The Rough Rider

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The Rough Rider

The Monthly Newsletter of the Tucson Rough Riders, Inc.

March 2016 Volume 41 Issue 3

2016 Meeting Dates: In This Issue January 26 July 26 February 23 August 23 Upcoming Events 2-3 March 22 September 27 Meeting Minutes 4-5 April 26 October 25 Participation Report 6-8 May 24 November 22 Run Reports 9-14 June 28 December TBD* Legislation Report 15-16 Summer Picnic TBD (*Christmas Party) ASA4WDC Report 17-18 Radios 19-22 Trail Dust Days 2016 Sep. 29 — Oct 2 Club Officers’ email info 23 Member Anniversaries 23 Editor’s Corner 24

The Rough Rider is the official publication of the Tucson Rough Riders, Inc., P.O. Box 78726, Tucson, Arizona, 85703-8726. The Tucson Rough Riders, Inc., is a rough-terrain vehicle club with the following goals: to enjoy and protect the natural environment, to provide social and recreational activities for its members, and to promote family togeth- erness. The Club assists the state and national resource management agencies and local community charitable organizations. The Club’s general meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month at the U-Like Oriental Buffet, 5101 N. Oracle Road, Tucson, unless otherwise specified. The social gathering is from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, with the meeting starting at 7:00 PM. Members, guests, advertisers and the public are cordially invited to attend. Membership in the Tucson Rough Riders is $40.00 annually. Optional name tags may be purchased for $8.00 each. To qualify for membership, a four-wheel-drive vehicle owner must attend two runs and two meetings. Any- one wishing to join the Tucson Rough Riders is encouraged to contact any of the Board members, visit our website, or write to the Club at the above post office box. www.tucsonroughriders.com The Rough Rider 2 March 2016

Upcoming events

Plan to be at these events for a great time. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet new people or spend time with old friends. Don’t have a ride? I’m sure someone has a seat. Don’t forget your camera!

NOTE: PLEASE CHECK THE CLUB CALENDAR FOR UPDATES April 2016 WARSAW CANYON & CALIFORNIA GULCH LOOP Apr 3 at 8:30 AM. Meet at the Longhorn Grill in Amado. (Exit 48 from I-19 south, turn right at the ramp end, then right again at the stop sign). Run Lead- er: Jim Molter ([email protected] or 520-329-9690). Trail Rating: 3+ [Moderate]. Travel south of Arivaca via Ruby Road and Warsaw Canyon Road to the Oro Fino Mine area, then south to Bartlett Mountains and the Casa Piedras on the border. Then back north via California Gulch Road. Bring a lunch and plenty of water. CHAROULEAU GAP WORK RUN Apr 9 at 8:30 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle and Golder Ranch). Run Leader: Rheal Tetreault (682-0273). Trail Rating: 4.0. We will have work to do. We typically spend 1-2 hours working and the rest of the time enjoying the run. Expect to be out all day. Bring your lunch, work gloves, shovels, wire cutters and 5-gallon buckets. TUCSON WASH / PUTNAM CANYON Apr 13 at 8:30 AM. Run Leader: Tim Naylor. Details not available on the club calendar as of 3/28/16.

OLD GLORY MINE, DAM AND MILL Apr 16 at 8:30 AM. Meet at the Longhorn Grill in Amado (Exit 48 [Arivaca Road] from I-19 south; turn right at the end of the ramp, then right again at the stop sign). Run Leader: Larry Narcus ([email protected] or 704-300-9343).Trail Rating: 2.0—2.5 [Easy]. Scenic, educational and easy trail. It’s been a while since I ran this fun and easy trail down south by Ruby Road south of Arivaca. Lots of new members should enjoy! Bring lunch and plenty of water as we will stop at the mill for a spell. SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS Apr 23 at 8:30 AM. Run Leader: Tim Naylor. Details not available on the club calendar as of 3/28/16. May 2016 RICE PEAK WORK RUN May 7 at 8:30 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle and Golder Ranch). Run Leader: Rheal Tetreault (682-0273). Trail Rating: 3-3.5. We will be doing some work. We typically work for an hour or so, then spend the rest of the day enjoying the run. Bring your lunch, work gloves, shovels, wire cutters and 5-gallon buckets.

FORT BOWIE HISTORIC TRAIL May 14 at 8:30 AM. Meet at Houghton and I-10 (SW corner); leaving promptly at 8:30 AM. Run Leader: Larry Narcus ([email protected] or 704-300-9343). Trail Rat- ing: Not Rated. This is Chapter 2 of the history of the Chiricahua Apache wars with early Pima / Cochise County residents. Drive east on I-10 to Bowie and then south to the Fort Bowie Historical Site (approximately 1 hour 45 minutes). We will be met by a Park Ranger who will take us on a private guided tour of the trail incorpo- rating many of the historic sites associated with the fort, and ending at the fort ruins and the Park Visitor Center. The Visitor Center and the parking lot have restroom facilities. Lunch best at the Visitor Center as the walking trail is about 2 hours. Pets are welcome but must be on leash. Water is available. June 2016

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Upcoming events (Cont’d.)

