Public Service Opportunity – 500 Festival Mini Marathon

Hello Everyone –

You are receiving this message because you are an officer of an amateur radio club in the Indianapolis metro area.

Please allow me to introduce myself.  My name is Brent Walls and my amateur radio callsign is N9BA.  I am coordinating amateur radio communications support for the 2023 500 Festival Mini Marathon on Saturday May 6th.  This is one of the most iconic mini marathons in the nation and I need your help getting the word out to potential volunteers in your club.  To fully support this event, we will need 70+ amateur radio operators.

Amateur radio operators will be stationed at pit stops (medical and water), at mile markers, the finish line area and other strategic locations.  Our primary mission is to provide communications support to the medical and logistical operations for overall public safety.  This is a great opportunity to showcase our capabilities to the 500 Festival, public safety partners and the general public.

I would like to ask you to share this opportunity with your club members and encourage them to consider volunteering to support this event.  All they need is a dual band (VHF/UHF) radio capable of operating up to 6 hours (extra batteries).  Most assignments will be handheld friendly as we will use local repeaters for most communications.  The operational period for all amateur radio operators begins at 0630 and will be a staggered release no later than 1230.

Anyone interested in volunteering can use the link below to register as an amateur radio communicator for this event. 

https://forms.office.com/r/jM35QxffzD

Anyone with questions can contact me directly by e-mail at bwalls5@outlook.com and I will be glad to answer their questions.

Regards,

Brent Walls N9BA