leadership. We are seeking to fill positions with different...

04/06/2025

2025 Starved Rock Hamfest Flyer!

01/20/2025

12/06/2024

Club Photo from 11-26-1938!

12/02/2024

Greetings, fellow amateur radio operators and clubs!

In anticipation of providing amateur radio communications at the Starved Rock Country Marathon on Saturday May 10, 2025 we have come up with what we think is a novel idea. We'd like to introduce Public Service Event communications to those that may have never participated in something of this nature previously. What we'd like to do is get groups or clubs to cover an assigned rest/aid station with members from their own area. This is a low stress event, as few as 2 amateurs could cover an assignment but why not bring a carload and get those new people involved? The race generally starts about 07:00 a.m. and is wrapped up around 15:00 (though early stations may close before noon). The start/finish line is in Ottawa, IL and the course follows the Illinois River into and through Starved Rock State Park. HT's can handle some of the communications but a mobile rig and an external antenna is recommended but 30' masts certainly are not needed. Please consider signing up as a club to cover one of the aid stations. (Depending upon response, an amateur that has worked this event in the past will be assigned at your station with you).

Registration:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfPISbGTbpB_0DLJ7AxOIyaPN1PcoviVu9q8gHcM2V9fP7SWw/viewform?usp=sharing

Hope to see you on the registration list. There will be communications and training taking place in advance, but don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Parking will not be an issue at the assignments and Ottawa offers many restaurants and coffee shops for your "After Event" refreshments. The map below is the historical route used but subject to fine tuning. Full marathon starts/ends in Ottawa while the 1/2 starts in Starved Rock State Park and finishes in Ottawa. For further information please reach out to: [email protected] Please talk this up at your breakfasts and meetings. Spring will be in the air!

10/09/2024

No doubt, you are probably aware of the havoc wreaked by the recent hurricanes on various infrastructures including communications, welfare, and search and rescue operations. There was no cell service available and it may be a substantial period of time before it is all restored to pre-storm levels. Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies When All Else Fails®. Hams serve our communities when storms or other disasters damage critical communication infrastructure, including cell towers, and wired and wireless networks. Amateur radio can function completely independently of the internet and phone systems. An amateur radio station can be set up almost anywhere in minutes. Hams can quickly raise a wire antenna in a tree or on a mast, connect it to a radio and power source, and communicate effectively with others. You can even send emails by radio signal, which will be converted to conventional email and delivered normally, sharing information with family or friends outside of the affected area.

As an amateur radio operator myself (ham), I follow with great interest Facebook groups that deal with this hobby. As we are all aware, Facebook brings out some "experts" on topics of which they have no knowledge. There are people saying, "I don't need a license if I am an emergency situation, I'll do what I have to". While anyone can purchase a radio and probably figure out how to turn it on, knowing how to communicate effectively and correctly is another story. As the saying goes, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

The time to prepare is before the need arises. There are many free, online learning tools to help an interested person prepare for their examination which is administered locally by volunteers (35 questions, $15 fee then $35 payable to the FCC after successful testing). There are many resources available before and after testing to prepare you for "When All Else Fails". Many mentors available and glad to help a newcomer learn about and set up their radio. While we are pretty well protected from the destruction caused by hurricanes, we do have tornadoes, possibility of earthquakes, or just plain cell phone outages (been a lot of those happening in the last couple of years).

If this is something that would interest you or you would like to reach out for more information, feel free to send an email to: [email protected] . Please share with family and friends, even if outside this area as similar assistance is available nationwide.

Thank you,
Bradley Nicholson

10/07/2024

👩‍💻

As an antenna is shortened, the size of the top-loading device will become larger and at some point, it will become impractical to resonate the antenna with top loading only.
👉In that situation inductive loading, usually placed either at the base or directly between the capacitance hat and the top of the antenna, can be added to resonate the antenna.

▪️An alternative would be to use linear loading in place of inductive loading▪️

10/07/2024

has proved to be critical in areas hit hard by , especially in North and South Carolina, portions of Tennessee, and beyond

For several days, radio communications were the only means of passing information. Ham radio continues to play a significant role in this situation.

📸: Pictured is a visualization of Winlink traffic showing an unusually high amount of activity due to the emergency

READ MORE about how is serving Southeast US recovery efforts➡️ tinyurl.com/cefkce7n