Help Wally Stay in His Beloved Home

My name is Will Sperling. I have a good friend who is desperately in need of funds due to his apartment management is raising his rent to an unaffordable amount. He is comfortable where he lives, and moving is an impossible task for him.

My close friend, Wally Kramer, is facing the heartbreaking possibility of losing the home he loves because of another significant rent increase.

He lives with a debilitating neuromuscular disorder that has severely affected his mobility. Walking is extremely difficult, and he relies on a walker every day. Because of his physical condition, moving to another apartment is not only overwhelming emotionally but also an enormous physical challenge.

His apartment is more than just a place to live—it is his home. He feels safe there, is surrounded by a neighborhood he loves, and has built a support system within his community. The thought of being forced to leave because he can no longer afford the rent has caused him tremendous stress and anxiety.

Although he receives assistance from community organizations, he lives on a very limited income, and this latest rent increase has created a financial burden that he simply cannot overcome on his own.

I am asking you to please consider making a donation, no matter the amount. Every contribution will help ease this burden and give him the opportunity to remain in the home where he feels secure and can continue living with dignity.

If you are unable to donate, please consider sharing this fundraiser with your family, friends, and social networks. Your kindness, generosity, and willingness to spread the word can make an incredible difference.

Thank you for taking the time to read his story and for keeping him in your thoughts. Your support means more than words can express.

SMCC Reassembles Volunteer Examiner Team

Volunteer Examiners (VEs) are amateur radio operators who administer the FCC amateur radio service licensing exams in cooperation with an FCCauthorized Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) organization. In the not-too-distant past, the Six Meter Club of Chicago hosted regularly-scheduled Volunteer Examiner sessions at the annual hamfest and other times. Now that the Club is on a stronger footing, it is time to resurrect our community service of hosting testing sessions for new amateur radio license candidates and those hoping to upgrade.

At our Swap Meet & Grumpy Social, we hosted a VE Session in cooperation with Laurel VEC and the assistance of Dick Lieber, WA9NNN, from the 220 Good Guys. We are hoping to expand our VE session offerings to regular intervals throughout the year. To do that, we need VEs.

A volunteer examiner must be 18 years of age and hold an amateur radio license of General class or higher. (Generals may only administer Technician exams; Amateur Extras may administer all levels.) Accreditation requirements vary from one VEC to another. While W5YI-VEC and Laurel VEC have a sponsorship component for VE accreditation, the ARRL/VEC’s process does not. There is an application, a 40-question open-book review, and credentials that arrive by mail. The VE Manual for the ARRL/VEC will give prospective VEs an idea of what the Volunteer Examiner’s task entails.

Thus far, the Six Meter Club has not partnered with a VEC in this rebuilding stage. As an ARRL Special Service Club, there is some value in running our VE sessions in cooperation with ARRL/VEC. However, the ARRL/VEC, like W5YI, is going paperless, meaning that exams are now being administered electronically on tablets using ExamTools. Each ARRL/VEC team would need to invest in a set of tablets for holding exam sessions. Laurel VEC, for the moment, still uses paper exams. Test-takers do not pay an exam fee, and some costs may be absorbed by the sponsoring club.

The following individuals have indicated their interest in serving as a Volunteer Examiner for the Six Meter Club of Chicago. To add your name to the list, contact halo@k9ona.com or sign up at the next club meeting.

• Dave Atkerson, N8IQV
• Ralph Barzditis, KE9NT
• Vern Schultz, K9LAE
• Cindy Schultz, WA9IYZ
• José Arrom, KE9ANL
• Will Sperling, W9WSS
• Glenn Wentink, KC9ALX
• Scott Gercken, KB9LCD
• Jim Hull, W9JGH
• Tom Fennell, W9TEF

Swap Meet & Grumpy Social 2026 in Review

The annual SMCC Swap Meet & Grumpy Social returned to air-conditioned comfort at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church & School in Brookfield on Saturday, June 20, 2026. Though not as well-attended as last year’s event, the Club turned a profit, gave away more and better door prizes, and accommodated more independent vendors.

Gentry Howard, KE9CWZ, left, visits Wally Kramer, KD9OGA, center, and Gail Huedepohl, WD9GDB, at the prize booth at the SMCC Swap Meet & Grumpy Social on Saturday, June 20, 2026.
Photo by KB9LCD.

