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Rally Radio Recce



  • 03 Mar 2022 1:33 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    Below is a link to the Radio Configuration and Operation Guide for the 2022 Cochrane Winter Rally. This document lists the operating frequencies for the event, presents key radio procedures, and provides recommendations for effective communication practices.

    This event is a little more complex than most, as it uses three different course segments (Waiparous, Harold Creek, and Hunter Valley). We will have radio operators arriving, departing, and transiting throughout the day to accommodate this configuration. There is some choreography to these movements and many of them occur while stages are active. It is important that our radio operators use the procedures outlined in this Guide to maintain situational awareness in such a dynamic environment.

    There will be a significant number of radio operators involved in this event, and this increases the opportunity for RF interference issues. Accidental jamming of event channels, prolonged squelch tails, incorrectly configured radios, and misconfigured digital services can seriously inhibit efficient operation of the event radio network. Please take careful note of the guidance for minimizing interference! The sections in this guide that pertain to cross-band configurations and digital operations are especially important.

    A copy of the guide can be found here:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NgE9u1WO8u_SUhUyumXR_FtnWFAml3HP/view?usp=sharing


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS


  • 01 Mar 2022 8:33 AM | Peter LaGrandeur (Administrator)

    The organizers of the 2022 Cochrane Winter Rally, this weekend March 6, have asked for the CARA comm trailer to be their net control centre in the Waiparous area.

    If you are interested in helping with setup and takedown, early morning and late afternoon, please contact the comm trailer coordinator, Peter VA6RPL VA6RPL@techworld.ca .

    Rendezvous place on Sunday morning, 06:30 AM, will be Waiparous Lookout, on secondary road 940 at lat and long coordinates 51.4130N 115.0316W .

    This would be a good opportunity for any radio operators, already participating in the rally, to see and help with the trailer, before and after their deployments.

  • 26 Feb 2022 9:34 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    The long awaited event maps are now available!

    It is strongly recommended that radio operators use GPS based navigation on rally day. It is far easier to find your way using an electronic aid than to pilot through a forested mountain environment perusing directions sketched on paper maps while searching for obscure waypoint markers (e.g. "Reset your odometer when you are 52 meters past the tall pine tree, then drive 2.46km and turn left on the third road past the brown rock in the ditch."). When transiting before sunrise and after sunset, a GPS becomes even more advantageous. The files provided below are intended to help with just this part of your rally day. Keep in mind that cell coverage is poor in these areas, so be sure to download map tiles to your device prior to rally day.

    These maps are in KML format. They are not image files! If you need them in GPX format (some GPS devices require this) or you would like them in a CSV to import into a spreadsheet, then I suggest using one of the online converter services available on the Internet. If you want image files, then I suggest making them with an appropriate application that can import KML format (Google Earth, Bing Maps...).

    First is a KML with just the field operator locations (blockers and control points).

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Zoice17tXieCLjYOBUXxzpvSvso2ma9H/view?usp=sharing

    Second is a KML with the routes (roads) marked to help you navigate to, from, and around the venue.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CvZ04ewkv2nfdYR6O_uv6HJByZQNZbwN/view?usp=sharing

    Third is a KML with various other places and waypoints that may help you to find other things you need on rally day.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1D1i_8FCPNddr2eKovLAnQVpr0zBjEr2L/view?usp=sharing

    Finally, here is a KML with everything (all of the above) in it.

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lShnqKkOyY2Q6yrOtRYkjnrVuD0ug-cZ/view?usp=sharing

    It is possible for changes to occur between now and the rally, so keep watch in this blog for possible updates.


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS


  • 21 Feb 2022 11:20 AM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    Hi all;

    We're having some delays in getting information for our regular documentation. To ensure that you have time to program and test your equipment, the intended radio frequencies for the event are shown below. It is strongly recommended that you program these settings into consecutive channels in your radio(s) for easy selection amongst them on rally day. You will need to be able to switch quickly amongst these channels.


