 The ARRL booth crew: Marketing Manager Bob Inderbitzen, NQ1R; Customer Service/Circulation Manager Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO; and Publication Sales/Support staffer Danny Sayad, KB1IIP. |
 Autograph hound: ARRL Chief Development Officer Mary Hobart, K1MMH, gets Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, WB6ACU, to autograph several photos. |
 Man on a mission: A seemingly tireless ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, visited several forums and shook many members' hands during the ARRL National Convention 2003 at Ham-Com |
NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 27, 2003--An estimated 5000-plus Amateur Radio operators and visitors from across the US were on hand at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, Texas, the weekend of June 20-22 for the ARRL 2003 National Convention hosted by Ham-Com. Among those attending was Eagles guitarist and well-known radio amateur Joe Walsh, WB6ACU. The Eagles had a concert date at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Friday, June 20, but the next day, Walsh was a familiar sight--as well as the target of autograph seekers and shutterbugs--at Ham-Com.
"Everyone was very happy with the event," said Ham-Com Chairman Maury Guzick, W5BGP, who put the number of attendees at "just a tad over 5000," up 20 percent from last year. "The response to the programs and all the VIP's was great," he added. "It was the best Ham-Com since the 1994 National Convention."
ARRL signed a Statement of Affiliation with the Department of Homeland Security during the 2003 National Convention. See "Amateurs 'First of the First Responders,' Department of Homeland Security Official Says" for more information.
ARRL Leadership Fields Members' Questions
Those attending the Sunday morning ARRL forum with League President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, several members of the ARRL Board of Directors and ARRL officers peppered the League leadership with questions on a variety of hot topics. Subjects included the new 5 MHz allocation, the ARRL's Capitol Hill initiatives and Logbook of the World (LoTW).
Responding to a question regarding the status of the 2003 Spectrum Protection Act (HR 718 and S 537), Haynie explained that the League, as a non-profit organization, faces limitations on how much lobbying it can do on behalf of a particular piece of legislation--and how much money it can expend--without jeopardizing its IRS 501(c)(3) status. "We can ask members to write, but not nonmembers," Haynie explained, as one example. In addition, ARRL cannot start a political action committee, as some members have suggested.
ARRL First Vice President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, pointed out that ARRL--through its presence in Washington--is in regular contact with members of Congress and their staffs.
Letters on legislation important to hams are important, Haynie said, since members of Congress want to know how an issue affects the voters back home. Before a visitor shows up, Haynie explained, congressional staffers typically prepare a file of letters received from constituents on the issue at hand.
Regarding 5 MHz, Haynie said the ARRL has no immediate plans to put forth a band plan for use of the five discrete channels. That's in part because he expects the ARRL to petition the FCC in a year or so to replace the channels with a band. "There are concerns by the Department of Justice, the US Navy and the Coast Guard who use those frequencies for homeland security and drug interdiction," Haynie noted. "We must be cautious about any plan we propose."
Harrison said the 5-MHz allocation resulted from Amateur Radio's long history of good relations as a sharing partner on US government frequencies. "Amateur Radio's visibility is on the rise [in Washington] and will continue to rise," he said.
Central Director Dick Isely, W9GIG, defended the League's expenditure to develop Logbook of the World. One forum questioner had suggested that LoTW would hurt DXing by eliminating the exchange of hard-copy QSL cards to obtain award credit. Isely suggested that two communities would use LoTW: Contesters, who are not concerned with cards, only scores, and DXers, who seek credit for awards such as DXCC. Isely said LoTW does not preclude exchanging QSL cards. The program now is undergoing beta testing.
 Ham radio is strong and growing: Some of the 5000-plus attendees at Ham-Com 2003, which hosted the 2003 ARRL National Convention. |
 Sign here, please: ARRL's Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO, signs up an ARRL member. |
 It's not about us: ARRL Public Relations Committee chairman Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR. |
Ecstatic Exhibitors
Guzick said Ham-Com exhibitors were "ecstatic" with the crowd and with their sales. "If this is a bad economy, it did not show last weekend," he said. "Most reports were three times usual Ham-Com sales." Guzick said he concluded from Ham-Com 2003 and the ARRL National Convention that Amateur Radio "is strong and growing. Hams are investing in their hobby and having a lot of fun, learning and doing more with it," he said.
ARRL Customer Service/Circulation Manager Kathy Capodicasa, N1GZO--who headed the League's booth contingent at Ham-Com--reported staffers took in 164 term membership applications, including signups by 86 new or lapsed members and 78 renewals. In addition, five individuals signed up for life memberships.
"Obviously, Friday and Saturday were the better traffic days," she said. "We pretty much had steady traffic to the booth on those days." She shared Guzick's impression that manufacturers and dealers enjoyed similar high traffic during the convention.
