SPECIAL OLYMPICS TRIATHLON - NEW EVENT
08/29/10 - KE7EJF - Dennis Bietry
Hams are needed for this new event on September 11. If you aren't going to the cool pines of Flagstaff for the Barn Burner, here is your chance to sign up for your first public service event of the season.
BARN BURNER IS ON!! SEPTEMBER 11, 2010
07/28/10 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
I received word today the Forest Service has approved the permit for the Barn Burner!!!!
The Barn Burner is being held North West of Flagstaff and camping is available. The event is a 100 mile bike race around Kendrick Peak (4-25 mile laps).
Communications is tricky because of the peak, and we need dual band capable units for this event.
Sign ups are open.
Whooooo Hooooooo!!
Rick
THANK YOU FROM THE TOUR DE PARADISE
05/25/10 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
May 24, 2010
E-mail: Mr. Rick Aldom, Director
Maricopa County Emergency Communications Group
Dear Mr. Aldom:
Thank you for partnering with Duet for our Tour de Paradise on April 10, 2010. We are grateful to the Maricopa County Emergency Communications Group for supplying us with event safety services once again. We very much appreciate that your members are willing to give their time and efforts for many hours on the day of our ride. Dan Zubey has become a welcome member of our committee and as your MCECG club representative is a respected and invaluable asset to our planning process. Dan goes over and above to make sure safety and common sense are primary in our planning for logistics for the Tour.
The MCECG’s in-kind gift of time and expertise allow more of the funds raised to directly benefit Duet’s services. We are a nonprofit interfaith organization that promotes health and well-being through a broad range of free-of-charge services to homebound adults, family caregivers, grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, and faith communities throughout the greater Phoenix area.
Attached to our email is the Thank You flyer, which was given to each of our 238 riders. I thank you again for helping Duet to raise more than $13,500 in net proceeds for our services.
Sincerely,
Brian Shea
Tour de Paradise Chair
P.S. Please go to www.tourdeparadise.org and click on the photos tab at the top of the home page to view the slideshow of this year’s ride.
BARN BURNER COMMENTS FROM LAST YEAR!!
05/19/10 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
Here are three comments that came in on the Barnburner event last year:
The number of radio crew - helped me feel safe knowing people weren't too far away.
The radio operators were all over the place… their presence was known and appreciated.
Loved the ham radios set up around the loop. Cool that they volunteered to do that!
Isn't nice to know that your time and effort is appreciated!!
RYAN'S HOUSE EVENT A SUCCESS
04/16/10 - KB8YYA - Dreux Jacques
What an event! Last minute changes, moving rest stops, clocks that we could not get going. Still the MCECG Team came together and got it done. We only experienced one person not finishing due to an injury. She was unable to cope with the idea she could not make it on her own. KF7FAL convinced her that she could not continue and her injury was something she should consider first.
This was a first year event and hopefully future evens will be run smoother. See you all next year and sit back and relax for the next go around.
Dreux, KB8YYA
IN THE COMPANY OF SERVANT WARRIORS
03/04/10 - WB4ZKA - Mike Pulley
I spent the weekend in the company of servant warriors.
The occasion was a 202-mile relay race called the Ragnar del Sol, named after the historic Norse warrior-king Ragnar. Ragnar was famous for his boldness, his creative cunning, and his steadfastness in the face of hardship. Whereas Ragnar destroyed and killed to get his way, I spent the weekend in the company of servant warriors who were equally bold, creative, and steadfast, but to protect and save the people around them.
I speak of the radio amateurs who volunteered to support this event. They put up with one anothers' quirkiness and awkward habits, made worse by fatigue and frustration. They rubbed each other the wrong way and called each other names off the air, but nonetheless remained professional on the air. The difference between amateurs and professionals is that when the inevitable problems appear, amateurs panic and professionals keep their cool and just figure out a solution. I prefer to work with professionals, regardless of how many zeros are in their pay.
I speak of radio amateurs like Stephen, KE7TLS, Patrick, KI4NSF, Barry, K7BLH, and Jason, KF7ERT, who served their full duty shift, and then took another assignment simply because there was a need. They stepped into the gap, like many others did, too, just because they couldn't accept the gaps.
I speak of the radio team captains, Lloyd, WA6ZZJ, Randy, KC0NNT, Dennis, KA7VAB, Brian, N7TUQ, Terry, KE7LPG, and Tom, KE7TM, who were the first to arrive and the last to leave, who took care of their radio ops, and who did whatever necessary to shepherd all the runners and vans through their sectors. It's easy to follow leaders who serve their crews so.
