ARRLWeb: CTARC Bicycle Race/Ride Support

By Robert Conway, KA0VAN
ka0van@arrl.org

February 2, 2008

The evolution of amateur public service support for the Oklahoma Dehydrator bicycle race.

W0DKW (l) and KA0VAN working net control, with the club banner.

WB5EKS (l) and KA0VAN controlling race operations.

WB5EKS (l) and W0DKW keeping the race on course.

Both HP laptops set up, Ui-View (l) and Packet.

Equipment setup from the back. VHF packet rig, UHF packet rig, two Kantronics 9612 TNCs, dc power distribution strip.

The town graciously provided this excellent mount for our dual antenna system.

In our club’s support for the annual “Dehydrator” bicycle race, some changes have been made in the past, but the past couple of years were the most significant. Here’s how the Chisholm Trail Amateur Radio Club’s (CTARC) support, has evolved to today.

Called the “Dehydrator” this annual event has taken place in late July in Duncan, Oklahoma, for the past 17 years. It is actually two events in one, a race and a recreational ride. The race takes place northeast of town covering a 14 mile route and has winners in several categories.

The ride route is south of town consisting of: 10, 27, 53 and 69 mile rides. These rides do not overlap but do share certain parts, mainly their beginning and ends. The central point of both events is the Simmons Center, Duncan’s convention center. The race riders leave the center at 8 AM for a 5.5 mile ride to the race site, giving them a good warm up ride going and a cool down ride on the return trip. Pace cars used on this route lead the different categories. I should point out these roads are not closed to traffic. The participants on the recreational ride leave the center around 8:05 AM, using the center as the starting and finishing point. The Duncan Band Boosters and Duncan Bicycle Club host this event and use the funds raised to help pay expenses for the band during the year.

Extended cab pickups, called SAG wagons, are driven around the routes checking the progress of the riders and providing water and assistance as needed. Their main purpose is the safety of the bicycle riders. The SAG wagons are also used to transport items from one rest stop to another especially as stations are closed and their supplies are shifted to others. These rest stops, called Hydration Stations (HS), are located about every 10 miles on the tour routes to provide fluids, fruit and cookies.

Occasionally an HS is notified a rider on the route needs a ride. In the past, the HS would contact one of the SAG wagons by cell phone. There were some problems with this method. First, no one knew which SAG wagon was the closest to the pickup point, no one knew which SAG wagon to contact and the SAG wagons themselves didn’t know where the other SAG wagons were located. Second, the donated cell phones had poor coverage on a large part of the route. All this made it difficult to get the correct/closest SAG wagon to a pickup location when needed in a timely manner.

CTARC’s assistance initially was having each of the participating radio operators drive along the routes watching for any rider in need of help. We drove personal vehicles at our expense. With our communications ability we were able to keep track of the location of the other radio operators and travel different areas of the routes to provide the best coverage, which was better than the SAG wagons could do. Also the operators would know when someone was taking a rider in.

When the last of the riders made it back to the Simmons Center we would let the Dehydrator coordinators know everyone was safely in since, because of our communications, we could ensure areas were clear better than the SAG wagons. At that time this was about the only contact we had with the Dehydrator coordinators during the event.

In 2003 we put a scanner at the Simmons Center so the event coordinators could monitor our activity. They were amazed at our operation. At a club meeting after the event we discussed having an operator ride with each of the SAG wagons to improve operations for everyone. We presented this idea to the Dehydrator coordinators and they liked it. They would still provide a driver for the vehicle and we would have an Amateur Radio operator ride with them. This even provided safer vehicle operations as the driver could watch the road while the radio operator provided the communications. Since these vehicles are full-size, extended cab pickups we still had room in the vehicle to pick up several riders and their bicycles. It’s interesting to note that the first year this was done the cell phone company deal fell through the day of the event — no extra cell phones.

