As we roll into November and the temperatures start to dip across Central Illinois, our focus naturally shifts toward the cozy comfort of our shacks, winter project builds, and staying active on the local repeaters and digital networks. It is hard to believe we are already heading into the final stretch of the year, but looking back at everything PAARC has accomplished through a busy storm season, Field Day, and a fantastic Superfest, we have a lot to be proud of.
With colder weather and potential winter storms around the corner, now is the perfect time to give your outdoor setups one last once-over. Make sure your coax connections are weatherized, check your guy wires, and verify that your backup battery banks are holding a solid charge. Winter brings its own set of challenges and keeping our gear ready ensures we can continue supporting our partners at Peoria County ARES and local EMAs whenever duty calls.
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m.
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
October is here, and with September behind us, I want to take a moment to look back on a fantastic Midwest Superfest! An event of this magnitude takes months of preparation and a tremendous amount of effort, and it would not have been possible without our dedicated team. I want to extend a huge, heartfelt thank you to Rich Holtman, Tom Hunt, and John Zdanowski for their incredible hard work in coordinating Superfest, as well as to every single volunteer who gave their time to help. Your commitment to PAARC is what made the weekend such a smooth and memorable success for hams across the region.
We also had some very happy operators take home the big rewards from our drawings! A huge congratulations goes out to all our prize winners: Grand Prize: Jake Walters, K9LE — Yaesu FT-891 100 W HF Radio / Alpha Antenna 2nd Prize: Robert Barbier, WD9IYS — Arrow Handheld Antenna plus an Alinco Dual Band HT with speaker/mic 3rd Prize: Bill Munstedt, KC9TXD — BTECH DMR-6X2 PRO DMR/Analog dual band radio 4th Prize: Craig Scharer, KC9VPL — Mobile Meshtastic Solar Node
Thank you to everyone who bought tickets and supported the club. Those funds go directly toward keeping our repeaters on the air, funding our meetings, and supporting our community outreach throughout the coming year.
As we head into autumn, now is a great time to transition back into our shack projects, work on antenna maintenance before the cold sets in, and gear up for our fall club activities. Thank you all once again for making Superfest 2026 one to remember and I look forward to seeing everyone at our October 13 member meeting! 73, Rob Zell, N9KRZ President, PAARC
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors –September 1, 2026
Start time: 7:00pm N9KRZ- Robert Zell President N9PIE- Valerie Zell Secretary KD9ANU- Rich Holtman Superfest Chairman W8WNG- Tom Hunt Trustee KE9DCS- Ed Dennis Director at Large KC9IH- Casey Kerchner KE9DFF- Evan Thomas
Rob will correct debit card motion if possible.
Old business Follow up on cefcu
Got diversions for Red Cross but hasnt took care of it yet due to personal reasons
Superfest updates – Chris Yates is main speakers – need to pay for port a pottys, golf carts, etc – Magazine vendor has backed out due to business
New business – Thank you letters to those who donated and receipts – Can’t give any forms for CEFCU online at this time still working with CEFCU
Halloween net that Kirk W9WAS would like to do and connect to the repeater every year. – no sound effects or music – be in compliance with part 97 – no one way communication ( broadcasting) – fit in with the context – conformation in informal directed net – ARES net not going over 9pm
End time: 8:07pm
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
October 7, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar October 14, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar October 21, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 8:00 PM (special meeting time this month)
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
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Sunday Net Logs
The Sunday Club Net meets every Sunday at 8:30 pm. on the 147.075 and 146.850 Repeaters
October 17 – 12:00 noon – License Testing –Morton Public Library, 315 W. Pershing St, Morton. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). No Testing Fee.
October 27 – 7:00 p.m. – Midwest Superfest Meeting – via Zoom: Here is your chance to get a summary of Midwest Superfest 2026 and help plan ahead for Midwest Superfest 2027 and beyond. Your input helps make this important event a success!
October 31 – 9:00 p.m. Ghost to Ghost Haloween Net – W9UVI Repeater. Click Here for the flier.
