The ARRL Club News
ARRL Club News for May 2007
ARRL Club Newsletter
May 4, 2007
____________________________________________________________________
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
+Hamfest Season
+Club Software
+Hands On
+Feedback
+Bitten By The Bug
_______________________________________________________________________
Hamfest Season
Most hamfest activity is from May through October. Many clubs
sponsor a hamfest or convention as a way to raise money to fund the
various programs and projects that the clubs are involved in
throughout the year. If your club is one of the almost 600 ARRL
affiliated clubs that sponsor a hamfest then here are a few tips to
help you have a successful event.
1. Welcome Your Guests.
From the moment your guest arrive at the parking lot of your event
they should feel welcomed. Having happy and smiling people to guide
them into the facility instantly makes your guests feel like they are
apart of something special.
2. Make It Exciting.
People have lots of activities competing for their free time so you
need to make your event a must attend destination. Show specials,
vendors and activities that engage the visitor will make your show
"the place" to be.
3. Make It Informative.
Having live demonstrations and informative speakers add so much value
to the hamfest experience. Sure, we can read about a new digital
mode or a new radio but being able to experience bring on a whole
other dimension.
4. A Hamfest Is A Social Event.
Most people attend hamfests and conventions so that they can meet up
with friends and swap some stories. Make sure that your venue has
food and refreshments available and that the facility is clean and
inviting.
5. Thank You
Offering a small memento such as a pin or other commemorative item is
a nice way of saying "Thank you for coming."
Even if the weather does not cooperate, you are sure to have a
successful hamfest if you keep a positive attitude and provide lots
of activities for your visitors. For more ideas, check out the ARRL
Convention and Hamfest Planner
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/hamfests/convhf.pdf
_______________________________________________________________________
Ham Club Membership Software
A new product featured in QST is Ham Club Membership Software (HCM)
from Alpine Software. This is a Windows based program that is
designed to maintain membership records for any sized ham radio club
or organization. It allows activity tracking, ARES records, dues and
membership information, membership cards, mailing labels and much
more. Price: $29.95 For more information or to order, visit
www.alpinesoft.com
_______________________________________________________________________
Hands On
Several clubs have reported that they are generating activity through
some hands on projects. Most are antenna projects such as a J-pole
antenna for 2 meters or an HF dipole. Some clubs are tackling kits
or similar circuit board based activities. Projects are a great way
to engage you club members and promote mentoring.
Is your club doing some hands on mentoring? We would love to hear
from you. Drop us an e-mail briefly explaining the type of projects
that your club is doing and we will highlight your club in an
upcoming issue of the ARRL Club Newsletter.
clubs@arrl.org
_______________________________________________________________________
Feedback
"I used the suggestion of asking our members what one of their OTHER
hobbies were as we went around the room and introduced ourselves at
our last meeting. What a hit! People that you've known for over ten
years had some real surprises for the group! I plan to ask for
favorite contacts, favorite modes, strangest contacts, rarest, and
anything else that you can think of at future meetings."
Charlie Chapman, KB8SFR
President
Kalamazoo Amateur Radio Club
_______________________________________________________________________
Has Your Club Been Bitten By The Field Day Bug?
ARRL Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning
at 1800 UTC Saturday and ending at 2100 UTC Sunday. Field Day 2007
will be held June 23-24, 2007. Some treat Field Day like a contest
and others use it as an emergency communications exercise. Still
other clubs use Field Day as a social gathering for their membership.
My local club, Southington ARA, is choosing to do the latter. We
are planning a spectacular barbecue to be held at the EOC where we
will have an equal number of grills as we will have transmitters.
Sticky finger operation is encouraged.
Complete rules for ARRL Field Day can be found on the web at:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2007/fd.html
Be sure to order your 2007 Field Day t-shirts, pins and other
goodies.
http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=NO-9742#top
These t-shirts make excellent gifts to those who help make your
club's event a fun time for all.
______________________________________________________________________
ARRL Affiliation Milestones for May 2007
10 Years
*W2
SNJ The 835 Amateur Radio Group
*W4
TN Johnson County ARC W4MCT
*W5
LA SW Louisiana Amateur Repeater Club W5BII
*W7
WY Great Plains Amateur Repeater Association WA7SNU
WY Jackson Hole Area ARC K7JAC
*W9
IL Green River Valley ARS K9WM
*W0
CO Pikes Peake FM Association KB0SRJ
NE North Platte Progressive ARC NE0NP
25 Years
*W3
EPA Mid-Atlantic ARC WB3JOE
*W6
ORG West Coast ARC WC6ARC
*W0
CO Grand Mesa Contesters of Colorado K7VT
50 Years
*W2
WNY Radio Amateurs Of Greater Syracuse W2AE
*W3
WPA Conemaugh Valley Arc WA3WGN
*W5
NM Santa Fe ARC W5SF
*W6
LAX San Gabriel Valley RC W6QFK
*W9
IL Shawnee Amateur Radio Assn W9RNM
IN Green Frog Repeater Club KC9GKF
*W0
CO Montrose ARC K0ITT
MO TRICO Radio Club KB0ZAW
=============================================================================
The ARRL Club News is published on the first Wednesday of each month by
the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur
Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax
860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.
The ARRL Club News is an e-mail digest of news and information of
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Page last modified: 03:09 PM, 15 Nov 2006 ET
Page author: clubs@arrl.org
Copyright © 2006, American Radio Relay League, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
