The Loudoun Amateur Radio Group and Loudoun Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteered twenty-four members and friends to Leesburg before sunset on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2010, for the annual public service communications support operation for First Night Leesburg. Jay Ives - KI4TXP had published an Operation Plan that provided instructions, procedures, and guidance; further, an On-The-Air 2-Meter Coordinating Net was conducted two nights before deployment. Eighteen operational sites throughout downtown Leesburg were supported by our super communicators. The central control was established on the second floor of 1 East Market Street. Communications were conducted on a 442-MHz simplex radio frequency and the WA4TXE Leesburg Repeater was monitored as a secondary circuit. Site support communicators used hand-held transceivers equipped with headsets and separate microphones.

         The main duty was to conduct a site headcount and forward it to net control at quarter past the hour. The peak total counts occurred at 8 and 9 PM when they was well over 2000 and some sites reported turning hundreds of folks away. The weather was nice and it was a quiet night with mostly site head counts being the only traffic. Though our support personnel were available to assist in other ways. The communication operation closed by 11:30 PM and many were home to see the New Year's Ball drop in Times Square on television.

         First Night Leesburg is a wonderful family event for the young and the old. Some estimate that over sixty percent were mom and dad with their kids. We all thank the families, churches, and shopkeepers of Leesburg for hosting this remarkable event. First Night Leesburg is coordinated by Bluemont Concert Series, the Cultural Spirit of Our Communities. First Night ® is a registered trademark of First Night Inc., P.O. Box 208, Leesburg, Virginia 20178.   For more information - click here.

          On January 1, 2011, Jay Ives - KI4TXP, our President and Support Coordinator, provided this after action report:
 

"On December 31, 2010, the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group and Loudoun Amateur Radio Emergency Service volunteered their communications services to the community. What a great time we had last night.

I want to thank all that came out and worked so hard: Norm - AI2C, Dodson - AJ4EY, Marcy - KJ4GYH, Patrick - KJ4GYI, Nicholas, Paul - N4PD, Nancy - N1NCY, Earl - KF4UUX, Dennis - KF4TJI, Carol - KF4TJJ, Chris - KT9N, Chris - KB3RUR, Heidi, Kurt - KI4FWB, Jay - KI4UTB, Deborah, Kat, Sue, John - WB5ODJ, Gloria, Luther - K5NOB, Sally - K4NOB, Jay - KI4TXP, Bob - K4RWK. You are the ones that make it go. GREAT JOB!!!!!

This year we had 6 non-hams helping out without whose help it would have really been a rough evening. Thank you folks. And of course we had the 18 LARG members who coordinated the sites. Thanks so much.

The people running First Night Leesburg were very appreciated of our help.

They asked me to send along their THANKS.

All have a HAPPY NEW YEARS !!!! THANKS!!!!! 73 KI4TXP Jay"



The Communications Support - The Performers - The Sites of Leesburg
(There are 58 photographs - let them flip)
  





A Thank You Note Received By Jay Ives - KI4TXP


February 4, 2011

Dear Jay,

Your help with First Night Leesburg 2010 was a huge contribution to another successful New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Leesburg!

We couldn’t have done it without you.

This year’s event was a tremendous success, and one of the best attended we’ve ever had in 25 years of presenting First Night Leesburg. I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as all of us at Bluemont did.

An evaluation form for your experience at First Night Leesburg 2010 is also included with this letter. We would love to hear your feedback! Please fill out the form and send it by mail, fax, or email so that we can take your reflections on the event into consideration for next year.

Thanks again for your help, and Happy New Year!

We hope to see you next December!

Claire Mitchell
[email protected]

Bluemont, the Cultural Spirit of our Communities
PO Box 521 Purcellville VA 20134
Telephone - 540 338-4640; Fax - 540 338-4847
www.bluemont.org


          Reported by Jay Ives - KI4TXP and Norm Styer - AI2C. Photographs by Norm Styer - AI2C.

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