This is the original text, submitted to QST Magazine for
publication, which details the efforts of Hams supporting the 1995 Baker-to-Vegas
Challenge Cup Relay. The story begins a year before the race, with the preparations
for 1995 beginning as dusk settles on the 1994 race. Click the "Back"
button in your browser to return to the previous page, or you can take a
look at our Baker-to-Vegas "Headquarters page"
for our 1997 efforts.
- David K. Z. Harris, N6UOW District E.C., Training (East Bay Section)
written by Mark Keiser, N4OGL, (then District E.C. for Alameda County)
The Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay Race, sponsored by the Los Angeles
Police Department Revolver and Athletic Club, has completed its tenth running.
A 120-mile relay race through Southern California's Death Valley, the race
includes more than 150 teams representing Police Departments all over the
world. Radio support and coordination for the race is through amateur radio,
and involves more than 6,000 hams serving their own community police departments
in team radio support, or working with L.A.P.D.'s Ham Watch program in race
communications. All of this is "behind the scenes" as the race
is broadcast to a television audience.
Generally, race radio support is via voice radio. Fremont Police Department's
Northern California running team, "Team Fremont", holds its own
operation on a discrete amateur voice frequency to track its runners, coordinate
the movement of runners between sections of the course, and provide emergency
communications for medical emergencies. Volunteer hams provide the radio
resources, using available amateur frequencies coordinated with race operations
in advance. Tracking the runners requires more than twenty licensed amateurs.
At the end of the race in 1994, Phil Keller (N6MWC) and Rocky Gasacao (KM6EF),
wondered if there was an easier way.
As the 1994 race was being planned, Rocky suggested the use of a new
amateur radio software that was just being used in packet communications:
APRS, or Automatic Packet Reporting System. APRS, developed by Bob Bruninga
(WB6APR), uses the signals from the earth-orbiting Global Positioning Satellite
network, transmitted to receivers on the ground to provide a relative location,
in longitude and latitude. GPS receivers, such as those manufactured by
Trimble Navigation, are interfaced with amateur radio transceivers through
terminal node controllers (or TNCs), such as AEA's new PK-12. TNCs convert
the GPS data into packet digital transmissions. These are transmitted through
transceivers like Alinco's DR1200T Dataradio. APRS has the ability to convert
these GPS transmissions into map coordinates, which are stored electronically
within the APRS software, and displayed on a computer monitor.
When Rocky introduced APRS, the communications committee for Team Fremont
recognized its ability to fill our runner tracking requirements with much
greater detail than through voice communications. However, our planning
committee simply did not have enough time to absorb the intricacies of APRS
to deploy it effectively. Wayland Louie (KB6UOK) and Syd Furman (W6QWK)
planned to become more familiar with APRS for the 1995 race.
Another public service event is the annual Autumn Classic Bicycle Race
held in Santa Clara County, and sponsored by Fremont Freewheelers. Syd was
involved in rounding up volunteers for this event and, quite by chance,
signed Don Ferguson (KD6IRE) for a position at the race. Don had a wealth
of experience with APRS, and had just completed a drive in the southwest
where he charted his entire route using GPS receivers and APRS software.
Syd and Don arranged a demonstration for Mark Keiser (N4OGL), Phil, Wayland
and Don Lynn (KD6LSM), to discuss whether APRS could solve our Baker-to-Vegas
Race problem. Rocky was there as well, but to his credit he never once said
"I told you so."
During the demonstration, Don Ferguson explained that moving or stationary
objects can be tracked with APRS as they receive and rebroadcast their GPS
location information to a computer running APRS software. The APRS "package"
consists of a transceiver on the desired packet frequency, a TNC, and a
GPS receiver. Placed in a vehicle, the GPS receiver updates its location
and relays it through ham radio. The "base station", consisting
of an APRS package and a computer, displays the location of the tracked
object on a digitized map of the geography being monitored, and then moves
the object on the map based upon the GPS inputs received. Many objects can
be tracked simultaneously, as each has a unique object identifier (usually
a ham callsign). Don's setup used a two-meter transceiver, a packet TNC,
and a GPS receiver, which could all be monitored in his car through his
laptop computer.
