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All,
I am starting this thread so that we can link to it from our calendar of upcoming events and get it onto the schedule on the home page. The event is on Saturday, July 20, 2024. Please get that date onto your calendar now! We will be adding content to this post in short order, we will begin having some short training sessions and if you have never done participated in the event before, we encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and go. The Chamber of Commerce always does a bang up job of hosting the event. It is a huge financial draw for the community. We play a support role using trucks to haul broken bikes (and/or broken riders), using radio dispatch to and from the scene and providing communication support for rest stops. I had no idea what to expect until I did my first one three years ago and I HAD A BLAST! Please join us in showing the flag for amateur radio!
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
All,
Club President Mark Johnson (W5PTX) is doing a bang-up job of getting our Tour de Paris matters completely organized. I wanted to update this post and add some details. These details are to give participants a place to go for support documentation, upload pictures, etc. It also gives me the chance to ask for some help.
I am looking for action shot type pictures, can you help me with that? The starting line is always a good one. See this example from 2004:
Here is kind of a backwards version of what I want:
Rather than a trailing picture I want a shot of a long string of cyclists from the front.
If you are in position where you can take some of those, please do and then follow up with me. We can post some here of course, but I am looking for 2-3 really super good pics to use in our marketing material, on a future dedicated Tour de Paris web page and in a scrolling cue of pics on the home page. You know, you have seen how we do the Christmas tree and stuff like that. I don’t want to pay for stock pictures when we can do our own. Unless you don’t want it will mark them with your name and call sign so that everyone will know who took the great pic!
We also have some paperwork to share:
1) Click here for an instruction sheet for filling out the ICS-214 that the Club uses to document what we did during Tour de Paris.
2) To me the ICS-214 has always been a little…daunting. I took one, got on the phone with Jerry Keisler (WA5KZA) and said “Jerry, help me out here would you?” He was happy to. We filled out the form with my information were relevant. Click here to link to the ICS-214 filled out for you. If you open the form and delete my name and rest stop, fill yours in and then the activity details that Mark asks for in #1 above, easy-peasy. Or, print it out and use it as a guide to fill out the form in #3 below.
3) Click here for the link to a complete ICS-214 – Print it at your option, but if you just use the one I provided in #2 above, you will be speeding things up and simplifying things for yourself.
4) Click here for the link to a list of the rest stops and who is where.
Here is the map:
If you think of anything else we need to add here, please add it. Or call or write me and ask me to add it.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Let’s talk crossband repeater use for the Tour.
Cindy at RS 12 and I at RS 11 went to test talkie coverage and it was very poor so we will be using crossband repeaters via our vehicles.
As a reminder, all crossband repeaters must be coordinated with the technical gurus and net control MUST have the cell phone number of every crossband repeater user and you darn well better be carrying that cell phone with the battery fully charged and the ringer turned up all the way so you will hear it to avoid the interference issues of previous years!
So, in that vein, here is the information for the crossband repeaters that Cindy and I will be using and the list of open frequencies, as of this post.
Mobile CTCSS User Rest Stop
445.750 107.2 WA5VHU RS11
445.775 110.9 KD5CCB RS12
445.800
445.825
445.850
445.875
445.900
445.925
445.950
445.975Please add your planned crossband repeater to the list. You should not be on the same RF frequency as any other crossband repeater for this event. A different tone does not prevent interference.
There are many points to be aware of for proper operation of a crossband repeater and my suggestions are at:
Please let me know if you have any questions or suggestions.
73,
Charles WA5VHU
Charles,
Point taken and good job on starting the coordination process. I will insert a table here and if anyone wants to reserve a frequency so they can start fiddling around with their radio sooner rather than later, please email or call me and I will update the table with your choices from the table below:
There are lots of choices on the CTCSS codes. Trying to keep it simple for everyone I prepopulated the table with some from The Ham Radio School piece Get the Right Signal Tone. Key is do not use one of the codes already taken by someone else and do not use 114.8 as that is the one used by our UHF repeater.
So, who is interested but doesn’t know where to start? Here is a really nice write up – Cross-Band Repeat with the Yaesu FTM-400XDR – that shows how to do it with a Yaesu FTM-400. If someone wants to find something similar for other makes and/or models, please do. Then send it to me and I will add it here if you don’t know how.
