In June, 2024, the Village of Elvaston unanimously granted the BBARC permission to establish an amateur repeater and antenna installation at their water tower. The water tower is about 110 feet in height. This location would allow us to extend amateur repeater coverage to western, south western, and north western Hancock County, IL and reach into Lee County, Iowa and Clark County, Missouri. This new coverage area includes Keokuk, Iowa, a city and other towns. These locations are definitely underserved for amateur radio and currently have no amateur repeater.
Establishing a Yaesu Fusion digital repeater and coverage where none currently exists has great potential to utilize and protect the amateur radio frequencies. Also, with a repeater that has digital capabilities, it could open a whole new world using amateur radio digital capabilities. What we have noticed is that once Hams try digital, they like the improved signal quality and signals that are less prone to noise and interference. They use it with increasing frequency and sometimes branch out and expand to using hot spots and radios to access other digital capabilities (i.e., d-Star, DMR as well as Yaesu Fusion C4FM and Wires-X).
Once the new repeater is established, the BBARC plans to conduct an outreach and public information campaign to inform the area public about amateur radio. We also hope to enlist neighboring amateur clubs to assist us in this. Our area currently is mostly rural with low population and diversity, but by extending Amateur Radio Repeater Coverage, we estimate new coverage to these areas which have a population of approximately 25,000. This project has outstanding potential for amateur radio and digital access. Also, this new digital repeater would provide more encouragement to non-amateurs to become licensed.
Another important purpose is Emergency Preparedness, emergency response, public safety, and a public information component that completion of this project will facilitate. This new repeater would provide a very viable additional communication avenue to more than 25,000 people that can be used in severe weather, rising flood waters, and other life-effecting events.
Check back often for updates on this important project!
UPDATE: JAN. 5. 2026
New HAM VHF Repeater in Elvaston goes live.
The Big Bend Amateur Radio Club of Hancock County is excited to announce that its Elvaston Illinois Repeater Project has now gone live! The BBARC thanks the graciousness of Elvaston and the Elvaston Village Board for allowing us to install a new, VHF Amateur Radio Repeater at the Water Tower site in Elvaston.
This new repeater will provide amateur radio coverage into much of Lee County, Iowa, Clark County, Missouri, and western Hancock County, Illinois. This repeater will advance emergency preparedness and response, public safety, and public information. This new repeater provides a very viable additional communication avenue to more than 25,000 people in the coverage area that can be used in severe weather, rising flood waters, and other life-effecting events.
The antenna height is about 110 foot and the Transmit frequency is 145.210 MHz, the Receive frequency is 144.610, and the CTCSS Tone frequency is 97.4 Hz. The new repeater’s call sign is KE9BZG and is a hybrid analog/digital repeater. The BBARC plans to enable the popular Wires-X network functionality soon. Wires-X is a digital gateway that allows local Hams to connect with other Hams around the world. Normally such ability would require the advanced FCC licenses of General or Amateur Extra, but with compatible radios, Technician license holders will now be able to connect and communicate with fellow Hams around the world.
The second VHF repeater sponsored by the Big Bend Amateur Radio Club, is on the Carthage, IL water tower (TX 147.105 MHz, RX 147.705 MHz and 103.5Hz tone).
The Elvaston repeater was made possible by the Elvaston IL Village Board and by a grant provided from the Amateur Radio Digital Communication (ARDC) group. The ARDC’s mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote Amateur Radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology. The BBARC is extremely grateful to the ARDC group for its financial support.
For more information, contact the Big Bend Amateur Radio Club at BBARC@kc9lmf.org, or 1006 Wabash Ave., Carthage, IL 62321. The BBARC offers resources and frequent license testing by advance arrangement and meets the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 PM at the Hancock County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency building at 1006 Wabash Ave., Carthage, IL. Meetings are also shared through the internet using MSTeams. If anyone needs assistance programming their amateur or GMRS radios, contact the BBARC.