The operators used magnetic mount antennas and mobile radios with lighter power adapters. At the Simmons Center we set up net control to keep track of all the SAG wagons and keep them in different parts of the ride route. This then gave the Dehydrator coordinators a point of contact at the Simmons Center so they could check on the progress of the events. By using a cell phone at net control any of the HS with a cell phone would have a single number to call if they needed anything or if a cyclist needed a ride. They normally had good cell phone coverage from the HS locations. With net control knowing the SAG wagon locations, the closest SAG wagon could be selected to respond. The remaining SAG wagons would cover the routes, and be redirected as needed, as the responding SAG wagon might not return to its original position.

Duncan Bicycle Club members plan and mark the routes and locate the HS. Employees of the Duncan Banner, an event sponsor, prepare a map for the event. We label each HS with a letter on the map and give it to all SAG wagon radio operators and net control. This allows us to refer to these stations by letter only, making it easier for everyone to identify the stations and reducing errors. This also saves time, as we don’t have to describe what intersection the station is on.

The first few times net control used this map to track the SAG wagon locations we taped the map on a piece of metal. A label writer was used with magnetic labels to create labels with the call signs of all the SAG wagon radio operators. The labels were placed in the proper position of each SAG wagon on the map and would stay in place even if the map was bumped or moved.

One of our procedures was to keep track of the numbers the riders have on, as all bicyclists are given a number to wear when they check in. As the ride progressed net control would note the numbers of the riders nearing the end of their route so other SAG wagons could be given this information as needed. This would allow us to check rider progress no matter which SAG wagon was in that position. This was helpful if a particular rider was having a few problems but wanted to continue. Net control could keep track of that rider’s progress as different SAG wagons came across the rider. One reason for doing this was if a SAG wagon was down at the very south end of the route and needed to bring someone in they may not make it back to the same area of the route for a while — or not at all.

As the ride was ending we would clear some of the SAG wagons from the route. So towards the end of the ride, with only a couple of cyclists out, we may only need one SAG wagon. Also we could give a HS the all clear as the last of the riders passed their position and any extra supplies could be taken to the remaining stations as needed. This was an extra bonus since before the stations never knew for certain when the last of the riders were clear of their position.

We never followed the riders in, as some don’t like to be followed. Toward the end of the ride we’d track back and forth going past the last of the cyclists stopping somewhere on the route if needed. This would let us make sure the last rider made it in without us bothering the rider. When all racers and riders made it back in safely, we would notify the Dehydrator coordinators as each of the events ended. The first year the Dehydrator coordinators kept close track of how the events progressed. They found out how well this method worked and with net control at the Simmons Center this also provided everyone with a central point of contact. After they saw how well we handled the event, they turned it over to us to keep things going. We very seldom see them unless something is needed or until we notify them everyone is in safely. It makes you feel good about the job you are doing.

Several months before the event in 2004, Dale Weakley, W0DKW, and I discussed using APRS on the SAG wagons and decided to give it a try. This was a challenge; not only did we not have the equipment, we weren’t even sure of what was needed. We just had this idea and since no one in the area had any information, we spent a lot of time researching. This research led us to UI-View32, which gave us a way to use our normal ride map, as the map programs of this area didn’t have all the roads that we needed. We converted and resized a .JPG copy of the route map to .BMP and transferred it to UI-View32. Then we calculated the latitude and longitude coordinates to go with the map. A field test was successful. It was helpful to use the same map everyone else was using, especially when people familiar with the map could see the same thing displayed on the laptop screen.

The second step was the GPS/radio interface. To save some money we both ordered a couple of TinyTrak3 kits. As advertised they were easy to assemble and program. We were able to locate several extra mobile radios without any problems since some operators have extra rigs and do not mind loaning them out. We did need to make up patch cables between the TinyTrak3 and the radios. Power was simple as the pickups had three convenience outlets.

We could have run this data via the repeater, running in MIC-E mode and not have needed two rigs in each vehicle but because we were in a public location we didn’t want the extra packet burst noise heard. Besides, some repeaters have some strange reactions when packet signals get into the Dual-Tone MultiFrequency (DTMF) control logic. Since we needed to track only our people we decided to stay off the normal APRS frequency of 144.390 MHz and just use our normal packet node of 145.030 MHz. We also had better range with our system. Our packet software programmer insured the configuration was set to echo back anything that was sent out via its sub call or if sent via Wide or Relay. After successful testing using TNCs, it was time to work with the TinyTrak3 units.

