Greater Delaware Valley Area Bike MS/Walk MS Events
www.nationalmssociety.org/Chapters/PAE/Fundraising-Events
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2022 Communicator Sign Up Online Form : https://bit.ly/3ok29YZ
Download 2022 Communicator Registration Form.DOC
Contact Information : 609-795-0909;
N3MSSEVCOMM <at> gmail <dot> com
N3MSSEVCOMM <at> gmail <dot> com
A CALL TO ALL COMMUNICATORS
August 22, 2022
I KNOW WE CAN DO THIS ( I AM BEGGING AGAIN )
To all of you who have already volunteered, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We are now just 5 weeks away from the event (September 24th and 25th, 2022) and we still need 20 + HAMS to reach our number to support the event in full fashion. We have volunteers coming from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and other far states. I truly believe that we can get another 20 from our tri-state area to fill the void. This may seem like a lot of volunteers, but when you consider up to 100 miles on Saturday (From Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, NJ), and 75 miles on Sunday (the route in reverse), rest area, SAG, Command areas (North, South, and in Route) to name a few, we NEED the HELP.
As a Check Point volunteer, yes, we are asking for 4 to 6 hours each day (2 days), and this supports not only the HAMS that are putting in 14 to 16 hours for 3 days, but also the other 1000 volunteers, the up to 7000 riders, and of course - All those folks living in our area with this horrible disease called MS. (Of which I know of at least 4 HAMS with MS that work this event with us - all working at least 12 hours a day)
PLEASE - come out to support our public service responsibility, and be part of what is one of the largest (if not THE largest) HAM involved public service event in the country. Again, if you would like to see a little better what we do, please watch the YouTube episode of "WHAT HAMS DO" which showcased us last year, and hear the Chapter President of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society tell all : "The HAMS are the backbone of the event, and they couldn't do it without us".
Everyone on our mailing list, and club mailing lists receive our recruitment emails. We ask you all to talk up the event, and pass along this email to any HAMS you may know. If you have already volunteered, you should have received a confirmation email. If you have not, please contact us so that we can straighten things out.
Thank you for your anticipated participation, and this is another year that I can say :
IT IS AN HONOR, PRIVLEDGE, AND PLEASURE, WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm
Msg. Phone : (609.795.0909)
N3MSSEVCOMM@gmail.com
Editor’s Note : The on-line registration form, the downloadable paper form, and the YouTube video “ What Hams Do”, can be found on : https://gloucestercountyarc.weebly.com/bike-ms.html.
August 22, 2022
I KNOW WE CAN DO THIS ( I AM BEGGING AGAIN )
To all of you who have already volunteered, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. We are now just 5 weeks away from the event (September 24th and 25th, 2022) and we still need 20 + HAMS to reach our number to support the event in full fashion. We have volunteers coming from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Ohio, and other far states. I truly believe that we can get another 20 from our tri-state area to fill the void. This may seem like a lot of volunteers, but when you consider up to 100 miles on Saturday (From Cherry Hill, NJ to Ocean City, NJ), and 75 miles on Sunday (the route in reverse), rest area, SAG, Command areas (North, South, and in Route) to name a few, we NEED the HELP.
As a Check Point volunteer, yes, we are asking for 4 to 6 hours each day (2 days), and this supports not only the HAMS that are putting in 14 to 16 hours for 3 days, but also the other 1000 volunteers, the up to 7000 riders, and of course - All those folks living in our area with this horrible disease called MS. (Of which I know of at least 4 HAMS with MS that work this event with us - all working at least 12 hours a day)
PLEASE - come out to support our public service responsibility, and be part of what is one of the largest (if not THE largest) HAM involved public service event in the country. Again, if you would like to see a little better what we do, please watch the YouTube episode of "WHAT HAMS DO" which showcased us last year, and hear the Chapter President of the Greater Delaware Valley Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society tell all : "The HAMS are the backbone of the event, and they couldn't do it without us".
Everyone on our mailing list, and club mailing lists receive our recruitment emails. We ask you all to talk up the event, and pass along this email to any HAMS you may know. If you have already volunteered, you should have received a confirmation email. If you have not, please contact us so that we can straighten things out.
Thank you for your anticipated participation, and this is another year that I can say :
IT IS AN HONOR, PRIVLEDGE, AND PLEASURE, WORKING WITH ALL OF YOU.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm
Msg. Phone : (609.795.0909)
N3MSSEVCOMM@gmail.com
Editor’s Note : The on-line registration form, the downloadable paper form, and the YouTube video “ What Hams Do”, can be found on : https://gloucestercountyarc.weebly.com/bike-ms.html.
