Saturday, March 1, 2014

EARS Members Provide Emergency Radio Availability for 3rd SORBA Bike Race

March 2, 2014

As they have done for the first two of the three SORBA Bike Races this Winter, EARS members provided emergency radio availability for the 3rd and last SORBA Mountain Bike Race, Saturday, March 1st.  David Ross, Kirk Kirchgasler, Jimmy Hitt and Jody Huneycutt worked the 400+ participant race along with Hams from several other northwest Georgia counties.  All are also members of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES), an ARRL affiliated group that works with local government and Emergency Management agencies in case of local or regional disasters where normal modes of communication are unavailable either because of direct damage or lack of electrical power.

The EARS members were deployed to an Aid Station location at the end of the Forest Service Road off Stover Creek Road near the community of Carbondale, southwest of Dalton, GA.  The Aid Station location is on top of the ridge of Middle Mountain where the Pinhoti Trail runs up to the ridge crest on it's way back north for the approximately 8.5 mile leg to the Trade Center at Dalton, where the finish line is located.  The two races run simultaneously are a 17 mile race, starting at Snake Creek Gap on GA Hwy 136 and a 34 miles race starting at a parking area on East Armuchee Road in south Walker County, south of the community of Villanow.  Both races end at the Trade Center west of I-75 at the Walnut Street exit.