Setting the proper deviation on the TinyTrak3 was easy since we have an Analog to Digital (AD) converter on our packet system, which reports the signal strength and deviation of a received signal. I connected to the packet system and after he keyed his TinyTrak3, I’d do a heard listing (MH) command, check his signal report and let him know what his deviation was so he could readjust as needed. This AD converter system was the reason we didn’t want to change to regular APRS software on this node as that software doesn’t support the AD converter. This system not only will show signal strength and deviation but will also show the temperature at the site along with the site battery voltage.

As to programming the TinyTrak3 we set Smart Beaconing on and set it for faster reporting times along with setting the miles per hour slower so we’d get more position updates while driving at slower speeds. For example: Slow Rate and Fast Rate for once every 120 to 300 seconds and Fast Speed for 35 to 45 MPH. A nice feature of the TinyTrak3 is its primary and secondary programming system, so the secondary parameters can be set differently than the primary parameter. I also installed a very small switch in the TinyTrak3’s box so it could be changed while in route and added a comment in the Status Beacon box like ‘Faster rate’ and/or ‘Slower rate’ that would show up on the UI-View screen so we would know which mode the TinyTrak3 was in at net control. The TinyTrak3 designer and programmer did a great job with this unit — it’s very nice, small and well thought out. By the way don’t change the call sign —X— to a different one when changing parameters in route. We tried that and both then show up on UI-View32.

The evening before the event we still had problems. For some reason the TinyTrak3 we were field-testing wouldn’t send out the correct data. His call sign was displayed but the GPS data was missing. When I connected his TinyTrak3 to my computer and power supply I found a couple of fields had ‘0s’ in them that they should not have had. He had noticed the data was on his system when he reread the configuration but it was not in the fields when he was writing to the TinyTrak3. The only reason we could think of was the power supply difference. He had used a 9 V battery that could have been weak and the voltage was too low for the TinyTrak3 to program correctly. I wrote to the unit with the 12 V, AA power source I was using and then reread the correct information. It field-tested fine so we were ready for the big event the next day.

The big test was the day of the event. With more than twice the equipment it was interesting with only two of us who knew how to set the APRS systems up in the vehicles. Even after losing the use of one APRS system because of a radio failure we still had a good run throughout the event. It really helped knowing the location of the SAG wagons without needing to check their progress frequently. There were a number of Dehydrator coordinators at the Simmons Center who knew we were testing this system and they thought it was a great addition to our support for this event. After using APRS for this bicycle ride I recommend it to any club that’s providing support of this nature.

We had more preparation time in 2005 and showed the SAG wagon radio operators how to connect the equipment in the vehicles. This really helped the morning during setup.

I was able to locate three GPS units at the Dallas Ham-Com in June 2005. These units are Radio Shack units with no displays that were designed to work with a PDA or laptop computer. They use a 6 pin modular phone connector for data transfer. They operate from internal AAA batteries but needed an external signal to turn them on. With some testing I was able to interface them with the TinyTrak3 units so they would power up when connected together. This made vehicle connection a lot simpler for these three units and they didn’t require a power outlet from the vehicle. Since the event lasted only about six hours I didn’t mind operating the GPS units from the batteries.

Our APRS operation was similar to 2004 in using the local packet frequency instead of the normal APRS frequency. In 2004 I wondered how the signal strength was from the APRS rigs to the packet digipeater as they were over 40 miles from the system. So this year, since we have several packet nodes connected together at the site I added an extra packet system at net control. This I connected to one of the UHF systems and then via the node connected to our normal VHF packet system we used for APRS. This VHF system indicates the deviation and signal strength of all input signals by call sign. This setup allowed us to monitor the activity on the VHF system without disturbing the APRS data. Even though this required two complete systems, with an extra computer, TNC and radio setup, it did provide the information I was looking for. All signals looked good from all locations, even in the low and far-away points.

Like last year the use of APRS cut down a great deal on radio communication to the SAG wagons, as we could track their location. All we needed to do was keep them on different parts of the rides and send the closest one to pickup and drop-off points as needed. It also helped when one of the SAG wagons made a wrong turn and got off course as we noticed it at net control and were able to help them get back on the route. In 2005 we were able to operate all four systems that we needed on the ride route. We did not need to track the fifth operator on the race route.

