2020-11-08, 11:34:06
Thanks for the update on club repeater property Tom. I think maybe the club should compile a comprehensive list of club assets. We will probably need to refurbish some of it as radio equipment tends to suffer minor damage, bad contacts etc unless it is stored in a controlled environment. I will raise this in the executive meetings in the new year.
My previous two clubs (Peel ARC and York Region ARC) had a club trailer that could be towed wherever required in (almost) any weather. The York trailer was extremely well-equipped with a mobile repeater and a motorized telescoping tower. They also owned a customized flat-bed trailer with a big crank-up tower that was donated to the club by the OPP.
I believe we should aspire to owning some kind of enclosed trailer in which the equipment is ready to get on the air with minimal setup.
Expensive ambitions I know but my previous clubs were successful applicants to Trillium funding that paid for the equipment. In order to qualify for a Trillium grant we should be able to demonstrate that we are active in emergency communications (and that includes community support activities) with a good, well-rehearsed plan and a complement of trained volunteers.
During the several years I spent with Dufferin ARES we had full use of a retired ambulance that had been converted into an emergency communications vehicle. We took "the bus", as we used to call it, to every community event to promote our capabilities to the public. We developed a good relationship with the local police and fire chiefs, the Red Cross and St John Ambulance. We were even featured and interviewed on the local television station (CTV Barrie) news.
If we have some kind of vehicle that can be used for emergency communications we can also use it to promote our club and its services to the community. For example, we can park it at the Owen Sound Farmers Market on Saturdays, at the Wiarton Willie Festival in February, at Summerfolk and the Salmon Spectacular (when they resume). Maybe Bayshore Broadcasting would let us park it in their lot for a couple of hours and promote us on air.
Until we acquire such a vehicle we could use a pop-up shelter with banners and signs. The key thing is to get active doing whatever we can within the limitations imposed by the current health regulations.
My previous two clubs (Peel ARC and York Region ARC) had a club trailer that could be towed wherever required in (almost) any weather. The York trailer was extremely well-equipped with a mobile repeater and a motorized telescoping tower. They also owned a customized flat-bed trailer with a big crank-up tower that was donated to the club by the OPP.
I believe we should aspire to owning some kind of enclosed trailer in which the equipment is ready to get on the air with minimal setup.
Expensive ambitions I know but my previous clubs were successful applicants to Trillium funding that paid for the equipment. In order to qualify for a Trillium grant we should be able to demonstrate that we are active in emergency communications (and that includes community support activities) with a good, well-rehearsed plan and a complement of trained volunteers.
During the several years I spent with Dufferin ARES we had full use of a retired ambulance that had been converted into an emergency communications vehicle. We took "the bus", as we used to call it, to every community event to promote our capabilities to the public. We developed a good relationship with the local police and fire chiefs, the Red Cross and St John Ambulance. We were even featured and interviewed on the local television station (CTV Barrie) news.
If we have some kind of vehicle that can be used for emergency communications we can also use it to promote our club and its services to the community. For example, we can park it at the Owen Sound Farmers Market on Saturdays, at the Wiarton Willie Festival in February, at Summerfolk and the Salmon Spectacular (when they resume). Maybe Bayshore Broadcasting would let us park it in their lot for a couple of hours and promote us on air.
Until we acquire such a vehicle we could use a pop-up shelter with banners and signs. The key thing is to get active doing whatever we can within the limitations imposed by the current health regulations.