The history of Mine Creek Amateur Radio Club begins the way many clubs histories have, people coming together with common interests and common goals. This may be the way thousands of other ham clubs began, but this is different because it is our story.

Wayne Wright came back to Linn County in 1975. Soon thereafter the manager of the electric Co-Op at Iola, now United Electric, asked Wayne to teach an amateur radio class. Wayne was successful in helping many people in the Iola area get started in the hobby. This worked so well that Wayne was asked to teach classes in Linn County. Wayne who’s call sign now is KCØWH has helped many people, including Bill VanKirk, Frankie Pool and numerous others from the area obtain their tickets.

Bill VanKirk received his novice license in August 1980. He received the call sign KAØOXK and later bought a 2m handheld as incentive to upgrade to general which he did in October the same year. The handheld was also an incentive in putting a repeater on the air which aided in the formation of a club.

Shortly after Bill received his license, he spoke with Wayne and Harrison Underhill WØUYK, about getting a repeater put together and on the air in Linn County. Bill said, “when I was first licensed we all operated on 146.55 simplex and I thought surely we could use a repeater in this area.”

In the early 80s the work started. “Harrison acquired some equipment and a bunch of guys got together” Bill commented. Kent Heaton WDØBRC, Frankie Pool NØFYH, Gary Goble, Bill Harrison, Wayne Lutes, and Dean Lutes KDØLS, were all involved in installing equipment for the station.

Old GE progress line equipment was used along with a pair of antennas supplied by the county. Transmit and receive antennas were put up on the REA tower at Sugar Mound and separated by only about 20 feet, no duplexers were used. “All the big boys told us it wouldn’t work – it did work!” said Bill.

The first station to work through the repeater was Bill Hurley WAØSAT in LaCygne. He had been waiting patiently for the automatic relay station to go on the air.

“It was really amazing how well the machine worked considering it shouldn’t have worked. The receiver was really hot for old equipment like that and having the desense on the receiver, but it worked fine. A matter of fact is we had to identify in voice when we first put it on, we didn’t have an IDer so we had to do it by voice.” Bill said. An IDer was later added for about $70 dollars. It was about the same time the repeater went on the air or shortly thereafter, that a club was formed. The meetings were held at the courthouse up on the third floor in the old commissioners room. Later, meetings took place at the fairgrounds in the 4-H building.

The Mound City repeater opened up the area from Miami County to Nevada, Missouri and Garnett to Butler, Missouri. Stations came great distances to attend the meetings in Linn County and meet the people they had worked through the Mound City repeater.

The repeater was the catalyst that caused the club to be formed, a rallying point for the Hams of Linn County and the surrounding area. A year or so after the repeater came on the air, a network began meeting on Thursday nights using the repeater facilities. The club participated in field day several times out near Wall Street Church. Diane KAØUUY, sewed a flag for the club that flew proudly over the field day stations. Diane is now KFØLV. The Mine Creek ARC also continued to give novice classes. The club became dormant in 1989.

Repeater maintenance continued and in April 1989 a spectrum repeater was purchased when the original equipment became too troublesome to keep on the air.

In the fall of 1989 a 440 MHz Repeater was installed at the same site overlooking Mine Creek and Mound City. This repeater also carried Bills call. The original call sign of the repeater in Mound City was held by Dean KDØLS of Pleasanton. When the new equipment came to the club, the calls were changed and KAØOXK became the call of the 147.285 repeater as well as the responsibility, legally that is, of Bill VanKirk. A packet digipeater also shared space with the voice equipment and began operating about 1988. Bill and George Bales KEØCG put the digi together and kept it going.

The club re-organized in August 1992 and held a couple of meetings at the Pleasanton rural fire station before finding a consistent location. Later that year the club began meeting at Calvary Baptist Church in LaCygne and did so until 2009. As for the name Mine Creek, no one is sure, but it probably was taken from the fact that the repeater is located in the vicinity of Mine Creek overlooking the historic battlefield.

Many people participated in putting the main repeater system together and maintaining it through the years, not to mention the dollars involved. The club formation and repeater are intertwined. Many clubs are centered on repeaters and in this story we can see how one event triggers another. Some names need to be mentioned and noted for their assistance in making it possible for Mine Creek ARC to get started.

Harrison Underhill, WØUYK; Linn County Commissioners, United Electric, Clint Jaegger (who was the Civil Defense Director), Floyd Bowman WAØUHC, Frank Bowman WØHAV, Bill Nutter KAØRCH, Bill AAØCP/WØPT, and Bill Hurley, WAØSAT.

I wish to think Bill VanKirk, Wayne Wright, Dean Lutes, and Frankie Poole for their time and
contributions that made this story possible.

Compiled by Ron Cowan-KBØDTI
Updated 2026 by DTI