Hams have the opportunity all year round to use their communications skills & equipment to help out the community & have fun while doing it.  SARO is very active in these events, and helping out with others. There are three major bike tours originating near San Antonio, plus the big daddy of them all that runs from Houston to Austin on the third weekend of April. To keep up on what’s happening in the local  ham world, stay tuned to SanAntonioHams.org/blog.

If you know of any ham related events not included in the list below, please contact Lee N5NTG at info@sanantoniohams.org.  Better yet, why not register as a user on this site, then ask Lee N5NTG to bump your status up so you can directly post your own articles and photos?

Coming up Fall 2011, to a start line near us, will be the following events/ opportunities:

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Location: Hill Country State Natural Area – Bandera, Texas

When: 7th and 8th of January 2012

Description:

10th Annual Bandera 100k Ultra-Marathon held at Hill Country State Natural Area in Bandera County.

Hill Country REACT has been the lead team for communications for this event the past 6 years with the assistance of many hams from the San Antonio, Austin and other areas around the state..

This event typically requires 15 – 16 Amateur Radio Operators in a situation that is similar to what an Emergency Communications Operator would experience in a disaster zone. UHF, VHF and Packet communications is involved in this event.

Interested operators should contact the Communications Safety Team Coordinator:

Link to the 2011 Bandera 100 Communications Guide (not updated yet for 2012, but pretty much the same applies, except the dates)

Bandera 100k Ham Communications Guide

K5STX, Louis Upton at k5stx@arrl.net or 830-305-2889

Start Date: 2012-01-07 Start Time: 06:00
End Date: 2012-01-08 End Time: 07:00

Title: Rocky Raccoon 100
Location: Hunstville State Park – Hunstville, TX
Description:

This is an out-of-area event put on by Tejas Trails, similar in activity to the Cactus Rose 100 and Bandera 100k.held at the Huntsville State Park.  The is a fast paced event with 550 to 600 participants annually, 100 miles with a 30 hour time limit!

With 3 full stations to cover, one very remote requiring 4 wheel drive, it is another fun event, that test emergency communications capability.   We will be supporting Rocky Raccoon Communications group (a.k.a. Walker County ARES) as needed for the event.   Sleeping arrangements have been arranged for Friday night and during the weekend for rest breaks. Meals are provided to all volunteers, plus t-shirts and sometimes other goodies!

San Antonio/Austin Region operators interested in assisting with this event should contact K5STX at k5stx@arrl.net or 830-305-2889

Start Date: 2012-02-04
Start Time: 05:00
End Date: 2012-02-05
End Time: 12:00

Location: Hill Country State Natural Area – Bandera, Texas

Description:
The Cactus Rose 100 is a 100 mile Ultra-Marathon held on the toughest trails at the Hill Country State Natural Area in Bandera, TX. In conjunction with the 100 mile event, there is a 50 mile event, as well as the newly added 100 mile 4 person team event.

Typically this event has not required Amateur Radio support due to the small size, but we will be providing communications at at least two stations this year and utilizing our packet tracking software.
This is a remote environment, and provides excellent opportunities to test and try EmComm type set-ups, that may be utilized during a disaster.  The event has a 36 hour time limit, and will require 4 -5 operators to adequately cover the duration of the event.

This is a good event for new hams interested in Public Service Events to get their feet wet!

Event Homepage: http://www.tejastrails.com/CactusRose.html

Interested operators should contact:

Louis K5STX at k5stx@arrl.net or 830-305-2889.

Start Date: 2011-10-29 Start Time: 05:00
End Date: 2011-10-30 End Time: 16:00

I know, Summer has just barely started, but, we like to get things listed and out there early!

I have updated/posted some of the annual fall winter events, that have utilized Amateur Radio Support for many years. They have been coordinated and/or supported by members of Hill Country REACT Team and other San Antonio/Austin Area Amateur Radio Operators.

Amateur Radio Support over the years has been recognized as a major safety requirement for these events, held in remote areas with little to no cellular covers, or other means to communicate.  From the participants, their support crews and families, to the event promoters, our support over the years of these events has been highly praised and commended.

We will again provide support through normal voice communications as well as packet operations for each of these events.

Please check the specific calendar dates for details on each event.

Cactus Rose – Bandera – Oct 29 – 30th, 2011

Bandera 100k – Bandera – January 7th and 8th, 2012

Rocky Raccoon 2012 – Huntsville – Feb 4, 2012 .

Heart of the Hills 2012 – Bandera – March 3rd, 2012

If you are interested in assisting with these events or would like more information, please contact the coordinator/liason K5STX at k5stx@arrl.net or 830-305-2889

Thank You for your support over the years, and looking forward to another successful series coming up.

