[PPRAANet] The Tour de Cure ... Wants YOU!

[Rob Roller N7LV]

(Sorry for the list duplications.)

We're getting close to the first public service event of the season:

American Diabetes Assn Tour de Cure
Inaugural Ride, Southern Colorado
May 14
Woodland Park

This is one event that you definitely don't want to miss out on!

Why?

First of all, the need for communications on this event is REAL!  Well over 
half of this route is in an area that has no cell phone coverage.  As Walter 
Cronkite said in the "ARRL Today" video, amateur radio "... really is the 
best backup communications system in the world."  However in this case, it 
won't be a backup system, it'll be the PRIMARY system.  Amateur radio really 
is the only reliable means of communications that covers this entire route! 
The riders and the event organizers will absolutely depend on us for safety 
and logistics communications.  The organizers have pretty much dictated to 
their staff that they will use amateur radio for all of their message 
traffic.

Being the first event of the year, this will also be a great opportunity to 
get your go-kits in order and get prepared now for the remainder of the 
summer. Public service events are a great way to prepare for potential 
upcoming emergencies and exercises or Skywarn nets.  Check out your radios, 
charge your batteries, for example.

This ride will also be in some new areas for us.  Not that we've never 
operated in these areas, but we do it so infrequently.  This will give us a 
chance to get familiar with different repeaters, their frequencies, their 
subaudible tones.

And this is a great way to just enjoy the great outdoors.  The northern part 
of the route is on narrow roads, some dirt roads, that run along some 
creeks, such as the South Platte River and Buffalo Creek.  It's a really 
pretty area; a lot of people fishing in the area.  It's in the areas that 
makes Colorado the best state to live in.

The rivers flow along in canyons for the most part, making for challenging 
communications.  Fortunately the repeater system we'll use provide excellent 
coverage, but there are spotty areas along some of these areas.  Again, this 
is a chance to exercise your communications capabilities for portable and 
mobile operation at some of these rest stops.  Adequate radios and good 
external antennas will help a great deal.  If you're new to ham radio, don't 
worry - we can pair you up with someone more experienced.

Plan for a full day of a great public service event!

We have a web site to sign up at:

http://www.wavelinedata.com/ARESPSE

I'm including a list of the people that have already signed up that I'm 
aware of.

If you're not on this list below but are going to sign up, please ALSO reply 
to me so I can make sure I get you on the list.  I need to know exactly who 
has volunteered, how many people I have so far, so I can get the positions 
filled.

N7LV
W0RO
W0PRS
WB5PJB
N0VSA
K4ARM
K0HBZ
K0NRZ
K0TER
KB0VVA
KD0FDX
KD0KQL
KD0MZV
N0OUD
WB0YAF
WL7RV