A CALL TO ALL COMMUNICATORS.
July 31, 2022
The 2022 Ride MS – City to Shore is fast coming upon us, and as you can imagine, our numbers are starting to worry us badly. As a reminder, to truly run this event at standard capacity, we need 150 HAMS with support staff behind us. This number covers our SAG, Rest Area, Command and Support areas, and of course 100 miles of road (one way).
The Communications Team, has been relied upon and trusted to operate during this event as a support structure to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, helping to keep the riders, staff, and fellow volunteers safe, secure, and informed. Over the past 10 years we have grown to become the “GO TO” team of the event. Even all the folks who have this horrible disease, have come to learn that the communicators provide such a vital role in a successful event that helps bring hope to them. Most of the proceeds from this event stay right here in our area to help those living with MS.
There are positions at this event that we need to cover due to the tried and true volunteers that worked this event, some for over 30 years, that have gone Silent Key, and these positions can be up to 16 hours in a day, but what we really need are the rank and file that just need to commit to a few hours a day at a route check point. In the MEMORY of these dedicated HAMS, we ask that you put September 24th and 25th, 2022 in your schedule to come out and help.
If you have volunteered before, you know that this can be a Fun, Satisfying, and yes, sometimes Frustrating fulfillment of our Public Service responsibility. If you don’t know much about the event, please watch a video of the series “What HAMS Do” that showcased us last year. See link above.
Please dig deep, and make the commitment to come out and help. You can use a paper sign-up form and either email or snail mail it back to us, or use the electronic form. See links above.
Remember, even if you have already signed up, we send out these emails to everyone to ask you to please forward them to all the HAMS you know who may not be on our mailing list, to help out with this great endeavor. Once you volunteer you will receive an email confirmation. If you have not received your confirmation please contact us.
From the depths of our hearts, we THANK YOU for your help, and we look forward to working WITH all of you again this year.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm
Msg. Phone : (609.795.0909)
July 31, 2022
The 2022 Ride MS – City to Shore is fast coming upon us, and as you can imagine, our numbers are starting to worry us badly. As a reminder, to truly run this event at standard capacity, we need 150 HAMS with support staff behind us. This number covers our SAG, Rest Area, Command and Support areas, and of course 100 miles of road (one way).
The Communications Team, has been relied upon and trusted to operate during this event as a support structure to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, helping to keep the riders, staff, and fellow volunteers safe, secure, and informed. Over the past 10 years we have grown to become the “GO TO” team of the event. Even all the folks who have this horrible disease, have come to learn that the communicators provide such a vital role in a successful event that helps bring hope to them. Most of the proceeds from this event stay right here in our area to help those living with MS.
There are positions at this event that we need to cover due to the tried and true volunteers that worked this event, some for over 30 years, that have gone Silent Key, and these positions can be up to 16 hours in a day, but what we really need are the rank and file that just need to commit to a few hours a day at a route check point. In the MEMORY of these dedicated HAMS, we ask that you put September 24th and 25th, 2022 in your schedule to come out and help.
If you have volunteered before, you know that this can be a Fun, Satisfying, and yes, sometimes Frustrating fulfillment of our Public Service responsibility. If you don’t know much about the event, please watch a video of the series “What HAMS Do” that showcased us last year. See link above.
Please dig deep, and make the commitment to come out and help. You can use a paper sign-up form and either email or snail mail it back to us, or use the electronic form. See links above.
Remember, even if you have already signed up, we send out these emails to everyone to ask you to please forward them to all the HAMS you know who may not be on our mailing list, to help out with this great endeavor. Once you volunteer you will receive an email confirmation. If you have not received your confirmation please contact us.
From the depths of our hearts, we THANK YOU for your help, and we look forward to working WITH all of you again this year.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm
Msg. Phone : (609.795.0909)
2021 Bike MS Event
By Chris Prioli, AD2CS
The 2021 running of the annual Bike MS City-to-Shore bicycle run took place on September 25th and 26th, with plenty of support by ham radio operators along the way. The Saturday event kicked off in the dark from the PATCO Woodcrest Station parking lot in Cherry Hill, and wound up at the Music Pier in Ocean City, with the opposite route being run on Sunday. The Saturday route included an optional spur route that brought the normal seventy-five mile route up to an even hundred miles, a course run only by the strongest cyclers. Similarly, the ridership on Sunday was a fraction of Saturday’s complement, though a couple hundred riders made the trip on Sunday.
