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The combined efforts of Orange County Amateur Radio Club
and COAR (City of Orange Amateur Radio) and volunteer hams from the City of Cypress
provided over 30 hams to help plan, prepare, and provide the communications for the Police
Department team of the City of Orange compete in the 120-mile-long running relay
race. 245 different law-enforcement teams participated in this yearly event.
A map of the 120-mile-long B2V relay race course. It contains 20
individual relay legs and starts outside of Baker, goes through the cities of Shoshone
(Calif) and Pahrump (NV), goes over the mountain at Mountain Springs and ends at the
Hilton Hotel in Las Vegas. The red circles on the map locate the five COAR Communications
Centers.
Annotated Image by Dieter N6ZKD |
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One of several COAR-RACES B2V-Planning-Meetings that
were held in the EOC room located at the OPD building to work out locations,
staffing, and frequencies. 12 members of the OCARC participated in helping with
communications for the Orange Police Department running team.
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Photo by Ken W6HHC |
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| Before the
race, testing equipment for the Las Vegas Communication Center are: (L-R) Robbie-KB6CJZ
and Steve-KI6DDE |
Photo by David KG6RWU
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The pool-side workbench of W6HHC tested out radios,
computers, and antennas for the Pahrump Comm Center. The Equipment Testing Session really
began to look like "Field Day" when some COAR operators from the "Follow
Vehicle" showed up. (L-R) Nicholas-AF6CF, Mike-WA6OUE, Ken-W6HHC, David-KG6RWU,
Kathleen-K6IBH, and Bob-AF6C
Photo by Ken W6HHC |
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Here are many of Orange PD team runners and supporters
at a Baker H.S. meeting before the race begins on Saturday, March 14. A few of the
communications support can be seen in yellow shirts. |
Photo by Michelle Micallef of Orange PD |
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They're Off!!!
The gun has just started for the Orange PD runner and other teams in the
same class of 300 sworn officers.
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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The OPD "follow vehicle" will travel along
side the runnners during the entire race. This vehicle not only provided drink or food as
needed and a back-up runner, but was also equipped with a radio operator. The radio
operator could easily reach the closest communications center of COAR to pass information
(including running times) to OPD officials. The Follow Vehicle had three ham
antennas, including one for a APRS beacon gear.. |
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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During the first half of the race, Kathleen - K6IBH was
the radio communicator in the OPD Follow Vehicle. She has the 144 MHz "Las Vegas
mike" in her right hand and the 440 MHz "support vehicle mike" in her left
hand. Like a good quarterback, she has all the critcal frequencies written on her left
arm.
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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The OPD runner is seen in front of the OPD Follow
Vehicle and a long stream of other runners and support vehicles on the long desert course. |
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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Radio operators from Cypress manned the
communications center in Shoshone. 144 MHz simplex was used as the primary channel for
"back bone" communications. A cross-band repeater with 440 MHz that was located
in Sandy Valley linked the "OPD back bone" into Las Vegas . Shown is radio
operator Rich-KR6BA |
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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Shoshone is really in a "radio hole". In
order to reach the the Sandy Valley cross-band repeater by 2M, they set up a
"local" 440MHz repeater antenna to the rig in the shack. The 2M beam is on a
nearby hill (their motel is down below) and the the tent on the hill holds the local
cross-band repeater. |
Photo by Mike KF6WRM |
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This photo shows the OPD runner Dave Pasino (Team #60)
running uphill towards Ibex Pass with the OPD Follow Vehicle right behind to provide
water, fruit and communications. The APRS beacon allowed all of the communications
stations to "see" the location of the runner. |
Photo taken by David KG6RWU |
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