Pace Range

We are pleased to announce a brand new range in Central Santa Rosa County. We know there are many who wished to participate in RRPA but couldn’t make it to the meetings further north. The Pace Range of RRPA is dedicated to promoting amateur radio in our community. Our range’s mission is to: • Provide a welcoming environment for individuals and families • Encourage and help people to become licensed and active in amateur radio • Spark interest in amateur radio among young people • Training and mentoring opportunities for operators, both old and new, in amateur radio and emergency communications • Provide emergency and event communications services to our community Membership Meetings: Our monthly meetings are held the second Tuesday of each month from 6:30-7:30PM at the old Pace Volunteer Fire Station which belongs to Pace Assembly of God Church. Our first meeting will be July 9, 2019 at 6:30PM. Our meetings begin with prayer & the pledge after brief introductions. Each meeting will have ~10 minutes worth of general announcements followed by a presentation from one of our members or other local experts on a variety of topics related to amateur radio and emergency communications/preparedness. You can find the date, time, and topic for our next meeting on our calendar here (We thank Pace Assembly of God Church for allowing us the use of their facilities for our meetings.) What is a range? The term “range”, when used in a geographic sense, means “a designated land or water area that is set aside, managed, and used for range activities. Think of us as a “branch” of the Rural Radio Preparedness Association. Business level type activities and meetings are held at the parent organization while we focus on amateur radio and emergency preparedness in our local community. So how do I join? Easy! Just fill out our membership application and bring it with you to our next meeting. The annual membership due is only $10 which helps cover the insurance for range activities. About our Range Warden Arc Thames, W4CPD, has had a burden on his heart for several years to bring an emergency response focused group of amateur radio operators to central Santa Rosa County. Arc also realizes the importance of training up new amateur radio operators, including our youth, to ensure amateur radio continues for generations to come. Arc is no stranger to incident management and emergency communications. For nine years Arc worked his way up in the ranks, ending in Lieutenant, of a local police department’s auxiliary unit. Arc is an active member of Santa Rosa County ARES team and manages & administers the county’s D-Star repeater system. Arc became licensed as a technician in 2017, obtained his general license in 2018, and a Skywarn Spotter in 2019. While a relatively new operator, Arc is incredibly passionate about amateur radio, not only as a hobby, but as critical need to our community in times of disaster response and community events. Where can I get more information? Join us at our meetings the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30PM at the Firehouse @ Pace Assembly of God Church (3948 US-90, Pace, FL. You can also email our Range Warden, Arc Thames, at arc@arcthames.com.