I speak of the runner teams who cared for "orphaned" runners. At 1:30 Saturday morning, a young man with a race team was hit by a car on Hwy 74 . Runners found themselves orphaned, on the wrong side of the road closure and miles away from the life support of their team vans. Racing wasn't important anymore; survival was. These orphaned runners were in as serious jeopardy as the car accident patient. Nearby vans from competing teams "adopted" these runners, providing them a warm place to rest, refreshments, and a ride to the rendezvous point. By cooperating, not one single runner was left unsupported or left behind. Everyone was re-united with their team vans to carry on the race.
So, at the end, it wasn't 350 teams crossing the finish line. It was one team with 350 squads. Compete, yes, but take care of one another when serious spam hits the fan. That's true sportsmanship.
Also, I speak of Michael, WB2SEF, and Marty, KE7DGP, our liaisons to the Ragnar staff. They not only linked the race directors to us by radio, but they provided experienced advice and guidance to the race directors. This wasn't Michael and Marty's first rodeo.
The Net Control crew and my roles were small... just voices on the radio. The real servant warriors were on the side of the road dealing with runners, their support teams, the exchange volunteers, and the tsunami of traffic barreling down roads never meant for such a stampede.
I don't want to do another event like this next weekend or next month, even. I have enough excitement in my life, thank you. But, I do know this -- when called to step into the breach again for an event or a real-world disaster, you and I will not go alone.
We will go in the company of servant warriors... servants who earned their stripes when it was hard and when failure was not an option.
As Rick Aldom, W7STS, says in his e-mail tagline, "MCECG - Our goal is safety. Our tools are radios. Our strength is experience. Our passion is service."
We'll be in good company.
-- Mike, WB4ZKA
RAGNAR RELAY
02/27/10 - N7XXX - James Hoff
You may have heard on your favorite ARA repeater that the Ragnar Relay is coming to town Right NOW!!.
Yep, it's true, the Ragnar is a foot race relay that starts in Prescott and races to Tempe Marketplace. Teams are typically 12 people strong, and the distance is in the neighborhood of 200 miles. The really studly racers do it with 6 person teams. This year there will be about 3500 participants in the Ragnar running through some inhospitable areas of the desert.
We are currently linking Shaw Butte and Mt Ord repeaters for the event. You may have heard announcements about this on one of these repeaters today, Saturday.
If you would like more information about the Ragnar Del Sol Relay, check out their website at
Ragnar Relay Del Sol
Ragnar was a 9th century Norse King. He was a pirate, a raider, a conqueror, an explorer, and a wild man. The tough, fearless, rugged attributes of this Norse King are shared by all who participate in a Ragnar Relay. In much the same way, a Ragnar Relay provides runners the freedom to roam, to explore - a free-spirited curiosity to get out there and experience outdoor adventure. And maybe even to conquer. And though tough or rugged may not perfectly describe you, these attributes become a goal - something to strive for.
In a Ragnar Relay the wild nature of this Norse King is embraced by many participants. Participants who aren't afraid to paint their van plaid, to bring along their own hair band, to join together in yelling as they cross the finish line. You may think that you are not one of them, but you are. Everyone has a wild side and nothing brings it out of you like a Ragnar Relay.
Long live the Ragnar in us all!
HAPPY NEW YEAR - CHECK AND SAVE YOUR PROFILE
01/01/10 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
It's the new year, and a great time to review your profile and add those new toys you got for Christmas! Please log-in and review your profile not only for your equipment, but any address and phone number changes too!
Then look for an event to sign up for!
73's
Rick
CALL SIGN CHANGES
08/17/09 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
If you get a new call sign, drop me an email with your old call sign, and your new call sign and I will make the change!
73's
Rick
WHAT'S NEW ON MCECG
07/23/09 - W7STS - Rick Aldom
Welcome to the new MCECG website.
We have made several changes, some you will see and others that make it easier for the Event Coordinators to manage events.
First, you will notice that when you get to the Log-in screen you will have a Padlock indicating the site is Secure.
Second, you will notice the Photo Gallery is different, and it's this difference that will allow EC's to upload Event pictures in the future reducing the workload on our Web Master.
Third, Selecting Events is different and hopefully easier to operate for the User. You will be able to see the details for events in advance, but now we can set dates so events will open automatically. Additionally, events will indicate "Full" when the appropriate number of Hams have signed up.
The User Profile is enhanced, and includes more details about the User's capabilities.
We hope you will like the enhanced site.
73's
Rick - W7STS
