Who We Are:
The Foothill Flyers Radio Club is a club within the Foothill Flyers Running Club. This club encourages trail runners to get their FCC Amateur Radio (Ham) licenses, helps them to become familiar with Ham radios and procedures, and to volunteer at trail races and related events. Emergency Communications and runner safety is the primary focus. See Trail Running and Amateur Radio.

Purpose:
Amateur Radio can play a critical part in trail runner safety in remote areas where cell phones do not work. Therefore, it is imperative that trail races use sweeps that are capable trail runners as well as being licensed hams and also have runner/hams at aid stations that are able to run up trail if necessary. Carrying a ham radio with you on training runs in the mountains can make the difference in getting help if you are injured. Ham radio is the first line of communications in times of disasters like earthquakes.

Events:
Mt. Wilson Trail Race, May, check points with SAR and announcer runner status
Angeles National Forest 25K/50K/60K, July, sweeps and aid station.
Angeles Crest 100 Mile Trail Race, August, sweeps and trail marking.
Avalon 50K / 50 Mile, January, finish line and timing.
Duarte Kid-Fit 5K, May, sweeps.

Membership:
Membership is limited to licensed Radio Amateurs who are current members of the Foothill Flyers Running Club.
There are no dues and members may opt in or out at any time.

Club Directors:
Richard Besocke, KI6ZKM, Club Callsign Trustee
Tom O’Hara, W6ORG, President
Maria Vangilder, KG6REG, Vice President
Brian Cravens, KM6PSV, Secretary/Treasurer
Mary Ann O'Hara, WB6YSS, Director

Members:
Daiya Cunnane, KN6CSW
Mary Plazony, KN6BPY
Brett Terrell, KM6VQB
Dan Stein, KE6OOF
Mary Knudson, KN6BPK
Dave Hokanson, KM6WBG
Bill Dickey, KC6EQP
Gary Hilliard, KI6OJB
Maria Case, KK6RNK
Jimmy Downs, KJ6KVI
Tom Parkes, KI6DDB
Stephanie Chiasson, KN6LND
Leslie Hallimore, KN6NGS
Jan Brink, KN6NGL

Club Constitution & Bylaws established June 19, 2019

Trail Race Sweep Notes:
Best to have two or more runners sweep than one - One needs to be a ham to communicate the situation to get help coming, and the other to stay with and concentrate on the down runner. A ham may need to find a high point to establish communications and leave the down runner. Also 2 runners can leap-frog or one hold the bag and take the trail down quicker to stay closer following the last runner.

Check in early at the starting aid station to get info from the aid station captain, medical and hams about any runner that they believe may have problems or is on the watch list. Verify communications with the aid station hams and net control before leaving.

Start immediately after the last runner, but at no time ever pass the last runner. Report any runner stalled or having a problem to the closest aid station and your assessment of the runners situation depending on the rules of the event and your best judgement - runner decides to continue on or turn back or a race official decides; Who decides to call search and rescue or is medical available at an aid station and the captain decides the action?. In your best judgement, given the situation, can the runner make it back on their own or needs one of you to escort keeping in mind that if one goes back on the course, any other runners ahead who might need help will be one person less to help and could be on their own.

Carry enough water and energy food for yourself plus any down runner you may come across. Carry first aid kit and salt tablets. Take a Red Cross first aid, CERT or EMT class to better know what to do when you come across a down runner, especially evaluating for dehydration, heat exhaustion or bleeding from a fall.

While cell phones dont work well in the mountains, bring it with you to be able to give your latitude and longitude to first responders from its GPS and Google Map app - See Finding Your Location.

Bring a trash bag if also taking down the trail or you come across trash. Dispose of it at home, do not use the bear proof forest trash boxes.

Article: Sweeping AC100 2022

Rick Besocke, KI6ZKM sweeps trail for injured or lost runners and picks up course ribbons while keeping in contact with the finish line and adjacent aid stations.

Ham radio set up at the Angeles National Forest 50K/60K trail race Clear Creek aid station.
Mary Knudson, KN6BPK exchanges runner status with net control at the Mt. Wilson start finish line. Mary Plazony, KN6BPY verifies on the list that all the runners through the aid station are accounted for. Tom O'Hara, W6ORG talks to the sweeps, and adjacent aid stations.

Maria, KG6REG, puts her walkie talkie in the top pouch of her hydration pack and uses a speaker mic clipped to the front strap for easy access. Cloths or neckerchiefs may need to be placed around the HT to keep the antenna exposed and slipping from vertical as well as moving the volume control. Also best to set the channel and lock it in.

Wearing an easily identifiable hat can facilitate first responders and others to find you at an incident location or event. However, we support many different events and agencies. So Allen, KC7O, came up with a generic Neon Orange cap that simply says Ham Radio Emergency Communications and also, optionally, has your call letters on the back - see his article. You can get yours at T-Shirts Factory Outlet in Pasadena, phone (626) 585-8810.

Useful Ham Links:

So. Calif. coordinated repeater lists - 144 MHz - 220 MHz - 440 MHz
CA Repeater Map - Find the repeaters where ever you are going.
Wide area linked repeater systems: DARN, PAPA. WIN
FCC License Search
Local Ham Nets
QRZ.com - Call letter lookup with bios and more.
Phonetic Alphabet - Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, etc., and Q signals.
CHIRP - Program your radios from a computer.
Baofeng UV-5R Notes - Beginners guide to using the walkie talkie.
Base Station Notes - How to put together a base station at home.
Btech UV-25X4 Notes - Setting up and using the UV-25X4
        25 Watt Tri-band transceiver.
Bicycle ham mobile.
RF Exposure Calculator, ARRL version.
Grid Square and Lat/Lon call letter finder.
Radio Path Mapping - Do you have true line of sight?
SoCal SOTA Summits On The Air - Local Summits Map
Ham Swap Meet every 3rd Saturday 6am-11am in Claremont.
TRW Ham Swap Meet - Last Saturday 7am in Redondo Beach.
Rick's Battery Box for EmComm.
Rick's portable antenna system.
Coax Cable Loss Calculator - Enter type, frequency and length.
        Most use 75 ft LMR400 coax, at 449 MHz = 2.7 dB which is
        almost half power, at 146 MHz = 1.5 dB.
Decibel to Ratio or Ratio to Decibel Calculator.
SoCal APRS Map
Hawaii Beacon Tropo Ducting Reports - Forecasts

EMCOMM Links: