Received an Email from VE3GIH Gord Hewitt with an update regarding the Tour For Kids Bike Ride.
Tim
With two weeks to go, we don't have the final information from the TFK organizers. However, we do have enough to begin to revise our plans.
Unless you have been following my website http://www3.sympatico.ca/ghewit/TFK you may be unaware of the changes to the route. In the organizers defense, the ride has been much more successful than they thought, and the larger group meant that Camp Kilacoo didn't have the washrooms and cooking resources to handle the three hundred plus people. (And you thought organizing your twenty or thirty ARES amateurs was a chore!) So the route has changed, and you will need to examine it and determine what is possible.
Our goals are, on Day 2 (Friday Aug. 11) and Day 3 (Saturday Aug. 12)
1. Provide amateur radio coverage in areas of poor cell phone coverage.
The organizers want to be able to quickly reach 911 if there is repeat of last year's road accident.
2. Provide amateur radio support to any location that may have a high vehicle traffic problem.
3. Attempt to keep track of riders, by trying to inventory them at the checkpoints.
4. Report lead and lag rider positions, to allow organizers to open and close checkpoints appropriately.
On Day 3, The Tri County club will cover from the 100 Km checkpoint to the 50 Km checkpoint. So unless you know of a cell phone problem before the 100 Km mark, I think we may be covered.
As for repeaters, I'd like to use repeaters with IRLP. That allows us to link repeaters across the wider area. Do you think the TBF repeater would be useful for Day 3?
Could you please look over the plan, and either telephone me, or email me your telephone number? I'd like to discuss this with you before your Friday Minden club meeting.
OK lads and lassies, we are going to need a few bodies if we are to be able to assist effectively. As there is no way I can be at the meeting this Friday I'm hoping that someone picks up the ball and collects names. I'm not sure how many operators we need. Gord's looking for operators in poor cell coverage areas, which is most of Haliburton County unless you are in a town or on Hwy 35. So if you can help out for all or part of a shift then sign up. Thanks in advance.
Received an Email from VE3VOD Bryn regarding the Black Bear Car Rally. Read it below.
Sir, Mam,
I am writing you in regards to and interest expressed at last years running of the Black Bear Rally by on (sic) of your club members.
Let me introduce my self, I'm Bryn Epp the Assistant Organizer and Chief radio Marshal of the Black Bear (Car) Rally. The Black Bear (Car) Rally is Organized by Maple Leaf Rally Club of Toronto and held out of Dorset Ontario. The event has run out of Dorset for the past ~6 years and has a history of running in the region for the past ~25 years. The Black bear Car rally is a performance event held on Closed roads where the fastest time wins. As a result of the terrain and the distances involved we use Amateur radio operators to monitor and track the competitors as they pass down the roads. For the past ~20 years we have used amateur radio operators and repeaters for our radio net. I would appreciate if you could pass on to your members that we are looking for volunteers to help with Marshaling the Rally on Saturday June 17th, 2006.
More information can be found at http://www.mlrc.ca/blackbear/. I would also ask that any volunteers please contact our Chief Marshal Ross Wood (VE3WOD) at [email protected]
Bryn Epp
VE3VOD
Assistant Coordinator
Chief Radio Marshal
Black Bear Rally
416-432-2591
[email protected]
P.S. I will be in the Dorset area this Saturday and Monitoring VE3MUS
That's all for now
Updates to the Events Page
Happy Saint Patrick's Day.
Sometime between my last post on March 11 and 14:30 local time today, the QSL server crashed - Big Time. Apparently the last restore they had for our site was sometime back in September 2005, so that's what you saw when you visted here. By the way a big thank you to QSL.net for informing me that they had a crash. They didn't. I only found out about it by accident. And to any club members who noticed, well thanks to you too. Not. I have just spent an hour and a half uploading the entire web site. Anyone want to take over being webmaster at any time - just ask.
I actually went to a club meeting yesterday! Hokey Smokes Bullwinkle!
A couple of items of interest:
First, CANWARN training on April 29 at Orillia OPP HQ. Register by email. See Phil VE3APL for email address to register. I'll post it here as soon as I get it.
Second VHARA Hamfest August 26. Here's a link to the VHARA Hamfest Page. WARNING. This site is HUGELY FLASH, GRAPHICS, JAVA AND JAVASCRIPT INTENSIVE. Only click here if you've got the time to wait while it loads.
Finally WEATHERADIO has new codes that newer models can be programmed to receive. These codes are area specific. Which is all well and good, but Minden is outside of the coverage areas of the four surrounding repeaters. I'm not going to leap into buying a Weather Radio in a hurry. But hey if you are interested CLICK.
That's all for now.
Received an email from John VE3POJ. It reads as follows:
Hi Tim
Thanks for posting the tourforkids info. I look forward to working with you guys as we pass through on Fri. between noon and 5, and Sat.morning I think 7am start from camp Kilcoo 6km down 35.
As for Links, Ham software,
...John VE3POJ
I'll be tied up with Summer Theatre that weekend, but let's hope the club can muster a few bodies for the event.
Received an email from Len VA3LGF. Gord Hewit VE3GIH is looking for help.
Gentlemen;
You may remember that we've been trying to support a charity bike ride for the past few years. We have had two problems supporting them in the past:
1. They leave the coordinating details to the last minute, which caused last years organizer, VE3XGM Elizabeth, much difficulty, and
2. We haven't been able to get much support outside of the GTA, due to late notification and the August date.
This email is an attempt to give you some advance notice of the dates and route for the event. We've asked the organizers to contact us by April, to give us some chance to organize ourselves over such a large area.
The route map is now available at Tour For Kids. The event is run across the southern end of the province from Aug. 10 to 13 incl.
Could you please spread the word to your ARES members, and ask that they consider helping with this charity event?
VE3GIH Gord Hewit
DEC Scugog District
905-886-8279 x21
Well you can't ask for better advance notification than 6 months can you?
Following the posting below, I received an email from Susan
Thanks for the good wishes. What Len didn't tell you is that we will be residing in Minden after the wedding. Yep -- I am giving up the hurricanes and exchanging them for snow. Some might think that is a little crazy...but it's the right thing for us! Anyway, look for us to roll into town some time in May or June. We have no firm departure date yet. I am looking forward to learning to be a Canuck.
Susan
After seeing the after effects of a hurricane, not crazy, no. See you both in the summer (bug season).
Remember Len? You know, VA3LGF. Seems he has some news.
Would you mind putting on the Club web site that Susan and I will be getting married on March 04, 2006 @ 3:00 PM Minden time. If anyone cannot make it a cash donation to our future together would be appreciated. Please in American Funds if you don't mind, HI.
Len
I know we all send best wishes to both of you.
Updates
Received an email from Larry Goucher VA3FHG who just happened to find this site. Larry suggested that I add Durham Radio to our links page. Consider it done.
Larry's email got me to thinking about other links I should have on the site, primarily software links. So what I propose is that I'll start posting links to software that I find to be exceptionally useful. Some are free, some are not.
Now if you'd like to suggest some software yourself, just email me by clicking the bottom button on the left where it says E-mail.