This is a large event, with distance options ranging from 11 to 100 miles. Because the event covers such a wide area, CCAR needed to provide radio operators at five rest stops and aboard eight support vehicles. The support vehicles are equipped with APRS trackers, allowing the net control operators to track their locations around the course.
French Creek Iron Tour participants taking a break at the Yellow Springs rest stop
My part in the event was pretty straight-forward. I was once again stationed at a rest stop in historic Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. Because CCAR has an extensive linked repeater infrastructure, an HT was all I needed for communications.
My minimalist setup for the French Creek Iron Tour cycling event
Fortunately, there were no serious issues to handle. A few riders rolled into the rest stop needing bicycle repairs, and some riders required transportation back to the start/finish line at the Kimberton Fairgrounds.
This is always a fun event, and the folks from the sponsoring organization are always a pleasure to work with.
This was another of those weekends that involved different aspects of ham radio. I was involved in a public service event on Saturday, and I got my QRP-portable fix on Sunday morning.
Once again, I served as the net control operator for the event. Chester County ARES-RACES (CCAR) had 13 operators at nine locations along the course. Several local dive teams also took up positions along the course, to ensure the safety of the participants.
This year, I was set up at the Northbrook Canoe Company, which is the end point for the course. The weather was less than stellar, with on and off drizzle throughout the event. The CCAR team, along with a paramedic, hunkered down under a large overhang off of one of the buildings. Communications-wise, this is a straightforward event. CCAR’s repeater system provides excellent coverage in the area, so the entire course can be covered using HTs. I was able to run the net from my camp chair with my AnyTone HT.
I neglected to take pictures of the Canoe Challenge, but I did snap this one of the WB3GCKmobile next to the Brandywine River.
Fortunately, there were no serious issues to be dealt with, and judging by the cheers at the finish line, the participants had a great time, despite the weather.
Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)
On Sunday morning, I wanted to get in a quick POTA activation. The weather was worse than the day before, with chillier temperatures and a more steady rainfall.
I rolled into Evansburg State Park and found the park completely empty—except for one crazy old ham. After setting up my 12-foot loaded whip, I draped a plastic bag over the loading coil to give it some protection from the elements. I used my trusty TR-35 (5 watts, CW) up in the cab.
My antenna and I sporting our raingear in Evansburg State Park (US-1351, KFF-1351)
For as early as it was (0900 EDT), the number of callers surprised me on 40M. I had my first 10 contacts in about 13 minutes. I operated for exactly an hour and spent most of my time on 40M. Moving up to 30M, I picked up three contacts there before shutting down.
I ended up with 31 contacts, including one park-to-park contact that I’m aware of. No DX today, but the Canadian stations were really booming in.
Towards the end of my activation, I had some rain coming in the passenger-side window where I bring the coax in. Normally, I use a piece of pipe insulation to help seal things up a bit, but I couldn’t find it in the truck. I have some more in the basement, so I’ll have to cut a new piece to fit the window.
Now it’s time to dry off my antenna parts before putting them back in the truck for next time.
I was out yesterday with my local ARES-RACES group providing communications support for the Marshalton Triathlon, here in Chester County, Pennsylvania. This popular event combines cycling, canoeing, and fast walking. I always look forward to volunteering for this event each year.
Once again, I was at the end of the 2.3-mile canoeing segment, known as “Canoe Out.” This is my favorite assignment and one that I request each year. The folks working at this location help the participants out of their canoes and retrieve the canoes for transport back to the starting point. I was situated on a bridge with a superb view of the Brandywine River. Compared to the rainy weather we had last year, the weather this year was just about perfect for this time of year.
A selfie taken from my vantage point on the bridge during the Marshalton Triathlon
Canoeists waiting to exit their canoes
The boat handlers getting a load of canoes ready to go back upriver. They use a system of rollers to help move the canoes up from the river.
My truck parked on the bridge across the Brandywine River
From a communications standpoint, this event is pretty simple. An HT was the only equipment I needed. Most of my communications involved coordinating with the folks at the “Canoe In” location upriver, letting them know when a load of canoes was headed back to them.
I didn’t hear of any serious incidents on the course, so that’s good news. There was a report of an overturned canoe, but the participants were able to get back in their boat and continue downriver.
This is our group’s last public service event for the year. We’ll be back out on the Brandywine River in the Spring supporting the Northbrook Canoe Challenge.
Yesterday, my local ARES-RACES group provided communications support for the Northbrook Canoe Challenge. This fun event benefits the Cerebral Palsy Association of Chester County (PA). Despite some equipment issues on my part, the event went off without a hitch.
