[ILHam] Public Service Opportunities 8/24-26, 9/9, 9/16

[Neil R. Ormos N9NL]

Dear Cook County ARES Members and Friends:

The North Shore Radio Club will be providing
communications support for the North Shore Century
bike ride on September 16th, and is looking for
amateurs to assist.  For more invitation, see Rob
Orr K9RST's invitation appended to this message.

Also, please don't forget the Rolling on the River
Ride on August 24-26, and the Harmon Hundred Ride
on September 9th.  More information on these
events is available at <http://ares.n9nl.com/>.

Ham Radio participation in Public Service Events
is a win-win for everyone.  An organization gets a
valuable communications service that helps make
their event safer and more efficient.  We hams get
the opportunity to exercise our equipment and
practice our skills.  And we also get to show Ham
Radio off to the public in the most favorable
light.

Won't you please volunteer and help with these
activities that make the Amateur Radio Service
look so great in the eyes of the public?

Thanks and 73,

--Neil Ormos N9NL
District Emergency Coordinator
Amateur Radio Emergency Service
Cook County/Chicago

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Message from Rob Orr K9RST
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QST. Calling all hams. The North Shore Radio Club
is helping provide radio support for the North
Shore Century Bike Race, sponsored by the Evanston
Bike Club on Sunday, September 16, 2007.

The race attracts 1500 bicyclists and the featured
attraction is a 100 mile run to Kenosha and back
to Evanston.  There are also 3 other shorter runs
along the same track.  The North Shore Radio Club
will use its 440 repeater as net control station
for the race.  We are experimenting with some APRS
units to help locate some of the race help cars.
We need hams to serve at the 6 rest areas along
the route - to help manage routine traffic and to
assist with emergency traffic.  One of our main
jobs is to help deploy rescue cars to lost,
injured or broken down bikes/bikers. Bikers use
cell phone to call into the net control station to
report incidents.

The event starts around 6 a.m. on Sunday and will
go 12 hours.  We need folks who can work shifts in
the various rest areas: Evanston - Dawes Park (net
control and start/finish for the race), Lake
Forest - Northcroft Park; Waukegan - Viking Park
and Bowen Park; Kenosha - Lincoln Park; Highland
Park - Morraine Park.

We need you.  If you have a portable APRS unit and
want to help please call.  If you have a mobile
radio (HT's are not reliable for the distances we
are trying to reach) or base station you would
like to provide or if you just want to volunteer,
please contact: Rob Orr, K9RST, at k9rst at arrl.net
(or call 847-724-5228).  The bike race raises
$20,000 for various charities.  All hams are
welcome.  You do not have to be a member of the
North Shore Radio Club to participate.

Rob Orr
K9RST at arrl.net

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