Pete, WB9W, (center) takes a stroll through the sale floor at the SMCC Swap Meet & Grumpy Social while Jeff, W9ARG, mans a table for WAFAR and ARRL Illinois Section Manager, Thom Beebe, W9RY (in green, seated at blue table), works a table for the ARRL.
Photo by KB9LCD.

Among the donated door prizes were a factory-refurbished Samlex SEC-1235M 30A switching power supply won by David Wooden, KD9TTA, of Northlake, a Bioenno Power 15Ah LiFePO4 battery and charger (fittingly) won by robotics professional Chuck Byers of Wheaton, and a Spooltenna won by Joe Burchardt, KC9LQB, of Cable Xperts. (Feed line not included!)

Vendors lined the north side of St. Paul’s gym at the 2026 SMCC Swap Meet & Grumpy Social. Photo by KB9LCD.

At the volunteer examiner session led by Dick Lieber, WA9NNN, three technician exams were given, with one successful result. At time of publication, CSCE holder Nick Balice of Villa Park has not received his call sign from the FCC.
Much of the food was prepared the night before by Brian Guerin, KD9ZGT, and Kelly Begley, KE9EOU, with assistance from Kathy Collins. Bob Jarosik, KE9CAC, provided donuts from Talerico Bakery in Summit. Guests enjoyed food in the social hall nearly the entire run of the event.

Vendors ranged from independent 3D printing shops like Kick the Computer (N9KTC), coax vendors like Joe Burchardt’s Cable Xperts, and others reducing inventories from silent keys’ estates. Other vendors sold off redundant equipment of their own or represented various amateur radio related organizations.

Kick the Computer (N9KTC) sold 3D printed goods at their booth at the SMCC Swap Meet & Grumpy Social, June 20, 2026. Photo by KB9LCD.

A Tentative Date:
As Father’s Day falls on Sunday, June 20, 2027, the day before would be Saturday, June 19, 2027. At time of publication, no arrangements have been made to reserve the date with our venue.

Scott Gercken, KB9LCD, the Swap Meet Chairman, will present further facts and figures and gather input from participants at the July 10 membership meeting of the Six Meter Club of Chicago. Further questions may be addressed to
swapmeet_chairman@k9ona.com

For the complete story including the finacial breakdown see the story in the
HALO

Corroded Socket Discovered in UHF-1 Repeater

Corroded Socket Discovered in UHF-1 Repeater The downtime hours on the K9ONA UHF-1 repeater operating at 443.300 from the hospital in Hinsdale continue to climb, but significant progress has been made in restoring it to service. Director and Repeater Committee member Steve Rauter, N9ATO, GROL, reported on Saturday, June 27, that we now have a spare power supply, a potential spare station control module pending testing, and a diagnosis that goes a long way toward explaining the repeater’s failure state. Vern Schultz, K9LAE, “was able to identify the likely source of the intermittent failure of the entire station. A very detailed and comprehensive set of YouTube videos pretty much affirmed Vern’s suspicion. There is a socketed 28-pin EEPROM on the exciter board that holds the entire codeplug. Upon bootup, the board goes through a thorough [reset] process. If the EEPROM Is intermittent, the station doesn’t know what to do and goes into failure mode. The videos show our symptom and the probable cause: corrosion of the socket holding the 28-pin EEPROM.” Upon inspection of the exciter board, Steve pulled the EEPROM and pins 27 and 28 showed discoloration in the socket pins—“likely surface corrosion.” After deep-cleaning every contact on the socket, pins 27 and 28 are “happier.” Steve reported in a follow-up email to members of the SMCC Board that we are “back in business” and that the UHF-1 repeater is “up and running on the bench.” He added that “sometime this week, we should be able to get the station back on the air.” At time of publication, reinstallation at the hospital had not yet occurred.

AA9UF’s AllStarLink hotspot prior to installation, powered by a Raspberry Pi 4 (with a 52pi Ice Tower Cooler) and a HotSpotRadio-USB from hotspotradios.com. Photo by KB9LCD.

