Blount Emergency Amateur Radio Service

The Cherokee Ultra is a little over a week away. Bright and early at 6am on July 19th to about 11am the 20th, to be exact. If you are reading this, I hope you decide to volunteer to help out with the event. We (MCARES) have been asked to staff all 10 aid stations this year. That is a big jump from the 3 that were staffed last year. The staffing assignments will be broken into shifts of roughly 9-12 hours each.

That being said, we still need more volunteers. Get the word out on all of the nets and in your ham radio circles. Minimum requirements are an amateur radio license, an HT and sufficient batteries, and it would be beneficial to also have a mobile with sufficient battery also. An external antenna is recommended but not required. APRS via RF with client software will be used (mainly for messaging) but is not a requirement to volunteer for this event. Any interested person can contact me directly at any of the below-listed mediums. If you would like more information on the event, contact me and I will be happy to answer any questions and provide the information that is currently available. If you have a friend who is not a licensed operator who would like to help out, let me know ASAP. Non-licensed volunteers can be scheduled alongside their licensed friends and can be of great help with logging and a second set of ears. I just need to know who they are and who to schedule them with.

Also, if you visit this link you will find the Runner’s Handbook from last year. The locations with coordinates for each aid station are listed, with the exception of Smithfield. Take a look at the aid station locations and pick out 2 or 3 that you would like to work. I will use this information in forming the final assignments. All of the stations are easily accessible by car with the exception of a couple that will require high clearance to get to. Those exceptions are: Waucheesi and Coker Creek Campsite (aka, the mouth of Coker Creek), with Coker Creek Campsite being the worst. Coker Creek Campsite is also the hardest of the 10 stations to navigate to.

With the lack of volunteers at present, the shifts are looking to be more along the lines of 2 shifts of ~12 hours each. This does not include travel time to/from the aid stations. Some of the volunteers that have already signed up have asked about camping prior to or after the close of their shift. Most of the stations are located at Day Use Only locations. With the course being almost exclusively through National Forest lands, there are ample tent camping locations and a few campgrounds with camper slips within a short drive of the stations. Whether or not you decide to camp is up to you. Gee Creek Campground in Delano and the dispersed sites along Spring Creek Road are all close for the stations located along the Hiwassee Corridor. For the Tellico area stations, there is a KOA just outside of Tellico Plains on Mecca Pike and Top of the World RV campground roughly 8 miles south of town on TN-68.

Thank you,

—

Any interested person, please contact Caleb, KQ4QCJ, before the end of the day on Friday July 11th.

Caleb Lynn KQ4QCJ
Emergency Coordinator
Monroe County Amateur Radio Emergency Service
www.mcares.net

[email protected]
423-351-4658 (cell)

We’ve been invited to participate in a FEMA-led exercise simulating a major earthquake near Memphis, TN. The goal is to quickly gather and send local “ground truth” situational awareness reports using Winlink (radio or Telnet).
ARES members are encouraged to fill out and send the Field Situation Report form from the Winlink Express template library between 7:30 AM–7:00 PM EDT on July 9.

This is a valuable opportunity to practice rapid reporting, even with minimal preparation time—just like in real emergencies.

👉 For complete details and instructions, please see the original announcement:
https://sec-emcomm.groups.io/g/main/message/8052

and the PDFs attached to this story.

This past Saturday, Blount County ARES had the privilege of supporting the 2025 Tour de Blount, and we’re happy to report that the event was a great success!

Thanks to the outstanding efforts of our volunteers, communication was smooth throughout the day. Your time and dedication helped ensure safety and coordination across the course. We truly couldn’t have done it without you!

We’re also grateful to the Foothill Striders for their kind thank-you message—they appreciated our help and noted how valuable our presence was to the event’s success.

A big thank you as well to SMARC for the use of the 146.655 repeater. Coverage was solid at all locations, and it made a real difference in our ability to stay connected.

Thanks again to everyone involved. We’re proud to continue supporting events like this in our community!

At the meeting last night we had a discussion about which repeater(s) to use for the upcoming Tour de Blount event. We have a great relationship with the SMARC club and they have frequently allowed us to use their repeaters for our events, so some discussion was had about the coverage of those repeaters.

Dave, N9KMY, had previously used Radio Mobile to estimate the coverage of these repeaters and he has shared that information with us.

The attached a 4 page PDF shows the theoretical coverage of both the 146.655MHz and 443.075 MHz SMARC repeaters. To load this program Dave assumed the noted tower/antenna/power for each repeater and worked into a portable as noted on each projection.

Page 1: Repeater locations
Page 2: 443.075 at its present site
Page 3: 443.075 if it were at Res Hill
Page 4: 146.655 at its present location

With a mobile and vehicle mounted antenna the performance would be even better.
This was a projection using the known criteria within the Radio Mobile propagation program.

The Madisonville Carnival is this week and the Monroe County ARES group is in desperate need of volunteers for the event. They will be directing traffic in and out of the event and ensuring a smooth flow of vehicles into the parking area.

