Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

In response to Gloria's email last week:
> ...I am a HAM radio operator &
> would love to be able to listen to the Sweep riders. I understand the HAM
> radio Southwestern Cactus Intertie system is used ­ it covers Utah, AZ,
> CA, NV, NM - (& is actually closed down for that day, except for the
> Tevis & the human runners)...

Knowing little to nothing about radio operation, I 
forwarded your post to the radio folk and received
the following response:

> Gloria,
>
> If you are in receive range of the Tahoe, Squaw Peak, and/or Bald Mt.
> sites, you are free to listen.  The Laws of Physics force us to
> allow that (and we don't really care anyway), and many crews and
> families/friends do monitor.  Please understand however, that this
> is UHF radio, it is sort of line-of-sight, the terrain in the Sierra
> Nevada is extremely rugged, and thus RF propagation at these frequencies
> is pretty much unpredictable.  Trust me, however, several hundred
> miles is really unlikely.
>
> The three sites may or not be linked together at any given time, and that
> status changes as circumstances in the event change.  You will find
> the 440 Remote frequencies in your 2005 Cactus Operations Manual. 
> We request that you do not transmit, and especially do not attempt to
> control any of the three sites.  During the event, Bald, Squaw, and
> Tahoe will carry some but not all of the event traffic.  Other
> segments of traffic are carried on other UHF and VHF systems.
>
> During the event, the links from these three sites into the Cactus
> Intertie network are mastered off.  The Cactus Intertie is NOT
> "closed down for the day" as you stated.  First, we could
> not tolerate stations from eight states covering a third of the area of
> the United States transmitting into the event network.  Second, the
> traffic on the three sites used for the event is remarkably heavy and
> would tie up the entire Cactus Intertie network, again over eight states
> and about 1/3 of the US.  Aside from the fact that it would be a
> gross violation of 47CFR97, it would be extraordinarily discourteous to
> the many hundreds of Cactus/Dillo folk out there in the Southwest and
> Texas who have no interest in the Tevis but would like to use their
> system.
>
> All three sites used for this event belong to the Northern California
> Cactus Radio Association (formerly the SRA and Pendulum), and it is these
> affiliates of the Intertie who support this event (and the Western States
> Endurance Run), and have for a number of years.
>
> If you wish to follow a particular rider, or possibly track the front
> runners, I suggest you visit
> <www.foothill.net/tevis>
> and go to the real-time webcast.  Please understand:  No one
> will (or can) stop you from listening to the event traffic on your
> UHF/VHF receiver(s).  To do so you must be within range of the sites
> in question.  Whether or not the event traffic is heard on the
> Cactus Intertie is a matter for each affiliate to determine, and the
> answers over the years for events such as these, emergencies, and other
> situations in which parts of the Intertie are dedicated to a specific
> event, is a resounding "No."
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred K6DGW
> Auburn CA CM98lw
> NCCRA

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
elsietee AT foothill DOT net
Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, California
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