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MATTOON — A new state-of-the-art repeater ham radio antenna was installed on Friday more than 160 feet above Mattoon on behalf of the Moultrie Amateur Radio Klub.
A crew from Griffin Tower Connections of Decatur hoisted the antenna and 7/9-inch feed line into place on a 200-foot radio tower on the grounds of Howell Asphalt, 1020 N. 13th St. Club member Barry Pelham of Mattoon, who assisted with project coordination, said the antenna has been connected to a radio transceiver housed by a storage room within an adjacent Howell warehouse.
"Howell very generously donated space here for us for the ham radio project," Pelham said. He added that the antenna, downlead and radio equipment were purchased thanks to many local contributions.
Pelham said the new equipment will use D-STAR digital amateur radio technology to connect to 2,464 radio repeaters worldwide. He said emergency and normal communications can be managed by licensed operators almost anywhere. For example, he said the new antenna can help coordinate communications with local weather spotters in the field.
A crew member from Griffin Tower Connections of Decatur is pictured Friday morning climbing up a 200-foot radio tower on the grounds of Howell Asphalt, 1020 N. 13th St., in Mattoon in preparation for installing a new ham radio antenna on behalf of the Moultrie Amateur Radio Klub.
"It's an exciting project. We have spent a year and a half on this project," Pelham said of a process that included lengthy licensing and frequency allocation work. He noted that there were delays due to microchip shortages and COVID-19 issues. He said the club anticipated being on the air through the new antenna as soon that Friday after the completion of the tower work.
The Moultrie Amateur Radio Klub (MARK) is a nonprofit corporation in Illinois and is prohibited by the Federal Communications Commission from selling its services, so all of its revenue must come from donations. The club offers emergency communications, supporting emergency responders and other authorities if needed. The club practices its emergency communications net every Sunday evening.
Club members are among more than 700,000 ham radio operators in the United States, including engineers and scientists. Pelham said the International Space Station has a ham repeater on board and several astronauts communicate with fellow ham radio operators back on Earth. Ham radio operators freely develop new technology for radio transmission and data recovery.
More information is available through the Moultrie Amateur Radio Klub page on Facebook.
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