Times: Thursday the 24th 4pm-10pm
Friday the 25th 4pm-11pm
Saturday the 26th noon-11pm

If you are available to help, email Caleb Lynn, KQ4QCJ, at [email protected] and CC [email protected].

More details in their groups.io https://groups.io/g/mcarestn/message/3123

Caleb Lynn KQ4QCJ
Emergency Coordinator
Monroe County Amateur Radio Emergency Service
www.mcares.net
kq4qcj@…
423-351-4658 (cell)

As we gear up for the Tour de Blount and other public service events this year, it’s a great time to revisit one of our most valuable tools for situational awareness: APRS.

What is APRS?

APRS (Automatic Packet Reporting System) is a protocol that allows amateur radio operators to share real-time, location-based information over RF and the internet. It can display the positions of mobile stations (like SAG vehicles), fixed stations, and objects (such as aid stations or hazards) on a map. In addition to position tracking, APRS supports brief text messages, weather data, and more.

The real strength of APRS comes from participation: the more stations beaconing data, the more complete and actionable our shared picture becomes.

How We’ll Use APRS

For the Tour de Blount, we will use APRS to track the positions of SAG vehicles. Net Control will monitor these positions to coordinate vehicle movements, ensure thorough course coverage, and efficiently dispatch the closest SAG when support is requested. This situational visibility enhances safety and improves response times during the event.

Viewing APRS Data

Online Tools

If internet access is available, there are two excellent platforms for monitoring APRS activity:

- [aprs.fi](https://aprs.fi/): A straightforward and user-friendly interface for viewing APRS stations and their movements in real time.
- [CalTopo](https://caltopo.com/m/E18R7): While more complex than aprs.fi, CalTopo offers robust mapping features, including the ability to overlay APRS tracks through its “Live Tracks” feature. A public CalTopo map has been prepared specifically for Tour de Blount, which includes the course route and key waypoints.

Offline Tools

If you’re operating in an area with limited or no internet connectivity, desktop APRS software can be used with a hardware or software TNC (Terminal Node Controller). Recommended applications include:

- [YAAC](https://www.yaac.org/): A cross-platform APRS client.
- [PinPoint APRS](https://www.pinpointaprs.com/): A Windows-only APRS client with a user-friendly interface.

Software TNC options:

- [UZ7HO SoundModem](http://uz7.ho.ua/packetradio.htm): A solid TNC for Windows systems.
- [Direwolf](https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf): A flexible, multi-platform TNC, albeit with a steeper learning curve.

Mobile Apps

If you’re using a smartphone or tablet in the field, several APRS apps are available that offer real-time tracking and messaging capabilities:

- [aprs.fi app](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/aprs-fi/id922155038) (iOS)
- [PocketPacket](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pocketpacket/id336500866) (iOS)
- [APRSdroid](https://aprsdroid.org/) (Android)

To send and receive APRS data over RF (rather than relying solely on internet-based data), these mobile apps can be paired with TNC (Terminal Node Controller) devices and a compatible radio. Here are some popular options that work well in the field:

- [Mobilinkd TNC4](https://store.mobilinkd.com/collections/frontpage/products/mobilinkd-tnc4): A small, battery-powered Bluetooth TNC that pairs with most handheld radios and mobile devices.
- [BTECH UV-PRO](https://baofengtech.com/product/uv-pro/?srsltid=AfmBOorDf-pnfcQxx20iKla1X4HtlKwko6q9IA4V_ZDc8h2Z4ufLmhK7): A complete dual-band handheld radio with a built-in Bluetooth TNC—great for APRS tracking without extra hardware.
- [Kenwood TH-D75](https://www.kenwood.com/usa/com/amateur/th-d75a/): A high-end HT with built-in APRS support. For iOS users, APRS integration can be achieved via the [B.B. Link Adapter](https://islandmagic.co/products/bb-link-adapter), which enables Bluetooth APRS functionality with iPhones and iPads.

These combinations allow you to operate APRS over RF while taking advantage of your mobile device’s mapping and user interface—ideal for mobile operators and SAG vehicle teams during events like the Tour de Blount.

Mapping the Course

Having a base map that includes the Tour de Blount course and key locations is crucial for event operations. A pre-made GPX file with the full route and waypoints is available for download:

📍 https://ki4hdu.com/mesh/events/2025TourDeBlount/

Adding GPX Files in APRS Software

In PinPoint APRS (Windows):
- Import the GPX file via File → Import GPS File.
- Customize track and waypoint display under Tools → Options → Map.
- To clear GPX data, use Map → Clear Tracks and Waypoints (note: this removes all imported data).

In YAAC:
- Load the GPX via File → Load → Drawing.
- YAAC currently does not display waypoints, but you can view and modify tracks using View → Draw Toolbar.

Final Notes

Using APRS during events like Tour de Blount gives Net Control and field operators a powerful tool for coordination and safety. Whether you’re running a tracker, viewing stations on a map, or helping with deployment, getting familiar with these tools in advance will help ensure smooth and efficient operations.

Let’s make good use of APRS this year—your participation helps build a more informed and effective response team!