The group quickly saw the applicability of APRS to the Baker-to-Vegas Race,
and just as quickly saw a huge roadblock: the members of the local ham clubs,
the Golden State Radio Club, and the South Bay Amateur Radio Association
did not have enough equipment to field a full-on APRS exercise. Mark volunteered
to solicit sponsorship, and the group met periodically to plan their participation
in Baker-to-Vegas if APRS did become available.
Mark identified manufacturers of amateur radio equipment, and of commercial
GPS equipment, that could be used for the Baker-to-Vegas race effort. As
he solicited corporate participation, it became apparent that many of the
manufacturers were eager to get involved with APRS, and were beginning to
develop suitable equipment. Mark contacted a few of these manufacturers,
and discussed their participation in this new and exciting field of amateur
radio. Mark hoped to convince the sponsors to donate their equipment to
the City of Fremont after the event, so that it could be retained in public
service, providing a continuous benefit.
While the sponsorship search progressed, Sgt. Bob Nelson and Capt. Mike
Lanam of Team Fremont `95 expressed their appreciation for the ham radio
assistance in each of the previous four years. They indicated their desire
to help in any way possible as the hams tried new technology to support
them in 1995. Joe Silva (WD6EYE) explained APRS to the Police Department,
and arranged a "show `n tell" for Sgt. Nelson and Capt. Lanam.
During this brief demonstration of APRS, both Sgt. Nelson and Capt. Lanam
realized that APRS would greatly increase the ability and accuracy of tracking
runners required for Team Fremont. Team Fremont `95 was coming together.
The technical needs of this year's race were much greater than ever before.
It was agreed by all that the recruiting of volunteers for the race must
begin as soon as possible. Syd agreed to head the effort to recruit hams
to support Team Fremont 1995. In past years recruiting began in January,
but Syd started to solicit volunteers in September. Syd continued his efforts
almost until the end of march, signing a total of more than 30 volunteer
hams for 1995!
Rod Proctor, President of AEA, became a valuable resource in his support of this project. He offered to provide the ham radio group with seven new PK-12 GPS-compatible TNCs for the April, 1995, race. Rod, and Ken Mathews from AEA, provided constant support and guidance as the radio support project design solidified. Other sponsors signed up to help: Jason Nagler form Alinco facilitated seven DR1200T Dataradios, and David Sprague from Trimble Navigation stepped in to provide our GPS receiver needs. Ken and Dave themselves discussed the best way to support the race effort, and which GPS "string" would be the most useful for our purposes. They arranged to have the equipment shipped to us programmed and ready for use. Our equipment needs were solved! But the real work had just begun.
Randy Foutch (KE6HCI) and Paul Carlin (KE6NVU) volunteered as equipment
coordinators. They began to assemble our APRS packages for what we hoped
would be a rigorous testing cycle. Ken Swaggert (W7KKE), Don Ferguson and
Bill Bliss (WB6LPG) were Wayland's "Elmers". They began to teach
the basics, and the advanced concepts, of APRS that would be applied to
the race. Wayland began testing our APRS base stations with the assistance
of Don Lynn and Syd. One station would be at the midpoint of the race in
Pahrump, Nevada, and one at the Command Post in Las Vegas. Wayland used
APRS/GPS equipment loaned from a local ham club for the testing, but we
were eagerly awaiting the arrival of our sponsor equipment.
As the technical efforts began, Tony Flusche (AB6BR) and his XYL, Lynnette
Menard, were coordinating the transportation of thirty-plus volunteers,
voice radios, APRS/GPS radios and other related equipment. This is a ten-hour
drive from Fremont, California, through Central California to Las Vegas,
Nevada. They produced a transportation list that answered all of our needs
almost three weeks before the race began, thus identifying who was driving,
where they were staying, how much equipment they could carry, and a myriad
of other issues. As the list of volunteers solidified, Mark and Syd worked
out the staffing for the event. After considering the experience of all
participants, they assigned them to a particular post. While many of the
volunteers from Baker-to-Vegas 1994 returned, this was a first experience
for many, and it was important to provide an interesting and effective post
for all.
