Rochester Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
RaRa Logo
Since 1931
Rochester Hamfest

 
 
 

 

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: 10/27/24 11:36 AM)

Name Location Day(s) Date Sign Up
Maker Faire Gordon Field House Saturday November 16
Pumpkin Patrol Bridges of the NYS Thruway Wednesday & Thursday 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.      

2025 Calendar Coming Events

Name Location Day(s) Date Sign Up
Tour de Cure Stokoe Farms Saturday June 7
MS Roc the Ride Great Lakes Lakeside State Park Saturday August 9
ILLW Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse Saturday & Sunday August 16 & 17
Fairport Lift Bridge Regatta (Tentative) Canal, Fairport Saturday September 20  
Wilmot Warrior Weekend (Tentative) Xerox Campus Webster Sunday September 21
Pumpkin Patrol Overpasses of the
New York State Thruway
Thursday & Friday October 30 & 31

 

Last revised: 10/27/24 11:36 AM

   

The Rochester Amateur Radio Association, Inc. is a 501(c)3 Educational Corporation
Information Contact: webmaster@rochesterham.org