It's time for the Rockwall Christmas Parade. The Rockwall Kiwanis Club who sponsor the parade have asked the RARC to provide comms again this year. The parade is Saturday, December  and we're looking for volunteers to provide comms for the event. 

Our duty is to be the eyes and ears in the staging area and along to the parade route to assist parade planners as they get the participants to their assigned locations and relaying information to key route locations when the parade starts moving. We'll meet at 6:30am in the parking lot in front of Wilkerson-Sanderson football stadium, near intersection of Yellowjacket and Townsend.

Participants begin arriving about 7am, the parade starts at 9am and most of us will finish by around 9:30. A few maybe 10-10:30. It's a very busy few of hours.

The Kiwanis will provide us participant lists and maps.

You will need:

• to be a licensed ham with a technician or higher license

• an HT with spare battery

• a hand mic, earpiece or headset is recommended

• pencil as you will need to take a few notes

Please have these repeaters and simplex frequency programmed and tested in your radios:

• K5RKW repeater at 443.550mhz, PL162.2 (Historic Courthouse)

• K5RKW repeater at 442.8375mhz, NFM, PL-162.2 (Fate Water Tower)

• KK5PP repeater at 441.525mhz, PL-141.3

• 147.580mHz, no PL Tone (If all else fails, we have a simplex frequency to move to)

We will be on foot and the weather may be cold and / or rainy -- Dress accordingly !!!

Note: This event does require us to be on foot, away from our vehicles, using handheld radios possibly during adverse weather conditions, so this is a great opportunity to practice using the same equipment and radio skills you would use during an emergency.

Please email me Doug WB5WRC to let us know if you can help out with the parade.

Thanks and hope to see you there.

73 Doug WB5WRC