I had a great time up on the mountain this weekend. Thank you to all who could attend. For those who didn't make it, our friend Holden shared a few pictures. Enjoy...

Hey folks, the weather forecast is looking fantastic for Saturday... Just a reminder to wear layers. It will be as cool as low 40's in the morning, but expected to reach to low 80's in the afternoon.

Hey everyone. Mike asked me to pass on a very big THANK YOU to everyone for donating to the power bill. Donations reached just over $1,000. This was enough to cover expenses associated with getting the power turned back on, a few months of current and future power bills, and Mike is investing the remainder of the funds in a backup power system to keep the Bull Run repeater on the air during comercial power outages. We have an amazing group! You all are the best!

CONVOY Hey folks, I am setting up a meet-up time and place for those wanting to convoy up to the mountain together. The hope is to get to the mountain top by about 9:00-9:30 AM. For those leaving from the DC Metro area, we can meet at Sheetz at 13039 Balls Ford Rd, Manassas, VA. at 6:30 AM and we will leave promptly at 7:00 AM. For those coming from the Winchester area, lets meet at Burger King at 33964 Old Valley Pike, Strasburg, VA. at 8:00 AM and leave promptly at 8:15. We will stop for fuel at the Shell gas station at 3275 S Main St, Harrisonburg, VA., and then head up to Reddish Knob. COMFORT / FOOD Hey folks, this is going to be 5 hours of round-trip driving for me, so I will be making a day of it. I assume this will be the case for many of you. I wanted to just provide a few recommendations and reminders to make sure everyone has fun and is comfortable. Please remember to bring your radio! LOL. It's not a requirement, as I am willing to share, but if you want to maximize your time, having your own gear will help. Bring a chair of some type, and possibly a small folding table. This will make life better. I wouldn't want to stand all day and having a flat surface for writing notes about contact, a place to hold your radio/drink/make lunch will be a plus. The weather looks like its going to be wonderful, but cold in the morning. Dress in layers, bring a hat, sunscreen, bug repellent, etc. If you take daily meds for health, please remember to bring them. Food and Drinks... I would recommend a small cooler with drinks and some food that doesn't require heating. The mountain top isn't really setup for cooking. There are no fire pits or grills. Let me know if you have any questions. If you have any other tips... post them up.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who made it out to dinner tonight. I hope you all had a good time. I had a great time! I want to also express my gratitude for the generous donations given to Mike. We have a fantastic group! Thank you all!

I think incorporating the trail rides is a great activity! Inclusive with a variety of ride difficulties and an excellent get out their and explore kind of activity. Good cross over of interesting and club populations.

Great feedback! I like it. We'll have to see if we can hammer out so.e details at dinner this weekend. Mike W will be there. Since he owns most of the repeaters in DC and Northern Virginia, as long as he's good with us doing it, we should be able to get that stuff going. Assuming the group is interested.

BLUF: Explore purposeful uses of the local repeaters. - real world field exercise simulating limited operating conditions. For example, and this is just an example, we could simulate the most convenient repeater is down and on the fly programming of an ht is required to make contact with a more limited reach repeater to get directions to the dinner spot for the evening. Another example, follow the poker run concept and have checkins on a designated route - get yourself from DC to Winchester maintaining comms along the various repeaters. The reddish knob trip - making distant contacts and seeing what these things can do. Perfect! - standard periodic monitored check-in time slots so that you can try out the antenna, new radio, etc. I understand there is adversity to mimicking ham stuff like nets but this would help and lot of newbie and tinkerers play with they toys without having to endlessly keechunk or randomly call for a radio check and rolling the dice with what you get back. _Just some thoughts - RIVRRAT

I just approved it. Welcome!

Not a Steve. Mine is the one with the "Virginia Is For Lovers" in my profile. I just hit join button again. Thanks

I don't have anyone pending. Had an automatic approval for Steve. Is that you?

Hmm.et me look. I'll approve it now.

Thanks for setting up this group. Been out of the hobby for 2 years or so. Tried joining the FB Group NOVAGMRS but still waiting on approval.

Question... what can we do to make this group better for you? We have a lot of talented people who love to help others. I would love to hear ideas on how we can improve. I was thinking about training classes (in person and virtual), radio install parties, gear reviews, weekly tips on fine tuning your setup, etc. Does any of that sound interesting? Also, please make your own recommendations. I definitely want to hear from you all. Thanks, Spaz

I'll bring something to the meet and greet - gotta keep these running!

For reference of proximate repeaters. Red dot is general location of Reddish Knob. Reddish Knob of Shenandoah Mountain is one of the highest points in Virginia, rising 4,397 feet (1,340 m).

Very cool. Tentative with possibly one other vehicle.

Hey folks, I am rescheduling a radio expedition up to Reddish Knob. Lets bring handhelds, mobiles, whatever you have. This is going to be a chance to set a personal-best for range of a contact and soak in some nice fresh air. If you have any non-GMRS gear you want to bring, this is a "let play radio" event. Bring it out. Additionally, I will be setting up my HF radio. Anyone who is interested in trying out the amateur bands and possibly talking to someone in another country from radio to radio, everyone will be welcome to operate my equipment. No need to worry about licensing, as you can operate under my station ID up to the limits of my privileges. No amateur license needed. We have chosen this location for ease of access. Its paved all the way there and the parking lot is paved, too. No high-clearance vehicle is needed. This is a "weather providing" event. It will be rescheduled if there are chances of rain and/or lightning.

Sounds good!

@rivrrat I am working the Warrior bike ride, which ends at 3... then headed to the restaurant by 4:00 PM.

26AUG2023 Set up a limited range repeater in Lake Holiday to play with. It's really hit or miss with the range at this point, but it seems to cover at least 90% of the property and some areas along 522. I'm running a Motorola GR1225 with a basic comet GP-3 omni-directional antenna. Will be upgrading as time and money allows. 462.725 - pl: 141.3 https://mygmrs.com/repeater/7705

You know - for once - I'm actually going to be in TOWN! See you all there. What time are you looking at? Best, Eric

Hey everyone! Sorry for the long break. I am looking forward to getting together with everyone. Along with getting our monthly meet-up going again, I would like to use this event to meet with Mike and give him any donations to help offset some of the expense associated with getting the Bull Run Mountain repeater running again. Lets meet at the parking lot beside Outback Steakhouse at 4995 Wellington Rd, Gainesville, VA 20155. After socializing outside for a bit, we can head inside for dinner. Depending on how busy the area is, we can meet in one of these two locations circled in red. I'll be monitoring the Bull Run repeater, too.

Awesome! Thank you and looking forward to it. I'll post up the date for the Meet N Greet soon.

count me in, on both meet and greet and donation