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Here is a terrific view of the open desert with the OPD
runner (Team #45) leading what seems to be an endless line of runners and support vehicles
from the competing teams. |
Photo by Mike - KF6WRM |
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The Orange PD runner on the left is handing off the
"baton" to the next runner during the race. |
Photo by Mike - KF6WRM |
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Radio operators from the OCARC and Cypress manned
the third communications center in Pahrump. 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 "back bone" to Las Vegas. |
Photo by Bob - AF6C |
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The reserved room at Pahrump got given away Friday...so
we had to set up a temporary antenna for Friday voice Radio checks and Saturday morning
radio checks. Mike-KF6QFY inspects the temporary APRS 2M vertical that was set-up on a
railing just before we move the antenna to the permanent location for the race. |
Photo by Bob - AF6C |
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After we moved to the permanent location for the Pahrump
communications center, Bob-AF6C makes final adjustments to the set-up. There were two
Kenwood G707 dual-band rigs used for voice communications on 144 and 440 MHz. |
Photo by Ken - W6HHC |
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Bob-AF6C (L) and Nicholas-AF6CF (R) check out the
runners on the APRS tracking computer in Pahrump. |
Photo by Ken - W6HHC |
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By late night at the Pahrump comm center, drivers and
runners and "catchers" were constatntly dropping by to check on status. Debbie
Klein, OPD coordinator for COAR and volunteers, (center) at the Orange PD chats with
Bob-AF6C on sending a message, as a driver stands by. |
Photo by Ken - W6HHC |
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OPD
Team #45 runner, Officer Hank Echandi, is running through Pahrump near midnight |
Photo by Marty Erdkamp |
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The Sandy Valley Road location is in the middle of
"no where". However, "Sandy Valley" is the perfect location for the
fourth communications center used by COAR for the OPD. The trailer of George-KK6KN
provided a wind-free location for operating and cooking. A cross-band repeater is set-up
for the use of COAR at this location. The station uses a 440 beam antenna for
communications on the East side of the mountain into Las Vegas and 2M high gain vertical
antenna for communications on the West side of the mountain as far as the town of
Shoshone. |
Photo by Rich - KE6WWK |
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Early Friday morning before the race, a work crew
arrived to set-up the antenna system at Sandy Valley Road before the winds came up too
strong. Left-Right are Rich-KE6WWK, Les-KM6SQ, Steve-KI6DDE, and George-KK6KN |
Photo by Beverly - KI6APH |
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(L-R) Bruce-KC6DLA, ????, George-KK6KN, and
Les-KM6SQ have the mast vertical...and are about to extend the antennas to full hight. |
Photo by Beverly - KI6APH |
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With George-KK6KN on the ladder, the antenna masts go
higher and higher. Seems like the wind is already very brisk from the shape of the
flag. |
| Photo by Beverly - KI6APH |
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After all the antenna set-up effort was completed,
George-KK6KN treated all the workers to a "country breakfast". L-R are
Dieter-N6ZKD, Bruce-KC6DLA, and Bruce's wife, Ann. |
Photo by Jay - KK6OZ |
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The fifth OPD communications center was located in the
Emerald Suits, near the finish line for the race. Here two of the five ops,
Dieter-N6ZKD and Jay - KK6OZ, are completing the set-up at the Las Vegas communications
center. |
| Photo by Jay - KK6OZ |
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At the Las Vegas communications center, all the antennas
are aimed at the top of the mountain pass. The OPD Las Vegas team made use of a cross-band
repeater located at Sandy Valley Road comm. center. They would hear all the backbone 144
MHz messages on the other side of the mountains being rebroadcast on 446 MHz (and vice
versa). |
Photo by Dieter-N6ZKD |
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Here is a clear view of the Las Vegas comm center, with
Jay - KK6OZ in charge...and the wall lined with a map and photos of all the OPD runners. |
| Photo by Dieter-N6ZKD |
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A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to each
radio operator who helped the OPD running team with the Baker-to-Vegas race, by Chief Bob
Gustafson of the Orange Police Department
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