BACKSIDE OF MT. LEMMON Jun 25 at 9 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch). Run Leader: Jill Ray. Trail Rating: 2.0. ‘BEAT THE HEAT’! Travel up the scenic backside of Mt. Lemmon. Bring along plenty of water and lunch. We’ll cool off with some ice cream (or pie) in Summer- haven. I plan on heading down via the hard top. July 2016 MT. LEMMON BACK SIDE Jul 16 at 8:30 AM. Meet at Bashas’ in Catalina (Oracle Road and Golder Ranch). Run Leader: Stan Fetherman (520-907-8134 or [email protected]). Trail Rating: 2.0. “Beat the Heat” run. Join Janet and Stan for the scenic run up the back side of Mt. Lemmon. Bring along plenty of water, pack a lunch, and bring an umbrella just in case it rains! After lunch, join us for the optional pie run in Summerhaven, or just explore the town, or travel back to Tucson via the Mt. Lemmon Highway. This is an easy run; there is one optional challenge hill half way up. Good times! August 2016 MOAB AND 4 CORNERS AREA Aug 18 Early notice of a weeklong trip to Moab, the Four Corners area, and Colorado. Dates are from Aug 18 to Aug 25. Details will be provided as they become available. [Note: This is not yet posted on the club calendar.] Have an idea for a run? Do you have an idea but don’t want to lead a trip, or you don’t know the route? Don’t worry! Just contact a Board member with your ideas. Please remember these trips usually are day trips which means to bring plenty of water.

The Rough Rider 4 March 2016

Meeting Minutes

Call to Order  Stop – Open hand. Meeting called to order 7 PM; gave Pledge of Allegiance.  Hold – Closed Fist. Acceptance of February minutes moved, seconded, and passed.  Little – Thumb and forefinger.  Move incrementally. Land Use (Becky)  Review rear spotting with the driver.  Game and Fish expo. April 2 & 3; Ben Avery at Care-  Talk to driver prior to spotting. free Highway. Play on the rock pile.  Be obvious in your gestures.  Larry’s report was published in Wheel Dust (the State Association newsletter).  Leader or someone with experience will typically spot on the obstacle. Be sure it’s someone you State Report (Rheal) trust. No specific State Association report.  Even if you are not spotting pay attention.  Stay safe. Adopt-A-Road (Rheal) Adopt a road. See the “Upcoming Events” section for de-  Provide warning when needed. tails.  Winching.  Same methods. Guests  Cable is right hand twist. Stand to left typically. *** Welcome*** ☺ My apologies up front for any mis- Cable failure is typically worse than a rope fail- spelling. ure. Cable will have memory and can cause  John and Marilyn Overbey. New Jeep Wrangler. lots of damage.  Justin Spurling Tiffany. 2015 Wrangler. Editor’s Report (Dave) Membership (Tim)  Need inputs by Saturday.  Manu Singh Voted in.  For Sale ads. Requester needs to update Editor  Dean Jernigan Voted in. monthly to keep the ads in place.  Allen Bourgeois Voted in.  $50 to land use for submitted reports.  Brian Avery not here this evening.  Anniversary. Adams 10 year. Tom Adler 10 years. Mike Yovanov 15 years. Participation Report (Miles) Website (Tim)  84 members. 11 runs so far. One rescue. 66 guests. 159 vehicles on the tail so far this year.  New albums are up. Rescue and Walnut Canyon.  $50 gift card to the member with the most points at  Rescue patrol. Need to update, members who are the end of the year. willing and available to help.  See the “Participation Report” section for details.  New membership list is up.  New passwords are up. President’s Report (Kevin)  Trail books. Charles Wells book. Shows Mileage.  Thank you for your support and participation. Waypoints. GPS info as well. See Bill [Ratzlaff].  Black Cloud award Paul Siskind. Many runs as well. $30.

 Participation done by Miles. Old Business  New password is out.  Member spotlight form provides member infor-  Trail Dust Days. Sept 29 - Oct 2 need help. Shirts etc. mation. Vehicle. Favorite Trails. Etc. Please volunteer. New Business  Stay on the trails.  Huge trail system in White Mountains by Gerr. Safety and Education (Leo)  Lake Havasu. Lot of trails. Spotting and Winching  2 Meter radios.  There can be only one spotter.  2 meter race channels are open.  Driver instructions. “Turn to driver” or “Turn to passen-  Radios are down in price. $89-$100. ger” instead of “Turn right” or “Turn left”. Bowfang radio is about $25.  Signals. 

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Meeting Minutes

 Pre run in Fort Bowie area will be in May.  Boy Scout troop sent a great thank-you note.  Have name tags..

Run Reports  Art and Crafts event. OHV. Just a communication day.  4 Wheel Parts event. Ramp. Just a communication day.  Squaw Gulch. Patagonia Mohawk mine; did lose a clutch and a pulley. 22-24 vehicles.  Table Mesa. Run of one. Lot of fun; should not have gone alone. Will work to schedule a run.  Walnut Canyon. 3 trail. River crossing. 14 vehicles. No one went swimming.  Empire Ranch. 2.5 trail. Hilton Mine Cienega Creek. Great run. Washout area needs work. Ran it twice; 9 vehicles on Wednesday & 12 on Sunday.

Run Announcements For details, see the “Upcoming Events” section of the newsletter.  March 26th. WORK RUN Rail X 9am Club covering pizza. Game and Fish trailer. Will work until noon.  April 9th. WORK RUN Charouleau Gap 8:30am. Have work to do.  May 7th. WORK RUN Rice Peak 8:30am. Have work to do.  July 16th. Back side of Mt. Lemmon.  August. Moab.  April 3rd. 2.5 Warsaw Canyon by Mexico. Cemetery.  April 13th. 2.5 Tucson Wash and Putnam Canyon.  April 23rd. 3.0 Sawtooth Mountains.  May Red Rock 4.5.  June Florence.  July Sedona Broken Arrow.  Flagstaff. Overland Expo. Tickets are required.  Runs every weekend in April.  When you post a run use the rating system. 1-5. Questions ask.

Land use Donation $96.72 $50 from Dave.

Raffle No raffle.

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Participation Report

As most of you know, the Rough Riders keep track of member participation in our events. Members earn 1 point for each meeting attended, 1 point for participating in a run, 1 additional point for leading a run and 1 point for participating in a rescue. With 11 runs on the books already in 2016, we’re off to a great start for the year.