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
September is finally here, which means our premier event of the year is officially upon us! Midwest Superfest is taking place on September 19–20, and anticipation is building as hams from all across the region prepare to join us. Superfest is not only a highlight on the Midwest ham radio calendar, but it is also the vital engine that supports PAARC throughout the year. Pulling off an event of this scale takes a true team effort, and we still need volunteers to step up for a variety of roles. Whether you can spare a couple of hours to assist with setup, ticketing, parking, or teardown, your help is essential to making the weekend run smoothly. Please visit w9uvi.net to sign up. Every bit of time you donate helps ensure the event is a resounding success!
WMBD/WYZZ-TV Meteorologist Chris Yates will speak on tornado detection and forecasting on Saturday at 11:30.
In addition to the Hamfest, tailgating, and camaraderie, we are excited to share that Chris Yates will be giving a presentation at Midwest Superfest! Chris brings a wealth of knowledge to the table, and we are thrilled to have him on the schedule. His forum will be in the Chapel at 11:30 Saturday.
Get your gear lists ready, bring your friends and family, and let’s make Midwest Superfest 2026 one for the books!
73, Rob Zell, N9KRZ PAARC President
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors –August 8, 2026
Meeting called to order at 19:05 via Zoom Roll Call: N9KRZ, Rob Zell – President W4BRD, David “Birdie” Fogle – Vice President, Treasurer W8NWG, Tom Hunt – Trustee KD9ANU, Rich Holtman – Superfest Chairman W9YES, David Timm – Director at Large KE9DCS, Ed Dennis – Director at Large Non Board Members: KC9IH, Casey
Previous Minutes: Rob read previous meeting minutes. Approved.
Old Business:
Superfest: Radioddity GS5B radio donation has been delivered and valued at $75. Alpha Antenna sent email with five $50 gift certificates to download and print with a total value of $250. 3D McPrintface delivered donation prizes, value TBD. Several committed prize donations: Baofeng DMR 6×2, Alpha Antenna Antenna, Various misc prize donations. HF Transceivers for grand prize still in discussion.
David motioned to authorize the Superfest Committee to spend up to $1500 plus tax and shipping on an HF Transceiver. Ed Seconded. Motion Passed.
Dwight will be sending Superfest emails.
Chris Yates will speak on tornado detection and forecasting. Chris has requested WiFi for presentation. Birdie will bring a Starlink to use.
Additional miscellaneous Superfest updates.
Red Cross: No updates to present. Rich commented that Red Cross doesn’t really seem interested in working with 3rd parties and seems to be content with standard phone communications instead of radio communications. Ed has MOU example, but needs help converting from PDF to Word Document for editing. Ed will email PDF to Rich.
CEFCU/Bank: Rob explained discussions with Dillan, Morton Branch Manager, to convert current club account to business account. Rob explained that PayPal can still use the CEFCU account as the funding source for purchases, regardless of decision made tonight.
Rich suggested that e-check is also an option regardless of decision made tonight. Discussion to add Rob as the business account owner, Rich and Tom as authorized users. Rich motioned to convert the CEFCU account from a Club account to a Business account with Robert Zell, N9KRZ – President, as account owner and Richard Holtman, KD9ANU – Superfest Chairman, and Thomas Hunt, W8NWG – Trustee, as authorized users. David “Birdie” Fogle seconds. Motion Passed.
Ed motioned to issue two debit cards, one for Rob President and one for Rich Superfest Chairman, with a $200 transaction limit and $1000 daily or pending limit. David Timm seconded. Motion passed.
New Business: Rich received the State of Illinois Annual Report. Rob will file.
Jake texted Rich and mentioned that Alpha Antenna will be present as a vendor to Superfest and will provide a donated antenna at that time as well. Jake also mentioned that Retivis is no longer responding to him.
Birdie motioned to adjourn. Rich seconded. Meeting adjourned at 20:34.
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Midwest Superfest
The beauty of volunteering is that everyone can do it.
Volunteering can make a difference. In the past, our club’s hamfests have been a success thanks to the volunteer efforts of PAARC members. Again this year, we are asking for your help during Midwest Superfest doing everything from selling tickets at the gate, helping during flea market check ins, driving golf cart shuttles and more. In addition, we need people to heard several areas:
Flea Market Chairperson: one or more people to check in flea market arrivals, especially Saturday morning.
Forums Chairperson: Making sure the Forums stay on schedule, introducing each speaker and being available to answer questions.
Prize Chairperson: Coordinate the hourly prize drawings and recording names of the winners.
