The ARRL Club News
ARRL Club News for November 2007
ARRL Club Newsletter
November 10, 2007
____________________________________________________________________
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Grow Your Club
+ Instructor Resources
+ Four Is
+ ARRL Awards Program For Clubs
+ Affiliation Milestones
____________________________________________________________________
Grow Your Club With New Hams
By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ
One of the most frequently asked questions that we hear from ARRL
affiliated clubs is "How can we increase membership in our club?" On
the surface the solution is a simple one - make more hams. A
foundation of active Amateur Radio operators is required in order to
maintain a healthy Amateur Radio club. If you lack a sufficient pool
of licensed hams in your area then create some. Clubs that conduct
licensing classes where they make recruitment part of the lesson
continually increase membership. It does not matter if the course is
an eight week program or a weekend crash course, a good instructor
will pepper the syllabus with the advantages of membership in the
local club and the Radio Amateur's national association -- ARRL.
Providing a license course for those people in the community who are
interested in learning about Amateur Radio demonstrates the club's
commitment to helping people. Reinforcing Amateur Radio's tradition
of helping each other let's the new hams know that they are not just
getting a license to operate a radio but that they are also earning a
ticket to become part of a worldwide society whose existence is built
on mutual contact. Whether on the air or in the community Amateur
Radio has always been a two-way function.
From the moment the license class begins new hams need to know that
your club is there to help them as they begin their Amateur Radio
journey. This relationship begins not in the classroom but at the
time of registration or when that first contact is made whether in
person or on the telephone or through the internet.
As the class progresses the new ham is made aware of the reciprocal
bond between hams and while the novice may not believe that he or she
has something to offer at the moment, their attendance and a desire
to belong is sufficient contribution. As long as the club maintains
a friendly environment that encourages participation and supports
activities the novice will soon become the Elmer to the next group of
new hams and will eventually take on leadership positions in the
club. However, a club is destined to fade away if they choose to
adopt the attitude "build it and they will come."
Be sure to invite the new licensees to your next club meeting. Using
written invitations is a nice touch and sends a message that you
really want them to attend. The focus of this meeting should be on
your new hams and getting them into the mainstream. Several clubs
have organized the meeting following a license class using the "Ham
Radio 101" format where the entire evening's programming is to show
the novices the basics of operating. Have refreshments on hand and
be ready to talk about the fun activities such as Field Day or a
community activity that your club is involved in. This is not the
meeting where want to discuss politics or topics that will embattle
the membership. Keep it light and focused on the needs of the
newcomers.
New hams are thirsty for information no matter how basic. When and
where are the club meetings held? How do I get on the air? What
does this or that term mean? Be prepared to answer the simplest
questions and provide details when you do. The Mt. Baker club in
Bellingham Washington has developed a great handout for new hams that
helps answer some of these questions. With Mt. Baker's permission
ARRL has made this booklet available to download and customize for
your use. The modified version provides a place for your club to
insert club and local information.
< http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2005/03/06/1/MBARC-Info-Pack.pdf
>
Use this brochure or develop one of your own but in any case be sure
to give your new hams something informative to take home with them.
A closing thought when working with new hams, one person's favorite
activity is not all that ham radio has to offer. Meeting programs
and mentor sessions should stimulate new hams to explore the many
options offered to the licensed radio amateur. Organizing and
teaching an Amateur Radio license class where the students are
encouraged to be a part of the fabric of ham radio and invited to
participate in club activities is guaranteed to increase your club's
membership with active hams.
________________________________________________________________________
ARRL has resources for instructors.
The Instructor's Manual < http://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=9817 >
includes lesson plans for teaching a Technician license course and a
CD ROM with visual aids for the classroom.
Instructors can advertise their classes on the ARRL website so that
interested people can locate a class in their area. Visit the
instructor support page for more information.
< http://www.arrl.org/FandES/ead/instructor/ >
To become a registered instructor please contact ARRL Educational
Assistant, Rose-Anne Lawrence, KB1DMW at rlawrence@arrl.org or
860-594-0263
________________________________________________________________________
The Four Is
- Invite
- Inform
- Inspire
- Involve
Invite
- Invite everyone, the new hams and those who have not yet received
their CSCE, to attend the next club meeting where the program will be
based on things that the new ham will need to know.
- Invitations should be in the form of hard copy with day, date and
time. Hand an invitation to each student personally at the end of the
class or mail the invitations to everyone that attended the class. A
big shout out to come to the next meeting lacks sincerity.
Inform
- Provide a packet of information that has contact information for
people who can help the new ham get on the air.
- It's also a good idea to provide club information as well as some
operating aids like a list of local repeaters and how to access them.
Inspire
- Congratulate your new hams and remind them that they have just
completed the first step toward a life long journey of learning and
fun.
- Encourage those who were not successful this time around to keep
trying because the reward is worth the effort.
Involve
- Welcome new members to your club and to the world of Amateur radio.
- Encourage the new hams to participate in club functions and on the
air activities. Make sure that they know they are welcome to join the
next on the air net, fox hunt or other club activity.
________________________________________________________________________
ARRL Awards Program For Clubs
Looking for an exciting way to challenge your club? Try earning
DXCC, Worked All States (WAS) or VUCC award for your club. ARRL
affiliated clubs are eligible to participate in all of the ARRL
awards programs.
If your club does not have a station then use the club call from a
member's station. Operate portable ala Field Day and activate a rare
grid square. Use your imagination to come up with ideas to activate
your club call and involve your members in chasing some very nice
operating awards.
Complete information on the ARRL awards program is available on the
web at:
http://www.arrl.org/awards/
For information on obtaining a club callsign:
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/605ins.html#club
Clubs can use Logbook of The World.
http://www.arrl.org/lotw/
https://p1k.arrl.org/lotw/faq#clubcall
________________________________________________________________________
ARRL Affiliation Milestones for October 2007
25 Years
*W4
KY Woodford County Amateur Radio Club KY4WC
*W7
OR McMinnville Amateur Radio Club W7RXJ
WY Converse County Amateur Radio Club
*W8
OH Delaware Amateur Radio Association K8ES
*W0
MO Lake Of The Ozarks Amateur Radio Club N0ZS
50 Years
*W3
EPA Pocono Amateur Radio Klub W3PRK
*W5
NM Amateur Radio Caravan Club W5CSY
60 Years
*W5
MS Jackson Amateur Radio Club W5PFC
*W9
IN Tri-State Amateur Radio Society - TARS W9OG
IL Twin City Amateur Radio Club W9SEH
*W0
KS University Of Kansas ARC K0KU
75 Years
*W7
OR Valley Radio Club Of Oregon W7PXL
=============================================================================
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
interest to active members of ARRL Affiliated Clubs.
Material from The ARRL Club News may be republished or reproduced in
whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must
be given to The ARRL Club News and The American Radio Relay League.
Editorial questions or comments: Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, clubs@arrl.org
Delivery problems (ARRL direct delivery only!): club-el-dlvy@arrl.org
To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery:
ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site,
http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during
registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the The ARRL Club News,
W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe to The
ARRL Club News by going to the Member Data Page at:
http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1
Note that you must be logged in to the site to access this page. Scroll
down to the section "Which of the following would you like to receive
automatically via email from ARRL?" Check the box for "ARRL Club News
(monthly news of interest to Amateur Radio clubs)" and you're
all set.
Past issues of The ARRL Club News are available at
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/club/clubnews/. Issues are posted to this
page after publication.
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.
