I know ARFCOM has a fair number of hams amongst its ranks. Any help would be greatly appreciated....

The MS170 Bike Ride for Multiple Sclerosis is next weekend (21st & 22nd). Communications are handled by ham operators and they do not have enough volunteers for the event.
Participation can be for either day, or both.
Equipment needed to ride in a Support & Gear (SAG) Van is:
A dual band mobile (2m/70cm), a 12V cigarette light adapter for power, and a mag-mount antenna for Day 1. A 2M mobile is enough for Day 2.

For Stationary positions a handheld dual band radio (2M/70cm) usually suffices.

Basic Net/Traffic Handling experience is a huge plus.


Here's a copy of the email being circulated by the Ocean County ARES group seeking help. [NOTE: This plea is for DAY 2. They still need operators for DAY 1, too (From Monmouth University to Pinelands Middle School) ]

This is an urgent plea for operators to go with MS SAG vehicles. There
are 5 SAG units and so far, I only have two operators. MS is looking for
names of operators ASAP.
You would need a 2 meter mobile radio with cigar plug or a decent HT
radio, mag mount and have the appropriate frequencies for the tour
programmed into your radio. The SAG assignment is all day, start of
0700. We leave from Pinelands Middle School and you will be returned
there at end of tour.

--
73, Bob, WX2NJ (Amateur)
PG00016133 (General Radiotelephone)
Ocean County ARES Coordinator
www.wa2res.com

If you can help out email me ASAP at: [email protected]

Thanks, 73

Tim
W2TET

This is my backyard.
I forwarded it to some local clubs.

Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate your help.

The SAG Van operators should be finished by 3-4pm and returned to their vehicles. Anyone manning a van should be prepared to be there start to finish on whichever day/days they're volunteering.

Operators at the stationary posts finish as the last riders pass them. The closer to the beginning you are, the quicker you get cut loose. There is usually an approximate 4-5 hour window for each post. Ex: Early posts may be 7am-11am. A post further down the course might be 10am-2pm.

You bring up a good point, Lion_Dog: Yes, bringing water/beverages and food/snacks is recommended. For stationary posts, a folding chair is a good idea. Rain gear is also a good idea, just in case. As for potty breaks: The way we've done it in the past is to call Net Control and make them aware we will be "off post" temporarily and then head to the nearest "head". The way this bike ride looks so far, most operators will be at rest/water stops, so portable facilities should be available. If not, jump in your vehicle and find the nearest place with a public restroom.

The SAG Van riders should bring food/water, too, but they can just make a stop wherever it's convenient when nature calls.

Thanks again for passing this along. It's a fun time for a worthy cause.

Take care, 73

Tim
W2TET

SAG DAY 1&2

I'd like to volunteer, however I have several other commitments that weekend.
In fact, I'm seriously thinking on becoming active in the ARES/RACES, etc emergency comms field.
Edit: Currently going through an Ocean county Dept of homeland security check....

LOL.. No problem, there's another MS bike ride in September.

Good luck with your Security Check. If you're located in Ocean County you can check out the local ARES group at Ocean County ARES

Thanks for passing along the message. You've done all you can: I can't ask for more than that.

Take care, 73
Tim
W2TET

Thanks Lion_Dog and ctrmass (and anyone else who spread the word) for getting the word out about the MS Bike Ride.

The event was a big success and we had nearly all the Ham Operator positions filled. The look on the riders' faces when a Support Van pulls up to help them fix their bike or shuttle them to get medical help or help in any other way we can, is incredible. On top of that, we also had a lot of fun: The MS Staff are a great bunch of dedicated people that always go the extra mile to make things work.

I am always amazed how efficient and adaptable the Ham Traffic Nets are at events like this. This was definitely the case when the Ride was in and around the Tuckerton area, where cell (and Nextel) coverage is spotty at best, and when we had multiple riders down in widespread locations in need of transport to different parts of the course, all at the same time. On DAY 2 Net Control was in Ocean City (and later shifted to Cape May for technical reasons) dispatching Vans and also relaying information using DSTAR up to the Main MS Command Center at Monmouth University. It's all pretty impressive to experience in real time.

To be continued....

There's another MS Ride in September from Cherry Hill to Ocean City.  This is the second biggest MS Ride in the country, with over 7000 riders last year. There are multiple Nets in use and the SAG Vans are tracked with APRS. It's Ham Radio in action.

Here is the advance email that's been sent out to Ham Operators for this year's event. Feel free to circulate it to anyone that might be able to help out. Hams play a vital role in the safety and well being of the riders and they need well over a hundred operators for this event!

Save the dates and sign up now! There are openings for all experience levels.

Registration link in next posting...

N3MSS   TO  ALL  COMMUNICATORS and COMMUNICATIONS VOLUNTEERS:

THE   2017   MS EVENT SEASON   IS  UPON US

We haven’t sent out any emails over the past few months because we were told that we were sending out too many!!  But here we are only 6 months away from the CITY TO SHORE 150.

Once again we would like to say THANK YOU to the volunteers who gave of themselves and their time to help us in 2016.  We are getting closer and closer to our mark of 125 HAMS for the MS 150, and hopefully we can get an early start on sign-ups for this year.
The Society has expressed their gratitude for a job so professionally done last year that we are considered as part of the complete endeavor that delivers these successful events.  The dedication of our tried and true, and the enthusiasm of our new, show that the communicators and general volunteers that our group bring are a testament to COMMUNITY SERVICE.  With this in mind,  we now come to you with the events for 2017 and hope that you can set aside these dates in your calendars to make a difference in our world today, and to those living with MS

...

...
2016 opened a lot of doors for the Communications Operations Team. We expanded with more, bigger, and better equipment – and our ranks were 108 HAMS and 26 non-HAM support staff.  We do need to get that number of HAMS up to 125 to fully support this event in the safest way possible, and we fully appreciate and utilize our non-HAM help to the fullest.

Whether you have worked the event in the past or not, sign up early and let’s make this the year that the HAM community will talk about for years.  We will be sending out additional information on the event in emails and club mailings, so expect to hear from us soon.


Our mailing lists are no where near the numbers that we would like them to be.  We ask everyone that is receiving this request to forward it to any possible HAM volunteers that you may know.  (Also, if you are a part of a HAM mailing list, we ask you to please forward it on those lists.)  

WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU THIS YEAR AND MANY YEARS IN THE FUTURE.

73
Communications Operations Team

Event Forms Are Attached, and MS 150 City to Shore forms are available On-Line at: Ham Communicator Registration  

Again, thanks for your help. I knew I could count on the ARFCOM Community.

Take care, 73

Tim
W2TET