Amateur radio played an important role in the smooth running of the event, with radio-linked communicators staged at various checkpoints along the cyclists’ route. The communicators were tasked with reporting the passing of key event personnel and vehicles, as long as promoting the safety and welfare of the riders by warning them of traffic and/or roadway hazards. The communicators were also tasked with obtaining help via radio for any cyclist who needed medical treatment, repairs, or a lift to the nearest rest or hydration station.
Our Club was well-represented, with the following individuals serving as checkpoint communicators:
- Jim AC2BY
- Bill NJ2S
- Chris AD2CS
- Karl W2KBF
- Harry K2ATX
- Harry W3DNQ
- Sheldon K2MEN
- Greg W5DO
- Darrin KD2ALQ
- Jerry WW2WTF
- Bruce KD2LBU
In addition to the checkpoint communicators, hams staffed other fixed sites such as the start and finish lines and the lunch and rest areas. Also, there was a roving group of hams on motorcycles who patrolled the route watching out for cyclists in trouble between the checkpoints. Among this group was our own Herb KT2Y. Herb was instrumental in getting out the volunteers from among our membership. Information regarding the call signs of non-checkpoint hams was requested from the Event Communications folks, but there has been nothing heard in reply as of this writing.
This event is a great example of amateur radio giving back to our communities and local and national charities. Our folks performed a series of valuable and necessary services, without which the safety and even the very success of the event would have been doubtful. Thank you to all who participated.
2021 Bike MS Event
By Herb Dyer, KT2Y
Hello All,
Well another Ride MS is now officially on the books. 2021 was both a Banner Year, and a challenging one.
We had 149 HAMS sign up to either work the actual 2 days of the event, or were instrumental in the planning and set-up of all the background operations.
I just can not think of the words that express how to say more than just THANK YOU. You all put yourselves out there to show that you care. I say once again, it is folks like yourselves that make me so PROUD to say that I am a HAM. Your dedication to Public Service is also proof that others mean something to you, and believe me, the Society and all those living with Multiple Sclerosis in the Greater Delaware Valley appreciate you.
We had a lot of setbacks this year, but please take my promise that these were all a learning process that will make next year's event bigger, better, and run smoother. Please keep us in mind and pass along to your friends and fellow HAMS to look for, and help out with, the 2022 Ride MS - City to Shore.
With all my RESPECT, Joe D (KC2SFB)
PS: Please remember to send us any suggestions you may have. We work WITH you, and your thoughts help us to make a better event.
With Much Appreciation
73, EvComm (609.795.0909)
By Herb Dyer, KT2Y
Hello All,
Well another Ride MS is now officially on the books. 2021 was both a Banner Year, and a challenging one.
We had 149 HAMS sign up to either work the actual 2 days of the event, or were instrumental in the planning and set-up of all the background operations.
I just can not think of the words that express how to say more than just THANK YOU. You all put yourselves out there to show that you care. I say once again, it is folks like yourselves that make me so PROUD to say that I am a HAM. Your dedication to Public Service is also proof that others mean something to you, and believe me, the Society and all those living with Multiple Sclerosis in the Greater Delaware Valley appreciate you.
We had a lot of setbacks this year, but please take my promise that these were all a learning process that will make next year's event bigger, better, and run smoother. Please keep us in mind and pass along to your friends and fellow HAMS to look for, and help out with, the 2022 Ride MS - City to Shore.
With all my RESPECT, Joe D (KC2SFB)
PS: Please remember to send us any suggestions you may have. We work WITH you, and your thoughts help us to make a better event.
With Much Appreciation
73, EvComm (609.795.0909)
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Greetings to All of the HAM Community
We are now 5 weeks away from the 2021 Ride MS - City to Shore, and I am once again PLEADING for volunteers. Last week I let you folks know that we were still very low on volunteers, and all we received were enough sign ups to cover 10 check points.
For those of you that have already signed up, we THANK YOU deeply, but you are still getting this in the hope that it will remind you to talk up the event, and forward it to all the HAMS you know, with a note to please volunteer.
We are still in the need to fill 30 more check point positions.
Yes, 30 check points, plus other operational positions to cover this event fully.
