EmCommWest 2011

The most walking I did this weekend, was all over the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada.  Well, I also stopped in Cabela's to pick up some items for my Half Dome hike in July.

EmcommWest is a weekend that is devoted entirely to emergency communications.  There is always a small vendor's area to peruse and I usually manage to find something to put in my emergency tool kit.

The highlights for me this year were a seminar in creating your "go kit"  with lots of examples and lists of what to include, as well as a gathering of lady hams.  A "go kit" is a bag of stuff that you have ready to grab and go when the emergency happens.  They can be big or they can be small.  They can be intended to last for a few hours or several days.

The gathering of lady amateur radio operators was one of the first meetings of its kind that I have been to in this largely male activity.  It was fun to meet everyone and I really enjoyed hearing the reasons why ladies become amateur radio operators.

Not much exercise this weekend, but I sure had a lot of fun.  I can hardly wait for Pacificon, which this year will be in my backyard in Santa Clara County.

On the Road Again...

I didn't sleep well last night. Too excited! An entire weekend of amateur radio! Woo hoo! I got ready and threw my suitcases in the car along with my mobile APRS kit and a spare HT. I also got my son ready so I could take him to school before taking off.

Fortunately, I didn't have to drive up to Reno all by myself. I carpooled with two amateur radio friends, one of them a presenter at the convention. After picking both of them up, we made a quick stop at Starbucks, I picked up a case of diet lime Coke for the cooler, and away we went!

The drive was uneventful, although the expected rain did show up this side of the Sierra Nevada. I was glad for my new tires. I had also pre-programmed some of the repeaters that I would be using during today's journey. We talked a bit with other hams also on their way up to the convention.

It was, however, not a day totally devoid of hiking preparation. We stopped at a massive recreational outfitter called Cabela's, a store even larger than REI. I was like a kid in a candy store! I bought some new liner socks and I also spent some time looking at headlamps. Cabela's had a much larger selection than REI. I found and purchased a Cabela's headlamp that weighs less than an ounce, clips on to the visor of my hat, and puts out 21 lumens with 5 LEDs. Perfect! I liked it so much that I bought an extra one (for backup, in case the clips break) for myself and two for Duane. We would need these while hiking in the dark on the Mist trail.

We drove on, reaching Reno and our hotel, Circus Circus, by 2:30 pm. We checked in and had some time to get settled and rest before the convention's first event - the barbeque, featuring hamburgers, hot dogs and one ham's award winning chili!

Musical Cars

Today I played musical cars. I'm leaving for Reno tomorrow morning. It is expected to rain and God only knows what it will do in the Sierra Nevada mountains near Donner Pass.

I will miss this Saturday's Team in Training hike at Saratoga Gap. I've been planning to go to EmComm West, a gathering of amateur radio operators who are involved in emergency communications, for over a year now and had this weekend reserved long before I ever signed up for Team in Training. This year, EmComm West will be joined with Pacificon, the convention of the American Radio Relay League's Pacific Division, which includes us.


But before I can even think about driving my car to Reno, possibly in snow, I needed to make sure that it's safe to drive. I dropped off my Subaru Outback wagon at the dealership first thing this morning. Then I drove our son to school and then my husband to the Google bus in his car. Then back home where I did some housework while waiting for the dealership to call and tell me that my car was ready.


They did call at about noon, but they informed me that they wanted to flush the power steering fluid and that I needed new tires. They were getting bald. Hmmm... When would the car be ready? I was informed that it would be less than an hour. So I called Wheel Works to ask them a) did they have the same kind of tires we used last time in stock and b) if I brought the car in an hour from now, would they be able to change the tires today. It was yes on both counts. Awesome!


The problem, however, was how to get both cars to Wheel Works from the dealership? I can only drive one car at a time and Duane was at work. I drove Duane's car to the dealership, picked up my car and drove it to Wheel Works. Unfortunately, I didn't have a ride back to the dealership, so I wound up sitting in their waiting room for almost two hours with nothing to read. Ugh! I suppose I could have gone window shopping, but that's not really my thing.


While at Wheel Works, the mechanic tried to tell me that there was a problem and that I needed a new axle. A NEW AXLE?! I asked incredulously. I just came from the dealer and having the car serviced and they never said a word! I declined to replace the axle and, after the new tires were installed, I drove my car back to the dealership so their mechanics - whom I trust - could look at the car and confirm if there was really a problem. The bottom line was that the Wheel Works guy really needed to stick to tires - everything was fine. There was a minor repair item that needed to be done at the next service, but nothing that couldn't wait. My Subaru was fine to drive to Reno!


After dropping off my Subaru at the dealer a second time and switching back to Duane's car, it was time to pick up our son from school, so off I went again. And then to pick up Duane from the Google bus, after which I was finally able to hand over his car and collect mine once again.


The evening was spent doing the rest of the laundry, packing for the weekend trip, and making sure that Duane had all of the information he needed to be in the places that he needed to be on time.