Please let me know ([email protected]) if you find that I’ve missed credit for your participation on a run or for a meeting.

2016 Tucson Rough Riders Participation Points Summary Revised: 3/22/2016 Lname Fname Meetings Runs Run Lead Rescues Total Naylor Tim 2 10 3 2 17 Narcus Larry 2 9 1 0 12 Siskind Paul 1 9 0 0 10 Fetherman Stan 2 6 0 1 9 Greven Erwin 1 5 2 0 8 Molter Jim 2 4 2 0 8 David Phil 1 5 1 0 7 Archer Steven 2 4 0 0 6 Nelson Dean 2 4 0 0 6 Ulrich Bill 1 5 0 0 6 Antle Becky 2 2 1 0 5 Hogan Bart 1 4 0 0 5 Long Bill 1 4 0 0 5 Ratzlaff Bill 2 3 0 0 5 Richardson Chris 2 2 1 0 5 Sacio Andres 2 3 0 0 5 Seward Stanley 1 4 0 0 5 Woo Garry 2 3 0 0 5 Ambler Tom 2 2 0 0 4 Fabiano Gary 0 4 0 0 4 Kennedy Kevin 2 2 0 0 4 Nezelek Vaughn 2 2 0 0 4 O'Campo Leo 1 3 0 0 4 Wall Bob 1 3 0 0 4 Webley Dave 1 3 0 0 4 Feldman Ken 1 3 0 0 4 Mummert Steve 2 2 0 0 4 Collins Mike 1 2 0 0 3 Cristia Robert 2 1 0 0 3 Cummins Barry 2 1 0 0 3 Drenten Lon 2 1 0 0 3 Ray Jill 1 2 0 0 3 Stites James 2 1 0 0 3 Tetrault Rheal 2 1 0 0 3 Williams Mike 1 2 0 0 3 Parker Tom 1 2 0 0 3 Whitlock Jim 2 1 0 0 3

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Participation Report (Cont’d.)

Lname Fname Meetings Runs Run Lead Rescues Total Acuna Ruben 1 1 0 0 2 Bozarth Bob 1 1 0 0 2 Dean Mike 1 1 0 0 2 Hval Bob 1 1 0 0 2 King Loren 2 0 0 0 2 Larabee Constance 1 1 0 0 2 Leslie Malcolm 0 2 0 0 2 Peterson Dave 2 0 0 0 2 Weigold Miles 1 1 0 0 2 Vaughn Gary 1 1 0 0 2 Walters Sam 1 1 0 0 2 Young Santford 0 2 0 0 2 Bose Tamal 1 0 0 0 1 Cameron Scotty 1 0 0 0 1 Cugini Greg 0 1 0 0 1 Di Maria Brandon 1 0 0 0 1 Eve Rick 0 1 0 0 1 Finstad Paul 0 1 0 0 1 Harrison Rick 1 0 0 0 1 Hill John 0 1 0 0 1 Hockwitt Mel 1 0 0 0 1 Hommann Chris 1 0 0 0 1 Johnson Bob 0 1 0 0 1 Knuckles Ben 0 1 0 0 1 Levine Larry 1 0 0 0 1 Neeman Gadi 1 0 0 0 1 Nepsa Kimberly 0 1 0 0 1 Rauch Jon 1 0 0 0 1 Raya Mike 0 1 0 0 1 Safarewitz Mike 0 1 0 0 1 Yazicioglu Tioga 0 1 0 0 1 Batorson Steve 0 0 0 0 0 Beyer Steve 0 0 0 0 0 Conrow Sherman 0 0 0 0 0 Di Maria Mike 0 0 0 0 0 Fitzgerald Kevin 0 0 0 0 0 Ford Jeremy 0 0 0 0 0 Frankenfeld Fred 0 0 0 0 0 Franzen Norman 0 0 0 0 0 Harford Brad 0 0 0 0 0 McDonald Mike 0 0 0 0 0 Pitts Mike 0 0 0 0 0 Purscelley Howard 0 0 0 0 0 Rinehart Parks 0 0 0 0 0 Stinson Bryan 0 0 0 0 0 Thacker Brian 0 0 0 0 0 Wells Charles 0 0 0 0 0

47 MBR TOTAL 21 22 0 0 43

The Rough Rider 8 March 2016

Participation Report (Cont’d.)

Summary for meeting: Total meeting attendees 21 Total run participants- members 22 Total run participants-guests 66 Total runs/run leads 0 Total rescue participants 2 Total participants-all events 111 Total vehicles on runs 159

The Rough Rider 9 March 2016

Run Reports Squaw Gulch (2/28 Jim Molter)

Another large group gathered at the Longhorn Grill in Amado for the trail ride on Sunday. The count was 23 vehicles when we departed at 9 AM. Our first stop was at the Telles Grotto Shrine on High- way 82. The Telles family from Patagonia built the shrine in 1941 and vowed to keep the can- dles burning inside in exchange for the safe return of their son, who was fighting in World War Two.

The son returned safely and the townspeople of Patagonia have tended to the candle lighting every day.

From the shrine, we proceeded to Salero Canyon Road and on to the trail head of Squaw Gulch Road (FR 144). A short distance later we made a left turn onto FR 4098 that took us to the Mo- hawk Mine. On the way to the mine one of the Jeeps ex- perienced clutch problems and turned back. After spending some time at the mine we backtracked to FR 144 and stopped at a large cattle tank for lunch. At this time we got word that another Jeep had a problem with an idler pulley. Larry, Tim and another Jeep returned to Nogales to look for a re- placement part. Now we were down to 20 vehicles. After lunch we turned onto FR 4100, which would take us to the town of Patagonia. We made one more stop, at Fresno Spring, on the way out. Good news - I got an e-mail from Tim this morning [Ed. Note: Monday 2/29]; they found the part and everyone got home safely.

