a field organization of the National Association for Amateur Radio®
Amateur radio public service events
In a continuing effort to improve the amateur radio community’s planning and response to the Boston Marathon, the ham radio organizers are producing a series of training videos. It is hoped that these videos will make the volunteer’s experience more enjoyable and their response more efficient. [Full story]
–Tnx wma.arrl.org
The 2009 Boston Marathon will be on Monday, April 20. Registration for amateur radio volunteers for the has already opened. If you would like to volunteer, follow the instructions on the following website:
Assignments vary greatly and equipment needs will vary with the assignment that you select. Generally, at least a 2M/440 HT is required, with batteries to last the entire day, but please refer to the assignment details or ask the event coordinators (see website address above for names, email addresses and phone numbers). All Boston Marathon volunteers receive a light jacket.
Thanks, wma.arrl.org
Roland Daignault, N1JOY writes on BCRA-Club list:
Just a reminder that the Cranberry Country Triathlon is on August 24 and we’re looking for radio operators to cover the course. If this race runs the same as the Patriot event, the swim portion didn’t really require radio ops, and the running race was over by noon time. Then the bike race lasted until about 4:30 PM. I will be hauling out the HAMCOW for Net Control. Operators will need at least a 2 Meter HT, and we will be using repeaters and simplex. The start point will be at the Ted Williams baseball camp in Lakeville, which is a nice facility if you’ve ever been there.
Check out the triathlon web site, complete with maps of the course.
http://www.cranberrycountrytri.com/
I hope to see you there!
Terry Stader, KA8SCP writes on PART-L:
Once again, the ham radio community has been asked to assist as a communications resource for the Westford Apple Blossom Parade on Saturday, May 17, 2008.
The parade starts around 10 AM and will start near the junction of Graniteville Rd and Main St. and ending at Abbot School. Duty will be from 8:30/9:00AM until 11:00AM/noon at the latest. You will need to bring a 2 meter walkie. We need about 10-12 operators for this event.
Most volunteers will be assigned to “shadow” various members of the Parade committee. We will also be manning the Special Operations Vehicle (which may actually be a parade participant) as well as the Net Control Station at the Police station. Our actual duty will not start till about 9:00AM but we need to get into the center of town (meet in the PD/Town Hall parking lot) before the roads are closed and we need to establish our assignments by 8:30 AM or so.
Please contact me if you are interested and can assist or need more information.
Terry Stader, KA8SCP
ka8scp@wb1gof.org
The Marathon Amateur Radio Communications (MARC) consortium is looking for ham radio operators to assist at the 2008 Boston Marathon. The Marathon is held annually on Patriots Day, this year that’s Monday, April 21. We need people to provide communications is support of three areas:
START LINE (Hopkinton)
Runner & observer safety & security, parking lots, VIP escorts
COURSE (Hopkinton to Boston)
First Aid & Water station coordination
FINISH LINE (Boston)
First Aid, safety & security
If you are interested in any of these positions, please visit the MARC website to sign up:
http://marc.amateur-radio.net
73,
Bob – K1IW
MARC Recruitment Coordinator 1 1 1
The Marathon Amateur Radio Communications (MARC) consortium is looking for ham radio operators to assist at the 2008 Boston Marathon. The Marathon is held annually on Patriots Day, this year that’s Monday, April 21. We need people to provide communications is support of three areas:
START LINE (Hopkinton)
Runner & observer safety & security, parking lots, VIP escorts
COURSE (Hopkinton to Boston)
First Aid & Water station coordination
FINISH LINE (Boston)
First Aid, safety & security
If you are interested in any of these positions, please visit the MARC website to sign up:
http://marc.amateur-radio.net
73,
Bob – K1IW
MARC Recruitment Coordinator
The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford will conduct its annual “Pumpkin Patrol” on Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Participants will patrol various neighborhoods of Westford during and after “treat or treat” time, and radio any unusual activity to the police. PART conducts this activity with the cooperation of the Westford Police Department.
“This is an activity that PART has been doing since its inception back in the late 1970’s,” writes PART President Art “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM.
“It is mainly a mobile operation but indeed we can use people with handi-talkies and people to help out at the police station,” Bo adds. “We don’t have a coordinator for this event yet, but when we do I will let you all know and you can volunteer directly to that person.”
–Thanks, PART Particles, Vol. 12 Number 7
Alan Martin, W1AHM writes on PART-L:
The Northern Middlesex ARES group is organizing ham radio event support for Chelmsford’s annual 4th of July parade. The parade is on a Wednesday this year.
Ham radio volunteers are needed to work the parade by shadowing officials, helping to organize floats and marchers, or monitoring the route. If you are interested, please contact Darrel Mallory at k1ej at arrl dot net.