I ask that you folks dig deep to put 5 - 6 hours a day, for 2 days, on the 25th and 26th of September, aside to assist in one of the largest HAM Public Service Events in the country. A chance to use your SKILLS and EXPERTISE to help keep the thousands of riders and regular volunteers safe and informed. An opportunity to fulfill our Public Service Commitment.
We have unfortunately lost some long time volunteers of the event recently.
SILENT KEYS :
Ed Clark W2KP, Kathy Stafford AB2LF, Art Arnold N2CPR - to name a few of the over 20 year volunteers. If for no other reason, let’s get out there and support this event for them, and all the loyal volunteers of years gone by.
We still have rooms available in Ocean City for Saturday night for 2 day volunteers not living in the area, so sign up early to reserve a room.
We look forward to working with as many of you as possible this year. Whether you sign up on-line, e-mail or snail mail the form back, we don’t care.
JUST PLEASE SIGN UP.
That’s all for now, you will hear from us once again next week.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm (609.795.0909)
HELLO ALL COMMUNICATORS
Monday, July 26, 2021
Don’t Worry - The Begging Doesn’t Start Until Next Week
I wanted to give everyone an update on how things are going.
- We are currently working on our Frequency Plan for the Event this year. While we are hoping that most of our systems and frequencies will be up and ready to go, there may be some changes and/or additions.
- We unfortunately received some bad news last week that we will not be able to advertise on the back of the t-shirts this year (Neither Logos nor Call Signs). We are working with the Society to hopefully bring this back next year. If anyone has already sent in a check, we will void it out, scan it, and send and email with the attached VOID. If you would rather have us mail the voided check back, we will happily do so.
- When folks volunteer, we are sending a confirmation with the 2019 Comms Package attached. Once again, when you receive it, we ask that you go through it and send us any questions that you may have on anything.
- Our last mailing only fruited 39 volunteers. We thought we would have had a much better return. We are hoping that this email will do better.
With the number of volunteers on our mailing list going down, we ask that you all forward this message to any HAMS you may know, and ask them to help. Please remember that whether you have volunteered or not, we keep you on our recruitment mailings so that you are able to continue to forward our correspondence, and assist us in our recruiting effort.
Whether you sign up on-line, e-mail or snail mail the form back, we don’t care.
JUST PLEASE SIGN UP.
That’s all for now, you will hear from us once again next week.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm (609.795.0909)
HELLO ALL COMMUNICATORS
Sunday, July 18, 2021
As you heard back in May, we are a full GO for this year’s event.
Unfortunately, things were moving very slow for the sign-up process, but I think we have a handle on it now.
I won’t start begging for volunteers for a couple of weeks yet, but as you all know, I will have no problem doing that when the time comes.
Due to some very unfortunate circumstances, we will be looking to fill some positions this year that have been filled for many years past with tried and true volunteers who have dedicated their support to the event for anywhere from 15 to 30 years.
We have already assigned new personnel to Net Control and Ops Personnel Positions. We will be looking for new Support And Gear (SAG) volunteers and Situation Vehicle Personnel.
Please know before volunteering for these positions, that they consist of 10 to 12 hour days, both days of the event.
You do not have to do both days.
If you do request these positions, once your sign-up form is received, you will receive a phone call to discuss availability and responsibilities prior to being assigned. With all these changes, one thing stays constant. We still need 75 route volunteers for each day of the event.
As always, a Route Communicator position usually lasts about 3 to 5 hours per day.
So once again, we are looking to set a total volunteer number at 150 again this year. It would be great to surpass that, but the 150 number should cover our responsibilities.
Please dig deep to put the 25th and 26th of September on your schedule as Ham Community Service Days.
Thank you in advance for your help, and we look forward to working with at least 150 of you this year.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm (609.795.0909)
Sunday, July 18, 2021
As you heard back in May, we are a full GO for this year’s event.
Unfortunately, things were moving very slow for the sign-up process, but I think we have a handle on it now.
I won’t start begging for volunteers for a couple of weeks yet, but as you all know, I will have no problem doing that when the time comes.
Due to some very unfortunate circumstances, we will be looking to fill some positions this year that have been filled for many years past with tried and true volunteers who have dedicated their support to the event for anywhere from 15 to 30 years.
We have already assigned new personnel to Net Control and Ops Personnel Positions. We will be looking for new Support And Gear (SAG) volunteers and Situation Vehicle Personnel.
Please know before volunteering for these positions, that they consist of 10 to 12 hour days, both days of the event.
You do not have to do both days.
