The Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs
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SCHEDULE:

9:30 AM Build Your Own "Go Radio Kit"
10:30 AM Ham Radio & the Law: Getting It Up and Keeping It Up
11:30 AM D-STAR Overview & Update

Build Your Own "Go Radio Kit", 9:30 AM

Dale Kwarta, NJ9E, will present how to make a portable base station out of a mobile radio so that it can operate for 30 hours before recharging. Have high power, and all the functionality of your mobile rig for public service, emergency response, power outages, camping, Scouting events, etc. Kits will be available for sale at the WCRA hamfest.

Ham Radio & the Law: Getting It Up and Keeping It Up, 10:30 AM

Jim O'Connell, W9WU, ARRL Volunteer Counsel, will present legal issues of interest to hams: Illinois new PRB-1, how to avoid restrictive covenants, how to present your case for a tower permit, and information on the latest court rulings on RFI, PRB-1 and towers. He will also provide updates on the ARRL's Legal Defense and Antenna Assistance Committee.

D-STAR Overview & Update, 11:30 AM

Mark Thompson, WB9QZB, will introduce D-STAR (Digital Smart Technologies for Amateur Radio), which is a digital voice and data protocol specification, to those new to the mode and provide those familiar with D-STAR an update of new technology and capabilities.

Biographical Information:

Dale Kwarta, NJ9E, has been a licensed amateur radio operator since his high school days.

He and his wife, Ruth, KA9RZG, have been active members of the WCRA (Wheaton Community Radio Amateurs) since 1983.

Dale is a professional Field Engineer and has provided technical support for a variety of complex systems, including main frame computers, nationwide telecom networks, wide format graphic systems, and associated software integration.

He was the Low Voltage Engineer for the Automated Guideway Transit System at O'Hare International Airport, known as "The People Mover". He is currently employed at Customer Engineering Services, providing technical support for Wide Format Inkjet Graphic Systems.

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Jim O'Connell, W9WU, has been licensed since 1954 (WN9JZK). Jim is an ARRL Volunteer Counsel and DX'er, holding #1 Honor certificates. He is the W9 District Representative on the ARRL DX Advisory Committee and a member of the ARRL Legal Defense and Assistance Committee. Jim is retired after 30 years as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General where he practiced before the Supreme Court of the United States, the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, and the Federal Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He continues to represent hams in antenna zoning matters.

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Mark Thompson, WB9QZB, has been using D-STAR for over 6 years and has conducted dozens of forums at hamfests, club meetings and the AES Superfest. He has been a ham for 37 years. He was actively involved in the use of & deployment of packet radio networks in the Chicago area in the 1980s. Mark has been a board member of the TAPR National Digital Organization and co-hosted the annual TAPR DCC (Digital Communication Conference) in Chicago in 1998, 2008 & 2009.