Club Table Foreman: Being available to answer questions, sell 50/50 drawing tickets and additional prize tickets.
PA Announcer: Announce upcoming Forums, hourly prize winning number and other announcements as needed.
The shifts can vary to meet your schedule and make sure you have time to enjoy Midwest Superfest as well. You can sign up on line by clicking here.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
September 2, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar September 9, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar September 16, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
September 19-20 – Midwest Superfest – Three Sisters Park, 17189 IL-29, Chillicothe. Hours: Saturday 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.See the Schedule of Events
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
As we head into August, the finish line for our biggest event of the year is in sight. September Superfest is just around the corner on September 19–20, and excitement is building across the region. Superfest is the lifeblood of our club as it brings together hams from all over the Midwest, generates vital support for PAARC, and showcases the very best of our amateur radio community. However, an event of this scale simply cannot happen without our members stepping up. We are in immediate need of volunteers to help make this weekend run smoothly. Stay tuned for info on how to sign up to help. Let’s make sure we have all hands on deck so everyone, including our volunteers, can enjoy the event!
Before Superfest arrives, we have another important opportunity to support and grow our local ham community right here at home. We will be holding our free bi-monthly amateur radio license testing session. If you have friends or family who have been thinking about getting their Technician ticket, or if you’ve been studying to upgrade your own privileges to General or Extra, this is your time to shine. Spread the word to anyone interested in taking the exam and join us at the Morton Knight of Columbus at noon on August 15.
Thank you all for your continued dedication to PAARC, whether you’re building mesh nodes, stepping up for storm coverage, or rolling up your sleeves for Superfest. I look forward to seeing a full house at our August 11 member meeting as we put the finishing touches on our fall plans.
73,
Rob Zell, N9KRZ President, PAARC
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – July 7
Meeting started at 7:15pm on Zoom
Present: N9KRZ- President, N9PIE- Secretary, W8WNG- Tom Trustee, KE9DCS- Ed, W4BRD- David Fogle- Treasurer, KD9ANU- Rich Holman- Midwest Superfest. KC9IH- Casey non board member
Midwest Superfest: Alpha Antenna- follow up with Jake. Alpha sent $250 in gift certificate; Radioodity- Radio GS5B. Got contact from Stacey at Three Sisters regarding initial deposit and insurance certificate. Asking for volunteers.
Repeater move: Rob has reached out to Bill but hasnt talked about ingersoll
Treasurer Report: Need to close out CEFCU account and go elsewhere. Tom will reach out to PNC to find out information and Rob will talk to Ben
Red Cross- Ed still trying to reach out to them
Remove Blake and Ben and keep Jake and Rob H in google drive, passed on a motion by Rob, second by Val
Emails – Change in Chedddar up so we dont need to forward a bunch to Rich and Tom
Bunker- regarding bunker the county has decided to close the underground portion. Our portion of the operation there should not be affected.
Rich motioned, second by David seconded to adjourn the meeting
Meeting ended at 8:07pm
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Midwest Superfest: Tickets, Flea Market and Volunteers
Tickets will be distrubed to members at the upcoming Membership meeting August 11 at Highview Christian Church in Washington. You can also purchase tickets and Flea Market spaces on line at https://my.cheddarup.com/c/midwest-superfest-2026/items. Tickets are also available through Midwest 2-Way Communications, 5058 Edgewater Dr. in Groveland.
We will be posting a Volunteer Sign Up on the club website soon. We need club members to help as volunteers in a variety of jobs.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at Three Sisters in September!
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
August 5, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar August 12, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar August 19, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
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Sunday Net Logs
The Sunday Club Net meets every Sunday at 8:30 pm. on the 147.075 and 146.850 Repeaters
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
First and foremost, I want to extend a huge thank you to all of our members who have stepped up during this incredibly active storm season. Many of our members have put in serious hours supporting Peoria County ARES and our various local EMAs, providing a steady, reliable line of communication when severe weather threatened our communities. I am incredibly proud of how this club stands ready to serve when Central Illinois weather gets wild.
We also just wrapped up our ARRL Field Day down at the Mackinaw River, POTA Park US-10090. A huge thank you goes out to everyone who came out to setup, operate the stations, or just support the club. Operating under field conditions along the river provided its own unique set of challenges and rewards, but it was fantastic to see our portable setups in action and to spend some quality time together off the grid.