K5STX

Here is a short 1 minute video that I took when the runners left the Alamo Stadium on their first lap.
Hams working event today were Lee N5NTG, Dave WQ5S, Ray AE5HN, Mike W5ZAP, and Richard KF5KWP (Zoo Security monitoring). Only about 500 runners out there today for this first annual event. Not too bad for a first time effort.

Alamo Stadium (near 281 & Hildebrand)

Event will be held at the Alamo Stadium, with the 5k route leaving the north entrance of the stadium, crossing east under 281 into the Zoo entrance and thus over to Brackenridge Park. Route will be run 5 times, thus the relay. Free food for all ham volunteers at the stadium, courtesy of Spagetti Warehouse. We have about 6-8 points needing covered. HT radios okay, or operate out of your vehicle.

Map of stadium here

Map of 5k route here

Hill Country REACT Team coordinating event. Contact Lee Besing @ 210-771-7075 or info@sanantoniohams.org to volunteer or get more info.

Hams Still Needed for Saturday, June 4th.

Rest Stop Hams & finish line hams only. All Driver positions filled.

Contact Lee Besing @ 210-771-7075 or info@sanantoniohams.org

to volunteer or get more info. This is a 2 day event, starting at the Retama Park, ending in San Marcos on Day 1 (Saturday). Rest Stops are all east of IH-35, mostly between 35 & 10, and out toward Seguin. Won’t be in New Braunfels this year. Route has changed from last year.

Texas Water Safari – June 11-12th

The Texas Water Safari is a canoe race from San Marcos to Seadrift 265 river miles and is in need of a Amateur Operator(s) to volunteer for the Hochheim check point.  This check point is located where the Guadalupe River crosses Hwy 183 northwest of Hochheim.  This check point is dificult to operate from and will test most any amateur’s ability.  Hochheim is operational from 9:00 p.m. Sunday (6/12) through 10:00 a.m. Monday.  You will need a radio capable of working voice on both 2-m and 440 MHz with an antenna and at least a 20 foot push up pole.  Packet is a big plus. The provided software will run on any Windows machine that runs Microsoft Excel and a serial port for connection to your TNC.

If you are not capable of working the entire time maybe we can find some to take the second shift.  If you are interested please contact Eric WB5ZJQ at 210-647-3180 or e-mail: wb5zjq@arrl.net

TNX

Eric WB5ZJQ

I’m looking for volunteers to help with communications during the Spring Tour de Gruene Team Fondo on Saturday, March 5, 2011, from 10am – 3pm. 

The event takes place in & around Gruene, FM 306, Sattler, and River  Road. This is the first year for this event, and I think we can use as many stations as possible.  We will be using 2 meter Ham Radio with the 147.000 repeater, in fixed locations.  Mobile radios with external antennas may be needed in some locations due to terrain.  At this time, we do not anticipate the need for any mobile units.

Thanks,
 –Mike WQ5C
pfeufferm@gmail.com

Where: Hill Country State Natural Area – Bandera County Texas

When:  January 8 and 9th, 2011

What:  Tejas Trails – Bandera 100k Ultra Marathon

Start: 0700 hrs Saturday, the 8th

Finish: 0700 hrs Sunday, the 9th (radio operations typically stand down at 0430 hrs, when the last aid station closes down)

The event is three races in one, a 25k, 50k and 100k that incorporates nearly every trail on the 5400 acres of Hill Country State Natural Area. This is a unique situation to train and test EmComm abilities in a remote environment, provide a service, as well as enjoy the Texas Hill Country!

Duties:  This is a 24 hour all weather event! Amateur operators man the Aid Stations and duties are basically like any other bike or running event (BP150, MS150, River Safari, etc), relaying supply needs, runner counts and times, and coordinating the Horse Patrol with Safety and SAR operations!  Operators support Race Control, Aid Stations and the HCSNAP Coordinated Horse Patrol! Operators will stay in constant contact with the Aid Station Captain and/or Race Recorder, in order to keep the Database up-to-date.

Needed:  We need 10 or so licensed Amateurs to assist with this event. The more the merrier! Minimum 50 watt dual band portable/mobile EmComm type set-ups required in case we need to go simplex, if the repeater fails to produce.  Most communications will be done with 5 watts or so through the hilltop repeater, but just in case of a catastrophic failure of the repeater, we can go to simplex. All the Aid stations allow close proximity of your vehicle, so proper crossbanding can be utilized!

Even if you can only help out for a part of the event, we can still use you!

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