The 2016 BikeMS ride starting from San Antonio on October 1st is less than a month away from us now.
We still need hams on Saturday to fill a few rest stop positions. Help!
Hams are used on this ride for lots of positions. Hams are the glue that holds the event together on the day of event, actually 2 days of the event. If you have APRS capabilities, please plan on using APRS. Frequencies will be all on 2 meter repeaters, other than perhaps medical. SAGs may be using dual band, with the Scooter Net simplex frequency on 440mhz. (Same frequency as prior years, same as used for the BPMS150 ride.)
Hams are used for driving rental SAG Vans and trucks on both days, picking up riders from the side of the road and taking them to the rest stops. SAGs also take riders from rest stops up the line, sometimes to the finish line, if the rider had unrepairable breakdown of their bicycle, or they were just too tired to finish on their own. Although we don’t emphasize it much, we have had some serious accidents or injuries in the past where the ham equipped SAGs and Motorcycle Safety Marshals have saved the day. It’s a serious business, but we try to have fun while doing it. SAG assignments are for a 2 day commitment due to the nature of the rental vehicles.
Hams are needed for Shadow Positions, riding with medical units, police cars, event officials (think Tour Directors, etc.) and for Rest Stop communications. While we prefer 2 day commitments for these positions, we understand that some folks are only available for 1 day at a time.
At present time, Charlie says we mostly need rest stop hams for Saturday, but I think some shadow positions are still available. Enough SAG drivers have been lined up, but backups are always appreciated in the event someone has to drop out suddenly.
The lead volunteer contact is Charlie Land KC5NKK who can be contacted via email at kc5nkk@hillcountryreact.org.
