Public Service Committee

Welcome to the Mike and Key ARC Public Service Committee web page!

Our mission statement is to advance the knowledge and proficiency of our members in supporting public events with amateur radio communications, and to encourage members, as well as hams throughout the community, to participate in such support.

“The Guide”:

Each year the Club publishes a free booklet, “Amateur Radio Special Events & Information Guide for Puget Sound and Surrounding Area,” which is prepared by the Public Service Committee. This guide contains a variety of information for area hams, including sections covering:

• Why Be a Ham Radio Operator?
• How You Can Become a Ham Radio Operator
• Regularly-Scheduled Amateur Radio Exam Sessions (list)
• The Amateur’s Code
• Nets in the Puget Sound Region (list)
• Selected Puget Sound Repeaters (list)
• Preparing for Public Service Communications
• Public Service Events (list for the year)
• Field Day
• NW Hamfests & Conferences (list for the year)
• Amateur Radio Clubs (list)
• Emergency Preparedness Organizations (list)
• Glossary

Before COVID-19, the Club typically produced about 3,000 copies of the Guide, with about half handed out at the annual Mike & Key ARC Swap Meet in March, and the balance distributed through the remainder of the year via Club meetings, licensing classes, exam sessions, and other clubs, hamfests and conferences. Electronic distribution is also provided, with a PDF file of the Guide made available for download from the Club’s website.

The Guide was not produced in 2021 due to COVID-related cancellation of the Swap Meet and most other means of distribution. With reinstatement of the Swap Meet in 2022, the Guide was published again, though in reduced quantity, in anticipation of some continuing impairment of normal distribution channels due to COVID.

Our members support the community at various events throughout the year. Most are single-day walks, runs, bike rides or parades within the urban/suburban areas of the region, but some extend to multiple days and/or take place in surrounding forest areas. Participation in the Public Service Committee is a great place to learn more about these events and how to best participate in supporting them.

How to contact us:

If you have any questions about public service committee or would like to get involved, then please feel free to drop us a line at: publicservice@mikeandkey.org