Outdoor Adventure USA

A call for Ham-licensed volunteers for MojaveRATS ARC Team Support

The 25th Annual Baker-to-Vegas Challenge Cup Relay happens the weekend of March 14-15 2009. This is a 120-mile 20-stage overnight foot relay race across the back highways from 30 miles north of Baker to the LV Hilton. Last year 242 law-enforcement running teams - from small communities to large metros to Federal Agencies and International squads ran this event.

MojaveRATS ARC provides support for a few select Los Angeles Sheriff Dept running teams, including last years Overall #1 Open Team - LASD Mens Central Jail. Our group of 15 operators creates a tactical Ham network using team vehicle operators; command post operators; 4x4 rovers; and 4x4 mountain-top operators to bridge three mountain passes. We are primarily a 24-hour radio group - so plenty of action in tough conditions. We are not race support - we are team support so our efforts are entirely focused on getting our client teams across the course as efficiently as possible. The one caveat - we generally post first-timers as Shuttle Operators to learn the our race procedures and the course before offering Follow Vehicle or Rover positions in following years. Carpooling to and from the course can be arranged; no need to book a room Saturday night. Usually a Saturday AM breakfast in Baker; setup, race, teardown, and post-race brunch on Sunday.

Drop me a PM if interested. We are just bringing up our planning for 2009. http://www.mojaverats.com or http://picasaweb.google.com/mojaverats for photos.

Can you give us a better idea of what a Shuttle Operators job entails? Are we using out own trucks to shuttle or....?

Ollie,

I can't answer for Arkarch, but my team uses team vehicles for shuttles, we then don't have to worry about someone driving anothers vehicle and transferring supplies and equipment from one to another.

We also have command posts that are stationary roadside type camps or located in a a Las Vegas hotel, and a few relay sites to fill in the gaps. The real challenge is the safety follow vehicle that follows the team runner and keeps track of timing, and updates of the team progress.

This race is communications intensive, and most team communications are simplex, as most of the infrasturcture based communications(Repeaters, Links), are reserved for the official race communications and safety network.

This is hard work, but it is a great training excercise and satisfying experience.

Thanks,, took me awhile to get back to this thread

Hm is correct, Shuttle and Follow vehicles are supplied and driven by the team - usually in our case Sheriff Deputies. There has been a time or two where someone pitched in because of a situation - but our job in those vehicles is communications. The other people in the Shuttle would be "Catchers" - volunteers who must 'catch' the runner coming in on a stage, and often the shuttle will transport that runner back to their primary vehicle - sometimes not depending on how they got on course. Two shuttles swap stages down the course - one doing evens, the other odds.

Follow is a vehicle with big flashing amber lights, sound systems, running drinks, timer, alternate, and signage and tracks the current runner for the team down the course. Again, we dont drive, and in the case of the Follow, almost always located in the rear since the running coaches / timer need the key spots. Follow can be quite cold and dirty spot since the van door is almost always open during this overnight effort. The Follow op does often help the driver with the rear blind spots, especially as runners come up from behind.

The comms for us typically work as follows - The Shuttle arrives at a stage and with the rest of the crew, locate and confirm the next stage runner is checked in. The Follow comm informs the Shuttle crew on their progress; and with that the next runner can begin warm-up to peak at the right moment. Usually there is a back and forth; then the whole process repeats itself for all twenty stages over 120 miles.

Simple? Well, thats when things go smoothly. There are all the other unknowns - runner doesn't arrive, the runner is down, where are the vests, the CD's of music were not in our van, my radio is not working, and a whole bunch more; there are timing checks - Follow is almost always reporting back to HQ split times so that the team captains can gauge the race and coordinate the other runners and when they arrive on course - this can be a 13 to 22 hour race for many teams; there are competitive reports like where is CHP Statewide (the #2 overall team); and to help facillitate, our group does run a Ham bridge across the desert to link south course with east course, and then over Mt Springs into Vegas.

Also, we have on-course rovers.... These are our own 4x4 offroad vehicles, as seen in the photo albums. Some of our rovers are team-assigned and act as radio captains / CP's for their respective teams of follow, shuttles, and relief. Other rovers provide relay or set up bridges as we cross several mountain passes and canyons on our way. We are a mobile communications group, supporting the 'troops' as they press forward at something near 10 mph.

Since there are lots of operational considerations, race rules, course familarity, and race flow to learn, typically we place first timers in a shuttle since that is a servicing position. It is possible I may want to have a second vehicle out in the desert this year since I am trying out a new spot and that location is remote enough that having a buddy would be very helpful. Our other spot could also use a buddy vehicle although the person who holds it has done it by himself for the past few years.

Ollie - we'll have an opportunity to talk more. Yeah, its a real tactical workout - and the deputies are fun to work with in this setting.

BTW, multiply our effort by 250 teams, each handling their own infrastructure of follow, shuttles, support vehicles, motor homes and hotel HQs. Plus Race Committees own 20+ frequencies of support communications, APRS, digipeaters, and what not. Its RF thick out there!

Quick update...

The MojaveRATS ARC is ramping up to three Baker-to-Vegas Los Angeles Sheriff Dept running squads this year, including the #1 LASD MCJ. We also have a fourth adjunct group from Santa Rosa. So if you want to endure a full day and night of the Mojave on a mid-March weekend operating a very busy tactical Ham Radio net in the field, drop me a PM. This is dirty, possibly muddy business - just the way we like it. The best Carne Asada delivered to your frosty hands late in the evening. No sitting in a hotel room away from the action. While most of our rookie spots are in team shuttles, I may have need for one 4x4'er to buddy up on one of the 8000' passes for a relay setup.

We have a group meeting either in Anaheim area or Burbank area at the end of January where we will finalize roster.

http://www.mojaverats.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/mojaverats