Background
The primary purpose of RAYNET is to provide communications in times of disaster on behalf of the emergency services and other approved users. Since disasters are thankfully rare in the UK, we maintain our skills by providing trained radio operators to enable communications for public events e.g. charity walks, country fairs, sporting events, etc.
Most of our members are licenced radio amateurs (as distinct from CB radio) which allows us to use equipment and methods which are not available to non-licensed people. Operators have all gained one or more qualifications in radio engineering and operating procedure. Our licenses are issued by OFCOM the UK’s statutory communications and broadcast regulator.
We do not charge for our services (this is not allowed under our licences) though we do appreciate donations to the organisation. Most equipment used is the personal property of our members who give their time freely. A small amount of equipment is owned by the group and donations allow us to increase our capabilities and provide a better service to the community.
What we can do
For charity races, long distance walks etc, Raynet operators can be distributed around the course and at specific checkpoints to keep organisers informed of the progress of the event. Critically, we can operate in areas where mobile phone coverage is patchy or absent allowing any incidents that arise to be dealt with quickly.
For large public gatherings (e.g. rural shows) we can act as “eyes and ears” to keep organisers informed of what it happening around the event.
We are used to coordinating with other voluntary and commercial service providers (e.g. St John’s Ambulance and private ambulance services) to ensure that messages are passed on quickly and efficiently.
If you would like to find out if Leeds RAYNET can help at your event, please contact our Contoller, Lee Mason.