Winter racing fans in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula finally got what they waited two years for: enough snow in the region for the return of a sled-dog race that is a qualifier to the world-famous Iditarod. Hams weren’t pulling sleds but they were on the scene anyway, pulling down some big responsibilities to ensure participant safety. This is very different from a road rally with cars, a boat race, a race with cyclists or even a road-runners’ race – all races that request hams’ communication assistance.

This is the UP200 and its 228-mile snow-covered path through near-wilderness, creek crossings and challenging terrain in northern Michigan brings out sled dogs, racing fans and amateur radio operators. Sufficient snowfall this year also put two smaller, concurrent races back in action: the Midnight Run and the Jack Pine.

The races between the 13th - 17th of February challenged the four-footed athletes, the sledders’ navigational skills and some 30 radio amateurs responsible for keeping everyone as safe and as on-track as they could. Radio communication was coordinated by Tom Perry, KE8TPT, and many of the hams were from the Hiawatha Amateur Radio Association.

Tom told local media outlets that the success of the system drew heavily on having a robust linked repeater system in the region. This allowed everyone to hear all the other radio operators. With cell phone access not being an option, that kept everyone - including the hams - in the race. The Iditarod, a major sporting event in Alaska, will be held next month in Anchorage.

Source - ARNewsline