Looking ahead, our focus now completely shifts to the Midwest Superfest. This is our premier annual event, and it takes all hands on deck to host a successful event. We still need volunteers for setup, ticketing, logistics, and teardown, so please consider how you can help. Let’s carry the momentum from Field Day straight into Superfest and make this year’s Midwest Superfest our best one yet!
73,
Rob Zell, N9KRZ President, PAARC
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors –June 2, 2026
Start time 7:00pm on Zoom
Present: N9KRZ Rob Zell President, N9PIE Val Zell Secretary,K9LE Jake Walters non board member, KD9DBQ Rob Herrin non board member, W8WNG Tom Hunt Trustee & interim for Superfest, KE9DCS Ed Dennis Director at Large, KC9IH Casey Kerchner non board member, KD9ANU Rich Holtman Interm for Superfest, W4BRD David Fogle Vice President & Treasurer
Trailer still at Ben’s house. No rush to get it off his property; KE9ENP- Don a possible place to store. Jake or Tom will help get it towed
Ben & David( Birdie) finish paperwork for bank? Hopefully by this week or next week to finish paperwork. Rob Zell did research on new bank and found Morton Community Bank as a new bank and vice president is on board: 1 to 1 transfer to Morton Community Money Market if possible. Tom motioned to table for a month to do more research David motioned 2nd to table for a month.
Ask Jake about raffle license – Rich Holtman is getting ahold of him; Jake has all paperwork boxed up and getting to Rich tomorrow.
Status on post office box- Jake has paperwork, Tom is going to talk to the post office tomorrow.
Got official approval to move to Ingersoll and Rob Zell will talk to Bill Maddox. Illinois Repeater Association “construction permit” is good for 180 days and can be renewed.
Rob proposed a free year of member dues to official BOD role volunteers and Superfest committee volunteers (not day of volunteers).
License testing at Superfest – Laurel and ARRL free testing rules prohibit charging entrance fees if people show up solely to test. Recommendation is to put a sign up and have someone escort them to it.
Meeting adjourned at 8:18p
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Midwest Superfest: Point of Pride
One of the things that sets the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club apart from many others is that we have an annual Hamfest. Our event, Midwest Superfest is unique in that it has been in existence for 68 years, making it one of the longest running hamfests in Illinois. That’s something to be proud of. Midwest Superfest provides an opportunity for hams from Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa and other surrounding states to come together to exchange ideas, buy and sell used equipment, gain knowledge in our forums and seminars, get licensed, or upgrade their license, and simply share in the fellowship and goodwill that is offered by our unique hobby.
Superfest serves several purposes for our club. It is an important event for the regional amateur community; it’s a meeting place for the ARRL state and regional sections and it raises money to support our repeaters, Field Day, bimonthly license exams sessions. It keeps our dues affordable.
Most importantly, it is a point of pride for the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club because not many clubs can do this. You can share in that pride by parcticipating and volunteering your time to help with one of the many tasks that are needed to make this event happen. Whether you can offer an hour or two, or a whole day, your club needs you.
We hope to see you at an upcoming Midwest Superfest on-line meeting.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
July 1, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar July 8, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar July 15, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
I hope everyone enjoyed our “Go Kit Show and Tell” at the May meeting! It was great to see the diverse layouts and clever engineering our members put into their portable rigs. Now, it is time to put those concepts into practice. ARRL Field Day is right around the corner on June 27–28. We are still locking down a few of the details (see story below), so please keep a close eye on your email, our Discord server, and the club repeaters for more updates to come regarding location, station configurations, and setup times.
While Field Day is our immediate focus, we have another major event fast approaching that requires all hands on deck: the Midwest SuperfestTM. An event of this scale doesn’t just happen on its own; it takes a dedicated crew to keep things running. We are actively looking for a volunteer to step up and coordinate our club’s efforts for Midwest Superfest. This is a critical leadership role that involves organizing volunteers, managing logistics, and ensuring the hamfest runs smoothly. This event is a primary means of income for our club and is the major contributor to our very low yearly membership dues. Without Midwest SuperfestTM to subsidize yearly dues, our club will have no choice but to raise the membership dues. If you have some organizational skills to share and want to give back to the club in a big way, please reach out to me or any board member directly, drop a message in the Superfest Discord channel, or bring it up at the June meeting. Let’s work together to make this summer’s events a massive success.