The Rough Rider 10 March 2016

Run Reports 4 Wheel Parts Show (3/12) (Pics by Tim Naylor)

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Run Reports (Cont’d.) Empire Ranch 1 & 2 (3/16 & 3/20 Erwin Greven)

Empire Ranch 1:

The run was during the week, on Wednesday, March 16th. I had 8 vehicles show up (9 including mine) at Hwy 83 and Sahuarita Rd. We left a little after 9 am. Our first stop was the Hilton Mine site. From there we proceeded to Cienega Creek and stopped for a few minutes. The trail takes us through grasslands and on some high ridges at almost 5000 feet. We

stopped and had lunch at an old cowboy line cabin. After lunch we continued on to the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area where we crossed Cienega Creek again and on to the Empire Ranch head-

quarters where the run officially ended. We arrived at the headquarters about 2:30 pm. The only small problem on the trail was that Ben Knuckles had to tighten a steering stabilizer bolt. The length of the run from where we met to the Empire Ranch is approximately 30 miles, most of it dirt. I will leave the rating at 2.5. Most people said it was a 2 but there was a vote for 2.5 plus.

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Run Reports (Cont’d.)

Empire Ranch 2:

I had 11 vehicles show up, 12 including mine. Four of those were guests. We left the meeting point a little after 9 AM.

The first stop was the Hilton Mine where we explored the mine area. The second stop was the Cienega Creek crossing where we enjoyed the leafing out of the cottonwood trees and the flowing creek.

Everybody made it past the washout area OK without problems. We ran the ridges at almost 5000 feet until we hit the cowboy line shack where we ate lunch. After lunch we drove to the Na- tional Conservation area where we crossed Cienega Creek again and then on to the Empire Ranch headquarters where the run ended. No one had any problems and everyone seemed to enjoy the run. This time I tracked the miles on my GPS. Meeting point to the headquarters was 34.6 miles, of which 27.6 was dirt.

The Rough Rider 13 March 2016

Run Reports (Cont’d.) Walnut Canyon (3/19 Tim Naylor)

A group of 14 vehicles left the Bashas’ parking lot meeting place headed for the Walnut Can- yon trail on March 19th. Two Toyotas, one Ford Bronco, one Suzuki, and the rest were Jeeps. The meeting place was busy that day. There was a group of rock buggies headed for the hard core trails in Mammoth and another group of Jeeps also headed for the Mammoth trails. Our group traveled north on AZ Highway 79 to the Florence Kelvin highway, 3 miles south of Flor- ence, where we headed east. We stopped at “The Boulders” to air down. That’s where the pavement ends on the Florence Kelvin highway. Another 7.5 miles later we left the Florence Kelvin highway and headed north to a point where we could cross the Gila River. From this crossing we could access the Walnut Canyon trail from the south. The normal way to access Walnut Canyon in recent years is to go all the way up to Battle Ax road on Highways 77 and 177 about 12 miles north of Kearney. From there, make an in-and-out loop through the trail.

Trail history: The first time I was on the Walnut Canyon trail was in 1999. I was introduced to the trail by some Phoenix 4-wheeling friends who had discovered a possible new hardcore trail at the south end of the canyon. After a couple years of work and many more trips there, this new hardcore trail became the Miners Revenge trail. In the beginning of developing Miners Revenge, we traveled the long way down

Pre run for the October 2006 Trail Dust Days. I crossed April 2006 Walnut Canyon. Tim in the middle, Malcolm and had to come back. My Jeep almost drowned. We far right. decided not to try to cross the river for the TDD run

the Walnut Canyon trail to get access. Later we found a more direct in-and-out on Miners Revenge and bypassed Walnut Canyon. Chris Richardson and I explored and found a way to get to Walnut Canyon by crossing the Gila near the Coke Ovens back around 2002. I first led a small group of Rough Riders on that route in 2003. I led a run there in 2006, then again at Trail Dust Days that year. We did not cross the river on the Trail Dust Days run. The river was running too high. We kind of gave up trying to cross the river after that and took the north route to the trail. On March first this year we tested a new river crossing about 3 miles upstream from where we used to cross near the railroad tunnel. Mike Pitts found this crossing earlier this year. It is the best spot we have found yet for crossing during Walnut Canyon Gila River crossing March 19, 2016 high water season. The Gila is unlike other rivers. It is fed from the San Carlos Reservoir and the water

The Rough Rider 14 March 2016

Run Reports (Cont’d.) level is controlled by the needs of the farms downstream in Florence. At Florence, the entire river is drained off into irrigation canals. The water levels are generally low in the winter months, November to January, and high from July to October - from completely dry in winter to hood high at some crossings between July and October. The USGS provides an excellent website that helps you make the water levels more predictable. A link to the Gila River water level charts is on the club website. You can enter a date range on the page and you will get a chart of historical water levels by date. When we did a pre-run for Walnut Canyon on March 1, the chart showed 11 feet at the Florence diversion dam. When we did the run on the 19th, it was showing about 11.5 feet on the chart. That’s pretty close to what we experi- enced, the river was about 6 inches higher on the 19th than when we crossed on the 1st. At the deepest point of the crossing, everyone drowned their winch and I got spray on the windshield when water hit my fan. I wouldn't want to cross if it was any deeper than that. I have seen some older vehicles have their engines stall in deep water. No one in our group had a problem this time.