As we continued our planning, Don Lynn began his instruction manual for
the volunteers. It included operational procedures for the race, the race
schedule, our assignments, and procedures for voice radios and APRS/GPS
equipment. This document would be the key to establishing procedures for
routine communications and emergencies. Our team plan was to rely extensively
on APRS and GPS, but we also installed backup voice radios in all tracked
vehicles for routine communications, or use if our APRS/GPS packages failed.
Phil Keller stepped in as equipment chair, and began assembling our voice
equipment needs. Phil also suggested that we use two of our seven "packages"
as redundant standby radios, in case our original packages failed in the
field. Don Lynn incorporated this idea, as he developed procedures to swap
out APRS "packages" in the field.
As our sponsor equipment began to arrive, Randy and Paul spent many long
hours building our APRS packages so that they could be tested. Keeping in
mind our need to swap failed units in the field, they devised a simple and
clever way of attaching all key connectors with Molex plugs, using the ARRL
standard for power connection. Randy and Paul's goal was clear - develop
APRS/GPS "packages" so that the only
field tool that would be required would be a screwdriver. As our "packages"
would be mounted in rental cars (used for the safety van following the runner
on the course, as well as for each of four shuttle vans), it was decided
to tap our power leads directly from the battery, providing reliable and
stable power. Randy, Paul and Don Lynn developed connectors that would allow
this connection to be simple and efficient.
As our sponsor equipment began to evolve into full packages for our project,
we began to appreciate how well designed the equipment provided actually
was. Trimble Navigation's SVee6 GPS receiver turned out to be a mastery
of simplicity in its execution. Designed to be embedded in other manufacturer's
applications, and to provide GPS data to those applications, the use of
the Trimble unit was reduced to: plugging in the power, attaching the antenna,
and plugging in the serial port. Once the SVee6 received power, it began
looking for the GPS satellites for reception of their signals. Only a minute
or two after receiving power, the SVee6 produced reliable GPS information,
first time, every time.
Alinco's DR1200T Dataradio seemed designed as much for GPS field use as
it is for reliable packet radio communications. Paul and Randy were impressed
with the DR1200T's ability to provide all connections to the TNC through
one connection on the DR1200T. Where they were trying to minimize the potential
for in-the-field problems, the DR1200T fit that goal extremely well. It
required only a power and antenna connection to function, and one lead passed
between the radio and the TNC. The controls were simple enough to operate
in an open environment, but still proved easy to operate when we placed
them under the seat in our test vehicles.
AEA's PK-12 proved to be one of the best GPS-compatible packet TNC's on
the market, and it fit right in to the middle of our APRS `sandwich.' Mounted
between the Trimble SVee6 and the Alinco DR1200T, the PK-12 is an entirely
new TNC that has been programmed to accept GPS strings and operate to support
APRS operation. We particularly liked the fact that the PK-12 was the same
size as the DR1200T, so that they stacked neatly together much the way stereo
components do. This also made our connector runs short, from the front of
the Alinco to the back of the PK-12, and from the back of the PK-12 to the
SVee6 mounted right above it. Programming the PK-12 was easier than we thought.
It entailed entering a callsign, the GPS sentence string, and how often
it should be rebroadcast, and then put the unit into GPS mode. With that
last command, our APRS package was fully operational!
In early March, Syd volunteered to drive the Baker-to-Vegas course to
determine whether our communications would be accomplished as we planned.
Because of the difficulty of the terrain, we planned to rely on prepositioned
digipeaters to punch through the hills, valleys and creek beds that filled
this portion of Death Valley. APRS has the ability to build a unique path
through other APRS/GPS equipped transceivers on the same frequency, but
it was our intent to enhance that coverage by installing additional digipeaters
at crucial points along the route. Syd would identify the locations for
these additional units.
When Syd returned in mid-March, he brought great news - our route had almost
continuous coverage, and could be best filled in through use of a digipeater
at Ibex Pass (elevation about 2,200 feet) and at Mt. Potosi (elevation over
7,000 feet). As we planned on two additional digipeaters for a secure radio
path, it appeared our plans were justified.
