Just a little debrief for the April 28, 2013 Glass City Marathon - (a little late, but better late than never.)
In previous years at the Glass City Marathon (Toledo, OH) I've worked the water stops, but this year I was given a SAG Wagon assignment as part of Lucas County ARES role in the event. If you've wanted to use those radios for things other than collecting dust, and help others in your area in times of need, consider checking out the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). It's a great way to get out of the shack and have some fun at the same time.
Anyway, Rick Sharpe (K8RKS) does an excellent job in being net control for the event and also getting ARES volunteers. I've done it every year since I've started doing it. It's just a fun event - rain or shine, or snow - yes it's snowed, but luckily it doesn't stick!
This year I had an excellent volunteer driver and have to say he did a great job and knew the roads like the back of his hand. I couldn't have done it without him.
This year I was testing APRS as a positioning beacon in the SAG (Support and Gear) wagon. Net control couldn't use the data, but I wanted to test out coverage on the course for next year. I think it would be an excellent resource for net control so it can reduce the voice radio traffic and net control can put us to use quickly just by looking at a map and place us accordingly.
Here's my position reports - which I have the Yaesu FTM-350R set to "smart beacon" our position when speeds or directions change. Click the picture for a larger version.
No comments:
Post a Comment