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

Dave Atkerson, N8IQV, is pleased to report that AllStarLink and EchoLink are both working and have been doing so automatically without human intervention for approximately the last 5 days. Steve Rauter, N9ATO, reports that the UHF-1 repeater was successfully uninstalled for troubleshooting an intermittence issue. Steve is also attempting to acquire some spare Quantar parts and equipment from a supplier in Joliet. The 222 MHz repeater has an open squelch issue that only occurs when it is connected to the controller. It works as intended as a standalone machine, but the issue is clearly audible from the 2m output when multicast. Members and guests are encouraged to use the UHF-2 repeater. Although it is not multicast with our other repeaters, it is a fantastic standalone machine with clear signals in and out for miles around.

Grumpy Report

Jim Riley, W9JPR, reports that since last month's meeting, four more Grumpies have joined the ranks: #313, Julian Schwaller, N5EGG; #314, Brian Grant, KE9EYP; #315, Martin Butler, 1MRB; and #316, Jennifer Rodriguez, K9JJR.

President's Report

The President invited those who were willing and able to stay after the meeting and help set up for the Swap Meet & Grumpy Social, in lieu of a presentation.

Treasurer's Report

The current balance sits at $2,939.36. Recent expenditures include: $600 to Aaron Collins (purchase of a power amplifier for the UHF-1 repeater), $103 to AdventHealth Chicago (electricity bill at the hospital repeater site), and $29.05 to the United States Postal Service in Westmont (postage).

Centeral Division
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"

Illinois

Saturday August 1, 2026
West Central Illinois Hamfest
Macoupin County Illinois Fairgrounds
21368 State Rte 4
Carlinville, IL 62626
More Information

Sunday August 2, 2026
Hamfesters 91st Annual Hamfest
Will County Fairgrounds
710 S. West St.
Peotone, IL 60468
More Information

Friday & Saturday
September 11 & 12, 2026
W9DXCC Convention & Universities
Chicago Marriott - Naperville
1801 North Naper Blvd.
Naperville, IL 60540
More Information

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

Sunday September 27, 2026
Radio Expo
Boone County Fairgrounds
8791 IL-76
Belvidere, IL 61008
More Information

Indiana

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

Saturday July 18, 2026
LaPorte Tailgate Hamfest
Under the Tower
3354 W. Schultz Rd
LaPorte, IN. 46350
More Information

Saturday July 25, 2026
East Central Indiana Hamfest
JAY COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
806 E Votaw St,
Portland, IN 47371
More Information

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

Saturday August 1, 2026
Burning Ham!
American Legion Post 204
412 N New Albany St Ave,
Sellersburg, IN 47172
More Information

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

Saturday August 15, 2026
ARANCI Hamfest
Christ Presbyterian Church
7416 E 109th Avenue
Winfield, IN. 46307
More Information

Saturday September 12, 2026
MARC Tailgate Hamfest
Atterbury FWA Headquarters
7970 South Rowe Street
Edinburgh, IN 46124
More Information

Saturday October 10, 2026
The Hoosier Hills Hamfest
Lawrence County Fairgrounds
11265 US-50,
Bedford, IN 47421
More Information

Saturday October 17, 2026
Hamtober Fest
LYNNVILLE COMMUNITY CENTER
207 Main St.
LYNNVILLE, IN. 47619
More Information

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

Wisconsin

Saturday July 11, 2026
WI9SM Hamfest
American Leigon post 434
9327 S. Shepard Ave.
Oak Creek, WI 53154
More Information

Saturday August 29, 2026
Circus City Hamfest
Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club Property
S3347 Sand Road
Baraboo, WI 53913
More Information

Saturday August 29, 2026
CVARC 2026 Hamfest
Bloomer Fair Grounds
1609 9th Ave.
Bloomer, WI 54724
More Information

Saturday September 12, 2026
20th Annual ORC Fall Swapfest
Cedarburg Firemen's Park
W65N796 Washington Ave.
Cedarburg, WI 53012
More Information

Saturday October 17, 2026
Hidden Valleys Amateur Radio Club
FREE HAMFEST
Grant county Fair Grounds, Youth and Ag Building
916 East Elm Street (County Road A)
Lancaster, WI 53813
More Information

Sunday November 8, 2026
FCARC Hamfest
Sunnyview Exposition Center Parking Lot
500 E. County Rd. Y
Oshkosh, WI 54901
More Information

Saturday April 24, 2027
ORC 47th Annual Spring Indoor Swapfest
Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Expo Center
(Milwaukee Curling Club)
W67N890 Washington Avenue
Cedarburg, WI 53012
More Information