In March, our final volunteer meeting was held, hosted by the Fremont Fire
Department's Emergency Operations Center. Staffing was generally finalized,
and the transportation arrangements were set. Phil began to collect more
donated equipment such as our backup voice radios for each vehicle, and
our temporary digipeater equipment set up at Ibex Pass and Mt. Potosi. Our
equipment packages were now completed, and began to enter testing under
the watchful eye of Wayland, Randy, Paul and Mark.
Mark took one of the packages to Willows, California, 165 miles from our
Fremont base stations. Helen Campbell (KD6WXS) took a package to Benecia,
and to Sacramento. Other volunteers moved our APRS stations through Monterey,
San Francisco and Modesto. All units performed faultlessly, staying on the
air while in the test mode as long as 50 hours. Don Lynn also volunteered
to power a unit through a gell-cell battery, to test how long it would operate
on strictly battery power. Don was able to power his APRS package 28 hours,
relying on only a gell-cell, and while transmitting every thirty seconds.
Of course, no test is without difficulties, and there were a few. APRS feeds
its information to a nationwide network through an HF gateway; the Northern
California gateway was operated by Bill Bliss. While the normal APRS traffic
and occasional operators were no strain on the gateway, almost overnight
the APRS-related traffic quintupled (many of whom were part of our testing
session, many others just interested observers)! Shortly thereafter he shut
the gateway down, and we agreed to modify our frequency of transmissions
from every thirty seconds to every two minutes (while in test mode), to
reduce congestion. Bill put the gateway back up, and, for the rest of the
country, Northern California reappeared on the map.
As our testing sessions closed, and we began to pack our equipment, it appeared
that we had planned for every eventuality. We were confident that APRS would
meet our needs, and our hardware components would perform as well as they
had in the test. As we began our trip to Las Vegas, everybody hoped we'd
have good luck.
We wanted to make sure that our sponsors received recognition for stepping
in to assist us. Mark was interviewed by the San Jose Mercury News, a local
newspaper. The reporter for the Mercury noted that GPS has been used to
broadcast weather, in land and water navigation, in ambulance service (to
locate emergency vehicles) and in other public safety applications. The
article also showed how the application of GPS, through the APRS software,
could be used for marathons, tracking of weather balloons, the Iditarod
sled dog race, and many other opportunities where amateur radio provides
principal means of communication through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service.
The article closed by noting how available this equipment is, from a variety
of manufacturers, and how simple the software is to use throughout the amateur
radio community.
On the cold, windy, Friday morning of April 7, our barely-awake group
of thirty-four volunteers assembled at a McDonald's restaurant in Fremont
for the ten-hour convoy to Las Vegas. Fortified by coffee and breakfast,
we set out on the road at 0600 (referred to by the ex-military people in
our group as "oh-dark-thirty"). As the convoy wound its way to
Las Vegas, led by Syd and Wayland, the conversation was quite animated about
the potential success of APRS, and the use of APRS in other public service
events. Tony thought that the many bicycle events planned for Northern California
in 1995 would be a good testing ground for APRS, as the many "sag wagons"
used to pick up stranded riders could be tracked with the APRS software.
In fact, our use of APRS in the Bay Area had caused some notoriety for Fremont's
ARES group - Joe Silva had received a call from Ron Kane (WA6TGF, Livermore
Emergency Coordinator) about the construction and deployment of similar
APRS packages to CDF fire vehicles, for tracking in the event of a fire
in the weed-covered hills surrounding the Bay Area. It would appear that
our APRS experience would be further utilized in other public service events
in California, and elsewhere.