The Massasoit Amateur Radio Association is calling for ham radio volunteers to provide emergency communication support for the Camp Yomechas 5k Road Race on June 3, 2007. The volunteers will congregate at 8:00 a.m. at Camp Yomechas and receive communication assignments for one of the various intersections along the race course. Talk-in will be conductedd on the Bridgewater 147.180 MHz repeater.
–Thanks, Whitman ARC Spectrum, May 2007
The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford is seeking volunteers for the Apple Blossom Parade Communications Event on Saturday, May 12, 2007. According to PART’s Bo Budinger, WA1QYM, “A number of people have volunteered to assist, but we are still looking for additional help.”
The parade runs from 10 AM until 11 AM starting near the junction of Graniteville Road and Main Street and ending at Abbot School. Duty will be from 8:30/9:00AM until 11:00AM/noon at the latest. Adds Budinger, “You will need to bring a 2-meter walkie.”
If interested, please contact Terry Stader, KA8SCP at ka8scp at wb1gof dot org.
–Thanks, PART Particles, Volume 12, No. 3
At a meeting of staff and hundreds of volunteers of the Central New England Chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Bob Salow, WA1IDA and the Boston Amateur Radio Club were honored with the MS Walk Volunteer Award for 2006.
Salow and BARC were cited for the notable communications support given to the MS events. An engraved glass medallion was presented to WA1IDA by the Chairman of the Board of the Central New England Chapter of the MS Society.
BARC is looking for volunteers to support two concurrent MS events on April 29, 2007: the Boston MS Walk which will start and finish at the Harvard athletic facility on North Harvard Street near Soldiers Field Rd in Brighton, and the MS Journey of Hope which runs at Elm Bank in Wellesley and finishes at the Harvard athletic facility. If you can lend a hand, contact Bob, WA1IDA at wa1ida@arrl.net or call 508.650.9440.
CQ Magazine Public Service Editor Bob Josuweit, WA3PZO, reports that the American Red Cross has announced changes to its controversial policy requiring background checks of all volunteers, including, in many cases, hams working through the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Many hams were concerned about invasion of privacy, as the standard consent form granted permission not only for criminal background checks but also for credit checks and “mode of living” checks.
A spokeswoman for the Red Cross region serving Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, has confirmed the following changes in the background check policy:
* A new consent form will be developed that eliminates all references to credit checks and mode of living.
* People who signed the previous forms will not be subject to credit checks or mode of living checks. A new form will be developed for those positions requiring credit checks.
* Red Cross senior management will establish a policy to define which positions will require credit checks and how those checks will be evaluated.
WA3PZO will have additional details in his April “Public Service” column.
–Thanks, Stillwater ARA Radioham.org
The Marathon Amateur Radio Consortium is now accepting sign-ups for the 2007 Boston Marathon Amateur Radio Team. Radio operators are needed to support safety and security operations at the Start, Finish, and along the route. If you are interested in helping out, please visit their website at
http://marc.amateur-radio.net
and complete the simple 2-step signup process.
Members of the K1USN Radio Club plan to operate W1BSA during the upcoming Jamboree On The Air on Oct. 21, according to Harold “Pi” Pugh, K1RV.
“This should be a good opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities as well as introducing people to the Thomas Watson Library and Research Center,” writes Pi. “We have made a lot of progress getting K1USN back on the air and want everyone to see how it looks.”
[See also: USS Salem RC Has A New Home At Watson Library]
ARRL and Citizen Corp are teaming up to assist local school districts (if they need the help) to set up and register their NOAA Weather All Hazard Public Alert Radio.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Education, and the Department of Homeland Security are partnering to launch a significant nation-wide project to distribute 80,000 NOAA Public Alert Radios to U.S. public schools throughout the nation. The radios are designed to signal different types of alerts ranging from weather emergencies to child abductions, and from chemical accidents to acts of terrorism. The radio acts as a sentry, standing guard 24/7, to sound an alarm when danger threatens.
If you, as an Amateur Radio operator, or an Amateur Radio club member, or ARRL Field Organization appointee would like to assist Citizen Corps in this project, please contact your local Citizen Corps Council to offer assistance. Where there isn’t a Council, please contact local Emergency Management.
Contacts should not be made directly to local schools but, instead, should be made by Citizen Corps and Emergency Management to local school district superintendent’s offices to ensure a coordinated plan. Assistance to schools will be provided at the request of, and in coordination with, the school district.
Citizen Corps
* To locate your State Citizen Corps Council log onto http://www.citizencorps.gov/citizenCorps/statepoc.do
* To locate your local Citizen Corps Council log onto: http://www.citizencorps.gov/councils/find_council.shtm or http://www.citizencorps.gov/citizenCorps/mycouncils.do
Emergency Management
* To locate state offices and agencies for emergency management, you can log onto: http://www.fema.gov/about/contact/statedr.shtm
* To get contact information for local emergency management offices, you can email or call IAEM, The International Association of Emergency Managers, at info@iaem or 703-538-1795×2 to ask for your local contact or you can click on the link for the state web sites at http://www.fema.gov/about/contact/statedr.shtm
The NOAA Web site (http://public-alert-radio.nws.noaa.gov/) (http://www.nws.noaa.gov/nwr/) is the primary location for information and updates for Citizen Corps and associated volunteers for this project.
