Empire State AIDSRide FAQ

No. It's a charity fundraiser. While some people who participate enjoy doing the whole day's riding as fast as possible, the vast majority of participants pace themselves and don't rush. There are no prizes for getting to the end first.

I don't know. That's largely a function of the terrain. On a hilly section the riders will spread out. The riders at the back will go very slowly and take many breaks, while the very experienced riders may not slow down that much at all.

That depends on which job you are performing. The rote is "open" for 13 hours per day, 7AM to 8PM. Some functions will require coverage all 13-hours (plus setup and take-down), so will require two or more operators in shifts. Other jobs may be for only 4-hours. Some clubs will have involvement for two days, others only one. But commitment is a good word to use. If you say you will be there, please be there on time -- people are depending on you. If you say you will lend some equipment, please actually bring it on time.

That depends on your location. If you can hit the repeater we are using in your area with the HT with reasonable quieting, then sure. It never hurts to bring it along. In the more rural areas our equipment needs will probably be more of the 50w radio and groundplane antenna variety.

We need portable radio towers with drive-on bases. We need groundplane antennas on those towers. We need any kind of APRS equipment and s/w. We need notebook PC's (with sound card capability) that we can load with UI-View and AGWPE software. We need magmount antennas. We *may* need HF radios and antennas.

Actually, no. Because this event is sending 100% of the donations to the beneficiary, and because I wanted to involve enough hams to make this event safe, the ham radio operators are not getting anything in exchange for their donated time and expertise except thanks, practice, and the satisfaction that you helped out people that are putting their lives aside for 6 days to raise money for a good cause. This means the food at the pits is for those riders only, not for the radio people. They can't afford to feed us, please don't eat the riders' food, even if they offer it to you. The only way we can be sure to have enough ham radio people to keep doing this event is to not add to their costs at all. So please, please, bring your own food and wear your own favorite amateur radio t-shirt.

Amazingly 100% of the donations will be going to the beneficiaries. The organizers of this event designed it that way. All of the food, water, gas and other costs are being paid for by sponsors that know that their money is being used for supporting the event. That's why they can't afford to feed us, and radio operators will have to bring their own food and drink.

You can make a donation here. You can also choose to donate towards the fundraising requirement of any bike rider in the event right from the Empire State AIDSRide page.