Technology in the Desert

I helped keep runners safe at the Salt Flats Endurance Run held earlier this month. It is something I do every year as it combines off-road driving with ham radio. For some reason crazy people enjoy running out in the desert and a select group of people go out and help make sure they stay safe. Interestingly enough, I think the volunteers outnumber the runners two or three to one. I should try and figure that out next year.

Normally my wife and I drive out to Aid Station 6 and set up camp for the day. We bring lots of drinks and food to help fuel the runners. Once we are done, we drive back the way we came over a very rough road that requires high-clearance vehicles. The runners continue on a trail that we can't follow as per Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rules. It takes us about 45 minutes to make the drive to Aid Station 5, which also happens to be Aid Station 7. There we wait for all the runners to safely make it in. This year we didn't have to.

In the past we have waited as our vehicles might be needed to get as close to the runners as possible before having to continue on foot. This year the radio crew at Aid Station 5/7 had a new toy: a drone. Instead of driving out a mile or two and hiking to look for lost runners, they could send a drone equipped with a camera as well as night vision. That allowed us to leave at a reasonable hour of 9pm and get home by 1am. Previous years has had us sticking around until midnight or later. That makes for a long day.

This year we hung around for a few minutes and then made the lengthy drive back to the start/finish line. We dropped off all of our extra food and some of the remnants of the runners' drop bags that we brought out to our aid station. While checking out with the race officials, we could hear on the radio the happenings at Aid 5/7 and the status of the last runner, slowly making his way to them. We knew he would take time as he barely made it to our aid station before the mandatory cutoff time. They sent the drone to locate him and did so as the marvelous piece of technology reached its maximum range before needing to return or risk running out of battery. On that news, my wife and I jumped into our Jeep Wrangler and drove home. It felt downright luxurious being home by 1am.

Volunteering My Time

Today there are a select group of runners preparing to run 100 miles on the Salt Flats of Utah tomorrow. They will wake up early and try to complete the run in 36 hours. Some will hurry through the course while most will suffer. I have the luxury of driving my Jeep Wrangler on very rough roads out to the 40-mile aid station where I will provide water and food for the runners. I will also use ham radio to send their times to race control so family and friends know where they are on the course.

This is something I have done for the past decade or so and appreciate the chance to help out. One thing about ham radio which is also known as amateur radio is that you cannot be paid for it. That is the very definition of amateur. This is one of two ultra marathons that I help with every year and they are always an adventure.

One year helping with this race, I pulled into aid station 5 and heard air escaping from my right-rear tire. I continued to drive to my final destination, aid station 6 as the tire still had plenty of air. When we had a lull in the activity, my buddy pulled out his battery-powered impact wrench and we changed the tire like a NASCAR pit crew. The spare had never been used and needed a bit of air but Jeepers always carry air compressors and we easily filled the tire.

Another year we had someone get off course and find themselves in quicksand as the sun sank below the horizon. Fortunately the recording of runners at Aid Station 6 allowed the race organizers to know the last known location and the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter quickly located the runner. The helicopter hovered above the quicksand and they were able to pull the person to safety. I will confess that the pilot may have gotten too close to the ground and almost got stuck himself.

There are countless more stories to tell but the message I want to share is that volunteering is important. There are lots of people that can use your help and so do your community a favor and look for opportunities to help out. You won't be rewarded monetarily but you will be compensated in many other ways.

Christmas Break Begins

Today I finished up work for the week and don't have to go back to work until January 2nd. I know that kids in school have a week more than I do and that those like my daughter only get one or two days off. I consider myself fortunate to have a week of free time. For me, this is time to relax and take care of some personal projects. The question I have to answer is how many of them are computer related or technical.

Several years ago I purchased a ham-radio antenna. It has sat in my office for 2 winters now and I really should put it together and set it up. Then I can play around with talking to people around the world by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere. Almost all of my ham radio experience has been using short-distance and line-of-sight frequencies. That is what I use when I help with the Salt Flats Endurance run and the Wastach 100. It would be good to gain some practical knowledge in other areas of the hobby.

There are also quite a few video games I own that I would like to play. Not having to go to work frees up a lot of time and would allow me to at least start one of them. Perhaps I could finish my Spider-Man game and then justify owning Spider-Man 2. I also have the new God of War game that I have yet to take the plastic off. That could be fun. Then there are countless games I own simply by being a member of PlayStation Plus. While most look like a waste of time, there are quite a few that look very interesting.

With Christmas just around the corner, I have finished most of my 3D printing projects. I have printed up quite a few nativity scenes and Christmas-tree ornaments. I suppose I could take on a new project and perhaps print up the model of a battleship I found when I discovered the silver filament I have is really gray. It really would bring my skills up a level as the attention to detail requires me to up my game considerably.

I also wouldn't mind taking some time to do a bit of reading. I have a stack of technical reading that I have been putting off due to other pressing matters. While some might consider the subject matter an extension of work, I find it entertaining and wouldn't mind using my break to increase my technical skills.

Thinking about self improvement, I have really enjoyed learning to play the guitar using the video game RockSmith. I have thought about doing the same thing with drums and getting a copy of Rock Band. The only problem is they don't sell the game with the drum kits any more. Instead you have to purchase an electronic drum set with a MIDI interface and connect it to the game. That would be fun and I could involve my other family members.

Finally there is one last project I think would be a lot of fun. I am in the midst of coming up with a space-ship cockpit. I am thinking it would be fun for my grand kids to have a control panel with illuminated switches, lights, and dials that mimic a fictitious space craft's instrument panel. I have some of it designed but just need to order the parts and assemble it. I think my 6-year-old grandson would have a blast letting it fuel his imagination of flying across the galaxy.

Yes I have a lot I can do during the next week or so. I won't be able to get to all of it especially since I have family visiting and a healthy amount of skiing planned. I still look forward to starting one or two projects listed above. 

My Latest Video: Salt Flats 100

This evening I finally finished my latest video for YouTube. It is a short history of the Salt Flats Endurance run, formerly known as the Salt Flats 100. The purpose of the video is to help improve my video making skills and so any feedback is appreciated. No need to comment here as commenting on the video is preferred.

Here is the short link to the video for your convenience:

https://youtu.be/zeN_RBMFciQ

I created the video using the MP4 format. When I played the video on my computer, everything sounded pretty good. Then when I uploaded it to YouTube and played it on my desktop, the audio seems a bit off in places. I am not sure if that is because of headphones vs. speakers or if the conversion from MP4 to YouTube's format caused any problems. In any event, I will probably be editing the audio levels and re-releasing the video.

With this video released, I am now ready to begin my next one. I have a few ideas but input is always appreciated. My preference is for videos related to the outdoors as it gives me a chance to not spend so much time inside.

Christmas Limbo

The day after Christmas is always interesting. As a child I might be sad because the greatest holiday of the year is over but I also didn't have to go to school and had until after the new year off. In my current role, I also get the week between Christmas and New Year's off. So I am like a little child and that means I get to spend a bit of time playing with new toys.

Yesterday I mentioned some new video cameras I got in my stocking. I figured that before creating any new videos, I should probably finish the one I am working on about the Salt Flats Endurance Run. I recorded all of the narration this afternoon and will add it to the video tomorrow. I would do it this evening but should probably spend some time with my wife who had to work today. Look for the video in the next couple of days.

I love having this week off and spent today doing some of those things that I have not had time for earlier this year. As I don't have to quite go back to work, I am calling it "Christmas Limbo." Hopefully you can enjoy this time of year as much as I do.