A Welcome Back to the ILYH

August 25, 2026 · W9WSP

After five years of inactivity, the ILYH lives again.

After being founded in 2020, the ILYH was active until around late 2021. Why? Young hams became older hams. Many of the original members either moved out to college, left the state, or lost interest in the hobby. After a blazing start, the Illinois Young Hams started to burn out. Eventually, the club dwindled into dormancy.

Fast forward to 2026. In February 2026, another young ham, W9WSP, started looking for other local young hams and came across the digital remains of the ILYH. Although the club was dormant, a trail of digital breadcrumbs remained. Over the course of the next six months, W9WSP followed those digital breadcrumbs in an attempt to reach the founder and trustee, trying to revive the club. Eventually, with some help from K9MSG, W9WSP was finally able to reach out to some founding members and the trustee through the ILYH’s archived Discord server, and another month later, finally the founder. With their permission and guidance, W9WSP brought the ILYH back: first launching a new Discord server, then a new website, and finally the ILYH Youth Net, which is scheduled to launch this very week.

ILLINOIS YOUNG HAMS ALIVE.

Where are we going from here? The Illinois Young Ham Club is continuing its original mission; the mission of its founder; the mission of its reviver: bringing the Illinois amateur youth together. Join the ILYH On-Air or online.

73 from W9YHI & W9WSP.