As our convoy journeyed to Las Vegas, another crew was already hard at work
putting the finishing touches to our APRS plan. Mark, Paul, Don Lynn and
Roger Grouell (WA7RXD) had arrived in Las Vegas the previous night, and,
at the crack of dawn, began to mark each specific waypoint on the APRS map
stored in the computer. Mark and Paul had determined that a high-resolution
map was required for the event, and Ken Swaggert volunteered to use the
resources included with APRS to digitize and store the 1:100,000 - resolution
USGS map of the area to give us the necessary topographical features required
for an event of this magnitude. Ken's job was made easier through the foresight
of the APRS author, Bob Bruninga, who included software with APRS that allows
maps stored on the USGS CD-ROM software disks to be converted to maps that
can be used by APRS. Ken completed that digitization, and that was the map
with which Mark, Paul, Don and Roger began their tasks.
Of course, just having the map was only a starting point. In order to provide
the tracking of the runner (as shadowed by his follow van for the entire
route) and the runner shuttles, we had to know where they were on the course,
and near which waypoint. Mark, Paul, Don and Roger left Las Vegas in the
wee hours of the morning to drive the actual racecourse, and note the coordinates
of the essential waypoints, including the start line, finish line and the
end of each leg of the route. The job was to take most of the day, and was
comprised of identification of the geographic coordinates, and editing the
map provided by Ken.
APRS includes software that allows a user to add or delete objects on maps
contained within it. Once Mark, Paul, Don and Roger returned to the "Command
Post", they powered up APRS and used the map program to place these
waypoints accurately on our race map. Once identified, we could tell the
Fremont Police running team that their runners were one mile from the end
of "Stage 1" with accuracy to less than 100 feet! This proved
beneficial in several unexpected ways - as one of the shuttle drivers was
trying to find the location of our intermediate Command Post in Pahrump
we were able to run out to the street (when APRS showed us that he was driving
past our hotel) and flag him down! Needless to say, our Police Department
sponsors were very impressed with our real-time tracking capability!
Mark, Paul, Don and Roger had nearly completed the map editing when we received
a call on our preselected two-meter frequency that the convoy was arriving
in Las Vegas. Now approaching 1800, the first priority for the travellers
was to check into their hotels and rest, before the final team briefing
and dinner at the pasta restaurant at the Excalibur Hotel. At 2000, the
team convened for a celebratory supper, final briefing, and resolution of
any issues that were uncovered during the racecourse review conducted by
Mark, Paul, Don and Roger only a few hours before. Of these last few issues,
we only noted a need to change our simplex frequency we had planned to use
around Las Vegas to coordinate our activities, as our pre-selected frequency
turned our to be a repeater input that we had not expected. As our dinner
and briefing wound to a close, we sent our volunteers off to bed for a well-earned
rest. Clouds were rolling in - we hoped it wouldn't rain.
Our Saturday plans called for early rising as the order of the day. We
were scheduled to install our tracking packages in all five vehicles beginning
at 0700. Paul and his wife, Joy, donated their room on the 24th floor of
the Excalibur Hotel as our Las Vegas Command Post, as it faced directly
to the mountains and to Pahrump. At 0600, Paul began to assemble the personal
computer that we selected as our base station for APRS tracking in Las Vegas.
Each of our seven packages was programmed in Paul's room and transferred
to the appropriate vehicle to then begin tracking and verification with
Las Vegas. This was to allow us to recheck each tracking package as soon
as it was installed. Once the Trimble navigation GPS receiver acquired location
data from three or more satellites, it relayed that information to the AEA
PK-12, which broadcast it through the Alinco DR1200T to our base station
in the Excalibur. We then verified that each tracked vehicle was "on
the air". In addition, Paul programmed the standby tracking package
that would remain at Las Vegas for field replacement, should it be required.
Several other things happened at the same time as well. As all our volunteers
assembled in the parking lot, they were each assigned to a separate vehicle
to prepare it for the APRS tracking package, as well as the voice radio,
that was to be installed in that particular vehicle. Joel Batista (WL7OW)
and Victor Rodil (KD6HUY) began to coordinate the installation of our equipment
in the shuttles, while Wayland, Randy, Bhoyet Domingo (KE7LEO) and Bert
Schramm (WB6QCS) assisted in the follow van that would pace the runners
throughout the entire race. During the installation, we wanted to make sure
we commemorated the event, so the position of "Staff Photographer"
was assigned to Theresa Mulrooney (KB6UCZ) as we photographed virtually
every aspect of our installation process. Our sponsors had provided a variety
of banners and signs that could be used to show their sponsorship. However,
Murphy's Law remained in effect to the very end, as we noted that every
location to which we could have tied our banners remained just out of reach
of the available rope we packed for that purpose! However, we met our sponsor's,
and our, expectations by using strands of duct-tape to erect our banners
for suitable photography. Duct-tape - now 1002 uses!
