Welcome to the Frederick Amateur Radio Club!

The Tour de Frederick 2024 bicycle extravaganza is on for June 8th and we’ll need volunteer amateur radio operators to ride in Support and Gear (SAG) vehicles, staff rest stops and assist at Net Control.  Many of the rest stops require only a handheld radio, although SAG works best with a full-powered mobile radio.  PLEASE don’t let lack of equipment prevent you from volunteering – we have spares and loaner equipment.  This is a great opportunity to get out and use our service in support of the local community – the funds for this go to the Boys & Girls Club here in Frederick County!

If you can help, please go here to sign up:  https://forms.gle/XZFDXbvGqhXySiog9

Please let me know if you have questions – you can email me at my address found on qrz.com

73!
Mike Forrence K3MMM

The Columbia Amateur Radio Association (aka CARA – web here: https://www.columbiaara.org) has been requested to provide communications support for the Northeast Endurance Team Challenge 2024 equestrian endurance event on the weekend of June 22-23, 2024 at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Management Area located in Elkton, MD.  This is a 24 hour event (7:00 A.M. – 07:00 A.M.) that includes 100 mile, 75 mile, 65 mile, 50 mile and 25 mile courses.

All support locations will require use of transportable VHF/UHF radios, antennas, power and HTs.  All stations are at remote locations that do not have power (quiet generator use permitted).  Some locations are near restrooms or portable toilets.  While most locations are accessible via paved or unfinished roads some locations are best accessed via vehicles with 4WD.

Yes, this is Field Day weekend!  We are going to do our best to provide volunteers who support this event with the opportunity to camp out and work Field Day from event support locations (i.e. during slow times).

Though several event support positions will require 18-24-hour support there are many positions that require less than 12 hours support, and a few positions that require less than 6 hours support.  Depending upon the number of volunteers who sign up and their availability – we will create support shifts for the positions that require more than 6 hours support so folks do not have to commit their entire Field Day weekend to this event unless they would like to do so.

We are working with the event organizers and Fair Hill staff to permit volunteers who support this event to arrive on Friday (June 21st) to camp out and set up stations, as appropriate, prior to the event.  Likewise, we are working to permit volunteers to remain at camp and/or support locations through 4:00 P.M. on Sunday (June 23) so they can work Field Day from their camp locations.  Additional information will be passed along as it becomes available.

We are currently expecting 175-225 participants along with their support crews.

Communication support will include:
Recording and conveying rider numbers to net control for general tracking purposes
Providing information regarding the general pace of activities
Advising when assistance (medical, horse transport, etc.) is needed
Conveying information to riders – as they pass, when necessary

In many ways, this is similar to a 24-hour ARES drill!

There will be pre-event information and coordination meetings (Zoom) on Tuesday evenings in June beginning at 7:30 P.M.  Zoom information will be passed to volunteers when they sign up.  Please plan to attend at least one of these meetings.

Please refer to the following Google Form to sign up -> https://forms.gle/B63ffTgJt85r45UF8

The CARA Lead for event is Andy Protigal (N3AWP) – see qrz.com for email address.

Best

Andy (N3AWP)

The Mountain Club of Maryland (MCM) will be sponsoring the Hike Cross Maryland on Saturday May 11th. This hike starts at Pen Mar Park in Highfield-Cascade MD and progresses south along the Appalachian Trail (AT), ending in Harpers Ferry, WV. As a club, our goal is to provide:

• Communications between checkpoints and net control, then then on to MCM folks.
• Communications with sweep hikers via Multi-Use Radio Service (MURS) HTs.
• Assistance and input with tracking hiker and sweep progress via shared spreadsheet.
• Sweep hiker tracking via Automatic Packet Reporting System (APRS).

To support this event, we’ll need volunteers to cover:

• Ten checkpoint locations along the AT. Most of these locations are where the trail crosses a roadway, so access to checkpoints is fairly painless.
• Net Control operator first (6am to 1pm) and second (1pm to ~8PM) shifts. Net Control can be stationed at a home shack for one or both shifts.
• One or more backup net control operators, in order to give primary net control periodic breaks. Backup net control can also watch the APRS map to help know where sweep hikers are located, as well as assist in getting data into the shared info spreadsheet.
• Shared Spreadsheet Manager, ensuring that shared documents are current for both hiker progress and sweep location. This can be a home-shack volunteer.
• Hilltop operator – mobile vehicle to shadow sweeps via accessible roadways. Vehicle will provide standard amateur capability, plus MURS with high-gain antenna, and APRS digipeater/iGate capability. Know that volunteer doesn’t necessarily need to provide all of this capability, as club or others will lend equipment for success.

Notes:

We expect to use the three UHF linked repeaters (Frederick (N3ITA), Thurmont (K3KMA), Clear Spring (N3UHD). At least one of these repeaters is accessible from many of the checkpoints via HT.

This is a GREAT opportunity, particularly for new ham operators, to get out and really exercise your license. We’re happy to pair you up with an experienced operator if you’d prefer – just put it in the note on sign-up form. It’s an event that you’ll certainly remember!

To volunteer, please use this link for the sign-up form: https://forms.gle/cszFRzv9BEYp6MFm8

As always, let me know if there are questions – my email address is valid on qrz.com.

Thanks!
Mike Forrence K3MMM

We plan to activate two parks as a group on Saturday April 6th, beginning at 9am as a part of Parks on the Air (aka POTA, found at: www.parksontheair.com).  We will activate the Chestnut Picnic Area at Catoctin Mountain Park located here and Monocacy National Battlefield at the Welcome Center located here.  

One very important note regarding access to Chestnut Picnic Area at Catoctin Mountain Park:

MD Rt 77 (aka Foxville Road) is currently closed between the eastern edge of the park and Park Central Road.  If traveling north on US 15 from Frederick and points south, the best route is to turn left on Catoctin Hollow Rd, follow that to the end, then turn right onto MD 77 and then left onto Park Central Road.  This adds about five minutes to the journey.  If coming from the west on MD 77, the construction is a non-issue.

Mike K3MMM will spearhead Catoctin and Justin AB3E will spearhead Monocacy.  Feel free to bring a portable radio setup or part of a setup or simply show up and use one of our radios.  Since others can act as control operator, no need for any particular license.  Each contact you make will count towards the club K3ERM score as well as your own, if you create a free POTA account in advance.

Please check back here for updates.  We look forward to seeing you there!  If there are questions, my email is valid on qrz.com.

73!
Mike K3MMM