Multiple Sclerosis Glimcher Keystone Country Ride – Public Service

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The annual Glimcher Keystone Country Ride (GKCR) was back this weekend!  Canceled last year as a result of the Pandemic, the ride was one day covering seventy-file miles in central Pennsylvania.  The Multiple Sclerosis Society (MSS) again asked for communications assistance from Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES).  Twenty three amateur radio operators from Centre, Blair, Venango, and Bedford Counties volunteered along with two from Maryland.  Three relatives of participating amateurs also participated.

The ride course included a fifty and seventy-five mile loop beginning at the Penn Stater Hotel in State College and going south to St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church outside of Tyrone then back.  ARES operators deployed to a number of rest stops, as communicators in Support And Gear (SAG) vehicles, and roving aid vehicles.  APRS provided real time tracking on the amateur radio equipped vehicles during the ride.

Incident Communications Command (ICC) operated out of the Mobile Command Van (MCV) belonging to the Centre Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) police departments and Centre County.  For the past several years CRCOG has loaned the MCV to ARES for this event.  It provides a stable, self contained, location to handle all the network traffic and command decisions.

Three amateur radio operators and an official of the MSS staffed the MCV.  A computer with Internet connectivity used the APRSIS32 program to track the mobile units in real time.  The addition of the MSS official, able to make quick logistic and command decisions, made the process much more efficient this year.

This became particularly important in he last hour of the ride when amateur radio operators heard thunder along the ride course.  The National Weather Service had predicted the possibility of storms in the mid to late afternoon.  Their prediction turned out to be spot on.

When the thunder and then lightening continued the MSS official decided to cancel the ride and have any riders on the course brought in by motor vehicles.  All of this was coordinated by amateur radio, getting the riders back to the Penn Stater and safety.

Centre County Amateur Radio Operators participating were:

  • KR3C, Rick Cabral
  • K3DWD, David DeCapria
  • K3ROG, Rick Gilmore
  • N3GU, John Guss
  • W3KCK, Dave Kolesar
  • AA3SQ, Joyce Kreuter
  • WA3ENK, Rod Kreuter
    • Along with Rebecca Kreuter
  • KC3SEQ, Chad McKissick
  • K3OOL, Craig Miller
  • K3CWP, Carmine Prestia
  • K3ERP, Elaine Prestia
  • KR3ORY, Rory Stenerson
  • KB3VDG, Ryan Vanauken
  • N3WMH, Lisa Hilbert Keller
    • Along with Chris Keller

Other Centre County assistance came from Andrew and Reilly Prestia operating the supply truck.

Other Amateur Radio Operators were:

  • W3WMB, William McDevitt
  • KA3EJV, Drew McGhee
  • KC3RHR, Joe Petrulionis
  • KC3FET, Jason Noll (Maryland)
  • W3JIM, Jim Rayburn (Maryland)
  • K3QNT, Lloyd Roach
  • AB3QW, John Garber
  • KE3TJ, Eric Hilbert
  • N3QBO, Kevin Campbell

All of the participants gave up part or all of their Saturday to help make the ride safe and successful.  Thank you one and all!!

Thanks also to MSS for inviting us to assist this important cause, The Centre Region Council of Governments for the loan of the MCV, and K3YV and N3EB for the use of the W3YA 146.85 repeater system

Carmine Prestia, K3CWP