As installation and photography commenced, repeater site crews organized
their equipment and prepared to depart. Syd, Doug Hubbard (KD6EZB) and Mary
Hubbard (KD6OBT) collected their equipment for voice relay and digipeating
of our APRS signals, and began their trek to near the top of Mt. Potosi
at more than 6,000 feet. Easily a two-hour drive up the mountain, Syd, Doug
and Mary would camp overnight as they set up our digipeating station that
would relay our APRS signal from Pahrump, over Mt. Potosi, to Las Vegas.
Syd and the Hubbards carried not only full equipment, but batteries for
power, and even a portable generator. They set out for the mountain at 0800.
Our midpoint Command Post at Pahrump also needed to be established, and
Don Ferguson, his spouse Linda Ferguson (KE6BEO), Tony and Lynnette, and
Nan Haynes left at near the same time to open operations at that location.
Don and his crew also carried full equipment for their location, plus an
additional larger-size monitor for display of the APRS tracking information
to the police runners in the room. Although they didn't need to carry portable
power, they did carry a standby APRS tracking package, plus several extra
vehicles, in case they were required to go on-course to physically replace
a failed unit during the race. Lynnette and Nan were also prepared to take
refreshments to our follow van as it passed Pahrump, and to give the driver
and passengers of the follow van a "rest stop" as it passed through
Pahrump near midnight (the driver, Chief Craig Steckler of Fremont PD, and
the "Timer" for each leg, Councilman Bob Wasserman, volunteered
to ride in or drive the van throughout the race, as a show of support for
the runners. They would certainly need a rest stop as the van passed Pahrump!).
Finally, perhaps the most key team on the racecourse departed - Bill De
La Mater (KB6LFM), his spouse Kelly (xyl) and Fredy Sumibcay (AB6LC), who
would run the first digipeater and voice relay site at Ibex Pass, the highest
part on the first half of the racecourse. Bill, Kelly and Fredy would increase
its visibility as they set up a forty-foot portable tower that was mounted
on Bill's van, appropriately nicknamed "Radio Flyer". Bill, Kelly
and Fredy would swing out the on-board outriggers for stabilization, and
then crank up the tower with two antennas installed - one to digipeat APRS,
and one for voice. Bill's van was nicely outfitted, containing HF, two-meters,
packet, and a personal computer, all powered either through batteries or
portable generator. Equipped with food and drink, they were ready for many
hours of service.
Mark had arranged to explain the satellite tracking capabilities of APRS,
and the GPS system, to the video crew that was taping the race for broadcast
on television at a later date, and he departed Las Vegas as well at 0830.
Wayland remained at the installation site, as did Randy, and they completed
the installations assisted by Jean Lynn (KD6MMN), Carmen Rodil (KD6BBX),
Jim Ploss (KB6MYV), Abel Hurtado (KD6SVS), Brian Terry (KE6DFQ) and Miriam
Deleado (KD6NPF). By 1000, all equipment was installed and Las Vegas was
operational. By noon, Pahrump was opened and ready, and Ibex Pass had established
itself. Our shuttles, staffed by Jim, Rocky, Miriam and Bhoyet began to
make their journeys picking up runners and taking them out to the racecourse.
Randy had left in the follow van, with the Police Department drivers, with
the destination of the starting line only two hours away. Mark had been
interviewed by the broadcast video crew. All the elements were in place
for a successful race. For Team Fremont, the race would start at 1530.