We crossed the river at around 11 AM and took a side trip up the wash from there that leads to the lower end of the Miners Revenge trail. We took a short hike to look at a couple of the obstacles on that trail. We took a group picture at the Miners Revenge waterfall. After the Miners Revenge tour, we had lunch in the wide wash leading up to it. We then headed for the scenic climb out of the Canyon. There are two ways to go to get to the end of the trail. The trails parallel heading north. The trail on the East side is the most scenic, but also the most difficult. There is about a mile-long section that is very steep and rocky with some washouts. That piece of the trial is on the borderline of requiring lockers and I rate as a 3.5. I promised a 3.0 trail so we took the Western trail that is a little easier. The group of vehicles and drivers on this trip were plenty capable of doing the harder route but I stuck to the original plan. The trail from the river to the trail end near Highway 177 and Battle Ax Road is about 4 miles. The elevation at the river is 1700 feet and is 2500 feet at Rt. 177. The trail winds through very scenic rugged mountains and ends at a recreational parking lot set up on BLM land near the Highway 177 intersection. We arrived there at about 3 PM. The trip home is about 2 hours. The entire round trip from Catalina and back is about 150 miles. Some of us stopped at the gas station and conven- ience store at Hayden on the way back.

Another great day of wheeling.

The Rough Rider 15 March 2016

Legislation Report

[Becky was kind enough to send me a copy of the report she got from our lobbyists in February, listing Arizona House and Senate bills that might affect our sport.]

REPORT FROM JEFF GURSH AND NICK SIMINETTA FEBRUARY 17, 2016

Good Morning

We have been tracking a few new bills that could affect OHV users in AZ.

H2052 helmet required for ALL operators and passengers in OHV from Dirt bike to UTV. You will be able to opt out if you pay a fee TBD by DOT, Fine is $500 per violation. Sponsor Rep. Friese. Tracking this and other G and F bills and omnibus bills.

H2111 zero base budgeting proposal...Nick and I are watching to see how it would affect Parks, if at all.

S1397 Air Pollution...... watch for changes to PM 10 or 2.5 and keep eye on if affects OHV or small engine ordinances...... Nick and Jeff

Fuel tax bills These are from both republican and Dems.

H2493 Nick has this cover so far.

S1312 Motor fuel taxes, repeals 18 cent a gallon and has adjustable yearly tax, have not found any changes so far to who gets funds from gas tax, nick and I working on and will track.

S1398 Fuel taxes to streets and highways only, would eliminate the OHV .55% funding to the OHV program and the 30% Game and Fish gets from that fund. Sen Griffin is the sponsor, have already met with her once and working again 2/16/16, bill was in committee 2/16/16. We stand to lose all the OHV gas tax permanently of this passes with no amendment to save .55% OHV funding.

2/16/16 Meetings with Sen Griffin on this bill, work with ASP Sue Black for data and testify at Capitol in transportation hearing on Bill. Additional meetings this week on modifying the bill to address OHV funds. Looking much better and will keep you up to speed as we continue to address this one. Also working with the Ride Now power sports group and Dealer network to pull sales fig- ures and data. And working with land managers in this area to see what projects have been done. Nothing is a one stop project!

Continue to work with Air Quality folks to address issues on PM 10 and PM 2.5. Conference calls and phone calls with County and State AQ directors and staff to change the existing PM 2.5 ban on OHV during No Burn days. Agree it is a mistake and won’t be enforced. Working on change in docs with EPA issue of no back sliding similar to original PM 10 problems, will have done in 2016 session.

Continue to work with State Parks staff to allow more flexibility for OHV grants and agreements. Still having issues with IGA type agreements with Land Mangers.

Working with different BLM Districts to address PM 10 issues that will hit their area in the future. Also working on the Pinal County, AQ issues, hopefully they will follow our lead with Maricopa county work rather than reinvent the wheel.

Continuing our partnership with BLM state wide and Forest service Tonto forest. Continue work on existing projects, maintenance of trails at Boulders, table Mesa, Bradshaw foothills. TNF projects north of Bartlett dam road completed in 2015, but not open due to delay in Travel Management plan.

Look for an email from AZOHVC Don hood on what does your group want to see over the next 4 years

The Rough Rider 16 March 2016

Legislation Report (Cont’d.)

on Phoenix district for OHV list examples of projects or you can suggest your own.

Continue to look at new dust abatement products and test in our project areas for effectiveness and cost.

In addition to all this, AZOHVC has partnered with Tread lightly to work on a PSA campaign for target shooting, the Trigger Trash " PSA on bill boards and posters are going in now. WHY? Do you like the trash left behind from irresponsible target shooters? OHV gets blamed for this too. When target shooting affects OHV safety, AZOHVC will work to address this and find partners like tread lightly to help us. Part of our BLM partnership agreement.

Nick, I know we have looked at more bills and eliminated those as concerning OHV but have no idea how many bill we/you have sifted thru so far this year how many bills have been dropped this year to review?

Thanks for your support! Your dollars help keep responsible recreation use in AZ alive and well.

Sincerely Jeff Gursh Executive director AZOHVC Don Hood President AZOHVC and Nick Simonetta Pivotal Policy

The Rough Rider 17 March 2016

ASA4WDC Report

[As the president of the ASA4WDC, and the legislative liaison officer of the group as well, Becky submits a report to the Association at every Quarterly meeting. This is her February report.]

ASA4WDC Presidents Quarterly Report – February 2016

2016 is shaping up to be a busy year.

