™

Public Service Honour Roll Criteria

Effective July 10, 2006

This listing is to recognize Canadian radio amateurs whose public service performance during the month indicated qualifies for 70 or more total points in any or all of the following six categories (as reported to their Section Managers).

In each Public Service column published in The Canadian Amateur (TCA), the Public Service Honour Roll (PSHR) recognizes the efforts of Amateur Radio operators who are active in many aspects of public service. This includes net operations, traffic handling, emergency operations and public service communication support. It's likely that you're already involved with some aspect of Amateur Radio that would apply to the Public Service Honour Roll (PSHR).

Take a look at the categories and descriptions below to see where your Amateur Radio activities fit in. At the end of each calendar month, just add up your qualifying points. If it reaches the 70-point level (or more), you've qualified for the PSHR!

Simply report that news, with your call sign and monthly PSHR point total, to your RAC Section Manager. The RAC SM, in turn, will forward the report to RAC Headquarters so that it can be prepared for listing in TCA.   Section Managers are listed at the RAC website at http://www.rac.ca/fieldorg/racfoo.htm.

Please note the maximum points for each category:

1.) Participating in a public service net, using any mode. --1 point per net session; maximum 40.

2.) Handling formal messages (radiograms) via any mode. --1 point for each message handled; maximum 40.

3.) Serving in a RAC-sponsored volunteer position: RAC Field Organization appointee or Section Manager, NTS Net Manager, TCC Director, TCC member, NTS official or appointee above the Section level. -- 10 points for each position; maximum 30.

4.) Participation in scheduled, short-term public service events such as walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, parades, simulated emergency tests and related practice events. This includes off-the-air meetings and coordination efforts with related emergency groups and served agencies. - 5 points per hour (or any portion thereof) of time spent in either coordinating and/or operating in the public service event; no limit.

5.) Participation in an unplanned emergency response when the Amateur Radio operator is on the scene. This also includes unplanned incident requests by public or served agencies for Amateur Radio participation. - 5 points per hour (or any portion thereof) of time spent directly involved in the emergency operation; no limit.

6.) Providing and maintaining: a) an automated digital system that handles RAC/ARRL radiogram-formatted messages; b) a Web page e-mail list server oriented toward Amateur Radio public service -- 10 points per item.

Amateur Radio stations that qualify for PSHR over twelve consecutive months, or 18 months out of a 24-month period, will be awarded a certificate from RAC Headquarters upon written notification of qualifying months to the RAC Vice President for Field Services.

 

Further Explanation of PSHR Categories

1) Participation in a public service net -- 1 point, maximum 40.

An example of a public service net is one that is regularly scheduled and handles Amateur Radio formal messages. There are many such public service nets: local and section nets that are affiliated with the National Traffic System (NTS); NTS region, NTS area, and independent nets that handle messages.  ARES and CANWARN nets that meet on a regular basis and pass formal traffic would also qualify.

Public service or emergency nets that are activated to support an actual or potential emergency or a public service event would be part of this first category.  A net that has been established for training radio amateurs in public service and emergency communications would qualify! Are you looking for a public net to check into? Try the on-line ARRL Net Directory: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nets/clients/index.html and the RAC listings of nets, found at http://www.rac.ca/amateur-radio/operating-technical/nets/.

 

2) Handling formal messages (radiograms) via any mode -- 1 point for each message handled; maximum 40.

The  Public Service Communications Manual explains how to count your individual messages. Here is a reference from Section 2, NTS Chapter 10.2. (You may find the entire manual at this Web page: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/pscm/ .)

Originated--One point for each message from a third party for sending via your station. This "extra" credit is given for an off-the-air function because of the value of contact with the general public.

Sent--Every message sent over the air from your station to another amateur receives a point in this category. Thus, a message that is eligible for an Originated point as above receives another point when it is sent on the air.

Likewise, a message that is received on the air conveys a Sent point when it is relayed to another station. A message that you initiate yourself, while it gets no Originated point, gets a Sent point when cleared. All Sent points require on-the-air sending.

Received--A message received over the air gets a Received point, whether received for relaying (sending) or for delivery to the addressee. Any message received which is not eligible for a Delivery point (such as one addressed to yourself) is nevertheless eligible for a Received point.

Delivered--The act of delivery of a message to a third party receives a point in this category, in addition to a Received point. This is strictly an off-the-air function and must be coupled with receipt of the message at your station. Thus you can't get a Delivered point unless you first get a Received point.

For additional details on traffic handling and net operations and the National Traffic System, the NTS Methods, Practices and Guidelines is a resource available to you via the ARRL Web page: http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/nts-mpg/ .