If you do request these positions, once your sign-up form is received, you will receive a phone call to discuss availability and responsibilities prior to being assigned. With all these changes, one thing stays constant. We still need 75 route volunteers for each day of the event.
As always, a Route Communicator position usually lasts about 3 to 5 hours per day.
So once again, we are looking to set a total volunteer number at 150 again this year. It would be great to surpass that, but the 150 number should cover our responsibilities.
Please dig deep to put the 25th and 26th of September on your schedule as Ham Community Service Days.
Thank you in advance for your help, and we look forward to working with at least 150 of you this year.
With Much Appreciation
73
EvComm (609.795.0909)
Motorcycle…Ham!
By Herb Dyer, KT2Y
Bike MS : City To Shore Ride 2019
By Herb Dyer, KT2Y
Bike MS : City To Shore Ride 2019
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As a motorcycle rider, have you ever watched the Tour de France bicycle race and seen the motorcycle support bikes and wonder what it would be like to ride along with the peloton? For many motorcyclists this resides only in our imagination. But for one weekend a year in South Jersey, a motorcyclist has the opportunity to experience bicycle support first hand. I had the opportunity to ride a motorcycle 2 days in support of the Multiple Sclerosis Society's “Bike MS: City to Shore Ride 2019” event. The MS 150 is one of the society’s largest fundraising events, with hundreds of participating bicyclists. A 2-day bike race/tour from Cherry Hill NJ to Ocean City NJ. The first day ride route is from Cherry Hill to Ocean City. For the hardcore cyclists that have the energy for the 2nd day, the ride course reverses from OC back to Cherry Hill for 75 miles on Sunday. There are 100-mile, 75-mile, and 45-mile routes combined on the course and cyclists can choose the route that suits their cycling ability. Cyclists get sponsorship from friends, relatives, employers, and others to raise money to help |
Freshly Baked MC-Ham!
(Photo courtesy of Jennifer KD2EYR)
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those afflicted with Multiple Sclerosis. Along with traffic control from local police units in many towns along the route, hundreds of volunteers donate their time and resources for what could be compared to a military grade logistical and communications operation that spans across the state of NJ.
On the route there are SAG vans (Support And Gear vans for bike repairs and stranded rider pickup), mobile repair shops operated by private bike shops (Support your local bike shop!) and emergency medical services (EMT’s). All these use radio communications on multiple 2-meter frequencies managed by a central command center (net control) located in Ocean City NJ. The US Army would be proud of this communications operation. Ham radio repeater owners/operators donate their repeaters for this weekend and create a linked frequency network that has hundreds of square miles of 2-meter coverage. It’s a herculean feat of radio engineering done by expert Ham volunteers. The BEARS system, K2DX, W2FLY, and K3BR are some of the repeaters pressed into duty. There is also an APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) team led by Jim AJ3DI & company that provide APRS beacons for the support vehicles that need them.
In addition to the repeater networks, the Amateur Radio community along with the motorcycling community combine forces along the route to ensure rider safety. Amateur radio operators occupy selected checkpoints (called Checkpoint Communicators) and motorcycle Road Marshalls patrol assigned sections of the route (equipped with cell phones to call for rider support). There are many miles of the course that have large gaps in coverage so in recent years a new support division was created combining both Ham radio and motorcycles. Motorcycle Hams! With a Ham License and the proper radio equipment installed, MC-Hams ride the entire course and fill in the gaps that lack the coverage of Checkpoint Communicators and Road Marshalls. MC-Ham motorcycles are equipped with APRS beacons for tracking on the aprs.fi website by the central command center. Much as the event is a challenge for a beginner bicyclist, Road Marshall and MC-Ham roles are not for the beginner motorcyclist. It requires a highly experienced motorcyclist to support and ride alongside cyclists that are taxing their abilities to the fullest. Due to the constant stream of visual and audio inputs motorcycle riding skills must be instinctual.
As a first time MC-Ham I joined an experienced team of 4 other MC-Hams and school was in! MC-Hams ride in pairs using a cyclical coverage system of riding 10 miles forward and turning around and riding 5 miles back looking for stranded cyclists that need assistance. With multiple pairs of MC-Hams staggering their starts and stops, overlapping of coverage can be created along a section of the route that spans many miles. This “10 minus 5” method gets the entire course covered by multiple MC-Ham pairs from start to finish. All MC-Hams and Checkpoint Communicators use a designated repeater frequency to monitor and communicate with net control to call for rider support and checkpoint reporting (support vehicle identification as they pass checkpoints for command center tracking of their locations along the route). MC-Hams also use a simplex frequency for bike to bike communications. Scanning the route for stranded riders, monitoring net control radio traffic, and giving the cyclists as much road space as possible uses experience in both hobbies simultaneously.
