From the Desk of AB9ZI - November 2025 Message
North Shore Radio Club members participate in many public service activities. Some are well known such as the Trek 100 and Chicago Marathon. Sometimes, we also do for our fellow hams. Yesterday, I participated along with Greg W9GAK, Rob K9RST, Mark WA9IVH, in a sad volunteer activity: the removal of the late Hap KC9RP Holly’s tower and antenna in order for his widow Stephanie to sell their home. This was quite a challenge as the tower and antenna were nearly as tall and wide as the back yard. There was no driveway access to the back yard, and there was no alley behind the house. Just to make things even more interesting, the Commonwealth Edison power line ran at an angle across the back yard from one corner of the house to the opposite corner of the utility pole at the back of the yard. Making things even more “challenging” the tower itself had enough wobble and sway to make climbing unsafe. In addition Hap had solar panels installed on the roof!
I am always amazed at the creativity of our hams. Prior to yesterday Mark spent a few hours on the phone with ComEd and arranged for that power line to be disconnected during the project. Once the power line was gone, Greg ran a rope from a winch in front of the house over the roof to the tower and lowered it down. We were able to get the tower and antennae down and left it at the curb for recycling.
On Tuesday, October 14th we held our annual club fund raiser auction. The proceeds we receive from this auction pay for all the things the club does which includes the operation of our repeaters, rental of the Heller Nature Center for our meetings, activities at Field Day, and other club events such as QRP night, Fox Hunt, and our participation at Hamvention. Our objective at this year’s auction, our only club fund raiser, was to offer higher quality gear and less throw-away items. The event was successful! In addition to the live auction we held a virtual auction on our website prior to the live auction. All the items not sold live or on line will soon be offered for sale on the club website store. Keep watching and soon you may find just what you need for your shack all year long! www.ns9rc.org
In addition that night we held our first welcome for new members. Our club Secretary Dick KD9TGX and Vice President Elliot K9EHG reached out to over a dozen new members and invited them to arrive early for coffee and donuts for a meet and greet, and introduce them to others.
Lenny WO9X continues to hold an after net informal round table with the stated objective of offering new hams the opportunity to “get on the air” and dispel any “mic fright”. This is not a formal net and many times the rotation order is lost much like it happens during the morning round table on our 70cm repeater. Speaking of the repeater, during the next 30 days we will be evaluating the operation of the new 2m repeater from the sheriff’s tower location. The board has contingency plans for both the old Yeasu and new Motorola repeaters. Yes, we do plan to add back a Fusion offering.
Please check out the club website for all the latest information on club activities. It is updated on a regular basis.
The North Shore radio club is an all-volunteer organization. There are many opportunities to volunteer to assist with club events and behind the scenes. Check it out on the website: https://ns9rc.org/open-club-positions
73, Brian Dubin AB9ZI
President