73, Rob Zell – N9KRZ
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Field Day/POTA Event set
This year the club is planning to operate from the Canoe Launch area at the Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area (POTA US-10090) on Saturday June 27th. Directions can be found by searching for “Mackinaw River DNR Canoe Landing” on Google Maps.
The club is planning to operate from the start of Field Day at 1pm, until 7pm. Setup will start at noon. Are all welcome to come up and learn about setting up POTA stations, operating (either in the field or in general), and see what amateur radio is all about.
The plan is to have five operating stations set up (for 6m, 10m, 15m, 20m, and 40m) that are operated throughout the contest. Computer logging will be used, and all logs (.adi format) should be turned into W9YES after field day. All equipment used will need to be powered off batteries.
By operating at a POTA park, any operator who makes ten contacts will achieve a successful POTA activation, even if the club callsign is used (this requires any logging software to have separate station and operator callsigns used).
The club’s IC-7300 and FT-991A will be used as two of the radios if anybody wants to try them out. For for the other equipment, we are asking club members to bring awnings, lawn chairs, tables, radios, antenna, tuners, coax, batteries, and laptops if they’re able to. If you’re not able to, feel free to join us anyways and being any of your friends who are curious about amateur radio.
We have a goal of as a club to try to make 500 contacts during field day this year, across all of the bands. If you come out and you’ve never made an FT8/FT4 contact an want to learn, we will likely have at least one station on digital any point and would be more than happy to give you an introduction to it.
Check the website and Facebook for more information.
David Timm, W9YES
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – May 5
Start time 7:04pm on Zoom
Present: N9KRZ- Rob Zell President, N9PIE- Val Zell Secretary, KD9RYH- BEN Knapp non board member, KD9DBQ- Rob Herrin non board member, W8WNG- Tom Hunt Trustee, KE9DCS- Ed Dennis Director at Large, W9YES- David Timm Director at Large, KC9IH- Casey Kerchner non board member
Midwest Superfest: chairman needed to take Jake’s spot? Several names were suggested
Looking for alternate places to have meetings: some ides include Keps and Divid Bird’s church.
Facebook: access needed for president, secretary, and vice president. Tom will take care of it.
Ben will look into youtube access. Adam may have access as well.
Treasurer: Birdie and Kathy Hunt need to find time for developing a system for the club treasurer. Rob Z wil, reach out to Jake Ben and Birdie need to get together to sign papers for the bank. Birdie (David) needs to figure out time to meet Ben, and Tanya needs to sign paperwork and need a note to approve Birdie as owner of the account.
Treailer Storage: Ask Craig Thompson or Rich Holtman for storing trailer Rob Z will reach out
Red Cross and Club Equipment: Ed Dennis is going to check out Red Cross in downtown peoria near Cat LC building. Ed Dennis or Rob Zell will get with Ben to get the radios and other club items.
Repeaters: Devin has express interest in becoming repeater chairman
Other Business: June 17th Emergency Expo at Grand Prairie
Meeting adjourned at 8:00pm
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
June 3, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar June 10, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar June 17, Emergency Expo 4:00-7:00 PM, The Shoppes at Grand Prairie (East of Dick’s Sporting Goods) There is no ARES Monthly Meeting for June
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
June 20 – Noon – License Testing – Morton Knights of Columbus, 616 W. David Street, Morton, IL. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). No Testing Fee.
June 23 – 7:00 p.m. – Superfest Meeting – Zoom
June 27 Field Day – Mackinaw River State Fish and Wildlife Area (POTA US-10090). Set up begins at 12:00 noon. Operations will continue until 7:00 p.m. or later as conditions allow. More information will be posted on the web Upcoming Club Events/Meetings page.
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
With April behind us, I want to extend a huge thank you to everyone who helped organize and support our testing session last month. It is always rewarding to see new hams get their start and current operators advance their license class—that growth is the lifeblood of our club. As we head into May, our focus shifts toward the summer season. This is the time to finalize your antenna repairs, optimize your go-kits, and ensure your equipment is ready for the warmer weather.
