Post by David (N4DLT) on Aug 15, 2009 18:44:24 GMT -5
ARRL Club Newsletter
August 15, 2009
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Club Resource
+ Cruise-In
The Local Club Resource
I am very fortunate to be in a position at ARRL which allows me
significant interaction with our members. It is very fulfilling to
be able to put a smile on someone's face by helping them find a
solution to their problem regardless of the complexity. Sometimes it
is not possible to be as helpful over the telephone or with e-mail so
I will try to direct the individual to a local club where they may be
able to get some side-by-side coaching. The local radio club is
without a doubt the place where most of us received our ham radio
education. The club is where we learned the jargon and techno-speak
used on the air and where we met folks to emulate and folks who we
swore we would never be like. Everything that we know about ham
radio that didn't come from a book was probably learned at club
meetings or late night Field Day chats over burnt coffee. Personally
I have made many longtime friendships from my involvement in local
radio clubs and I am sure many others can say this as well.
Clubs, by definition, are groups of like-minded people who share a
common interest. In reality a club is an eclectic assembly of
individuals each with a unique perspective of their activity. The
dynamic of a club is no different than that of a large family. Think
of your last family get-together and then take a look at your radio
club. If everybody was the same, life would be very boring. In every
club there is the usual cast of characters that add their distinctive
flavors to the stew and make things interesting. It is diversity
that makes a club work well. I have seen that no matter how varied
the personalities are in a club, most of these personalities are also
eager to help. Helping each other is characteristic of radio
amateurs.
How often have you experienced something like this: Two hams will be
in QSO, perhaps discussing an antenna installation or radio repair
when another radio operator will break-in with a helpful suggestion?
This situation may have happened to you or you may have even been the
breaking station. The same thing happens (or should happen) at club
meetings. If you need help with something the closest resource is
your local club. On the surface the club may appear to be
dysfunctional, but once you are involved you will find that it is
actually very productive.
The Pareto principle, commonly know as the eighty-twenty rule is a
simple expression that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the
causes. As applied in the business world this would be 80% of the
sales are driven by 20% of the customers. In a club the percentages
may be slightly different but the fact remains that a small
percentage of the membership is responsible for making things happen.
This is not to suggest that eighty percent of the members do not
participate, but without a "sparkplug" some things would never get
started. These people are the doers. The doers don't take no for an
answer and are always willing to take on more responsibility. But
where is the fun in jump-starting a project without someone telling
you it would never work? Of course it would be much more fun without
the negative comments but that goes against human nature. Ever since
man tried to open a coconut with a rock someone was right beside him
offering a thousand excuses why it won't work. "You'll smash your
thumb." "The rock will break." "You should invent a wheel and roll
it over the coconut." "Let's just eat the bananas." The cynics of
the world are an essential part of society, and of our clubs. They
challenge us and make us work harder to prove them wrong. Learn to
accept these people but never let them distract you from moving
forward.
You only get as much from a club as you put into it. A majority of
the club bashers tend to be long time hams with a "been there, done
that" attitude asking what a club has to offer them for them. To
borrow from President John F. Kennedy, "ask what you can do for your
club." Of course we took more than we had to offer when we were
younger and inexperienced. But over the years we have gathered
knowledge that we can share with the newcomers. Based upon my
countless interactions with hams of all levels of experience, the
novice has much to offer the old-timer even if it is just reliving
the joy of discovery. The local radio club has something for
everybody who is willing to get involved.
Don't know where you local club is? Use the ARRL Affiliated Club
search.
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml
---
Cruise-In
by Jim Aylward, KC8PD
President, Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS)
aylwardjim@aol.com
Is your club looking for an easy, virtually free way to bring members
together and meet with hams from throughout your area? Try
sponsoring a Mobile Radio Cruise-In
Many of us are familiar with cruise-in events at restaurants,
drive-ins, or other venues, where participants bring their cars,
trucks, motorcycles, whatever, to display and compete for awards.
The owners of the vehicles take pride in their efforts to restore,
modify or otherwise spruce them up and enjoy displaying them as much
as the spectators enjoy seeing them. Mobile radio operators are also
proud of the time, effort and more than a few dollars that they have
invested into their transportable Amateur Radio stations. Our club,
Portage County Amateur Radio Service decided to organize a Mobile
Radio Cruise-In where these roadway radio ops could display there
tricked out sleds.
