The Six Meter Club of Chicago(SMCC) promotes interest in the Amateur Radio Service by fostering activity on all radio bands(HF, VHF, and UHF), provides emergency communications, community radio services, and technical assistance related to radio and its use in communications.

The next meeting of the Six Meter Club of Chicago
Friday February 13, 2026 at 7:30

St Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran

Church 9035 Grant Ave. Brookfield IL.

Our Club Activities
Click on one to learn more

2026 Dues are Over Due

Dues help fund the club’s treasury for repeater system operation and maintenance, meeting space, website hosting, and future activities.
Yearly dues are $25 per individual or $25 for a family living at the same address. Family members may support Club operations with individual membership dues at their option. A member shall pay dues by February 1^st of each year to remain a voting member in good standing (Constitution, §2.01.d). Yearly dues may be paid at the monthly with checks payable to “The Six Meter Club of Chicago” or “SMCC” or by mail to the treasurer:

Craig Lundt, N9CGL
PO Box 55
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Donations to the club may be tendered to the treasurer at the monthly meeting or sent to the same address.

SMCC Hosts the 2025 Holiday Party

On December 12, 2025, SMCC hosted the Holiday party. A variety of food and drink was shared and a sheet cake was enjoyed by the 28 members in attendence. I believe this is the first holiday party the club since the last party at Bohemian Crystal

Grumpy Commander Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award

On December 5, 2025, “Neighbor Jim” Riley, W9JPR, attended the Hamfesters Radio Club Christmas Party and came home with a present he was not expecting. Jim was honored with the 2025 Hamfesters Lifetime Achievement Award. The plaque (shown at left) bears the following inscription:

2026 Six Meter Club Officers

The 2026 SMCC Board-elect (L–R): Craig Lundt, N9CGL, Treasurer; Julianna Gercken, KE9ATL, Secretary; Scott Gercken, KB9LCD, Vice President; Jim Hull, W9JGH, First Director; Steve Rauter, N9ATO, GROL, Second Director; Will Sperling, W9WSS, President. Photo by outgoing Vice President, Martin Roycewicz, KD4SLL.

IN OTHER NEWS

We are always looking to expand our library of amateur radio resources. If you have an article, a photo story, or a technical tip you would like to share with the global ham community, we’d love to feature it. No contribution is too small—help us build the ultimate resource for operators everywhere by submitting your content today.
Your contribution may appear on the website or in the HALO or both!

Repeater Committee Report

Our UHF-1 repeater, which is multicast with our 2m and 220 MHz repeaters, is now offline so that the new power amplifier (PA) can be installed. If you wish to use a Six Meter Club repeater on the 70cm band, please use the UHF-2 repeater (444.200 MHz, +5 MHz offset, 114.8 Hz access).

Newsletter Report

The last edition of The Halo was issued on December 1. If anyone has a valid email address for Bob Chase, K9WLS, please see the Editor, so that Bob can receive Club correspondence.

The Grumpy Report

We only certified one new Grumpy since the last meeting: Dennis Grandalski, N9GRD. On the morning of December 12, Jim Riley, W9JPR, broke his record number of check-ins on his net, with 42 check-ins!

Swap Meet Report

The next Six Meter Club of Chicago Swap Meet and Grumpy Social will be held on June 20, 2026. Additionally, thanks to the efforts of Will Sperling, W9WSS, and Dick Lieber, WA9NNN, we will also be hosting a VE session on the same day, through the Laurel VEC.

Coming Events

We have curated the following events from the ARRL Central Division calendar to help you stay connected with what is happening across the region. However, the best resources are built by the community. If you are organizing an event or know of a local gathering that fellow operators should know about, we invite you to contribute it to our list so we can share it with everyone. Send your event information to "webmaster@k9ona.com"

Sunday March 1, 2026
Sterling Rock Falls Amateur Radio Society Hamfest
Sauk Valley Community College, Dillon Mall
173 IL Route 2
Dixon, IL 61021
More Information

Saturday March 14, 2026
Lewis and Clark Radio Club
2026 Hamfest
Lewis and Clark Community College
5800 Godfrey Rd.
Godfrey, IL 62035
More Information

Sunday May 5, 2026
Dekalb Hamfest
Sandwich Fairgrounds
1401 Suydam Rd.
Sandwich, IL 60548
More Information

Sunday June 7, 2026
Starved Rock Radio Club
Hamfest
Mendota Tri-County Fairgrounds
503 1st. Ave.
Mendota, IL 61342
More Information

Sunday July 19, 2026
KARS-Fest
Will County Fairgrounds
710 S West St.
Peotone, IL 60468
More Information

Sunday September 19 & 20, 2026
Midwest Superfest
ARRL Illinois Section Convention
Three Sisters Park
17189 IL-29
Chillicothe, IL 61523
More Information

Saturday February 7, 2026
Hendricks County Hamfest
ARRL Indiana Section Convention
Hendricks Co. 4H Fairgrounds and Conference Center
1900 E. Main St.
Danville, IN 46122
More Information

Saturday February 28, 2026
LaPorte Cabin Fever Hamfest
LaPorte County Fairgrounds
2581 State Road 2
LaPorte, IN
More Information

Saturday March 28, 2026
Wabash Valley Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
Clay County 4-H Fairgrounds
6550 North State Road 59
Brazil, IN 47834
More Information

Saturday July 18, 2026
Auburn Hamfest
Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum
1600 Wayne Street
Auburn, IN 46706
More Information

Saturday August 1, 2026
Elkhart East Hamfest
Northern Indiana Event Center
21565 Executive Pkwy
Elkhart, IN 46514
More Information

Saturday August 8, 2026
Hendricks County Tailgate Fest
Avon United Methodist Church
6850 East Hwy US 36
Avon, IN 46123

Saturday April 25, 2026
ORC 46th Annual Spring Indoor Swapfest
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Expo Center
(Milwaukee Curling Club)
W67N890 Washington Avenue
Cedarburg, WI 53012
More Information

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