If you’ve read other posts here, you know that I’m not one to really push public service. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in it, though. That being the case, this weekend, I joined seven other ARROW members in providing communications for the annual Fourth of July paraded here in Ann Arbor.
I was stationed on the Main Street and Liberty stage, where it was my job to relay information on additions and deletions from the parade roster to the announcer. Deanne and I had a blast as we puzzled over the roster and some of the writeups of the paraders. For example, there was one guy who was riding a trick pony who had a writeup of almost an entire page. Contrast this to the Peace Coalition that had a single sentence. How’s that for PR?!
If you do take part in such an event, here’s some advice:
- If you’re going to be out in the sun, take a hat and sunglasses. And if you’re going to be wearing shorts and a t-shirt, slather on the sun block.
- Charge your HT battery the night before or carry a spare. You don’t want to endure the embarassment of having your radio go out on you.
- Use a speaker-microphone if you have one. This is the first event that I’ve worked that I’ve had one, and believe me, holding the speaker mike up to my ear was a lot easier than holdling the whole radio to my ear.
If you’re PR-minded, here’s another thing to consider. Ask the organizers if you can come speak to their club about amateur radio. I think groups like this would be fertile ground for recruiting new amateurs. They’re already civic-minded and inclined to volunteer. Teach them a little bit about radio and they’d make great hams.