Part of our Clubs and Nets guide.
Public service events are one of the most underrated ways to get real, practical net experience without waiting for an actual emergency to force you into it. Marathons, charity walks, parades, and bike races regularly rely on ham radio volunteers for course communications, and it is one of the best low-stakes environments to build genuinely useful operating skills.
Why Event Organizers Want Hams
Cell phone coverage along a marathon route or parade path is often spotty or overloaded, especially with thousands of spectators in the same area all using their phones simultaneously. A dedicated radio net gives event organizers reliable, immediate communication between the start line, finish line, medical stations, and course marshals without depending on commercial infrastructure. This is a genuinely useful service, and it is why so many event organizers specifically request ARES or local club support year after year.
What a Typical Assignment Looks Like
Most events assign volunteers to specific positions: a fixed spot along the course, a mobile unit following the last runner or rider (called sweep), or a role at a medical or aid station. You will typically be given a specific simplex or repeater frequency, a callsign or tactical identifier for your position rather than using your callsign for routine traffic, and a clear point of contact for net control. Show up early enough to get your assignment, test your radio, and understand the reporting structure before the event actually starts.
Net Discipline Matters More Than You’d Think
- Wait for net control to acknowledge your check-in before assuming you are on the roster. Do not assume you are heard just because you transmitted.
- Keep routine traffic short. Save detailed explanations for after the event unless net control asks for more information.
- Learn your event’s specific priority traffic protocol before the event, since a medical emergency call needs to interrupt routine traffic immediately, and knowing how that works ahead of time prevents confusion in the moment.
- Use tactical call signs (like “Aid Station 3”) for routine position reporting, but always identify with your actual callsign per FCC requirements at the required intervals.
What You Actually Learn
Public service events give you real experience with structured net operation, tactical communications, and working under a genuine (if low-stakes) time and coordination pressure, all things that translate directly to emergency communications work. It is also one of the better ways for a new ham to get comfortable transmitting in a structured environment, since net control and other volunteers expect and welcome new operators, unlike jumping into an unfamiliar HF net cold.
How to Find Events Near You
Your local ARES group or radio club is the fastest path in. Most clubs maintain a running relationship with the same annual marathons, charity walks, and parades in their area, and they are almost always looking for more volunteers. Reach out to your club’s public service coordinator directly rather than waiting for an event to be announced. Many clubs are actively short on volunteers for their regular commitments.