‰  NOW 40 WPM  ‰  
IS TRUE IF YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR STATION DURING THE EVENT FOR ANY REASON.
REVIEW THE EVENT, AND SUBMIT AN AFTER ACTION REPORT VIA EMAIL.  BEING A
FIRST TIMER, YOU WILL PROBABLY SEE SOMETHING THAT CAN BE DONE DIFFERENTLY
TO IMPROVE THE EVENT FOR NEXT YEAR.  BE CONSTRUCTIVE, POSITIVE, AND
ENTHUSIASTIC IN YOUR COMMENTS.  JOHN UNRATH, K6JHU, BECAME AN AMATEUR EXTRA
IN 2007.  JOHN WAS ACTIVE IN RACES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BEFORE RETIRING
AND MOVING TO NEW MEXICO.  JOHN ESTIMATE

YOUR FIRST AMATEUR RADIO EVENT  PUBLIC SERVICE IS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THE
AMATEUR RADIO AVOCATION, AND A GREAT WAY TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
JOHN UNRATH, K6JHU  AMATEUR RADIO VOLUNTEERS ARE OFTEN NEEDED TO HELP WITH
BIG EVENTS, LIKE MARATHONS, BIKE RACES, PARADES, ETC.  THERE ARE MANY WAYS
TO PREPARE THAT WILL HELP EASE YOUR CONCERNS OVER PARTICIPATING IN YOUR
FIRST EVENT.  BEFORE THE EVENT PREPARATION IS EVERYTHING, AND BEGINS WELL
BEFORE THE EVENT.  THE AMATEUR RADIO ORGANIZERS SHOULD BE SENDING YOU A
BREAKDOWN OF ALL THE INFORMATION YOULL NEED.  BASIC KNOWLEDGE AND A GENERAL
DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT WILL BE VERY USEFUL, INCLUDING THE DATE AND TIME,
AND THE LOCATION ALSO IF ITS INDOORS OR OUTDOORS.  MORE SPECIFICALLY, YOULL
NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU WILL BE STATIONED, WHAT TIMES YOULL BE WORKING KEEP
IN MIND THE ENDING TIME IS USUALLY VARIABLE, AND WHAT YOUR ASSIGNMENT
REQUIREMENTS WILL BE.  THIS WILL INFORM YOU AS TO WHAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT
YOULL BE USING, SO LOOK FOR THE RADIO SPECIFICATIONS, FREQUENCIES, OFFSET,
AND CTCSS THAT YOU ARE EXPECTED TO USE.  MOST EVENTS UTILIZE 2 METERS OR
440 MHZ REPEATERS.  SIMPLEX MAY BE USED FOR A SMALL LOCAL EVENT, LIKE A
PARADE, BUT GENERALLY REPEATERS ARE USED FOR BETTER COVERAGE.  BE SURE TO
PRINT A COPY OF THE DETAILS, BUT TRY TO BE FLEXIBLE, AS THERE MAY BE LAST
MINUTE CHANGES.  IF THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH ALL THE

COMMUNICATORS BEFORE THE EVENT, MAKE SURE TO ATTEND.  IT MAY BE THE ONLY
CHANCE YOU GET TO SEE, COLLABORATE WITH, AND COORDINATE WITH OTHER
COMMUNICATORS.  VISITING THE LOCATION BEFORE THE EVENT IS ALSO A MUST FOR A
COMMUNICATIONS CHECK, AS WELL AS TO MAP OUT PARKING LOCATION, WALKING
DISTANCE, AND FACILITIES.  BEING ON SITE WILL ALSO HELP TO CONFIRM ACCESS
TO THE PRIME AND BACKUP REPEATERS, AND IT WILL HELP SOLIDIFY DECISIONS ON
WHAT EQUIPMENT TO BRING, SUCH AS A HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER VERSUS A MAGNETIC
MOUNT ANTENNA.  IF YOU ARE ASSIGNED TO BE MOBILE, BRINGING APRS CAN BE
USEFUL IN AUTOMATICALLY TRACKING YOUR POSITION.  ONCE YOU HAVE DECIDED WHAT
TO BRING, CHECK THAT THE RADIO IS WORKING, THE BATTERY IS FULLY CHARGED,
AND THE PRIME AND BACKUP FREQUENCIES ARE PROGRAMMED.  THIS SHOULD BE DONE
AT HOME, WELL BEFORE THE EVENT, SO YOU DONT HAVE TO DO IT UNDER PRESSURE IN
THE FIELD.  IF THE EVENT IS OUTDOORS, KEEP AN EYE ON THE WEATHER STARTING A
COUPLE OF DAYS BEFORE THE EVENT.  IT TAKES MAJOR WEATHER TO CANCEL AN
EVENT.  I HAVE SUPPORTED MARATHONS WITH PELTING RAIN AND THE WIND BLOWING
AT 35 KNOTS.  TO MAKE THE MORNING OF THE EVENT EASIER, I RECOMMEND PUTTING
‰  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  ‰  QST DE W1AW  ƒ