PAPA 4 and PAPA 30 will be in use for this event
MARC is looking for help with the “bike MS” Event
The Motorcycle Amateur Radio Club (MARC) supports bicycle charity rides for several organizations. This particular ride is for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Proceeds will support both patients and research. Event details can be found here. The ride starts in Santa Monica and goes up the coast to Ventura on the first day. On the second day there are several routes that start and end in Ventura, the longest travels inland towards Ojai then travels east and back toward Ventura. The longest ride covers 155 miles over the two days.
Volunteer Opportunities
It may seem early to look for volunteers, but we need to know how many volunteers we have available. We are looking for 4 types of volunteers, if you are interested in one of these positions please let me know.
- Shadow Operators – Shadow operators will be in a vehicle with a ride marshal to provide real-time communication with event officials. For this position you will need a hand held radio and a mag mount antenna. You should also have enough battery for the day or a 12v charger for your radio.
- Support and Gear – We refer to this position as “SAG”. SAG team members will be traveling in their own vehicle providing support for riders with various issues ranging from repair needs, flat tires, accidents, and tired riders. You duties could be as simple as stopping to help someone change a tire, giving someone a ride to a bicycle shop for repairs, or waiting with them while medical support arrives. You are expected to have some knowledge of bicycle repair. Ride officials will provide you with water to hand out to riders, inner tubes, and some first aid supplies. You should have some tools with you (bike-specific preferred), a tire pump that supports both schrader and presta valves, and a bicycle rack.
- Motors – Do you have a radio on your motorcycle? Motors provide eyes and ears on the route. They track the lead and tail riders, and are frequently the first to know about a problem on the course. Depending on capability, motors will carry a small amount of bottled water for riders, a few tire tubes, and maybe a tire pump. The most significant role of the motor is to be on the course making sure the riders are all upright and happy.
- Net Control – Net control involves communicating with all radio operators in the field, event managers, and riders. It can be frustrating, but we like to have several people at net control to manage traffic and offer breaks.
What Do I Need?
We will be using the PAPA repeaters in the ride area as well as a VHF simplex channel. You should have a dual-band radio so you can monitor both. We are also trying to get hotel rooms to make it easier for people.
The MS team usually has food available at rest stops and a good dinner at the end of each day.
Interested?
Please use the link below to express interest in helping.
Volunteer Signup
If you have questions you can reach out to me directly using the information below.
Thank you for your support,
Michael Rickey AF6FB
[email protected]
949-298-0529
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