SITP May 9, 2026
SARC in the Park is the club’s warm-weather replacement for Construction Project. It is intended to get members operating outside with portable radios, go-boxes, antennas, and batteries. The activity typically takes place on the front lawn of the Schaumburg Community Recreation Center on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month and is useful for learning to operate under “non-ideal conditions” (see n9rjv.org/activities/sarc-in-the-park).
Event Facts
| Date | May 9, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Time | 7:00 AM–12:00 PM |
| Location | Front lawn of the Community Recreation Center, 505 N. Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg, Illinois |
| Weather observed from photos | Sunny and dry, with blue sky, light high cloud, and full spring leaf-out. |
| Notable equipment observed | Large wire-beam-style antenna array, tall guyed mast, folding-table field station, HF transceiver, tailgate work surface with radio gear and paper log sheet, station sign “SARC in the Park Amateur Radio Station KB9RCR.” |
| Attendance / QSOs | Twenty-three SARC members in attendance. POTA contacts in: FL, PA, NH, WA, UT, OK, RI, WV, TX, MD, ID, CA, MA, WI, and MO. |
SARC in the Park is the club’s warm-weather replacement for Construction Project and is intended to get members operating outside with portable radios, go-boxes, antennas, and batteries. This activity typically takes place on the front lawn of the Schaumburg Community Recreation Center on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month and is useful for learning to operate under “non-ideal conditions” (see n9rjv.org/activities/sarc-in-the-park).
The Park District’s facility page establishes the official CRC location as 505 N. Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg (see parkfun.com/facilities/community-recreation-center).
The May 9, 2026 session was well aligned with SARC’s mission for the activity. Together, this documents operating, setup, adjustment, and support work rather than a purely social gathering.
The archival record on n9rjv.org’s SARC in the Park search page shows that this mix of experimentation and public demonstration is typical. A 2024 kickoff article emphasized the basics of successful outdoor activation—radio, power source, antenna, coax, and keeping the setup simple (see SARC in the Park Starts May 11).
A 2024 time-lapse post highlighted the setup of a hex beam antenna and associated equipment (see SARC in the Park Setup Time-Lapse). A 2023 report described an end-fed wire in a tree at the first outing of that season, while a 2019 report described several portable stations, a dipole, and operating that ran through noon (see First SARC in the Park and SARC in the Park – Saturday May 11th 2019).
The takeaway is that SARC in the Park functions as a recurring field laboratory for portable amateur radio. The May 9, 2026 event show several layers of that practice at once: a public-facing operating table, vehicle-supported station support, mast handling, and larger antenna deployment.
That range matters because it reflects both preparedness and accessibility. Smaller stations demonstrate that portable operation can be simple; the larger structures demonstrate that the event also supports more ambitious antenna work.
