Fox River Radio League

May 21, 2011 - Members of the Fox River Radio League conducted the first ‘Radio in the Park’ event of 2011. This event wasn't held in a park; it was conducted on the grounds of the St. Rita of Cascia Catholic School in Aurora, IL. A total of three stations were set up and operated by members of the Club and visitors.

Photo: Dan N2DAN

May 21, 2011 - Boy Scout and Cub Scout troops from around the area were invited to join us for the event, and several scouts had the opportunity to make contacts with both US and DX stations. One of the scouts had the experience of talking with hams in both Aruba and Canada during his time at the microphone.

Photo: Dan N2DAN

May 21, 2011 - Our visitors also got to experience conversing with local operators on the Club’s 2 meter (VHF) repeater.

Aside from a few sprinkles and an occasional shower, the weather cooperated, giving us a cool, comfortable morning. The Club would like to thank Fr. Cesar Pajarillo, Jr. for helping to arrange this event. Dawn KC9LQS is pictured above with a participating Scout making contacts on HF.

Photo: Dan N2DAN

May 21, 2011 - The Radio in the Park crew consisted of, (l to r) Dawn KC9LQS, Bill NF9D, Mike K9FE, Ron KC9SNI, John AG9D, Greg NW9G, Jerry KA9VMD. Not shown are Dean KC9EOQ, Eric AB9OS and Dan N2DAN.

Scout-O-Rama! 2010

Photo: John AG9D

May 15, 2010 - Boys and Girls enjoyed sending messages with Morse Code. Several code practice oscillators along with printed copies of the dots and dashes were made available to the participants. The Boy Scout Motto "Be Prepared" was the driving force behind the 100th Anniversary Scout-O-Rama & Camporall on May 15th at Cantigny Park in Wheaton. FRRL members set up an impressive amateur radio display and demonstration area during the BSA event. The Three Fires Council located in St. Charles hosted the one-day event. Scouts from 12 Districts, including Kane, DuPage and Kendall Counties participated.

Photo: John AG9D

May 15, 2010 - The big hit of the demonstration was the CW mentors where a Scout could earn the "I SENT MORSE CODE" hand stamp by sending their name to the mentors. Many contacts with adult leaders were made and a good amount of interest was generated.

Photo: Mike K9FE

May 15, 2010 - Hundreds of scouts came through the FRRL booth which featured a digital HF station, a phone multi-band station, and a dual-band FM station, ready for satellite.

Photo: John AG9D

May 15, 2010 - These guys had a lot of fun! The 2010 Boy Scouts of America "Scout-O-Rama" held at Cantigny Park in Wheaton was a huge success. In the group shot from top left to right, Jon Shelley WA9JON, Larry Shaw W9OKI, Keith Boatman N9YA, Denny Barfuss W9HI, Kent Te Vault W9NDW, (seated) Mike Urso K9FE, John Spasojevich AG9D, Eric Needles AB9OS. Not Pictured Jerry Hymen KA9VMD and Bill Capper WB9LPW.

ISS Contacted During Boy Scout "Klondike" 2006

January 21, 2006 - Standing on a small knoll covered with snow, Dick called, “NA1SS this is W9CEQ, Whiskey Nine Charlie Echo Quebec, do you copy?” The small Kenwood HT answered back, “W9 Charlie Echo Quebec this is NA1SS.” To the delight and amazement of fellow FRRL members, Dick AH6EZ made an unplanned voice contact with Commander William McArthur aboard the International Space Station on Saturday, January 21st during a Boy Scout “Klondike Derby.”

January 21, 2006 - Boy Scouts from the Maramech Hill District, Three Fires Council participated in several winter events held at the Kendall County Fairgrounds near Yorkville, Illinois. Nearly 300 Scouts and their leaders camped out, cooked, and completed special events during the 3 day outing.

January 21, 2006 - Scoutmaster Jason Kocher contacted the FRRL in early January to have an amateur radio demonstration available for the event. Club Secretary John Spasojevich K9COE contacted fellow club member Greg Braun N9CHA to recruit assistance for setting up a portable station. Two additional club members, Dick Illman AH6EZ and Mike Bently K9FBI joined in the effort.

January 21, 2006 - Early Saturday morning, after nearly ten inches of snow had fallen over the Fox Valley area, the four club members set out for the fairgrounds. They were equipped with a Kenwood TS-430S HF transceiver, Buddipole antenna, Yaesu FT-8800 VHF/UHF transceiver, home-built dual-band J-pole, Kenwood TH-D7A, and an Arrow dual-band yagi.

January 21, 2006 - Dick AH6EZ makes contact with the ISS. Several Boy Scouts had an opportunity to talk to amateurs from around the area through the FRRL repeaters. They also made several HF contacts using both voice and data transmissions. A radio spectrum chart was used to explain the various frequency allocations used in the US. Several questions regarding universal time, the phonetic alphabet and call sign districts were answered by the FRRL members.

January 21, 2006 - Mike K9FBI discusses ham radio with scout leaders during the Klondike event.

January 21, 2006 - A special event QSL card was sent to stations who made contact with the Scouts.