The communications division supports the goals of Kane County Office of Emergency Management by providing reliable redundant communications systems. Public service and amateur radio systems are used for general communications and SKYWARN activities.

Membership

Kane County Office of Emergency Management communications division members provide a diverse set of abilities. Radio, computer, telecommunications, power systems, asset tracking, documentation, and administration are just some of the areas of work in the communications division. For more information about joining Kane County Office of Emergency Management, click here.

Operations Team

The operations team supports public safety radio nets, amateur radio nets, dispatch of Kane County Office of Emergency Management resources, and communications with emergency management personal during emergency operations.

Amateur Radio

KC9OEM Repeater System

Kane County Office of Emergency Management supports the KC9OEM repeater system. The KC9OEM 2m repeater operates at 50W on 145.47 MHz with a 103.5 PL and a -600 KHz offset. The 5.25dB Station Master antenna resides in Geneva, Illinois and is approximately 250 feet above a ground elevation of 732 feet. The KC9OEM 70cm repeater operates at 40w on 444.525 MHz with a 114.8 PL and a +5 MHz offset. The 6dB Hustler G-6 antenna resides in Western St. Charles, Illinois near the center of the county and is approximately 190 feet above a ground elevation of 877 feet. Both repeaters have good coverage of the Kane County area.

KC9OEM is an open repeater system and all licensed amateur radio operators are invited to use both repeaters during times of normal operations. The KC9OEM 2m repeater will go into emergency operations mode whenever it is needed to support the mission of the Kane County Office of Emergency Management. During emergency operations, a radio net will be established by a net control operator from the Kane County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), or by a member of Kane County ARES®. One of the most common uses of the KC9OEM repeater in emergency operations is for Skywarn operations during severe weather events.

Weekly Net

The Kane County Office of Emergency Management and Kane County ARES® host the Kane County Emergency Net each Wednesday evening at 2100 hrs. (7 PM CT) on the 2m KC9OEM repeater. The purpose of this net is to verify radio equipment is functional to maintain contact with supporting amateur radio operators, and pass current news and information. All licensed amateurs are invited to check into the net.

 

Digital Stations

The Kane County OEM also hosts several digital stations. These stations use the IL ARES® packet frequency of 145.61 simplex. KC9OEM-3 is a PBBS (Packet Bulletin Board System) that is open for use by all amateurs. KC9OEM-10 is a Winlink2000 TELPAC node that routes e-mail traffic to and from the Internet via a Winlink2000 PMBO in Milwaukee, WI. This station can also be used as a packet digipeater on 145.61 by using the 'via' command with the alias KDOT.

These digital stations are maintained through a joint effort between the Kane County Office of Emergency Management, Kane County ARES®, members of the Fox River Radio League, and the Kane County IT Department.