Arizona State Parks Off Highway Advisory Group (OHVAG)  I am still on the (OHVAG). We could use another four wheeler on the group as most of the members are now single track or ATV.  With the resignation of Jeff Prince, the ASP Grant Process is being revised and there have been a lot of changes. Most are for the good.  May will be our meeting to approve the grants that have been submitted. The meeting will be held in the Phoenix area and all are welcome to attend. I also attended the grant workshop here in Tucson, this is the first time in a long time that we have had the workshop in our area. Most of the grants were for non-motorized. But a few were also for motorized grants. Unfortunately, none were for large vehicles, instead they were for ATV, UTV and single track.

Game and Fish Allan Connor and I have met with the Game and Fish Department (G&F) concerning the G&F Expo’s rock crawling area. We have been discussing a possibility of using that area as a train- ing facility.

Florence Property  The first official work run to the ASA4WDC Florence property was a nice turn out. The group looked at what we think should be done and how we are going to go about doing the work.  A preliminary road was stacked out through the property to allow for our camping and support areas. Another work run will be planned in the future.

Website, Roster and Email  The website has been overhauled and is not up and running. The cost is approximately 1/3 of the original cost. The problem is we could use a few more people to help out with keeping it up to date. Roster – It is February and the annual membership dues are now due. That means that we need to get all of our information into Wayne Ash so that we can update the roster. The website has a location (password protected) to access the current (which they are out of date) rosters and also be able to submit one back after it has been updated. This page also has a blank roster that can be filled out and sent back. This is the best way to get information out to all of our members.

 The ASA4WDC has an account (under a not for profit, as it is less) to send out emails, information, newsletters, alerts and other bulk mailing to our members. But it only works with updated email address- es.  A survey was sent out to all members, unfortunately there was only about 44 people who respond- ed. But those people did give good feedback.  As the Legislative Liaison, I am also working on an update to our members as information comes in. I appreciate any feedback.

Calendar  The website now has a Google calendar on it that can be accessed by our members. If you would like to post your runs or would like to help keep the calendar up to date with events, please let me know and access will be provided.

New Clubs  The ASA4WDC has a very good name in the state of Arizona as one of the best organizations with

The Rough Rider 18 March 2016

ASA4WDC Report (Cont’d.)

state and federal agencies. We do our best to keep it that way.  The ASA4WDC would like to get more clubs involved in our organization. It is much better to have a large number of members when working with the land managers.  The newest club looking to join the ASA4WDC is the Saddlebrooke Off Road Bunch. They are based out of Catalina just outside of Tucson. Their club has been around for 15 years. We will gladly welcome them into our organization. I have also been in touch with a land manager that is going to speak on the ASA4WDC’s behalf to have the Rim Country 4 Wheelers come back to the ASA4WDC

Legislative Issues As the Legislative Liaison I try to stay connected to what is going on in the state. Jeff Gursh and Nick Simonetta have given me a report of the bills that they are currently working on that effect our sport. I can’t thank them enough for what they do for us.

Sincerely submitted Rebecca Antle 2016 ASA4WDC President and Legislative Liaison

The Rough Rider 19 March 2016

Radios

[As a result of the discussion at the March meeting, I asked a vague question on our email list if someone would please do an article on the various radio options available to ‘wheelers. Erwin Greven was kind enough to prepare this for us. In addition to publishing it here, I have sent it to Tim for inclusion on the website.]

I was asked about putting together an article about ham & CB radios after someone at the March meeting (I don't remember who it was) mentioned about the club using ham radios because of their range and clarity. It was also mentioned they were using 2 meter radios in off road racing and that you did not need an FCC license to use it.

Here is some of the information that I found out after making some phone calls to the Green Valley Ama- teur Radio Club and ARRL (formerly The American Radio Relay League, it is the national association for Amateur Radio) and checking information on sanctioned off road races.

Depending on the race series, or sanctioning body, race radios need to operate in 150 to 158 MHz range. In those frequencies (150 - 156 MHz) are "VHF business band", the unlicensed Multi Use Radio Service (MURS), and other 2-way land mobile FM. The 156 - 158 MHz is VHF marine radio narrow band FM with 156.8 MHz (channel 16) being the maritime emergency and contact frequency.

Of those frequencies, only the MURS frequencies VHF 151 & 154 MHz are authorized for use without an FCC license. A 2 meter radio can be set to use those frequencies. But under the FCC MURS regula- tions the radios have to have up to 5 preset frequencies and can not put out more than 2 watts, so that makes using a 2 meter radio illegal because usually minimum wattage output is 5 watts on low power. The average 2 meter radio puts out 25 to 50 watts and some even more than that. The 2 meter radio I have in my Jeep puts out up to 50 watts. Compare that to a legal CB radio of 4 watts.

So that brings us to the 156 - 158 MHz marine band which also does not need an FCC license as long as you are not in international waters. But in order to broadcast on those frequencies without a license, you have to do so with an FCC approved marine radio, FCC label on the back of the radio. So all marine radios are factory preset with all the channels up to 48 channels and can put out 100 watts as long as you are using them on water. They are not legal to use on land. If you are on land, you must be trying to contact a watercraft.

I went to some of the race radio web sites and they sell 25 watt radios that seem to be spec’d-out 2 meter radios. On the web they don't say you don't need a license, but they don't tell you that you do need one either. I don't know how the race series gets around the over wattage, but the consensus with the people I talked to was you need a license and none had heard of an exemption except for what I have listed. I also checked the FCC web site and could not find an exemption, but it is a large web site with lots of links and I just may not have found it. Looking at some of the race series frequencies, I would say they are over powering on the MURS system.

The bottom line is if you are going to get a 2 meter radio and broadcast with it, get an amateur radio license. You do not need a license to just listen to the radio or scanner, only if you broadcast.

Why get a ham radio? Like it was mentioned earlier they have better sound, less noise, less interference, a lot better range, and a better chance in an emergency to make contact with someone using the repeater system.