Like last year, I was located near a dam along the Brandywine River with my ARES-RACES colleague, Tim KB3FCJ. I once again served as the net control operator for the event.
I initially set up my trusty old Icom IC-207H dual band mobile rig, and it seemed to work fine. However, I ran into an issue where it wouldn’t un-key when I released the push-to-talk button. Fortunately, Tim had his rig nearby, and we were back on the air in short order. (I have some troubleshooting to do this week.)
My old Icom 207H. It was replaced shortly after taking this picture, due to an issue with the push-to-talk button.
The dam on the Brandywine River. Members of a water rescue team were in the water directing canoeists around the dam.
The water rescue team directing a canoeist around the dam
The perfect weather made for a great day to sit along the river, watching the canoes and observing the wildlife in the area. We had a water rescue team on hand in the river to make sure canoeists avoided the dam and portaged safely around it.
After the final “sweep canoe” or “drag boat” passed our location, I packed up and relocated to the finish line at the Northbrook Canoe Company to run the rest of the net. I met up with Rich KE3HG, who served as our liaison with the canoe company. After the drag boat had passed all of our locations along the river, I closed the net. Rich and I stayed on site until the drag boat arrived at the finish line.
There were plenty of emergency personnel on hand, but (thankfully) there weren’t any safety issues. It was just a beautiful day out on the Brandywine River.
I was honored to have been selected by Chester County ARES-RACES (CCAR) to represent our organization during National Volunteers Week. Our local served agency, Chester County Department of Emergency Services (CCDES) is highlighting volunteer organizations in social media posts this week. The image below, along with a nice write-up, was posted on the CCDES Facebook page yesterday.
My hat goes off to everyone who volunteers their time, especially my CCAR colleagues. Thank you for your service!
I had two different portable operations this weekend—a mixed bag of sorts.
Yesterday morning, I took part in an EmComm exercise with my local ARES-RACES group. We have a relatively new network of Vara FM digipeaters and Winlink gateways around the county, and the exercise was intended to try them from various locations.
For this exercise, I deployed to the local high school, where I operated “stationary-mobile” from the parking lot. My task was to connect to the county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and send a Field Situation Report using Winlink over Vara FM on 2M. Then, I connected to the EOC using VarAC and sent a text file containing my Field Situation Report data. I was running 5 watts for both voice and data, so, technically, this was a QRP operation.
Winlink session on my Evolve laptop. This was my first time using the steering wheel tray, and it worked great.
My setup in the truck worked great. I used one of those plastic steering wheel trays to support my little Evolve laptop. I used my trusty old Icom IC-207H dual band rig and a Signalink for the data. Both the IC-207H and the Yaesu FT-8800 I used for voice were powered by separate deep cycle batteries. While everything worked fine, I have a couple of cables I’m going to build to simplify the battery connections.
My setup for Vara FM. The radio was powered by the deep cycle battery on the floor.
This morning, I went to nearby Evansburg State Park (K-1351) for a quick POTA activation. I used my TR-35, T1 tuner, and my 19-foot vertical mounted on my truck. (I didn’t take any pictures today, but, then again, there wasn’t anything special about my setup.) In about an hour, I logged 30 QSOs, including three park-to-park contacts.
While tuning around looking for park-to-park contacts, I worked a station operating with the Straight Key Century Club’s callsign, KS1KCC. My last contact of the day was with NL7V in North Pole, Alaska, on 17M. It’s always a thrill for me to work an Alaskan station. Paul gave me a 229 report, but I’ll take it.
I haven’t been very active on the HF bands lately. Family functions and other obligations have been keeping me busy. This weekend, however, I was able to take part in two different ARES–RACES events.
On Saturday morning, our local ARES-RACES group conducted a Simulated Emergency Test (SET). Because of the heavy rains forecasted, most operators participated from home. During the brief exercise, I sent an NBEMS message and a Winlink peer-to-peer message to the county Emergency Operations Center over local 2M simplex frequencies. I used my little Evolve laptop, and it performed great.
On Sunday, our ARES-RACES group provided emergency communications for the Marshalton Triathlon. This annual, family-friendly event combines cycling, canoeing, and speed walking. This year I was once again stationed at “Canoe Out,” which is the terminus of the 2.3 mile canoe run on the Brandywine River.
A water-logged WB3GCK at the Marshalton Triathlon
A crew was on hand to help participants disembark safely
The boat handlers did a great job in some very muddy conditions
This year’s triathlon was a wet one. It rained steadily for most of the five hours I was onsite. Despite the lousy weather, the participants seemed to have a good time. After the last canoe arrived, I was able to head home and dry out.
