|
|
Public Service
Hams assist public organizations by providing emergency and backup communications.
— Throughout our history, amateurs have established a reputation for public service communications
— When all else fails!!
— When called upon we fulfill one of the most important purposes of amateur radio
— Local, State and Federal Governments
recognize our abilities to assist when needed
Each year we serve many
grateful agencies with well over a dozen events. You can sign-up for events below and at any RaRa
or ARES meeting. Additional events are listed on the Club Calendar.
Check the RaRa Public
Service Page for more information on participating or contact our Public Service Coordinator at PublicService@RochesterHam.org.
Stay in good operating condition: Participate in a public service event each year!
The Winter months are an excellent time to review our communications tools for public service events. We have a mix of events where our
service area extends over a large area and where we operate over a small area. A mobile radio and vehicle-mounted antenna using a single
or group of repeaters is most appropriate for the large area event. For small-area events, a handheld radio works well. Our first large
area event is the Tour de Cure on June 8, so there is time to add a dual-band mobile radio to your car. If you don’t want a permanently
mounted setup, a cigar lighter power cord and mag-mount antenna for the roof will work. Many hams seem to have a handheld for the small
area events.
APRS stations mounted in a vehicle are handy to allow net control to see your location. If that is out of your budget range,
there are smartphone Apps for Android (aprsdroid) and iPhone (aprs.fi). These are not the only choices for these devices. For more information,
consult the App Store for your phone or view the article at
https://w8rp.org/how-to-guides/aprs-on-android-and-ios/
Two of our public
service events are scheduled for the same day in September. There are also two events that have been brought forward by club members that
are scheduled for the same day as existing events. I have listed these all in our schedule shown following. We will need to plan what
the needs are for the served organizations and how we can meet these needs.
2024 Calendar Coming Events
(Page Last Revised: 08/23/24 09:15 AM)
| Name |
Location |
Day(s) |
Date |
Sign Up |
Finger Lakes Triathlon
Wolfpack Multisport |
Canandaigua and the bike course runs through Ontario County |
Sunday |
September 8 |
Sign Up |
|
SIARC is requesting help with communications for this event, which takes place on the shores of Canandaigua Lake. There is a youth event
on Saturday and the adult events on Sunday. Take advantage of the area and make it a weekend destination event, and see all that Canandaigua
has to offer. Click sign up or email kb2nci@gmail.com. |
|
|
|
| Fairport Lift Bridge Regatta (canceled) |
NYS Barge Canal Fairport |
Saturday |
September 21 |
Canceled |
| The Fairport Lift Bridge Regatta is held on the Erie Canal in Fairport. RaRa provides communications
support for rowing shell races and this operation stations hams at various locations along the course to report race progress and
provide information relative to safety on the course. Most of the communications use handheld radios on simplex frequencies. The
regatta participants are mostly high school aged and they are there with their families. It provides an opportunity to showcase
Amateur Radio to the public. Please consider volunteering to help with this event using the "Sign Up" link to the right. |
|
|
|
| Wilmot
Warrior Weekend |
Xerox, Panama Road, Webster |
Sunday |
September 22 |
Sign Up |
The Wilmot Breakaway Challenge is part
of the Wilmot Warrior Weekend fundraiser for UR Cancer Center. This daylong event is made up of bike rides of 65, 40, and 25 miles. Individual
and teams of riders raise donations from friends and family for completion of the rides. RaRa provides communications on the ride course
in support of the riders using mobile radios, repeaters, APRS, and cell phones where needed. We operate the communications command center,
coordinating the delivery of services, and updating the event managers. Wilmot Breakaway Challenge is a big operation and involves hams
from Monroe, Ontario, and Wayne counties. The course location has not been set. Please consider volunteering to help with this event
using the "Sign Up" link to the right.
Map Information
for Ham Participants Wilmot Routes |
|
|
|
| JOTA / Ham Radio Demonstration |
Camp Cutler, Naples, NY |
Saturday |
October 26 |
Sign Up |
| The Seneca Waterways Challenge Trophy Camporee (CTC) is an annual, weekend camporee featuring 800+ activities, and is attended by 2000+
scouts and scouters from the US and Canada. Each CTC features a large number of patches that can be earned, collected and traded - see
the attachments (lower-right) for more info about CTC Patches. The Camporee will be held at J. Warren Cutler Scout Reservation, 7131 Gulick
Road, Naples, NY 14512. RARA will operate an Amateur Radio demonstration station. |
|
|
|
| Pumpkin Patrol |
Bridges of the NYS Thruway |
Monday, Tuesday |
October 30 & 31 |
Sign Up |
| Pumpkin Patrol is our longest running public service event. It is a state-wide event and RaRa in Monroe County is just one part of something
which spans the entire NYS Thruway. Each pair of riders in a vehicle equipped with mobile Amateur Radio is assigned watch on one of the
16 Thruway bridges in Monroe County. A net is run between sundown and midnight with status reports provided every half hour to report
any untoward activity on the bridges. This operation is done in service of the NYS Troopers where we become their “eyes and ears”
on Halloween night and the night before. Our presence prevents acts of vandalism and frees up law enforcement resources for more valuable
use. Please consider volunteering to help with this event using the "Sign Up" link to the right. |
|
|
|
Last revised: 08/23/24 09:15 AM
|
