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No special access is required for overall access to the course. Please wear your Emergency Communications RVARC Event Staff vest if you have one or contact me to borrow one of the loaners. All event staff and participants are being told to look for the RVARC vest.
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Check-ins vary for this event. Please see the assignment sheet. Check-ins are 30 minutes before the rest stop opens. The times on the assignment sheet are the tentative rest stop opening and closing times. Rest stops open and close at various times. Closing times are approximate. Please get permission from Net Control before closing down your station. Some positions are a good trek. Please make sure you give yourself plenty of time to get onsite and setup any equipment prior to your check-in time.
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Our primary mission is eyes on the course to provide safety. In the event of a emergency, contact Net Control as soon as possible. Since this is a very large course knowing your location and calling 911 may be your quickest response for critical emergencies. Once safe please contact Net Control immediately. Safety is our number one job.
Our secondary job is to relay information from rest stops, and back up the Cannonball Bike Ride personnel. Please be ready to relay information from the personnel at your rest stop to through Net Control to race operations and from race operation through Net Control to your rest stop personnel. You may also be asked to call for assistance for riders with mechanical issues with their bikes.
This event will be comprised of 3 different bike rides, with 3 slightly different routes, all starting and ending at the Massaponax High School . The Century ride (100 mi), the Metric ride (67 mi), and the 1/2 Metric (32 mi). There will be a safety briefing for the riders at 0750 followed by an organized start with police assistance at 0800. The last rest stop is currently scheduled to be close at 1600 and they will begin closing down Massaponax High School at 1700.
If you want to see the full information on the race it can be found at https://bikefred.com/Cannonball-Century
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Parking should be available at all rest stops. Please park in legal parking spaces. Do not pull up onto a residents lawn.
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Please have your RVARC vest on if you have one. Please let me know if you don't have one and I'll make arrangement to get you a loaner in advance.
This is a very large course. Most stations will not reliably be able to hit the repeater with an HT only. Other the closest station is 11.3 miles from the repeater. All stations will need at least a mobile radio and some stations will most likely need a mobile an a mast.
We have been requested to provide 5 mobile operators for the SAG vehicles. For those operators an HT with a mobile antenna is a minimum requirement. A mobile radio with a battery source or power limiting to 25W so that it is possible to use the vehicles auxiliary power port and external antenna may be needed.
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Our primary frequency will be the K4TS VHF repeater 147.015(+) PL79.7. Our backup alternate repeater is the K4TS 70cm 443.850(+) PL79.7 in ANALOG MODE. Please have both programmed into your radio in advance.
If all else fails I have everyone's cell phone number. Please have the cell phone number for the ECIC (Scott Larimer, KN4RPA ECIC (540--604--3196)) with your in your phone on race day
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Any questions asked by the public or the media, are to be directed to the Cannonball Century Ride Officials. Fell free to answer question about amateur radio. We are all spread out, so spreading the word about amateur radio will be everyone's job.
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Below is a Google Earth KMZ file of the whole ride including all distances with the ham locations on it. The course is biked in a counter clockwise direction for all rides. This file can be used with Google Earth on you computer or phone. It is a good reference on race day. Right click and "Save Link As" to download.
Cannonball_ Century_Ride_Spotsylavania.kmz
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