Looking ahead, our biggest event of the summer is almost upon us: ARRL Field Day, which will take place on June 27–28. We need all hands on deck to plan our setup, station assignments, and operations. Whether you are a veteran contester or a newcomer who wants to see how a “real” field station comes together, please join us at our upcoming meetings to discuss how we can make this year’s Field Day our best one yet.
Finally, I am really looking forward to our May membership meeting, where we will be holding a Go Box Show and Tell. This is a fantastic chance to bring in your portable setups—whether it’s a full EMCOMM station in a hard case, a lightweight POTA bag, or even a simple mobile rig you’ve rigged for emergency power. Seeing how different operators solve the challenges of power, antenna deployment, and organization is always a great way to expand your creativity. Whether your kit is a work in progress or a polished masterpiece, please bring it along and share your ideas with the group. I’ll see you all there!
73,
Rob Zell, N9KRZ President, PAARC
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – April 7
The Meeting was called to order at 7:00pm via Zoom
Present: N9KRZ- Rob Zell N9PIE- Val Zell KE9CLC- Birdie KDRYH- Ben KD9DBQ- Rob W8WNG- Tom KE9DCS- Ed W9YES- David KC9IH- Casey
Status of treasurer- Birdie will stay on as treasuer
last 3 years of treasuer papers
Rob and Birdie get put on the club bank account
Birdie volunteered to take on role of VP. VP role not terrible and not a big role – primary function to find topics for memeber meetings every month and help president out
Birdie appointed as VP/Treasuer
Discuss Spotter Training
Rob(KD9DBQ) will let us know right away if it gets canceled due to possible severe weather – make sure someone is at the meeting site to let others know, annouce on repeaters and post on Facebook and Discord
Update on the Survey’s top 5 interests:
1.Antenna building 2.POTA 3.DX Hunting
Fied Day
Emergency Communication
Maybe alternate places to have a meetings
Peoria Riverfront Museum
Lakeview Museum
Libraries
Facebook- add president and secretary to post things
Presntations club members want to see:
Satellite/EME -RTTY
Tech License level items, intro things
FT8, Fox Hunting
Pictures, diagrams, presentation on station/ antenna grounding/ bonding
Ed Fong ( professor in California)
What events do you want the club to host?
POTA
Field trips to NWS, TV stations, etc
Repeater Allstar link – still working on getting it set up
The meeting was adjourned at 8:008 p.m.
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The April 14 membership meeting was devoted to National Weather Service weather spotter training. More than 50 people attended.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
May 6, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar May 13, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar May 20, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
As we move into March, we are officially entering “weather aware” season here in Central Illinois. With spring storms well underway, now is the perfect time to double-check your antennas, test your backup power systems, and ensure your mobile rigs are ready. Our ability to provide reliable communication when the weather turns severe remains one of our most important community services. Whether you are supporting Peoria County ARES or working with our various local county EMAs, I know this club stands ready to provide the vital links our community depends on.
To help grow our ranks and strengthen that response, we are looking forward to our next amateur radio testing session at 12:00 PM on April 18, 2026, at the Knights of Columbus in Morton. If you know someone looking to earn their first license or a fellow ham ready to upgrade, please encourage them to join us. We do not charge a testing fee.
I also want to highlight some of the exciting tech gaining traction in our area: Meshtastic. We’ve seen a fantastic, growing mesh network taking shape in Tazewell County, and I want to encourage everyone to help us expand that footprint into Peoria County and beyond as well. While it operates on the 900 MHz ISM band rather than our traditional ham frequencies, it is a powerful tool for off-grid messaging and local networking that complements our existing emergency kits perfectly. Whether you’re a seasoned HF operator or just starting to build out a mesh node, there is plenty of room for innovation and expansion this spring. I look forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting to discuss these projects and more.
73,
Rob Zell – N9KRZ President, PAARC
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – March 3
Members of the Board met on Zoom at 7:03p.m. There was no formal Board business due to lack of a quorum. Present: N9KRZ- Rob, N9PIE- Val, W8WNG- Tom, W9YES- David, KDRYH- Ben, KD9DBQ- Rob, KC9HI- Casey, K9RCS- Rich
Discussion: We will start using the Asset manager on HamClubOnline.