Hopefully, I’ll get back to doing some QRP-portable operating this week.
Chester County ARES-RACES provides communications support for the event, and it’s one of our larger public service events. Besides providing a crew at the start/finish line, we have operators at five rest stops and in seven roving support vehicles. APRS is used to track the locations of the support vehicles, allowing Net Control to dispatch them efficiently to assist riders experiencing problems.
This year, my assignment was at a rest stop in historic Yellow Springs, Pennsylvania. I’ve been at this location for the past several years, and it’s become my favorite assignment. This rest stop is the first one to open for the event, so after a quick stop for coffee and a breakfast sandwich, I was onsite bright and early.
Yellow Springs rest stop for the French Creek Iron Tour. This was taken early in the day as the riders started coming through.
The day started off with some heavy downpours. I hunkered down in my truck, and the rain pounding on the roof made it hard to hear the radio. Fortunately for the riders, the rain stopped by mid-morning. Despite the initial rain and the wet road conditions, I didn’t encounter any downed riders or other major issues during my shift.
Although the weather could have been better, it was nice to work with the friendly volunteers at the Yellow Springs rest stop again this year. Kudos to my ARES-RACES colleagues who put in a long day supporting this event.
Earlier this week, my orthopedic surgeon gave me the OK to drive again. This allowed me to take part in the Northbrook Canoe Challenge, an event to benefit the Cerebral Palsy Association. My local ARES-RACES group has provided communications for this event for many years.
This year I served as Net Control Operator for the event. Tim KB3FCJ set up a canopy for us along the scenic Brandywine River. We were situated near a dam, which the canoeists needed to portage around. A water rescue team was on hand to ensure the safety of the participants.
My operating position for the Northbrook Canoe Challenge. This was taken while we waited for the canoes to make their way down the river.
As events go, it was pretty uneventful. There were no medical emergencies or overturned canoes. Just a nice day on the river operating with my Chester County ARES-RACES colleagues.
My XYL says I’m obsessed with bags, cases, and containers. She might be right.
During normal years, I participate in several public service events with my local ARES-RACES group. For a couple of those events, I’m often out on foot away from my truck with an HT. I wanted a convenient way to carry a few essentials for those situations.
I put together this little kit last Winter, but it hasn’t seen much use. Sadly, the pandemic forced the cancellation of our public service events this year. This year has been anything but normal.
My water bottle carrier with HT pouch attached on the side
I wanted something to carry the following items:
Water bottle
HT
Spare battery for the HT
Small notepad and pencil
Minimal first aid kit (a few antiseptic wipes and bandages)
A few snacks
To carry everything, I bought a no-name water bottle carrier on eBay for about $13. I looked at lots of bottle carriers, but this inexpensive one was best suited to my needs. I’d provide a specific link, but these eBay offerings tend to quickly come and go. A search for “tactical military molle system water bottle bag” should should yield lots of options. I found some for less than $10. Of course, there are name brands out there that cost much more.
Here are the particulars of the one I bought:
The bag is constructed of 600D nylon. The specs say it’s waterproof, but I haven’t verified that.
The main compartment is 10.6″ tall and 4.3″ in diameter. It’s large enough to hold a 2-liter bottle. If I use a smaller water bottle, there’s room in this compartment for some other gear, too. It also has a zippered lid that will keep your gear from falling out.
There’s a 5.9″ x 4.3″ x 2″ gadget pouch on the front. This pouch is large enough for a couple of HT batteries, notepad, pencil, first aid kit, etc.
It has plenty of MOLLE webbing. A couple of them have Velcro for attaching patches. You could use the straps on the rear of the bag to attach it to another larger bag or your belt.
This bag certainly has room enough to carry everything I plan to carry in it. Heck, I’m sure I could carry a complete HF QRP station in it.
To hold my HT, I tried out several MOLLE-compatible pouches. The one I plan to use is a no-name item I bought from a Chinese seller on eBay. It only cost me about $4.00 (shipping included), but it works well with my current collection of HTs. I attached it to the side of the bottle carrier using the MOLLE webbing. An Internet search for “radio pouch” will bring you a dizzying assortment from which to choose.
As a final touch, I added a patch with my callsign on it. I ordered the 4″ x 1″ custom embroidered Velcro patch from a shop on Etsy. This little bit of vanity cost almost as much as the bag, but it looks good.
So far, I’ve only used this bag for a few short hikes. I haven’t used this bag for its intended purpose yet, but I’m hoping that will change next year. (Fingers crossed)
WB3GCK QRP Amateur Radio 