In the case of the link to the FTM-400 write up above, you can read the whole thing or just scroll down until you see the picture of the radio head. The most important tip I want to emphasize here is that you must unplug your microphone. In crossband function the FTM-400 goes into “hot mic” mode. So please do not overlook that very important step.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
All,
It occurs to me that crossband repeating on my Yaesu FTM-400 will knock out my APRS. OK, no problem. My first thought was to take my Kenwood handy-talkie and use it to beacon my position. Then I remembered something that I have to keep reiterating to the whole group – If you are going to do crossband repeating or if you do not have a radio with APRS built in and you have a smart phone, please go and install APRS/fi on it. You can use your smart phone to beacon your position.
Please go get it (here for iOS or the Apple App Store or here for Android) now and start familiarizing yourself with it.
Added: Someone pointed out to me that the iOS version is not free. That is correct. If you click the link for it you will see that it is a $6.99 in app purchase. Once you have bought it you can install it on multiple iOS devices, but yes, you do have to pay for it. Having said that, it is cheaper than buying a radio and it gives you APRS. The importance of APRS is a personal decision. My post was meant for those that would like the functionality but they are going to cross band repeat and lose their APRS capability or their radio does not have APRS built in.
It is a bit of a battery hog, so please make sure and take a cord and cigarette lighter adapter and/or outlet charger so you can stay plugged in while in your vehicle. If you are planning to be outside of your vehicle for extended periods and you have a backup battery, take it.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
I will have a ftm-400 on 446.250 tone 100 at Love Civic Center. That will cover the inside with a HT.
How about an after-action report?
I have some comments I made while listening to the radio today:
First off, I think the net and overall operation went really really great!
My old trusty Kenwood TM-V71A worked great in the crossband mode and my tiny Yaesu VX-2 talkie allowed me to clip the talkie up by my ear on my safety vest like I would a speaker-mic. It all worked great for me as at RS11 I was out of talkie range of the 76 repeater.
Note that while I was using my crossband repeater I kept another 2m talkie nearby on 76 with the volume down low. That way I knew my crossband repeater was working and also was not causing interference.
Constantly saying your call sign phonetically slows down the net and actually impedes us from knowing what your call sign is without us writing it down or stopping what we are doing and consciously thinking about it to decode the phonetics into letters. We know who you are, net control has your call sign so phonetics are not proper here. If you don’t know how to say your call sign the way it is printed on your license then go practice out loud in front of your bathroom mirror.
We helped recover a stolen dog! How awesome is that!!!
For net control (and others), instead of just telling someone that you can’t copy them, tell them why. Too weak and too noisy? Audio too low? Too much microphone background noise? This gives them ideas of what to do to improve their signal.
10 codes and even Amateur Radio codes might be understood by some or most on the net however this is an Amateur Radio service net. For our nets plain language is recommended to avoid confusion. As an example, there have been times when I have heard a Ham ask for a radio check and someone comes back to them and tells them they are “Lima Charley”. The asking Ham says thank you and signs off. I call the asking Ham and ask them if they know what “Lima Charley” means and they say they don’t, as they must not have watched that Hollywood movie, but they didn’t want to show their ignorance. Just use plain language and say what you mean and mean what you say!
We really need to work on tracking the last rider so we don’t have to depend on others so much.
What comments do you have to add?
73,
Charles WA5VHU
All,
Note to people that subscribe to get notifications of forum posts – You get only a text recap. Please click the link and load the forums page. There are lots of pictures in this post.
To me, yesterday was the best Tour de Paris since I have been a member of the Club. Highly organized, well scripted as to our roles, no accidents, incidents or misadventures of any type. Said another way – no drama. There was plenty of ice, below normal temperatures and a nice breeze. The only question we all had was why there were substantially fewer rally participants this year? According to organizers, not fewer paid registrants, but definitely fewer riders.
George Haneke (NV7Z) and I were staged in Roxton (RS4). When we got there George, well known locally, went and interfaced with the people setting the stop up. As bikers started pulling into the stop George kept track of activities, making notes reference jersey numbers and making radio calls to EOC. That freed me up to try and get some action shot pictures for the Club website.
I really desperately need some action shots so that we can advertise what we do and not have to buy “stock” pictures. I didn’t really get the action shot that I want, the two biggest chances came while I was helping out with something, but still I got a couple that are decent:
I also got one staged pic. Going forward any time that we can get a picture of one of our operators in the field, depicting something even if not doing something; I need a library of choices to use on our website. In this example, new Club member Don Heetderks (KJ5EQS) doing Support and Gear (SAG) duty was patiently waiting for the call to transport someone and I said “While there is a lull in the action come over here and pose at your truck.” I took some pics of him and then a lady with a water bottle holder problem actually needed some minor help. Don grabbed some zip-ties and resecured it to her bike. She was thrilled, he was validated that he had helped someone and everyone was happy. Here are some pics of that:
As I said above, George, Don and I were staged at Roxton (RS4). As things were wrapping up, Don was left to man the RS and George and I were dispatched to run some of the routes and look for stragglers and attempt to start identifying who the last riders were on each course.