Every Ham is a PIO
ARRL Public Relations Committee Chairman Jeff Reinhardt, AA6JR, told the League's PR forum that every ham should consider him or herself a public information officer for the hobby. "We need to tell our story, and we need you to help tell it," he said. Ham radio, he explained, will not be the focal point of a story such as the shuttle Columbia debris search. "It's not about us," he said. "We're the sidebar story." The annual club news release about Field Day is not enough either.
In a visit to the forum, President Haynie urged licensees to be proud of being Amateur Radio licensees. "Pride in belonging is a key motivator," he said. He encouraged ARRL public information officers and coordinators to be creative, to feel better about ham radio. "This is the 'year of the member,'" he reminded them. "Good ideas should be shared."
While Haynie said he felt his recent congressional subcommittee hearing appearance was positive and well-received (See "President Haynie Testifies on Behalf of Amateur Radio Spectrum Protection Act"). "We need to do a better job of selling ourselves," he said.
PR forum speaker Tim Lewallen, KD5ING, of Nacodoches, Texas, found himself--as a new PIO--suddenly in the middle of the shuttle Columbia debris support activities earlier this year. He said he had to scramble to establish relationships with the media. "It's extremely important for you to establish those relationships before something happens," he said. He advised the group to keep away from using ham radio jargon and to use everyday terms and language when dealing with the news media.
PR committee member and CQ Editor Rich Moseson, W2VU, said he keeps hearing that ham radio is dying and suggested that notion reflects low self-esteem on the part of radio amateurs. "But we have more hams now than ever before," he pointed out. Much public relations is one-on-one, he said, "even if it's just to create a good impression." He also urged those who deal with the media or with the general public to get their facts straight ahead of time.
"So many well-meaning people are giving out incorrect information," he said. "We have to get the correct information out to people." Moseson, who served eight years as ARRL's Northern New Jersey Section Manager, said it won't always be the PIO, PIC or SM who will be the interview subject, so everyone needs to be aware of value of public relations.
 Thank you, Joe! Pupils at DeGolyer Elementary School--a Big Project Pilot School--thanked Joe Walsh for his generous contribution to the ARRL Education and Technology Program. Teacher Sanlyn Kent, KD5LXO, is in the middle of the group. |
 Next question? ARRL President Jim Haynie, W5JBP, fields questions from the crowd during an ARRL forum that included several League Board members and officers (seated at table). |
 CQ 20, this is W1AW/5: Bryan McGee, AB5LQ, operates W1AW/5 special event station during the convention. The station was set up in a REACT communications van in the flea market, and McGee is president of the Dallas County REACT chapter. |
 Molly want a cracker? In addition to organizing the ARRL Public Relations Forum, ARRL Media Relations Manager Jen Hagy, N1TDY, warily--and briefly--hosted a visit from Molly the macaw. The bird belongs to Bill Christian, W5BC. |
Joe Walsh Visits with Big Project Kids, Conventioneers
Despite efforts to blend into the crowd, Joe Walsh found himself besieged with photograph and autograph requests as he made the rounds at Ham-Com. Walsh--who recently made a generous donation to the ARRL Education and Technology Program--The Big Project--got a hearty "thank you" from youngsters who attend DeGolyer Elementary School in Dallas. DeGolyer was The Big Project's first pilot school.
At the ARRL Education and Technology Forum, DeGolyer teacher Sanlyn Kent, KD5LXO, talked about her experiences in pioneering The Big Project at her school. "We didn't know diddly at first," she quipped. Three years later, her school has a club station, K5DES, and has 28 students and two parents with Technician tickets as well as a handful of General-class operators. "We can save you a lot of time since we made all the mistakes already," she told her audience.
The Big Project at DeGolyer is an after-hours program, explained Kent, who noted that she's "not as green as I was three years ago." An Amateur Radio on the International Space Station contact is in the offing for later this year, and she's hoping to expand the program to include older students at the middle school level.
"Our hams are really visible on campus," she said. An art teacher, Kent explained that the K5DES station is set up in her classroom. "You're not just educating the ham kids, you're also trying to educate your entire community." In that regard, she said, not every youngster or parent knows what ham radio is, so she attempts to involve the families too. Her ham radio students help teach other youngsters about electronics in the classroom. They also handle a closed-circuit television program that broadcasts the daily announcements at the school.
"If you haven't dealt with young children lately, it's whole new ballgame," she said. "They can multitask. You have to keep them totally involved." She also warned against making it "too much fun" to learn about ham radio. In her presentation, Kent and her students outlined and demonstrated some of the techniques they used to teach basic electronics and electricity principles to pupils as young as fourth graders. She stressed the importance of reinforcing the material frequently and showed some of the ways she brings ham radio and electronics concepts alive for the kids she works with.
"You need teachers and you need Elmers," she advised. "Ideally, teachers who are hams." Kent urged amateurs who want the hobby to continue to grow to find a school and get in there and work with the youngsters. "It's a big job," she said.
Haynie agreed.
"If you've been a ham for 40 years, you'll see ham radio through a whole new
set of eyes," he said.
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