2010 Chicago Marathon
To:
All Chicago Regional Amateur Radio Clubs
The
ham radio support group that headed the 2009 Chicago Marathon is now
initiating our ham recruitment drive for the 2010 Chicago Marathon.
Last year we recruited nearly 70 hams from across the entire Chicago
region, including Indiana, Wisconsin, and Michigan. This year we would
like to continue to recruit from the same area and reconfirm the Chicago
Marathon amateur radio team as a pan-Chicago region ham event. To that
end we have recruited hams from a wide variety of clubs across Chicago
to form a Leadership Council for the Chicago Marathon Ham Volunteers.
Ham
support for the 2009 marathon was very, very successful. Both the
marathon organizers and the City of Chicago officials who participated
were impressed with our professionalism. Nearly every volunteer who
participated last year indicated that they wanted to do it again in
2010. Of course, we're always trying to do it better.
Here's
what's changed in 2010 compared to 2009:
- We would like each club to consider adopting an aid station, so
that each club considers that particular aid station "theirs" and
fosters an on-going relationship with the non-ham aid station captain
and medical team.
- Four hams seems to
be the minimum number to operate efficiently at each of the 21 aid
stations. At least one ham at each aid station, preferably two, must
be highly mobile and be able to shadow the doctor in charge at each aid
station or other key aid station personnel as needed.
- We expect to use up
to ten shadows in the Unified Command Tent in Grant Park. We most likely
need 100 hams in total.
- We successfully used APRS in the runner drop out buses during the
March, 2010 Shamrock Shuffle and are considering its use for the
marathon runner drop out buses this year. Please
let us know if you have portable APRS capability.
- We learned that some
of the aid stations in the second half of the course have a
substantially higher level of traffic and faster pace than other aid
stations. We will be looking to staff those stations with hams
experienced in contesting.
- Each aid station
must be equipped with at least two base station radios (one for VHF and
one for UHF). We are exploring using 220 MHz as well, so if you have
that gear it might be good to list on our inventory.
- Finally, as noted
above, we called for volunteers to create a Leadership Council, listed
below, who will guide this new Chicago regional group through our many
marathon assignments.
Attached
is a summary of the marathon day volunteer positions, suggested
equipment, and working conditions. Would you please distribute this
e-mail and the attached detailed information to your club and encourage
your membership to consider volunteering, as a club by adopting and
manning an aid station, and/or as individual hams for aid stations and
other assignments. If your club is interested in a presentation on the
2009 and 2010 marathons, a member of last year's lead team may be
available for your club meeting.
If
volunteers sign up as individuals or in addition to a club-sponsored aid
station and desire an assignment with specific teammates, we will try
as much as possible to accommodate that request, but the event logistics
may require us to separate you.
If
you wish to be part of the Ham Radio Volunteer Program at the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon, please fill out our form below and mail it
back to LEADS@HAMRADIOCHICAGO.ORG
Registration
deadline for all Ham Radio Volunteers is July 31, 2010, so that we can
conduct training in August, but we will continue to take names through
the end of September in case we need to replace people or add positions.
Please note that assignments will be
determined once registration has closed.
Thank
you for your support!
2010
Ham Radio Chicago Leadership Council.
Gerry
Migley, WA9KXZ
George
Mosho, KB9YYW
2010
Chicago Marathon Contact Information*
CLUB NAME:
PRIMARY CLUB
CONTACT:
FEMA
Courses Completed: (see below)
ARRL
EmComm Level 1 (y/n?):
Do
you have a dual-band radio with 8 hrs of power available?
Can
car be used as mobile station?
Do
you have portable APRS capabilities? (y/n):
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