    A - VE6AUY - 147.060 -600khz T110.9

    B1 - VE6OLS - 145.490 -600khz N/A

    B2 - VE6MTR - 145.270 -600khz T114.8

    C - VE6GAB - 147.075 +600khz N/A

    D - Simplex - 146.58 N/A N/A






  • 21 Feb 2022 1:02 AM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    There has been some confusion about the Pre-op Briefing time.

    The time is as follows:

    Thursday, 03 March 2022
    18:45 to ~20:00 hrs (6:45pm to ~8pm) MT
    Room opens at 18:45 and the meeting starts at 19:00 sharp
    Zoom virtual meeting (Link to be provided later)

    Here is a Facebook post from the organizers with additional detail:
    https://www.facebook.com/events/684188152731950


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS

  • 18 Feb 2022 3:11 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    We are doing well with registrations for the Cochrane Winter Rally on Sunday 06 March. It would be good to have a few more people come out to support us. It is likely that we'll need some extra blockers this year as there isn't much snow doing the blocking for us.

    The rallies are some of the best field radio operations experience available to us in this region. We'd like to have you join us!

    Here is the link to the registration instructions:

    https://caraham.org/RallyRadioRecce/12437460


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS


  • 16 Feb 2022 8:31 AM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    Here is a video from the 2020 Cochrane Winter Rally. It shows the event from the rally car drivers' point of view. For those who are new to rally, this is an interesting insight into how the rally car drivers see the course. If you look quickly, you can see some of the radio blockers as the rally car passes them. We will be using the same roads for this year's event. We'll need some significant snowfall to match what they had on the ground in 2020!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpzZc6hQ1EI


  • 13 Feb 2022 8:09 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    Here are links to the event Facebook page where some recent photos of the course roads have been posted. There are still a couple of weeks to go before the event, so we can't count on the roads staying like this. If the weather keeps up, though, we'll likely need extra blockers for this event as the snow won't likely be blocking the intersecting roads and paths for us.

    https://www.facebook.com/CochraneWinterRally/

    https://www.facebook.com/CochraneWinterRally/photos/pcb.1507040819693366/1507040709693377/



  • 12 Feb 2022 10:25 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    A rally radio operations pre-op briefing is planned for:

    Thursday, 03 March 2022
    18:45 to ~20:00 hrs (6:45pm to ~8pm) MT
    Zoom virtual meeting (Link to be provided later)

    We will be covering several important topics including emergency procedures. Prospective CWR radio operators who cannot attend are requested to let Dana (VA6DJH) or Garry (VE6GDS) know beforehand.

    In the interests of time, it will be assumed that all radio operators are familiar with the CWR 2022 materials posted to this blog prior to the meeting.

    Hope to see you there!


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS


  • 09 Feb 2022 8:59 PM | Garry Spicer (Administrator)

    Hello Rally Radio Operators!

    Below are links to a couple of documents that you can use to start getting ready for the upcoming Cochrane Winter Rally.

    First, the Packing and Preparation Guide is a general list that each radio operator should review to ensure their own readiness for the event.

    Second, the Vehicle Preparation Supplement is focused on what operators should consider to get their vehicles ready for a rally event.

    These guides are oriented at new or returning folks and may also be useful for those who are familiar with rally events. The material was provided by some of our most seasoned field radio operators. Not all of the items on these checklists are required for participation as a volunteer. Many are recommendations and suggestions that should be considered.

    Here are links for the documents:

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1uIi_TCOBQ5w_L1c-QICBJLZtZ9UVvL12/view?usp=sharing

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YunzwIHMRuaYrgSCfb8d7pyQJFSzlfix/view?usp=sharing

    Keep checking this blog regularly. As the event approaches, there will be other materials and information posted here that you'll want to review. I hope that we'll see you at the upcoming Cochrane Winter Rally!


    73,
    Garry, VE6GDS



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