6/1/2010
From: George Bellairs,
KBØZZT, Bellevue Amateur Radio Club MS Bike Ride Communications Chairperson
Subject: Bellevue Amateur Radio Club Supports the 2010 MS 2-Day
Bike Ride. Call for volunteers. For immediate release to all Amateur Radio
Operators.
Fellow Hams:
Once again the Bellevue Amateur Radio Club will be sponsoring the communications
support for the 2010 Multiple Sclerosis 2-Day Bike Ride. I am the BARC
Communications Chairperson for this event.
Your help will be greatly appreciated. I ask that you disseminate the following
information to your club members and other local area Amateurs so that we may
have a pool of volunteers to assist with the communications for these public
service events. Also, please include this public service event information at
your local club meetings, in your club newsletters, and on your local nets.
This is a great chance for new hams to get involved in public service events.
You need not be a member of any club, ARES, or RACES to volunteer your time and
resources. No experience is required. If you are new to Amateur Radio public
service events, we will give you on-the-job training in a practical and fun
environment. This event gives us "old-timers" the chance to continue the
tradition of helping others. So mark your calendars now, and spread the word
around to your fellow hams and club members.
You can volunteer your time and resources for the entire event or even just for
a few hours. We can find a place for you to work. Those of you who have helped
in past years know how rewarding and how much fun it is to support the MS
Society and the bicyclists. They depend upon us heavily for the safety, health,
and welfare of all involved in the events.
Amateur Radio operators are needed to staff water stops, SAG vehicles, bike
repair vehicles, medical support vehicles, and last rider vehicles on the route.
Specific duties for each will be provided at a later date. Non-amateurs with EMT
training are also encouraged to volunteer, as we can pair them with amateur
radio operators to patrol the route to keep an eye on everyone.
The MS Two Day Bike Ride will be Saturday and Sunday,
July 10-11 2010. Plans are to have the Two-Day bike riders start at
Concordia JR/SR High School (156th & Fort Streets, same place as last year) in
Omaha early Saturday morning; and end at the GuestHouse International Inn &
Suites, 5250 Cornhusker Highway in Lincoln Saturday afternoon. The riders
will leave Lincoln early Sunday morning to return to Concordia JR/SR High School
in Omaha. Details and routes have not been finalized.
The MS Society provides Bike Ride t-shirts and meals both days to the
volunteers. The MS Society has reserved a block of rooms for riders,
volunteers, and staff at the GuestHouse International Inn & Suites. If you
volunteer for either one day or two days, you may want to consider spending
Saturday night with us in Lincoln. The MS Society will provide you a room
at the hotel at their expense. Participating Amateur radio operators are
invited to attend the overnight Team Village festivities at the hotel. The
festivities will include food, entertainment, beer garden, music, award
ceremony, massages, swimming pool, hot tub, mini golf, game room, and lodging.
Dinner is from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, with the celebration/festivities extending
through the evening.
Required resources will include a dual-band mobile radio and suitable antenna.
Hand held dual band radios may also prove useful depending upon your assignment
location, and proximity to the repeaters. I will be contacting local repeater
operators along the route for permission to use their repeaters. We will also
have a designated simplex frequency to use as needed. If you do not have
dual-band radios, 2 meter radios may work.
Stations with APRS capability are encouraged to bring along their equipment and
use it. We can put APRS trackers with the bike repair vehicles, medical support
vehicles, last rider vehicles, and various other points to help facilitate the
tracking of our riders. Wayne (KE6DZD) will be coordinating APRS stations.
If you have a GMRS/FRS radio, you may want to consider bringing it with you. The
riders will be encouraged to use channel 1 (without any PL tones) should they
need help.
If you would like to volunteer, or want more information, please contact me. I
would prefer to use E-mail because it makes it a lot easier to keep everyone
informed on our status. I realize that not everyone has e-mail so if we have to
use phones, we will. You might also use a friend who has e-mail as a relay.
This is just a general request for Amateur Radio help. I will keep those who
volunteer updated on the details as the details become known to me.
Thank you!
George H. Bellairs, KBØZZT
910 LeMay Drive
Bellevue, NE 68005-3253
E-Mail: kb0zzt@usa.net
(402) 291-0960 (home)
(402) 677-2330 (cell)
(402) 559-5677 (office)
(402) 559-4899 (office fax)