 

3) Serving in a RAC-sponsored volunteer position: RAC Field Organization appointee or Section Manager, NTS Net Manager, TCC Director, TCC member, NTS official or appointee above the Section level. -- 10 points for each position; maximum 30.

RAC Field Organization appointees (in alphabetical order) include the following: Assistant Section Managers, District Emergency Coordinators, Emergency Coordinators, Local Government Liaisons, Net Managers, Official Bulletin Stations, Official Emergency Stations, Official Observers, Official Observer Coordinators, Official Relay Stations, Public Information Coordinators, Public Information Officers, Section Emergency Coordinators, Section Managers, Section Traffic Managers, Provincial/Territorial Government Liaisons, Technical Coordinators and Technical Specialists.  Active members of the newly-instituted RAC Regional Amateur Radio Alert Network (RARAN), which acts in support of the AMBER Alert, may also claim points by serving in this position.

The Section Manager is the RAC member-elected RAC official in the section. An NTS official or appointee above the Section level would include Region and Area Net Managers, and TCC (Transcontinental Corps) Directors who are in charge of organizing TCC membership rosters of operators that comprise the corps. TCC members are those operators that are assigned to relay traffic from one NTS area to another, conducting liaison with NTS nets to do so. NTS Members at Large, NTS Area Staff Chairs, NTS Area Digital Coordinators and Digital Stations would also be included in this category.

 

4) Participation in scheduled, short-term public service events such as walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, parades, simulated emergency tests and related practice events. This includes off-the-air meetings and coordination efforts with related emergency groups and served agencies.

-- 5 points per hour (or any portion thereof) of time spent in either coordinating and/or operating in the public service event; no limit.

This category recognizes the value of public safety communication events in which Amateur Radio is often called to participate. Simulated emergency tests (SETs), exercises and drills are covered by this category. Points are gained by the amount of time that an Amateur Radio operator spends directly involved in operating the event. This also recognizes the value of off-the-air time it takes to meet with the organization or public service agency to plan and coordinate Amateur Radio involvement.

 

5) Participation in an unplanned emergency response when the Amateur Radio operator is on the scene. This also includes unplanned incident requests by public or served agencies for Amateur Radio participation.

--5 points per hour (or any portion thereof) of time spent directly involved in the emergency operation; no limit.

This category recognizes an Amateur Radio operator who is directly involved in an actual emergency operation. This includes the operator who is on the scene or out in the field, in the shelter, at the emergency operations center, at the hospital, or other served agency's headquarters or their temporary command center.

If you are an active participant in an unplanned incident -- or in other words, an emergency operation--you may take credit for this participation even though you may not be physically at the emergency scene.

Category 5 covers all the Amateur Radio operator participants such as net controllers, net liaison stations and other radio amateurs who support communications in unplanned incidents. Even if you are not actually on the emergency scene or at the shelter, etc, but are spending time and efforts for supporting the same emergency communication effort,  this time would count for points in Category 5.

As an example,  Environment Canada activates CANWARN, Amateur Radio operators serve as weather spotters from their home (or car, or work, or other location) during the weather event.  Then, a tornado strikes and the Red Cross calls out the ARES members to serve in shelters and to provide support for damage assessment communications. These operators would be able to qualify for Category 5 points.

There would likely be several net control operators, net liaison operators, traffic handlers, etc, who are away from the disaster scene, but are spending time to support the Amateur Radio emergency communication effort on behalf of the served agencies (Red Cross and Environment Canada, in this example). They, too, would qualify for points under Category 5.

 

6.) Providing and maintaining: a) an automated digital system that handles RAC/ARRL radiogram-formatted messages; b) a Web page e-mail list server oriented toward Amateur Radio public service -- 10 points per item.

Category 6 (a) recognizes the efforts it takes to provide and maintain an automated digital system (like a packet bulletin board or a PACTOR system) that handles RAC/ARRL radiogram-formatted messages.

Category 6 (b) recognizes that Web pages and e-mail list servers have become popular and effective ways to communicate news and information to the community of radio amateurs that are involved in emergency and public service communication operations and preparedness.

 

If you are involved in any of these activities, keep track of your efforts and the time involved and report your results accordingly. If you qualify for PSHR over twelve (12) consecutive months, or 18 months out of a 24-month total period, you are eligible for a one-time certificate from RAC Headquarters. Please write (and include a list of qualifying months) to the Vice President for Field Services, RAC HQ.

Further questions about the program may be sent to VPFS Doug Mercer,VO1DTM at RAC HQ.

The Field Services in both the United States and Canada are virtually identical in operation. In fact, it was the ARRL that originated the FS. Today, the RAC and the ARRL act in cooperation and the RAC Honour Roll is modeled after that of the ARRL.  More information about the ARRL PSHR may be seen at this Website.