[CTSARA] Thanks to the Bloomin Metric Hams

[Jon Perelstein]

We had a tough day.  Even though the rain kept about half of the 2500
registered riders home, we had more flats, mechanical breakdowns, and
accidents than any two years combined.  ANY two years!!

Our ham contingent handled it without breaking a sweat - even the times
when we had eight or 10 different incidents running and not enough SAG
wagons.  The amazing thing was that incidents never happen individually -
things always went from 15 or 20 minutes of quiet to 15 or 20 minutes of
sheer bedlam.  Our people worked together well, kept their brains engaged,
and got the job(s) done.

AND, one of our hams discovered that there is no signal strength from an HT
operated inside a standard plastic porta-potty.  I smell the makings of a
QST article on porta-potty propagation.

I would like to thank the following people for their superb work today

Andy KB3CZA
Bill WG1HM
Doug KB1UKC
Herb N1KWV
John K6WTB
Larry W1LAG
Laurie KB1SQU
Marc KB1YYN
Marilyn KB1YYO
Mike N1PLH
Mike KA1EOU
Sam NV1P
Steve KB1YLQ
Terry W1TSM
Terry WA1JBO
Toy K1WYQ
Fred K1FC
Marty KA1WBN
Tina KB1UOB

Herb (N1KWV), Laurie (KB1SQU), and Marc KB1YYN were newcomers to our merry
band of operators and I want to congratulate them on the way they came up
the learning curve and quickly became grizzled veterans like the rest of
the crew (well, nobody would call Marilyn "grizzled").

I'd like to especially thank Steve KB1YLQ for being our "lonesome end"
again  - sitting out by himself operating our cross-band repeater which
gave us perfectly clear comms from the upper loop, an area too far from the
primary repeater.

I'd also like to give special thanks to Sam (NV1P) and Terry (WA1JBO) who
stayed waaay late to help riders who were still on road after the end of
official coverage.

And the biggest thanks of all goes to Sam NV1P who always seemed to be on
as net control when things dropped into the proverbial handbasket.  He
stayed cool and kept things moving along.

73
Jon, WB2RYV