Who can tell us the names of the driver and gal pictured in the Batmobile? She is a volunteer firefighter, someone told me that she was caught up in a tornado last year, and she told me that she is a ham, but I am just terrible with names. Help a brother out and tell us both of their names and I will update this post with them. Thanks!
Prior to the event I bought a Bulletpoint Mounting Solutions bracket and iPhone holder and accessory iPad Mini compatible holder. Deciding to buy them kind of late in the game, I barely had time to get them installed, doing that Friday late afternoon/early evening. All I can say is WOW! Rock solid. I mean rock solid.
The Mini had APRS/fi running on it all day. I programmed in the TDP operators that were running APRS to fantastic effect, able to have a visual of where everyone was on the course all day. Talk about enhanced situational awareness (SA). Please make a note of that. For the many Club members that do not use that or have not used that phrase, it is used universally in military, law enforcement, aviation, etc. “SA” is of paramount importance.
Speaking of SA, Net Control did their 0800 brief as the event launched and they made mention of voluntary, but encouraged APRS usage. Well, many did and as the day wore on I heard people check in with their location and Net Control reply many, many times, “Roger, we have your position marked by APRS.” I have to tell you, I was just thrilled to see APRS starting to be used in this setting, as I have thought it should be for years. At Field Day, not so much. During TDP or a weather event; giving the people at the EOC as part of the “big picture” the ability to use a tactical display to depict where operators in the field are; I believe that was and going forward is, a huge advantage. Maybe even a game changer. Thank you to all that invested in the gear, the app, whatever, and who used it. I was watching for mostly entertainment reasons, but my SA was certainly enhanced. Cliff Leath (KI5OPP) did nearly the exact same thing as I did. More on that below. But I know it was being used to very good effect at the EOC and by others of us that wanted that tool to help us with SA.
Added: Radios used were Baofeng portable, ICOM ID-51A, Yaesu FTM-400 and Kenwood TH-D72A. Cross band repeater was not needed, but at times the Baofeng would not get into the repeater with a stock antenna. When that occurred Don used the Kenwood that was connected to a mag mount antenna on his roof. All radios and antenna combinations performed well, save for the comment about the Baofeng. Battery life on the portables was more than ample for the exercise.
Added: Super important to have are field glasses. Binoculars, monocular, whatever; some of the jersey tag numbers are very, very, hard to read. You will save yourself some trouble if you have those.
I will wrap it by saying that I had a great time and I am convinced everyone else had a great time too. And the “lessons learned” from this event will serve us all well going forward.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
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All,
As I was putting the above post together Cliff Leath (KI5OPP) called. He sent me some pictures that he took and asked me to please post them for him. The first picture is a fiberglass (?) pole that belongs to Cliff that Mark used to mount an antenna for their radio in the Love Civic Center (LCC). In between are pictures of RS9, out in the country/county east of Roxton. The last one is some of us having a cheeseburger at the LCC following the rally. Cliff took that picture and would not allow us to get one with him in it. LOL He will probably follow up with a post later, but here are his pictures.
Cliff set up largely as my truck was equipped. Mobile radio, portable radio and laptop with APRS/fi loaded and call signs plugged in. Not mentioned in my post, but mirrored by Cliff – Take plenty of water, any other drinks and snacks. And your meds if you are on prescription medication. Do the rest stops provide food and drink? Yes, I might take them up on the offer, but I largely prefer 100% autonomous operation. I won’t put words in his mouth, but I think Cliff operates the same way.
Also not mentioned in my post is that I was a rolling toolbox. Cliff was too. The covered bed of my truck hid every tool imaginable that could be used. To include many Ryobi 18v power tools and many, many, hand tools. And large empty ice chests in case we had been requested to do an emergency ice resupply. None were called for this year, but I have been asked to do that before. Without a cooler the stuff is just melting as you sprint to where it is needed.
73
Phillip Beall (W5EBC)
Hit it pretty much on the head Phil
i had a good time this year. Seemed to go off with out any serious issues
I spoke with a few riders. I explained what our task at the event was. Almost unanimously they commented how well organized this event is. I’m think we as a club play no small part in that
Good job Mark in get us all organized. I look forward to next year
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