A 2 meter radio costs more than a CB. Average cost on a 2 meter radio would be $150 to $250, depending on what you want and wattage rating. Some 4 wheel drive clubs have their own line-of-sight frequency. When I was in Quartzsite, AZ, the group that I ran with had a ham frequency that they picked, just like the TRR uses channel 4 on the CB. The only problem for me was remembering how to reset the radio channel to their frequency, so keep the owner's manual close by.

Why use a CB radio? No license needed. They are inexpensive, plentiful, and you can buy a replace- ment at any truck stop. They all have the same channels and frequencies, no programming involved, unlike a ham radio. CB radios are only 4 watts, but with a good, properly tuned (SWR) antenna and cable (recommend RG-58 A/U type coaxial cable) they can work very well. The quality of the antenna can make the difference between a great working radio and one that doesn't. Don't skimp on the antenna.

The Rough Rider 20 March 2016

Radios (Cont’d.)

Buy a cheap radio and a good antenna. Aside from added bells and whistles, all CBs are FCC regulated to transmit no more than 4 watts of power. It is illegal to use power amplifiers with CB radios. It is illegal to "tweak" the radio's internal circuits to increase output power. The transmitter power of a legal, FCC certified CB radio is 4 watts AM. A good antenna on an inexpensive radio will almost always outperform a bad antenna on an expensive radio. And remember a CB antenna MUST be properly tuned (SWR) to your radio and vehicle. CB radios operate in the 11 meter band. The reason CB radios are kept at 4 watts is that overpowering a CB will bleed signals in to the Ham 10 meter bands on the low side and also bleed into the Ham 12 meter on the high side. Overpowered CB radios are the ones that sound like they are transmitting from inside a tin can.

SWR: In almost every instance, once you get the same SWR reading on channels 1 and 40, further antenna tuning will not improve the readings. If the SWR is still over 2:1, you have other problems to con- quer. Exception: There are rare occasions when the ground plane is so small or large that the system is way out of phase (especially with high-performance antennas). If you have high SWR on all channels and have confirmed that you have no opens or shorts in the feedline, try making a small tuning adjust- ment in the antenna. There are times when the SWR will drop equally across all channels under unusu- al ground plane conditions. If you find this to be the case, carefully adjust the antenna. SWR that is high on all channels (over 2:1 but not pegging the needle) after the antenna has been tuned usually indicates insufficient ground plane, ungrounded antenna mount or that a coax cable problem exists. You can never buy coax cable that is too good for your system. Never compromise quality for cost when purchasing coax. Your best bet is to stick with coax that has a stranded center conductor and 90% or higher shield- ing. Excess coax between your radio and antenna mount should never be wound into a circular coil of less than 12" in diameter. Doing so can cause system problems. Your best option for handling excess coax is to serpentine the cable into a 12 to 18 inch yarn-like skein. Secure the skein in the center with a wire tie and tuck it away. Coaxial cable with holes in the outer insulation, severe bends, or door, trunk or hood caused pinches will cause performance problems. Treat your coax with care. When tuning your antenna(s), make sure that you do so with the vehicle doors, hood and trunk closed. If left open, they can cause inaccurate SWR readings. Try to simulate actual operating conditions.

FRS (Family Radio Service): These are the small hand-held radios. You do not need a license to operate them, they are easy to use, and all channels are pre-programmed. They are limited to 1/2 watt and have small fixed antennas so their range is very limited.

GMRS radios operate in the same frequency bands as FRS but at higher wattage so a license is required.

Below is a listing of the different types of radio systems:

FRS (Family Radio Service)  The FCC does not require a license to use the FRS service.  Intended to be used by family and friends to communicate within short distances. For non- commercial use only.  Most consumer radios have both FRS and GMRS channels.  If you purchase a FRS / GMRS radio you can avoid the need for a license by staying within the FRS channels (usually channels 8-14).  All FRS radios are limited to ½ watt of power, and must have a non-removable stubby antenna, so your range is greatly limited.

GMRS (General Mobile Radio Service)  GMRS is also for individuals and their friends and family. For non-commercial use only.  Is a more powerful service for individuals than FRS.  GMRS does require a license.  Equipment must be certified for GMRS use.

LMR (Land Mobile Radio, also PLMR for Private Land Mobile Radio, or Industrial/Business Pool)  LMR is for use in business, government agencies, and non-profit institutions such as; educa-

The Rough Rider 21 March 2016

Radios (Cont’d.)

tion, healthcare, and religious organizations.  Most radios approved for LMR usage operate on either VHF (150-174 MHz), or UHF (421-512 MHz) frequencies.  Once obtained, the license is good for 10 years.  There are several different types of LMR licenses depending on your usage needs. The 3 most common are:  Simplex License - Licenses a set of frequencies within a radius of a single location.  Duplex License - When using a repeater this license includes a frequency pair, spaced for repeater use.  Itinerant License - Allows the use of radios at any location within a state, set of states, or nation- wide depending on your needs.  Commercial applications usually require frequent use of channels with minimal interference by other users. An FCC LMR license affords businesses relatively open communication with minimal interference. CB and MURS channels are often crowded.

MURS (Multi-Use Radio Service)  MURS is an unlicensed service for either business or personal use.  Equipment has pre-set frequencies on 5 channels in the VHF 151 & 154 MHz range.  Since it is open to everyone the lack of privacy and channel interference may be a problem in a business setting.  MURS radios are limited to 2 watts or less, so your talk range is limited.  Still, MURS can be a good option for some businesses such as small sites or temporary job sites.  Your radio must be MURS certified to use MURS.

