Supporting The American Red Cross In Loudoun County, Northern Virginia


Late Afternoon at Waterford American Red Cross Rest Station

Mission: Support Loudoun County Chapter
of the American Red Cross

        The Reston Bicycle Club's 23th Annual Reston Century on Sunday, August 28th featured an estimated 1500 bicycle riders visiting Loudoun County. Thirty-Plus members of the Loudoun Amateur Radio Group, the Loudoun County Amateur Radio Emergency Service, and the Clarke County ARES provided public service emergency communications support to this annual operation with primary support to the riders and the operations of Loudoun County Chapter of the American Red Cross as the chapter provides care and support to the riders.

        This was a good time to be an amateur radio operator. All of us were in the thick of this one. This just wasn't about making comm checks or SITREP's on the half-hour; there were supply shortages and lots of repositioning, bicycle riders needing help with their equipment on the trail, real automobile - bicycle accidents, EMT's and ambulances, route closing rides, riders getting lost, riders sliding on gravel and falling off their bicycles, riders getting sick and throwing up on the trail, equipment pickups for riders evac'd by Loudoun County EMT and Ambulance Services, and riders needing a 'hitch hike' ride to the next rest stop or the finish line. This started at 0600 hours local time and went on through at least 1800 hours when the Start-Finish Site in the Reston Town Center closed.

        The communications we fired up worked well. There were (1) the regular 2-Meter Simplex Voice Net, (2) a 40-Meter Voice Net, (3) Cross-band 2-440 repeater operations in the Reston Town Center area, (4) a course-wide 2-Meters special APRS system with mobile GPS-APRS units deployed with the Route Riders, the SAG Shot Gun Riders, and with the several Bicycle Mobile Amateurs actually on the trail, (5) a specially extended wideband internet service to support Internet interconnects for weather and UI View - APRS broadcasts, (6) an APRP UI View computer assisted mobile station, (7) an emergency - portable unattended KE4S-4 APRS Digi-Repeater, (8) mutual aid and support from ARES in our neighboring Clarke County, (9) video cuts filed with this Internet report - see NCS at NC4S, and (10) a super central communications station at Gary Quinn - NC4S's that 'ran herd' on everything. At NC4S there were enough staff and comms for all of the nets and APRS integrated into a wideband internet connection; the staff assembled at NC4S - operating as LARG's K4LRG - enjoyed good communications throughout the operation.

        The alert, planning and execution by the Loudoun County amateur radio emergency service leadership and community unfolded like the real thing. It was well organized with site or station captains assuming full responsibility for and executing their assigned tasks. Everyone worked well together. We learn again that we can count on each other.

        Each year a few more folks join in to help; everyone's efforts are greatly appreciated. And, I'm glad I was there, too. We will need many more if stuff like this went into a full blown extended 24-hour a day emergency operation. Experience in this type of quick field deployments and operations is invaluable; you'll never know when someone will again 'Count On Us!!'  And I'll 'ride with you gals and guys' anytime. Best Regards, Norm Styer - AI2C de Clarkes Gap, Virginia.

These Links Are The Stories Of This Operation
(Click on a Link)

ARES/LARG Operations Plan

ARES/LARG Assignments

ARES/LARG Last Call

Check Points - Route Map

Hamilton ARC Rest Station

Hillsboro ARC Rest Station

Waterford ARC Rest Station

On The Road Again

NCS at NC4S