EARS Members help provide ARES radio communications at Georgia Jewel

From early Saturday morning, September 27 thru early Sunday morning, September 28, EARS member and Gilmer County ARES (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) Emergency Coordinator (EC) Jim Hadder, KE4ZX, and his crew of radio operators manned the radio station set up on Manning Mill Road on the Pinhoti Trail in south Walker County, for the 2014 Georgia Jewel trail race. 

They passed traffic on runner locations and safety with continuous updates from radio stations all along the 100 mile course of the Jewel, providing race officials with an almost real-time picture of how the race was progressing and making sure that any injuries or lost runners were reported to the appropriate officials as quickly as possible.

Assisting Jim on the early morning shift, running from about 9:00 a.m. thru 4:00 p.m. were Ron Pace, AA4RP and Don Nickle, KK4HJP. 

Manning the late afternoon/evening shift were Sharon Huneycutt, KK4NTD; Jody Huneycutt, K4EPH and James Huneycutt, KM4AUX.  Jim worked with that shift also, while trying to get a few hours of sack time in the front seat of his pickup during the early evening hours.

Coming on at midnight were David Ross, KK4NTC and Jimmy Hitt, KK4QGN, and Jim was right there with them, all night, until the end of the race, around 8 a.m.

No flooding was reported this year.