The following links contain background information about the program including a document on frequently asked questions and answers about the program, Citizen Corps volunteer material for the NOAA Public Alert Radio Program, a copy of the letter that went to the schools along with a descriptive and informational brochure about the radio distribution program.
If you or your club or ARES group take part in this project with Citizen Corps or your local Emergency Management office, please report this activity to Steve Ewald, WV1X, (sewald@arrl.org) at ARRL Headquarters and to your ARRL Section Manager. Thank you very much.
NOAA Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/NOAA-FAQ-update-1-9-29.pdf
Citizen Corps Volunteer Information
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/Citizen_Corps_Volunteer_Info_20062.pdf
Public Alert Letter for Schools
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/Public-Alert-letter-2006.pdf
Public Alert Radio Brochure
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/PublicAlertRadioBrochure.pdf
Members of the Sturdy Memorial Hospital Amateur Radio Club will assist with communications for the Rome Boulevard Road Race on Sunday, October 1, 2006. The event consists of a five-mile run, a two-mile run and a two-mile walk. The start/finish line is at Attleboro High School.
For further information, email Joe Agius, W1TW at jpagius@yahoo.com or see the race flyer.
The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford is recruiting hams to participate in the Blues N’ Brews Festival on Saturday, August 26, 2006 from 10:15 a.m. until 8:00 p.m.
“They are only looking for a couple more people,” writes PART’s Terry Stader, KA8SCP. “You will need to fill out an application at: http://www.bluesnbrews.com/pdf/bnb_volunteer_app.pdf
and fax it to Bill Barnett at 978-692-1191 no later than Thursday night.”
Stader adds that the communications will be on FRS frequencies “but the PART folks are being asked to provide comms to WPD if necessary since cell phone coverage there is very spotty.” According to KA8SCP there is a fire department detail working the event as well.
Interested persons can contact KA8SCP with any questions.
Terry Stader, KA8SCP writes on PART-L:
We are still looking for volunteers for the Lowell Folk Festival which runs from Friday, July 28th through Sunday, July 30th. A couple of people have signed up but we are looking for people for Saturday evening and Sunday.
The Emergency Management “bus” will be used as a “station” for information, basic first aid and a general all around resource center.
We would like to have at least 2 volunteers for each shift, the shifts tentatively look like:
Friday – 6:00 to 10:00 PM
Saturday – 12:00 (noon) to 5:00 PM
5:00 to 10:00 PM
Sunday – 12:00 (noon) to 4:00 PM
4:00 to 7:00 PM (event closes at 7 PM)
If you are available and would like to participate, please call Mark’s office at 978-459-5552 and leave a message with your name, your telephone number and what day and time you’d like to assist. You can also send an email message to Mark at mboldrig@ci.lowell.ma.us.
The Lowell Folk Festival web page can be found at http://www.lowellfolkfestival.org/.
Thank you.
The ARRL Headquarters web site today carried a news item describing the efforts of New England and Eastern MA amateurs in the wake of disasterous flooding that has struck our area.
In the article, Eastern MA Section Emergency Coordinator Rob Macedo, KD1CY estimates that “more than 100 radio amateurs have been involved in the operation and spotting work across the region.” He also describes the volunteer activity in staffing the NWS office in Taunton and in the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency State EOC and Region I Headquarters.
[Full story]
Bruce Pigott, KC1US writes:
Project Bread will again be looking forward to hams supporting the Walk for Hunger on Sunday, May 7. Forty thousand walkers will be raising funds for emergency feeding programs located across the Commonwealth. This will be the twenty fifth time Amateur Radio will be part of the Walk organization.
The assignments are about six hours long at various places along the twenty mile Walk route from Boston out to Newton. Some positions start at 6AM with others starting throughout the morning. We need coordinator shadows at checkpoints, bus stops, with walker marshals, and in transport vans. All skill levels of hams are desired. A two meter or dual band radio with extra battery and an extended (15 inch) antenna are needed. An informational meeting and two on air sessions will be held to answer questions and fill in last minute details. You can sign up at the Crocker Public Service Group web page http://cpsg.amateur-radio.net/ or send a message to wfh06@amateur-radio.net.
High praise was received last year from the coordinators and the Project Bead staff for the quantity and quality of support by hams. Three million dollars were raised even with the rain showers. More information about the Walk and the services Project Bread provides can found at http://www.projectbread.org/. The event is an enjoyable day with both the walkers and volunteers having a good time at this worthwhile cause.
Thank you and 73 – Bruce KC1US
