San Antonio Hams

KE5HDL Curtis

Hello all, this is Curtis Briley, KE5HDL.

I had volunteered to supply Radio Communications for the Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio Marathon & ½ Marathon and to set-up reference clocks for runners to see the time as they ran the race.

KE5HDL Curtis using his cross-band radio

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MM 20.5 runners

My day started really early because I needed to escore the XYL, Pat AD5BR, to her timer clock location at Mile Marker 1 on Broadway near Jones, and then deliver a 2nd clock down in front of the Alamo at Mile Marker 2 for Don W5DK.

Having that amber light bar running on a large white van, labeled clearly as a SAG Van, with all the appropriate “All Access” passes in the windshield, plus a friendly smile and a good story, made it much easier for the wife and I to get our two vehicles past the barricades which were up prior to 6am that morning.  Remember this was the starting end of the race course, so they started barricading earlier.

I set up Pat’s timer clock on the tripod at MM1, then zipped down Broadway and drove the wrong way down Alamo until I reached the Alamo.   (Police officer said to go that way.)  I set up the MM2 Timer on the tripod, with no Don W5DK in sight, but there was a cross walk alert that kept reminding me I had 15 seconds to cross, over and over and over again while I was there.   Hope Don didn’t go deaf from listening to it all morning.

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5:30 AM Sunday we leave home bound for our assignment at mile 20.  We were on location by 6:10 AM erecting tents, tables, chairs and setting up for check in. Pre Scouted the day before and dutifully GPS marked, we were spot on for the visual location on the provided diagram.

One problem: no timer stand or mile marker. We unload the solar panel and the battery remote case (Wall-E) for the laptop and we’re set! Hit the 6:30 check in for net control. Only one small problem: 5 minutes after we checked in with the police officer manning cross streets, the race guys set the timer tripod and mile maker in front of him ¾ mile behind us. Luke and I grabbed the HT and jumped into the SUV with the clock. Backed into the new location and 5 minutes to spare started the clock on time.

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This was the 39th annual Veterans Day parade in Universal City, Texas.    Hill Country REACT organized the hams to support this event, as they have for the past 20+ years.   But without the support of all the non-REACT member hams, this event would not have run as smoothly as it did.

Ham Operator volunteers manned barricades along the parade route, and at 10:15am, the call came over the radio to “put up your barricades, no traffic goes north on the parade route!”    About 5 minutes later, the call went out “stop all traffic on the parade route both directions!”   

Is that a UC PD car behind me?

Two of the UC Police cars had REACT members riding in them, and we had motorcycle marshals cruising the course along with UC PD motorcycle and bicycle police officers.   There were too many side parking lot exits to block them all, so periodically the call came on the radio “watch out for that red car going north from such and such location…”  or “this driver needs to get to work…” or “this driver didn’t know we were having a parade today…”

Our “job” today was not to argue with the drivers or spectators, but simply to inform them of what the UC PD had told us, and to ensure the barricades were in place on time.  We let the UC PD pull over those who wished to press the issue further.

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Stan, KA5IID, has proudly announced that his wife, Cynthia, delivered a bouncing baby boy on Saturday, November 10th, 12:17pm, named Samuel Earl Stanukinos.  Samuel weighed in at 8 pounds 3 ounces, 20.5 inches long.

For more photos online, please visit this link, or click on photo..

2009 National Weather Service
Skywarn Recognition Day
December 5, 2009
0000-2400 UTC

SKYWARN Recognition Day was developed in 1999 by the National Weather Service and the American Radio Relay League. It celebrates the contributions that volunteer SKYWARN radio operators make to the National Weather Service. During the day SKYWARN operators visit NWS offices and contact other radio operators across the world.

 The National Weather Service Austin-San Antonio TX will be a part of this year’s Skywarn Recognition Day event. If you wish to be a part of the Austin-San Antonio effort, contact Wade Bolling who will be spearheading the schedule.  Please contact him at:  w5erx@arrl.net

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I found some more video footage from Halloween in Sattler, and just had to put some of it together.  There’s about a 25 second section that will raise your eyebrows, or at least it did ours when we first watched it happen live…

Untouched sound tracks, no music on this one, and a lot shorter than the first video.

An annual tradition in the Canyon Lake area, is for all the area merchants and non-profit organizations to set up booths / tables along FM2673 that runs thru the main stretch of Sattler, Texas (just east of Canyon Lake, west of New Braunfels, TX).  This stretch has grown over the years from the north side of town down past River Road, to where it now reaches a total of about 2.5 miles in length.   Comal County Sheriff deputies in their patrol cars, supplimented by by local Constables, provide some safety issues at designated crossing points to allow participants to cross the busy road, especially after dark.

The event is sponsored by the Canyon Lake Chamber of Commerce.  Hill Country REACT has been participating in this annual event for at least 15 year, first as Comal County REACT and now as Hill Country REACT.    The Chamber in recent years, has been providing REACT with the candy to distribute, and this year we passed out nearly 80 pounds in about 2 hours.

Here is a short 8 minute video montage taken during this 2 hour event…  Watch it in full screen mode for best viewing, especially when video gets a bit darker toward the end…

As explained in the November issue of “QST” (page 66) the ARRL examined the use of ladder-line and did some rudimentary testing of this cable in dry vs wet conditions.

Unfortunately, their tests were not complete.

Start/Finish Line at the Lodge

Where: Hill Country State Natural Area – Bandera County Texas

When: January 9 and 10th, 2010

What: Tejas Trails – Bandera 100k Ultra Marathon
This 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!

After a meeting with the Race Director during the Cactus Rose 100 this weekend, we have found that the population of this race is anticipated to increase substantially from the 549 last year.   A new sponsorship of the event, will be bringing in more out of state participants.  Expect up to 800 this year for the three different races!

Please read the following information carefully so you know what is happening, and what is expected of our ham volunteers…

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 for SAR operations!  Operators support Race Control, Aid Stations and the HCSNAP Coordinated Horse Patrol! We are encouraging everyone to actually set-up stations within the Aid Station tent, or within a few feet.  Most Aid stations are situated in a manner, to which we could attach and additional EZ-up type canopy to facilitate station set-up! Operators will be required to stay in constant touch with the Aid Station Captain, in order to keep the Database up-to-date.

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