MC-Hams traverse the entire route and must be mindful of dehydration and fatigue and must make good use of the rest stop provisions as much as the cyclists themselves do. (Communicators and Road Marshalls are released from duty after all the riders are past their assigned areas, and their snacks are just as good!) There are multiple rest stops along the route, for a quick rest, lunch or other refreshments, and dancing. (ok, the cyclists are too tired to dance, but the DJ’s and sound systems are rocking! And yes, I got caught dancing…just a little.)
Since MC-Hams are the most agile of radio enabled support vehicles carrying a tool kit comes in handy as there are more than just flat tires happening when pushing bicycles to their mechanical limits. Mechanical assistance requests are handled by calling net control for a SAG van or Mobil Bike shop. I was able to get a 1 rider back on the road quickly without a SAG call using a Leatherman tool! We are there to support and protect the cyclists however we can.
As a first timer, I thought that repeater network coverage could be handled with my 10-Watt TYT-UV8000E radio (the same one I used last year as a Checkpoint Communicator) but learned on the southern branch of the route transmit capability to open the repeater is spotty. A 25 Watt or better DC powered radio with an external antenna mounted on the bike is the best equipment install. Plans are in place to install my 25W QYT8900 on my motorcycle for next year. (These QYT slice of bread sized radios are well suited for this task as 2 of my colleagues used the 8900D models.). Luckily, my riding partners helped me with this rookie oversight the times I was out of range of a repeater.
One of the most important things to identify is what mile marker on the route you are on at any given location. Even a GPS loaded with a gpx file route file there is not enough information to know exactly at what mile marker you are located. Route mile markers are critical information for calling for support. Using the odometer, or by resetting my trip meter on the bike to zero at a rest stop or specific mile marker, a quick math calc at any part of the route can ascertain your exact mile marker location. The APRS beacon can be used by net control for location clarification when emergency medical services are required as time is critical.
The ride route is on public roads and motorcyclists are fully aware of the dangers of distracted drivers in automobiles. These are hazards motorcyclists experience often and this is a well-covered subject in Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) training classes. On this job it’s not just you and your motorcycle that needs this awareness, but we need to extend this information processing to include dozens of other bicycles with us also. It’s important to keep yourself visible and protect the cyclists who are often fatigued and may not be fully aware of their road surroundings at every moment. MC-Hams and Road Marshalls need to be able to effectively communicate verbally and visually to autos and bicycles converging to help maintain safety for all.
The most satisfying aspect of this experience is the gratefulness of the cyclists (there are many more, including the complementary OC beachfront hotel and dinner for 2-day volunteers!). The riders are as tough as iron to sign up for this great cause and they know what we bring to the table for their safety. The gratitude they express to us at every opportunity is immensely gratifying. Either on the road, or meeting at rest stops, their appreciation of our work is unlimited. Rarely does one get to combine two “hobbies” for such an incredible impact, and the money raised goes to eliminate one of our most debilitating diseases.
After 2 full days of this event and hundreds of miles of riding I was happily exhausted. This was combined with an incredible exhilaration of the total experience. What was learned, what was accomplished for a great cause along with new friendships made. This does not happen every day!
Thanks to my new friends and coaches : Rick KC2VXI, Rick KC2YFY, Charlie N1CRR, Dennis W2DDS, and Tom KD9BVC from the Jersey Shore Amateur Radio Society for all their help and patience breaking in a “Beemer” newbie. Special thanks to Jim AJ3DI, Karl W2KBF, Mike N2SRO, Jim KD2TAT, and Joe DiBartolo KC2SFB, for their help on boarding a new MC-Ham. And thanks to the 139 Hams that stepped up and made this event possible including GCARC member Checkpoint Communicators, Jennifer KD2EYR, Frank W2FJM, Laurie KD2EYW, Sheldon K2MEN, and Bruce KD2LBU. (Sorry if I missed anyone!) Could not be done without you!
If you are a ham radio operator and/or an experienced motorcyclist and have not participated in this event, you are missing out!
Communicator Checkpoint 46.5. (Refreshments courtesy of Tom KD9BVC)
Rest Stop Party!
APRS Beacon (Courtesy of Jim AJ3DI)
Jim KD2TAT with one of Winslow's Finest