On arriving in Baker, Randy and the Police Department personnel erected
several important pieces of equipment on our follow van. Each runner wanted
to hear motivational music played during the leg of the race he selected
to run, and most had brought their own audio tapes for replay during the
race. As with most teams, Team Fremont's van sported stereo speakers mounted
on the roof of the van, playing music that each runner could hear. On top
of the speaker enclosure, the van featured a revolving amber safety beacon,
also required by race rules, which remained operational for the entire race.
Finally, at the top, a banner proclaimed "Team Fremont" to facilitate
identification of the runners as they passed through each stage of the race.
This was installed and readied as the vehicle approached the inspection
area, where race officials would verify that the necessary safety equipment
was on board each follow van.
As the follow van arrived in Baker, we began to breathe a little easier.
Not only had all our planning been thorough, and all our equipment tested,
but it seemed that we had anticipated every eventuality. It seems certain
that many people breathed a sigh of relief when the follow van pulled into
Baker, and immediately appeared on the computer monitors at Ibex Pass and
Pahrump! Shortly thereafter, the van also appeared in the displays at Mt.
Potosi and in Las Vegas. We were on the air!
At 1530, the starting gun was fired and Team Fremont began the race. As
required by race rules, our follow van waited down the road one mile from
the starting point for the runner to pass, at which time the van would pull
in behind the runner and remain there for the duration of the event. We
were further convinced of the veracity of APRS when it correctly identified
the van's position one mile away from the starting line we had marked. Once
the van went into motion, we knew how well our runner was doing as the GPS
signal rebroadcast through APRS included not only position, but course and
speed. When our runner went 8 miles per hour, we knew this information,
and could adjust our estimates of time for the overall race accordingly.
The long race had begun.
By now, Mark had joined Bill, Kelly and Fredy at Ibex pass, and was able
to observe the start of the race from that point, and confirm with Pahrump,
Mt. Potosi and Las Vegas through our voice radios that they also saw the
race begin. Mark left for Pahrump, as Bill, Kelly and Fredy kept a watchful
eye over Team Fremont from their location. As the race developed, and more
tracked vehicles moved through the course, we learned that Ibex Pass provided
a key digipeater interface, as more signals were relayed through Ibex than
any other digipeater we had installed. As the race day wound on, Ibex provided
a further important function - Team Fremont wanted to know how they were
competing against four other teams in the race (Chula Vista PD, Oceanside
PD, Huntington Beach PD and Newport Beach PD). Watching the racecourse from
a distance of one-hundred feet, the crew at Ibex Pass could note the time
each of these competitive teams passed their location, and relay it to Pahrump
and Las Vegas for comparison with Team Fremont.
Late in the day Saturday, and through Sunday morning, Ibex Pass began to
be plagued by high winds. Severe rocking of the tower and the "Radio
Flyer" forced Bill, Kelly and Fredy to lower the antenna tower to its
minimum height for operation. Still, with a lower height, they were able
to remain on the air for their full duration, until shortly after midnight
Sunday morning.
The timing function provided by Ibex Pass was also conducted by each of
the shuttles on the course. As the shuttle arrived at the waypoint, or end
of the current leg, the shuttle crews and the next runner awaited the arrival
of the current runner. When the current runner arrived at the stage with
the baton, he passed it to the next runner who took up that leg on his own.
As the shuttles awaited the arrival of Team Fremont, they could observe
whether any competitive team passed them and report accordingly. This proved
to be very valuable in the later stages of the race as the competition between
Team Fremont and Team Chula Vista was exceedingly close.
As Mark arrived in Pahrump, the race tracking was going perfectly, with
each shuttle appearing on the map, and the progress of the follow van accurately
recorded through the racecourse and nearly a steady eight miles per hour.
The Police Department representatives noted that this was the first time
they had participated in a race where they knew exactly where each runner
was throughout the entire race. With that pronouncement, we knew we were
well on the way to accomplishing our goal.
As one of the Team Fremont runners finished leg number six, he entered the
shuttle and collapsed. A victim of dehydration, he was transported to the
race paramedics at the end of leg seven. After brief treatment, the paramedics
transferred him to a medical evacuation helicopter to be taken to Valley
Medical Center in Las Vegas. Mark, on his way back to Las Vegas, was carrying
an APRS/GPS tracking package. When he arrived at Valley Medical to pick
up the injured runner, Paul and Net Control David Harris (N6UOW) at the
Las Vegas Command Post were able to determine where the hospital was located.