Rob talked to Craig Thompson about the website and the server.
Jake looking at new banks
Treasurer? Rob Z will reach out to Birdie to make sure he is willing to do this position
Appointing a new Vice President and Repeater Chairman, we will recruit members for a new Vice President.
Working with Bill Maduox- regarding Ingersoll.
Surveys need to be sent out via HamClubOnline.
Kathy Hunt still willing to help out with going over financial records.
Discussion ended at 7:36pm
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The membership meeting on March 10 was cancelled due to the enhanced risk of severe weather.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
Apr 1 ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar Apr 8, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink /Allstar Apr 14, NWS Weather Spotter Training, Bartonville American Legion, 6:30 – 9:00 PM Apr 15, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
April 7 – 7:00 p.m. – Board of Directors meeting – Zoom
April 14 – 6:30 p.m. NOTE THE EARLIER START TIME – Membership Meeting: NWS Weather Spotter Training: Bartonville American Legion Hall, 4501 S Airport Rd, Bartonville.
April 15 – 7:30 p.m. – ARES Meeting – Zoom
April 18 – 12:00 Noon – License Testing: Morton Knights of Columbus, 616 W. David Street, Morton, IL. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). No Testing Fee.
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
It is a profound honor to be welcomed as the new President of the Peoria Area Amateur Radio Club. I am sincerely grateful for the trust you’ve placed in me to lead our more than 100 year old club.
As we transition into the spring months, we all know this is a critical time to be weather aware. With storm season approaching, Peoria County ARES’ role in providing reliable emergency communications and supporting EMA and NWS becomes more vital than ever. I encourage everyone to join Peoria County ARES and/or your local EMA, dust off your mobile rigs, check your backup power sources, and stay vigilant as we prepare to serve our community when the skies turn gray.
To ensure our club remains fully operational, we are currently seeking a dedicated member to step up as Vice President. This role is essential for coordinating our presentations and helping steer the club’s mission. If you have a passion for the hobby and a desire to help PAARC grow, we need your voice in our leadership team. Please reach out to me or any board member directly, join us at our next Board of Directors meeting on March 3, 2026, or our next member meeting on March 10, 2026 to throw your hat in the ring. Remember, this club is your club and we need all hands on deck to run smoothly.
Finally, we are planning to solicit feedback via a survey from club members to help direct the contents of our member meetings and focused club activities. Please be on the lookout for this survey in the near future.
Rob Zell, N9KRZ – Preident
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – February 3
The meeting was called to order via Zoom at 7:05 p.m. KDRYH-Ben, KE9DCS-Ed, W9YES-David, KD9DBQ-Rob, K9RCS-Rich, N9KRZ-Rob, N9PIE-Val, KC9IH-Casey, K9LE- Jake, W8WNG-Tom, N9CS-Todd
Repeater Report – Repeater parts ordered
Jake will monitor Paypal
Cloud flare not spam is our domains
Club account at CEFCU, we will shop around for a new bank.
We must appoint a treasurer; what are the club requirements? Rob Zell will reach out and see if Birdie wants to continue.
Trailer must be parked parked in new place when Ben leaves – talk to someone who has space. We also need to get stuff from Darren’s house. It’s time for an inventory of equipment and and other items. Rob will talk to him about creating a database for inventory- Rob Z will talk to Tom.
File taxes- who does it and needs done and Todd N9CS got everything set up for 501(c)7
We will do a survey to see on club activities – send it on hamclubonline Appoint a VP- We need to get one
Appointment needed: repeater chairman – We need to get one
Rob requested authorization to purchase a club printer for testing and other activities – Approved
We will look into Cheddar Up account for better club payments/collections: premium $15 a month – Approved
We will talk to James Linaham- does taxes for non profit organizations
We need an accurate ledger system using- QuickBooks or other softwre. Tom will talk to his wife Kathy who has experience in this area to set up a system for the treasurer going forward
The meeting was adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
Mar 4, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar Mar 11, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink /Allstar Mar 18, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516.
Here it is, the official big announcement: I’m leaving.
My wife, KD9YPM and myself are moving to South Beloit to be closer to family. That being said, I will miss you, my radio family. I am grateful for not just being part of the family, but trusted to be your president. All of you have helped me battle cancer by just being there. You have become my cherished friends and I want to thank you. I am proud to add my name to the list of this amazing 100 plus year old club. I’m proud of the things we have done.
