Getting Started
October 9th,, 1999 saw the Boy Scouts of Santa Clara, CA Council's Fourth Coyote Creek Cycling Classic start at 8:00 AM with over 700 people registered for one or more of the three separate courses of 12, 25 and 50 miles. Two of the courses, 12 and 25 mile events, are run on paved bicycle trails running between two large parks located on the lower Eastern side of Silicon Valley. The 50-mile course starts out in the same park setting but soon breaks away onto
country roads that wind their way into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains and around the Chesbro and Uvas reservoirs. These twisting, rising, falling narrow roads are fun for a motorcycle prancing its ponies but they make for some challenging conditions when rode along side of hardworking bicyclist climbing hills randomly weaving and dripping under a sweltering Sun. Today, water is more valuable than Gold for this challenged collection of segmented riders exerting their way
around this serpentine wiggling course accumulating miles, flats and scrapes. Red faces and red extremities are everywhere but determination masked all but the most junior of the peddlers. This event lasted until mid-day and recorded only minor issues if, you discount a hysterical couple looking for their fourteen year-old son who didn't know he was missing.
Amateur radio support came together through a random blending of volunteers from various local groups known to area Boy Scout troops. Some had worked together before but experience in providing communications for this size of an event was on the early side of the learning curve. In many ways this was great because learning how to provide communications and doing it are two major reasons we hams exist.
Contacts were often spotty because of the numerous hills and canyons. Most of the mobile support came from three SAG wagons and one motorcycle covering a thirty-five mile leg. A tank and a half of fuel and two hundred and sixty miles passed before the leathers were hung out to dry late in the 100+ degree day.
On the left coast, watching motorcycles rapidly weaving through Silicon Valley's streets and surrounding mountain roads are a common everyday site.
Our good weather promotes riding almost everyday and motorcycle sales are growing each year. Here, a motorcycle can easily be a reliable means of getting to and from work and a great abundance of awesome riding roads make them wonderful toys in the canyons, on the hills or on super slabs. What is also common here are Amateur radio repeater groups. Although, as the Internet has started to take hold, and with the simplicity of cell phone access, the growth rate of the amateur population
within these groups is probably showing negative numbers lately.
In the Greater San Francisco Bay Area, MARC is virtually unknown. Sport bikes dominate the bikes seen on area roads. Don't get this wrong, there are more cruisers than road-rockets but, the cruiser requirement to always stay polished must be cutting into their riding time more than their owners can manage. With sport bikes accumulating the majority of miles an argument for why amateur gear doesn't get mounted on many motorcycles could be defended. Who among
us has much to say when we are riding white-knuckled at our limits? Whatever the reason, ham radio on motorcycles are a very unusual sight. This belief was reinforced in spades as the motor pulled into staging with its Orange Day-Glo MARC signs fluorescing in the early morning Sun. This eye assault triggered an attack from the meandering hams in staging. It didn't take long for this chatty group to form a challenging circle. Soon, a barrage of questions flowed way too fast for me to
think. Fingers pulled, poked, peeked and twisted everything. Each new arrival was summoned with "come see this" corralled spectacle. If there ever was an opportunity to pass out MARC business cards this was it and the Boy Scout in me wasn't prepared. Who knew how unusual a site the leather wrapped full-faced rider tethered with coiled cords would be viewed. It was this day and this event that saw a MARC labeled motor come out of the closet looking for awareness and like minded
ticket holders. For now, hams on two wheels are more rare than billionaires in the land surrounding the bay.
This cycling event provided a good starting point. There are at least twenty more hams, many Boy Scouts and a lot of sweaty bicyclist who now know that MARC is associated with helping. It won't stop there because a call went out for talkie-types this morning to provide communications at the end of the month in community marathon event of seven thousand runners.
When I look back at how elegant the organization and communications flowed at the Baker to Vegas Relay Race in April of 1998, it is clear that two of MARC's strengths are experience and ability. Being able to build on that here on the northern end of the fault line is there for the asking. It is just going to take getting started with others who really believe helping is important.
Roger…
WB1CFQ - San Jose, CA