This information, and directions to the hospital, were passed from APRS
to the injured officer's spouse as she caught a cab to the hospital to meet
her husband.
As the race moved through its midpoint, Randy was replaced in the follow
van by Mike Fung (WA6AWI), and Miriam by Brian in Shuttle number 1. Shuttle
number 2 retired for the remainder of the event, and the ham operator in
Shuttle 3, Jim Ploss, was replaced by Bert Schramm. As the runner and follow
van neared the three-quarters point in the race, Ibex Pass closed down and
departed for Las Vegas for a well-earned rest. Mt. Potosi became a more
active repeater at this point, relaying information from the shuttles and
follow van to Las Vegas, and the tracking Command Post there. Pahrump also
closed, and the staff departed for Las Vegas shortly thereafter. Still,
APRS functioned perfectly, our Trimble Navigation SVee6 GPS receivers providing
rock-solid information for relay through the AEA PK-12 TNCs to the Alinco
DR1200T Dataradios in a stable and reliable platform. It was difficult to
forecast that our equipment would prove so reliable, but it exceeded even
our best hopes.
No race is without surprises, and a big surprise developed as Team Fremont's
runner began the next-to-last leg of the race. The runner for the final
leg came to the Excalibur for transportation out to the racecourse for the
run to the finish line. When the Las Vegas Command Post looked at the schedule,
there were no shuttles due to pick him up and take him out to the racecourse!
That's when APRS really proved its usefulness. Working with the APRS map
display, Paul and Don Lynn contacted Shuttle number 4, at that time the
nearest to the Excalibur and the only one available to take the runner out.
Don notified the Shuttle to return immediately to Las Vegas to provide a
ride! Watching APRS, Paul noticed a speed increase as the Shuttle raced
back to the Excalibur, and the stranded runner. When APRS showed the Shuttle
arriving in the parking lot, the runner headed for the hotel doors. As the
Shuttle came up to the doors, the runner boarded, and was taken out to the
racecourse just in time. APRS saved the race!
Theresa, our photographer for the race, wanted a nap before she was due
to take pictures of Team Fremont at the finish line. She decided to use
APRS technology in a novel way. She told the Las Vegas Command Post to call
her when Team Fremont neared the finish line, so she could report with her
camera. As our runner neared the middle of the last leg of the race, the
Command Post called Theresa, and she arrived in time to take the photos.
As 0530 neared, our runner from Team Fremont approached the finish line
at the Hacienda Hotel. Hotly pursued by Team Chula Vista PD, we would learn
that Fremont would be passed by Chula Vista in the last leg of the race
(making up a onetime 9-minute delay), and we would take second place in
our division by only 40 seconds. Still, the combination of APRS software,
using the Trimble Navigation SVee65 GPS receiver, the AEA PK-12 TNC (which
provided benefits only suggested in the product review in the May 1995 issue
of QST) and the Alinco DR1200T Dataradio provided accurate, dependable,
forecastable and (most importantly) reliable tracking
data in this race in the harsh conditions, California's Death Valley.
The field test of APRS was completely successful, and we had blazed a trail
for the future use of this method of tracking in future events. Credit goes
to Paul and Randy, designers of our hardware configuration, for detailed
work in building and configuring a reliable package for use in this hostile
environment.
Many volunteers contributed to making this project the successful test it
has been, and space does not allow for a complete list. However, thanks
are due to Minuteman Electronics in Fremont, and Doug Heim (WB6JSL), who
made himself available at irregular hours to meet our needs for specialty
parts. They should know that their contributions have not gone unnoticed,
and their talents will be welcome again in the future - at Baker-to-Vegas
1996!
My pages are created on an Apple PowerBook DUO 230, using Adobe PageMill
(2.0) for page creation, and CLARIS MacDraw Pro for illustrations. This
page was last updated on 4/3/99.