Rob Zell, N9KRZ will be taking over the rest of my term. I believe he will do a great job as he has you the members of PAARC to help him, but he will need your help. This is YOUR club. Be more than just a member, be an active member. If you have an idea, say something about it! Suggest a place to have a club tour, lead a demonstration, help with Midwest Superfest and support the testing sessions.
This club and this hobby are full of things to do. New radios, new modes, new bands, and with some luck and help from you all, a new repeater location. Last month, I challenged you to try something new, how are you doing with that? Try running a net, try a new mode, heck try and call out on the repeater more than on the Sunday night net.
I’ll still be around for a while yet. We will close on our new house in about a month, and there will be many things to do before we move and lots of things after we move. I will still be involved with the club the best I can be and I will be down for the Midwest Superfest. You are welcome to reach out anytime if there is something I can help you with, after all you are my family!
Till I see you on the air, thank you and 73’s
Ben Knapp KD9RYH
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Meeting Minutes
Board of Directors – January 6
The meeting was called to order at 7:04 p.m. Present: Jake K9LE, Ed KE9DCS, Casey KC9IH, Val N9PIE, Rob N9KRZ, Ben KD9RYH, David W9YES, Rich KD9ANU, Tom W8NWG
Repeater: Still working on the link. Working with Scouts for access to the Ingersoll tower.
Midwest Superfest: Jake is taking over as Superfest Chair. The Committee will continue to meet on the same schedule (Fourth Tuesday at 7 p.m.). He would like to bring in more weel known hams from internet platforms. The ARRL Illinois Convention will also meet during Superfest.
Winter Field Day: Coordinator David, W98YES is working on a location. Members will be allowed to bring their own equipment.
Other Business: New Board members need access to Google Drive, club email, etc. Tower rent needs to be paid ASAP Summer Field Day will be held June 27th and 28th. The National Weather Service tour and balloon launch will take place Tuesday, January 20
The meeting was adjourned at 7:23 p.m.
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National Weather Service tour
Photos by Rich Holtman, KD9ANU
Club members, families and guests had the opportunity to visit the NWS Office in Lincoln January 22. In addition to a tour of the forecast center, they watched the launch of a weather balloon. Balloons are launched simultaneously around the country to report atmospheric conditions.
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Winter Field Day 2026
Photos by Kevin Irons, KB9OMS
Despite the bitter cold and snow, 2026 Winter Field Day was a success. With nearly 100 SSB, Digital and CW contacts on Saturday, many club members had a chance to operate and demonstrate ham radio for visitors. in addition, Tom W8NWG activated W1AW/9 on CW for ARRL’s America 250 Worked All States event.
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Peoria County ARES
Amateur radio operators use their training, skills, and equipment to provide communications during emergencies, When All Else Fails®.
Feb 4, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink/Allstar Feb 11, ARES Net @ 7:00 PM CDT on W9UVI (147.075)/K9PEO (146.850)/Echolink /Allstar Feb 18, ARES Monthly Meeting via Zoom, 7:30 PM
ARES website: http://www.peoriacountyares.org/
Rich Holtman, KD9ANU, Emergency Coordinator for Peoria County ARES email: [email protected] Winlink: [email protected] Cell: 309-256-4272 Hams Over IP Extension 101989
February 10 – 7:00 p.m. – Membership Meeting – Bartonville American Legion, 4501 S Airport Rd, Bartonville
February 18 – 7:30 p.m. – ARES Meeting – Zoom
February 21 – 12:00 Noon – License Testing: Morton Knights of Columbus, 616 W. David Street, Morton, IL. FRN Required. Bring two forms of identification and a copy of your license (if upgrading). No Testing Fee.
NETS: CLUB NET – Every Sunday at 8:30 p.m., followed by the Elmer Hour NEWCOMER NET – Every Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ARES NET – First and Second Wednesday of the month at 7:00 p.m
All nets meet on the W9UVI Repeater: 147.075 (CTCSS Tone 156.7) linked with the K9PEO Repeater: 146.85 (CTCSS Tone103.5) and on EchoLink Node 706480 or All Star Node 62516