Since we used a map provided by the Dehydrator coordinators, the map coordinates for UI-View had to be compared to an actual map.

I logged last year’s data and changed the latitude and longitude coordinates in the .INF file by small amounts. By playing the log back each time I was able to get the vehicles to track properly on the map. Even though the route roads changed slightly from last year, I used the same coordinates on the converted map. Tracking was the same and matched up.

In 2004, I had noted in a document file, the procedures and size of the final map and was able to get this year’s map the same size. The course in 2005 was the same length but the route was just a little different. Also again in 2005, a number of people dropped by our set-up and were impressed with what they saw.

One thing we discovered while converting maps to use on UI-View32. When adding the 2005 map I transferred and renamed the .INF file as-is since the coordinates were the same as last year’s. Strange thing was the new map would not show up on UI-View’s map listing, not only that but 2004’s name would show up twice. With both files in place, when one was selected, it would be the 2004 one and when selecting the second one it would be 2005. How could two identical filenames keep showing up? All the correct names would show up under Windows with no duplicate names, which meant the map file names used in UI-View had to come from somewhere else. I found that the name listed in the .INF file is the name that UI-View uses for its map listing because when I changed this name in the .INF file the correct filename showed in the maps tool bar.

We just finished the 16th year of this event. Our APRS operation was the same as 2005 using the VHF packet system via the UHF node. I again monitored the deviation and signal strength of all signals from the APRS rigs on the road. One problem in 2005 was that one of the TinyTrak3 units stayed keyed-up which gave us some strange reporting intervals for most of the units. When some long time frames began showing up from several stations, I knew something was wrong. Suspecting a TinyTrak3was keyed-up, I had the operators check their systems to find it. Once discovered, the operator pulled power for a moment to reset it and then it worked fine.

To prevent a similar problem this year I decided to monitor the last update time of each APRS unit. The system displays the time of the last good update from each unit; all I had to do was monitor the display. Since we had programmed the TinyTrak3 units for a fast reporting time this update information was obvious. Although this worked well, in fact I did have a station appear with missing updates. I contacted the operator and he verified the system was working okay. It was helpful to have trained operators who knew the system and could tell its condition from the status LEDs of the TinyTrak3 and the rig. I discovered that the rig was on low power and had just dropped out during the event when he was in a distant low-spot.

The map was the same as in 2005 so no changes were needed. I also logged 2006 data for future playback at a club meeting. Like 2005, a number of people dropped by and liked our set-up and how well we could track the SAG wagons.

During our 2007 support we copied 2006 except that we were able to add radio operators at each of the HS. This additional support provided instant contact between those stations and net control. The operator at a station could ask for assistance and supplies as needed. If certain supplies were needed at one station it was easy to find out what supplies were at a closing station and have them moved where needed. There were several other benefits also. Net control was able to update the stations on the number of riders approaching via reports from area SAG wagons. This allowed the radio operator at each station to tell the people when all riders were past them. It also let us keep the SAG wagons on the road, as they didn’t need to stop at the HS to update them with the progress of the riders approaching their location. This way, all HS knew the progress of the race and the transfer of supplies was made much simpler with this direct communications. One reason this extra support was available this year was we gained radio operators during the past couple years after we started teaching the Technician License course a couple years ago.

The following operators have been involved over the years: Robert Tollener, WB5EKS; Rick Duncan, WA6NAB; Ron Grossman, AF5Q; Dave Cerney, K5DGC; Rex Ross, KE5BXC; Dale Weakley, W0DKW; Mordell Trammell, KA5LXS; Rick McCombs, AD5DU; Chris Caldwell, KC5UIH; Ron Grossman, NI5W; Wade Norris, K5WPN; William Scott, W3WMS; Richard Stillwell, KE5ONA; Mike Hutchins, KE5JUP; Linda Mittleman, KE5OMZ, and Don Dalton, KE5EGK. I would again like to thank all the operators who provided their time and support for this event.