PUBLIC SERVICE ORIENTATION

MARIN AMATEUR RADIO SOCIETY

What is a public service event?  

• Ham radio operators provide volunteer communications support for various activities, including foot races, hikes, bicycle rides, fairs, parades, and other public gatherings, to supplement the communications available for an event, in the interest of the safety of the participants and staff in the event, or in the interest of the safety of the general public; and to practice our communications skills.

What should I expect?  

• Events differ in character as much as people do. However, you are acting as a volunteer communicator. And your assignment from us will be to communicate. Most event communications are operated as directed nets. Review the communications protocols below. Please arrive at your assigned location, and be set up, by your assigned time. Check in with Net Control. Check out with Net Control at the end of your assignment. See more specifics below:

Fixed Locations: (Aid Stations or Check Points) Please arrive at your assigned location by your assigned time, and set up your equipment. Check in with the person in charge of your location and identify yourself as the radio person. Check in with Net Control on your assigned frequency. Pass messages to Net Control as needed. Monitor for traffic from Net Control. Typical messages might include arrival of the first event participants, supply requests, participants who drop out, transportation requests, arrival of the last participants, etc. At the end of your shift, or when your assigned location closes, check out with Net Control. In events with sweeps, the radio volunteer normally waits for the sweep to be sure that no participant is left unattended.

Course Monitor: Sometimes we are assigned to locations, where we monitor the progress of participants, without any additional event volunteer support. Please arrive at your assigned location by your assigned time, and set up your equipment. Check in with Net Control on your assigned frequency. Pass messages to Net Control as needed. Monitor for traffic from Net Control. Typical messages might include arrival of the first event participants, supply requests, participants who drop out, transportation requests, arrival of the last participants, etc. At the end of your shift, or when your assigned location closes, check out with Net Control. In events with sweeps, the radio volunteer normally waits for the sweep to be sure that no participant is left unattended.

Event Radio Trail Sweep: Some trail events have one or more willing hams hike or run with the event sweep. These special volunteers provide communications for the sweep safety team, who make sure that the last participants in an event are safe and accounted for. Please arrive at your assigned location by your assigned time. Check in with Net Control periodically, and as necessary. Check in with the ham radio volunteer at all fixed location and course monitor locations. Carry an extra battery. Check out with Net Control at the end of your assignment.

Radio Sag Communicator: These volunteers ride with a sag vehicle to provide on-the- course communications for bicycle events. Please arrive at your assigned location by your assigned time, set up your radio equipment in your assigned vehicle, and check in with Net Control. Check in with the ham radio volunteer at all fixed location and course monitor locations. Some sags or patrols carry APRS tracking units. Check out with Net Control at the end of your assignment.

Radio Equipped SAG or Patrol: These hams also volunteer to drive as support vehicles for bicycle rides, provide assistance to participants, provide on-the-course communications for bicycle events, and monitor the progress and safety of riders. Some sag vehicles act as event course sweeps, escorting in the final riders. Some sags or patrols carry APRS tracking units. Please arrive at your assigned location by your assigned time, and check in with Net Control. Check in with the ham radio volunteer at all fixed location and course monitor locations. Check out with Net Control at the end of your assignment. SAGs (support & gear) have the capability to transport riders and bicycles. Patrols ( including motorcycles) lack the capacity to carry bicycles and/or passengers. Hams who volunteer to perform sag or patrol functions for an event, may be reimbursed for expenses (gas) related to their non-radio volunteer duties, if offered.

Net Control: Net Control volunteers coordinate the radio traffic, interface with the event organizers, and generally provide information and direction to radio volunteers in the field. Net Control stations may have more than one frequency in operation at the same time. On some events, where APRS units are in use, one Net Control operator may be assigned to monitor APRS equipped units.

General: Dress for the expected weather. Bring snacks and water / beverages. Remember sunscreen, a hat, paper and pencil, your radio, a spare battery, etc.

I’ve never done this before, do I need any special training? We hold an orientation session at the beginning of the public service season, for new people, and returning volunteers. Normally, new people are partnered with an experienced ham. Review the communications protocols below. Familiarity with controlled net operations and the Incident Command System are plusses.

What equipment do I need? That depends on the event, and your assignment. It can be as simple as a handheld and a spare battery. Some locations require a high power mobile and a gain antenna. You should let the organizer of the event know what your communications capabilities are.

May I accept payment? With limited exceptions, FCC Part 97 Rules prohibit amateurs from being compensated for using amateur radio, or for using amateur radio for anyone’s business use. If an event organizer offers payment, it should be politely refused. However, if an event organizer provides food for volunteers you may accept; or provides a uniform for volunteer staff (t-shirt or hat), you may wear that to identify you as part of the event staff (they usually don’t want them back after the event). Hams who volunteer to perform other functions for an event, such as driving a sag or patrol vehicle, may be reimbursed for expenses related to the non-radio volunteer duties, if offered.

What about donations to clubs? Most clubs can accept donations, as long as there is an understanding that the donation is made to the club in general, and not as a payment for providing services at an event.

