Every year the club participates in a number of public service activities by providing communications logistics to a number of events. These activities are essential for getting the word out about amateur radio, allowing members to hone their skills, and they provide an important source of revenue for the club. These events wouldn’t be possible without volunteers from the local amateur radio community, so please check the list below and consider helping out for one or more events throughout the year. Ahead of the events, we will be making regular announcements on how to get involved, and you can always contact us using the contact form as well: https://www.ve7vic.ca/public-service-contact/
Currently, WARA members are involved with the following events:
- CARHA Pacific Cup Tournament – Amateur radio volunteers are stationed at hockey arenas throughout the region. Operators relay scores and other game information to a central net control station. This event usually takes place mid-January
- TC 10K Race – Towards the end of April every year the streets of downtown Victoria are turned into a race course for a few hours! Amateur radio is instrumental in providing real-time situation reports, dispatching tired runner pickup vans, and other logistical support.
- Swiftsure International Yacht Race – This event is a thrilling multi-day sailboat race which sees boats race from downtown Victoria all the way out to Swiftsure Bank and back. Amateur radio operators record vessel rounding positions, communicate directly with race officials and provide an overall situational awareness of the course. The event usually takes place in May.
- Tour de Victoria – The Tour de Victoria is a biking event which takes place over a massive 160km course, taking up the better part of a day. Amateur radio operators are situated at aid stations, in mechanic vehicles and at various points along the course to assist with providing timely communications essential to the smooth operation of the event.
- Victoria Marathon – Much like the afore mentioned 10K, the Victoria Marathon is an annual running race that takes over the streets of Victoria’s downtown and Oak Bay. Amateur radio operators are tasked with monitoring aid stations, providing situation reports, liaising with medical teams and transporting tired runners. This event takes place over the second weekend of October.
WARA looks forward to your involvement in any of the above public service events! These events simply couldn’t happen without the help of volunteers. To volunteer and help us out, or to request more information, please reach out to us via the contact page and someone from our public service team will be in touch: https://www.ve7vic.ca/public-service-contact/