Ham Radio ( also called Amateur Radio)  Ham Radio is a popular passion among many people world wide.  Is used by hobbyists and used in emergency situations by volunteers.  Requires a licensed to operate communications equipment on the "amateur bands" (or frequencies). There are 3 types of licenses: Technician, General, Extra.  You must pass an examination to obtain an Amateur radio license within the US (requires knowledge of radios and electronics). There are many online aids to help you prepare for the test.  Once you have a license you can operate on many frequencies that are not available to other users.

CB (Citizens Band)  Does not require a license in the US.  Can be used for either commercial or personal communications.  Equipment has pre-set frequencies on 40 channels.  Operates on AM modulation with 4 watts of transmit power  Frequency range is 26.965 MHz (Ch 1) to 27.405 MHz (Ch 40).  Since it is open to everyone the lack of privacy and channel interference may be a problem in a business setting.

Marine Radio  Marine radios are specifically designed for communications on the waterways.  The channels on Marine radios have preassigned frequencies, each channel/frequency is des- ignated for a particular type of marine communication. For example, channel 16 is set at frequency 156.800HMz and is for distress calls only.  It is important that you only use two-way radios specifically approved for marine use when on the waterways. Other VHF radios should not be used because they will not have the proper fre-

The Rough Rider 22 March 2016

Radios (Cont’d.)

quency settings.  Today's marine radios have other features such as NOAA weather alert channels.  There are basically two types of marine radios: handheld and fixed-mount.  Handheld marine radios are more limited in range, but can be moved from one boat to another.  Fixed-Mount marine radios, just as the name implies are permanently mounted. They deliver more power as they are run off electrical connections on your boat.

AirBand Radios  Airband radios are used for both navigation and communication.  AirBand radios use VHF frequencies in the 108 MHz - 137 MHz range.  No license is required for individuals. However, aircraft stations do require a license. See the FCC for more details.  Use only airband radios for aviation. Aviation radios are not like other VHF radios. Airband radios have specific channel setups and functions used in aviation communications that land-based VHF radios do not have.  Since aviation transmissions primarily occur in the air, communication range is much greater for airband radios than land-based VHF radios. So a 5 watt handheld airband radio used in-flight will have a much longer range than a similar 5 watt VHF land-based radio. Panel mounted airband radios, usually 8 watts, have an even greater range. From the air, most airband radios typically have a range of around 200 miles.

The information I listed here is just a quick overview. There is a lot more information available. If you are interested in getting your amateur radio license, you can go to the FCC's website www.fcc.gov or you can check out ARRL at www.arrl.org. You can also check some local amateur radio clubs. Most clubs can help you get your license.

I hope this information helps and that it's not too much information overload on radios.

Erwin Greven

The Rough Rider 23 March 2016

Club Officers Member Anniversaries

Board of Directors March

President Tom Ambler 2006 Kevin Kennedy Steven & Gwen Archer 2015 [email protected] Bob & Monique Bozarth 2000 Lon & Denise Drenton 2010 Vice President Brad Harford 2015 Chris Richardson Larry & Deborah Narcus 2013 [email protected] James Stites 2014

Treasurer April Malcolm Leslie [email protected] J D Fitzgerald 2015 Howard & Patricia Purscelley 2007 Secretary Bill & Carol Urlich 2015 Lon Drenten Miles & Pat Weigold 2014 [email protected] Congratulations to our members celebrating their ASA4WD Delegate tenth (Tom Ambler) anniversaries! Becky Antle [email protected] Note: If your anniversary date is incorrect, please let Tim Naylor know so he can correct our records. ASA4WD Delegate Rheal Tetreault [email protected]

Non-BoD Positions

Editor Dave Peterson [email protected]

Historian Tim Naylor [email protected]

Membership Tim Naylor [email protected]

The Rough Rider 24 March 2016

Editor’s Corner

For the last few years, beginning in 2013, I’ve been going to a May weekend event in Mormon Lake, AZ (about 20 miles southeast of Flagstaff) called the Overland Expo. “Overlanding,” according to Wikipedia, is “self-reliant overland travel to remote destinations where the journey is the principal goal.” (https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overlanding) Because I’ve been building the JeepMonster with overlanding in mind, I figured the Expo would be a trove of good information. I have not been disappointed.

Although my focus is domestic overlanding, the Expo draws exhibitors with a worldwide focus—from outfitters who will create an overlanding-style vacation for you to vendors of off-road-capable camping trailers, vehicle accessories, and the vehicles themselves. The Expo also has lectures, presentations, and demonstrations galore, covering all aspects of the overlanding experience.

I have found that one long day is almost sufficient to see everything, although you might be pushed a bit if you stop too often at too many of the tents. Since the JeepMonster’s completion is closer now than it was a year ago, I decided this year to volunteer at the Expo. In exchange for 12 hours of work, I get free admission during the Expo itself, free on-site camping, and free admission to many of the presentations (but not the “elite” ones). It seems like a fair tradeoff, and it’ll give me three days to talk with vendors about various aspects of the ‘Monster and my upcoming “50 States—50 Weekends” adventure.

If any of this interests you, go to http://www.overlandexpo.com/ and check it out! I’d love to meet up with fellow Rough Riders and drool over—I mean, look at—all the gear and exhibits. This year’s Expo is May 20—22.

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JeepMonster progress: Here’s one of the most recent pictures I took. The cabin roll cage is taking shape and the cargo-bed roll bar is just getting started. The front fender is represented by a piece of 1/4-inch- thick plywood. There are actually four pieces of “real Jeep” in the build–the hood (gray), the cowl (red), the windshield frame (black) and the grille (red, but not pictured). Each piece is from a different donor vehicle. Oh, and none of them is from the CJ-6 tub I bought. Its only contribution to the build is the VIN plate and the title. Follow along at “From The Ground Up” (gonzodave001.wordpress.com).