Communications Protocols

EMERGENCY TRAFFIC ALWAYS HAS PRIORITY! All stations not involved with the emergency need to stand by, until the emergency traffic has been handled. ( Unless there is another emergency.) When breaking in with an emergency, say “Emergency”.

Most event communications are done in a controlled net format. Stations direct their communications to Net Control, and get traffic from Net Control. Please refer to the event radio frequency plan for your assigned frequency for your location or assignment. Please check in with Net Control at the beginning of your assignment, and check out of the net at the end of your assignment. If you need to be away from your radio to attend to something, please notify Net Control when you leave, and when you return.

We use tactical identifiers when passing traffic. (” Net Control this is Muir Beach.”) Please listen for, and respond to, traffic directed to your tactical identifier. Please use your tactical identifier when directing traffic to Net Control, or other stations on the event net. We use our tactical identifier, plus our FCC call signs at the end of an exchange to indicate that we have no further traffic to pass (or our call signs every 10 minutes for a long conversation). (“Muir Beach, KA6BQF) Follow FCC Part 97 Rules.

Listen before transmitting. Think, then push to talk, then talk. Compose your message (in your head, or on paper), before keying the microphone. Pause a second or two after keying the microphone to allow the repeater system components to activate. Wait for the squelch tail(s) to drop before beginning a reply transmission. (Sometimes when we have remote bases or cross band links in use, there are several squelch tails that need to drop.)

Typical messages that you would send might include arrival of the first event participants, supply requests, participants who drop out, transportation requests, arrival of the last participants, etc.

Follow FCC Part 97 rules, and direction from Net Control.

QUESTIONS?

Frequency List

• K6GWE VHF – Marin Amateur Radio Society

• 146.700 MHz PL 203.5 Minus Offset Big Rock Ridge Linked – Simulcast

• 146.700 MHZ PL 179.9 Minus Offset Mt. Tam Middle Peak Linked – Simulcast

• 146.700 MHz PL 167.8 Minus Offset Mt. Barnabe Linked – Simulcast

• 147.330 MHz PL 179.9 Plus Offset Mt. Tam West Peak

• K6GWE UHF – Marin Amateur Radio Society

• 443.525 MHz PL 82.5 Plus Offset San Pedro Ridge• 443.250 MHz PL 179.9 Plus

Offset Mt. Tam Middle Peak

Frequency List

• WB6TMS – Sonoma Mountain Repeater Society

• 146.910 MHz PL 88.5 Minus Offset Sonoma Mountain – Linked• 146.865 MHz PL 88.5 Minus

Offset Dillon Beach – Linked

• W6SON – Sonoma County Radio Amateurs

• 147.315 MHz PL 88.5 Plus Offset English Hill

What’s new for 2014?

• New Repeater System• 146.700 simulcast with 3 linked repeaters• Big Rock Ridge 146.700 PL 203.5 Minus Offset• Mt. Tam 146.700 PL 179.9 Minus Offset• Mt. Barnabe 146.700 PL 167.8 Minus Offset• Signals from any site are sent to the hub on San Pedro, and then transmitted

from all three transmitters. You still need to select the best input PL.

• 147.330 repeater• Mt. Tam West 147.330 PL 179.9 Plus Offset – Currently off• San Pedro Ridge 147.330 PL 173.8 Plus Offset - Currently on

MARS SPONSORED EVENTS

• Ridge to Bridge – Saturday, April 26, 2014• Miwok 100K – Saturday, May 3, 2014• The Dipsea Race - Sunday, June 8, 2014• Double Dipsea – Saturday, June 28, 2014• Marin Century 2014 – Saturday, August 02, 2014• Holstein 100 – Saturday August 16, 2014• Zero Breast Cancer’s Dipsea Lite Hike – Saturday, September 13, 2014• Dolphin Club Escape from Alcatraz – Saturday, September 27, 2014• Breast Cancer Fund’s Peak Hike – Saturday, October 11, 2014

NON-MARS SPONSORED EVENTS

• Big Sur Marathon – Sunday, April 27, 2014 (non-Mars) Contact K6MLF• Tour of Novato - Saturday, May 3, 2014 (non-MARS)• (East Bay) Grizzly Peak Century – Sunday, May 4, 2014 (non-

MARS) Contact KA6BQF• The Relay – Saturday and Sunday, May 3 and 4, 2014 (non-MARS)• ( Davis) Davis Double Century – Saturday, May 17, 2014 (non-MARS)• (East Bay) FAGES II Boy Scout Hike – Saturday, May 31, 2014 (non-

MARS) Contact KA6BQF• San Francisco Marathon – Sunday, July 27, 2014 (non-MARS)

(non-MARS) Non-Mars events are events which for various reasons are not Marin club sponsored events. In some cases this is because they are not in Marin County, but our members participate. In other cases this is because there is a scheduling conflict with a sponsored event, another ham group is providing the communications, or the expectations of the event’s organizers differ from our club’s expectations. Their causes are worthy and many of our members enjoy participating.

Thank you for attending

• MARS Public Service Website http://w6sg.net/blog/?page_id=6 • Frequently Asked Questions http://w6sg.net/blog/?page_id=824