Wheels on the Air

by Grant Madden

A mobility forward twist on traditional ham radio activations.

In January 2026, something extraordinary happened that many people in this room played a part in it.  I want to bring it back to the club level and highlight how a group of mates came together to support one of our own helping them say “yes” to a radio event they may never have imagined themselves participating in. 

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you — Wheels On The Air. 

The concept for this came about in the September 2025 ARRL contest. I was sitting in my car with a HT and borrowed magnetic antenna calling CQ from a high altitude near my residency. I stepped out and took a good look at the view to the west and thought “Man, wouldn’t Charles enjoy this view.”   Charles, KO6ANB, is a valued member of our club and holds an Amateur General license, has access and functional needs that require him to use a wheelchair and 24/7 in-home assistance.  About three years ago he met our club president, Jon Bousselot, KK6VLO. Jon helped Charles earn his license, accompanies him to church, and continues to work alongside him so that Charles can say “yes” to more opportunities.  My goal was to convert Charles into a contest Rover. 

First I needed some clarification of rules. The last thing I wanted was to reach the finish line only to be disqualified on a technicality. I reached out to the ARRL, and their Radiosport and Information Manager helped clarify a couple of key definitions — specifically, what constitutes a “vehicle” and what defines its “functions.”   The original contest rules were never written with a wheelchair-bound ham in mind. 

Second, we had to determine which category Charles could compete in. That meant carefully identifying his equipment, pre-setting it, and ensuring everything was properly “staged” before the event.   In the end, Charles would compete as a Limited Rover.   As a Limited Rover, Charles would be traveling. That requirement would dictate our routing and site selection to maximize score multipliers. 

The first objective was to move Charles into a different Maidenhead grid square. The grid squares change at Solana Beach, so our first operating site needed to be north of there. With the contest beginning at 11:00 a.m., it made sense for the longest travel leg to be completed before the start time.  Each site that would be selected also had to be close to public transportation and fully ADA accessible.   We identified three locations that met those criteria: Moonlight State Beach in Encinitas, Old Town State Historic Park, and the El Cajon Transit Center. All three were connected by public transportation, two of the sites would also qualify as Parks on the Air activations, and the route ensured that, at the end of the day, Charles would have only a short trip home. 

Early on the morning of the contest, Jon arrived at Charles residency, and together they boarded a para transit bus for the first of two pre-contest travel legs into downtown San Diego.  David AK6QP and I met up with Charles and Jon at Sante Fe Railway Station,  boarded the Coaster to Encinitas, and with that, the Travel Team was underway.  After deboarding at Encinitas, we made the short journey to Moonlight State Beach. A Women’s Volleyball camp was a distraction during set up, but we persevered - and right at 11:00 a.m., Charles began calling CQ for his first contacts. 

There were some operational highlights in Encinitas.  First, David pulled out what can only be described as the world’s largest slice of Costco pizza - an event so monumental it temporarily halted the activation.  The slice was so large that he had to flex just to carry it. Once operations resumed, Jon found himself fielding questions from both hams and curious beach goers. Lesson learned: when you wear club shirts people will ask questions. Come prepared. 

Encinitas proved to be a difficult activation. Weeks later, during a county simplex exercise, I learned that Encinitas continues to be a “hallow”. Nevertheless, Charles continued making contacts including operators in grid squares to the north – adding valuable score multipliers. With a strict timetable to maintain, we returned to the Railway station, Charles still calling CQ as the Coaster pulled into the station. 

On board the Coaster, contacts continued. One ARRL clarification required that Charles had to perform all logging himself. As a contingency, we used a microcassette tape recorder to capture transmissions while I acted as scribe, and Charles would complete the official log after the event.   At Old Town, we disembarked  and crossed into the State Park where Charles continued operations. 

A huge shoutout to Jason Paro, KB3ERS who not only met us when we arrived in Encinitas but also met us in Old Town. Jason provided critical spotting assistance and troubleshooting when the contacts began to taper off.  Thank you, Jason.   The Travel Team had departed Old Town bound for El Cajon when the trolley unexpectedly went out of service and we were deboarded. Charles continued to make contacts from the elevated platform. I had contingencies prepared for every leg but before we needed them, a replacement trolley arrived and we pressed on.   Enroute to El Cajon, Charles picked up another bonus point from Candy Alverez, KN6VNL, who activated from Mount Helix, (SC-352) giving Charles his first SOTA hunter point.   At the El Cajon Transit Center, we set up on the western side overlooking the Cajon Valley. Candy and Tommy AK6QO joined us. With the sun setting behind us, Charles was still calling CQ, and we took a moment to celebrate not just contacts, but friendships.   With my cohorts of David and Jon, we were able to capitalize on a concept which allowed Charles to compete on an even keel.   We did not know his final score, but it felt like an appropriate moment to toast the day with a nonalcoholic beverage. 

Thanks to David for tracking our journey, we covered 47 miles utilizing only public transportation.  This was not an individual effort – this was the Amateur Radio Club of El Cajon rallying behind one of our own.  After returning home, and some well-earned rest, the After-Action Report produced a repeatable methodology enabling Access and Functional Need (AFN) hams to compete in radio contests. The framework is significant enough it may influence future contest rules.   The After-Action Review established a methodology to allow AFN ham operators to participate in radio contests. So significant was the methodology it may result in a revision of contest rules. Post activation success includes an article for the QST magazine and a seminar of the technical planning for this event for the Yuma Hamfest.   On the opportunity side, well, we probably needed a dedicated Public Information Officer prior to the event, and we learned that the Encinitas area is not conducive to simplex operations.  

But what of Charles? He got out for the day, enjoyed the sunshine, but how did he fare in the contest?  Charles finished with a score of 287 which ranked him 15th in the nation in class, and 9th overall for San Diego. 

Congratulations KO6ANB.