Lurgio Middle School Annual 8th Grade Trip to Mount Cardigan, Autumn 2023

For the past 51 years, the Bedford Middle School has sponsored a multi-day eight-grade field trip to the 3,155-foot elevation Mount Cardigan in the towns of Alexandria and Orange, New Hampshire. This year’s event took place from October 2 to October 6. Two cohorts participated in consecutive two-day/night adventures. The purpose is to have an interdisciplinary, experimental unit of study that exposes the students to academic and personal challenges that result in “an overwhelming sense of accomplishment” on many levels.

Since cellular service is essentially non-existent at the mountain, a commercial repeater was reactivated some years ago to link the coordination personnel on one side to various encampments on the opposite side of the hill. The primary purpose is to deal with any emergencies, as well as situational awareness and general communications between the leaders and chaperones. The equipment was in some disarray due to a hiatus due to COVID-19 and other factors.

The repeater that operates above the 2-meter band needed realignment and cable replacement; the hand-held radios and the repeater antenna were missing. A motorcycle lead acid battery used to power the repeater at the mountaintop was useless.

In August 2023, at the request of Pete KB1FAD, we commenced an effort to make the system workable again. Pete’s daughter, Linnea, is the 8th Grade Principal at Lurgio Middle School. Our team, led by Tom AC1J, tackled the challenge of getting things up and running by mid-September. John KC2CQI donated four used Motorola HT1250 handheld radios from his business, donated new rechargeable batteries, and refurbed the repeater itself. Tom coordinated testing and recommended what to purchase at Ham Radio Outlet to school officials.

The accessories purchased by the school were a new antenna with coax, a LiFePO4 battery (similar to GSARA’s new repeater backup battery) to power the repeater, a special 14+ volt charger for the repeater battery, a charger for handheld batteries, and a UHF female to Type N male adaptor. The repeater and battery were placed in waterproof containers. A “dry run” conducted about a week before the event was followed by a successful week of operation, helping to ensure a safe experience for the students.