The owner of the A&W Restaurant in Ravenna, Ohio, graciously agreed
to allow PCARS to use the large, spare parking lot adjacent to the
restaurant. If you are not familiar with A&W it is a franchised root
beer/drive-in restaurant operation. We created a flier and sent it
along with a brief news article to the ham radio club newsletter
editors in the surrounding counties. Fliers were also posted at the
AES Cleveland store and at area hamfests.
The event was scheduled to run from five to nine in the evening. We
arrived early to set up a canopy and tables for a radio to assist
with "talk-ins" as well as posting fliers for the club and our Fall
Technician course. The weather was perfect for an Ohio August
evening. When the first participants showed up before five o'clock
we knew things were looking good for this first-time event.
The Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club was holding one of its biweekly
Fox Hunts that night and Gay, WB8VNO, the sly fox, parked in the A&W
lot where she was eventually found by all the hunters.
All together there were nearly fifty vehicles and almost seventy
attendees from a half-dozen counties. Seventeen vehicles (including
one motorcycle) were entered in the Best Installation contest.
Prizes were given for the top five, including an AES gift certificate
for the winner and A&W mugs and PCARS coffee cups for the runners-up.
It was a great evening of ham radio camaraderie and fun, with
positive feedback from everyone. PCARS plans on making this an
annual event. Why not give it try at your club?
-----------
Milestones July 2009
10 Year July
*W4
SFL Boca Raton Amateur Radio Association WB4QNX
NC Randolph Amateur Radio Club NC4ZO
*W5
AR Baxter County Amateur Communications & Emergency Service
K5BAX
STX Highland Lakes Amateur Radio Club K5HLA
STX Houston County Amateur Radio Club WA5EC
*W6
SB Ventura County Amateur Radio Society K6VCS
SF San Francisco Ham Radio Club NO6PW
*W7
AZ Radio Society Of Tucson (RST CLUB) K7RST
WWA Federal Way Amateur Radio Club WA7FW
WY Sweetwater County Amateur Radio WY7U
50 Year July
*W5
WTX Sun City Amateur Radio Club K5WPH
60 Year July
*W1
RI Newport County Radio Club W1SYE
Milestones August 2009
10 Year August
*W3
EPA Northern Tier Repeater System KB3EAR
EPA Lycoming County Emergency Management Agency KB3DXU
*W4
GA Paulding Amateur Radio Club, Inc W4TIY
*W6
SF Redwood Amateur Radio Club KF6SYK
SF U.S.S. Pampanito Amateur Radio Club NJ6VT
25 Year August
*W4
GA Coastal Plains Amateur Radio Club, Inc W4PVW
NFL Chipola Amateur Radio Club W4BKD
*W5
NTX Ham Association Of Mesquite WJ5J
*W6
ORG Sam's Radio Hams K6SRH
======================================================================
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,
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:
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
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubnews/. Issues are posted to
this page after publication.
======================================================================
August 15, 2009
Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
+ Club Resource
+ Cruise-In
The Local Club Resource
I am very fortunate to be in a position at ARRL which allows me
significant interaction with our members. It is very fulfilling to
be able to put a smile on someone's face by helping them find a
solution to their problem regardless of the complexity. Sometimes it
is not possible to be as helpful over the telephone or with e-mail so
I will try to direct the individual to a local club where they may be
able to get some side-by-side coaching. The local radio club is
without a doubt the place where most of us received our ham radio
education. The club is where we learned the jargon and techno-speak
used on the air and where we met folks to emulate and folks who we
swore we would never be like. Everything that we know about ham
radio that didn't come from a book was probably learned at club
meetings or late night Field Day chats over burnt coffee. Personally
I have made many longtime friendships from my involvement in local
radio clubs and I am sure many others can say this as well.
Clubs, by definition, are groups of like-minded people who share a
common interest. In reality a club is an eclectic assembly of
individuals each with a unique perspective of their activity. The
dynamic of a club is no different than that of a large family. Think
of your last family get-together and then take a look at your radio
club. If everybody was the same, life would be very boring. In every
club there is the usual cast of characters that add their distinctive
flavors to the stew and make things interesting. It is diversity
that makes a club work well. I have seen that no matter how varied
the personalities are in a club, most of these personalities are also
eager to help. Helping each other is characteristic of radio
amateurs.
How often have you experienced something like this: Two hams will be
in QSO, perhaps discussing an antenna installation or radio repair
when another radio operator will break-in with a helpful suggestion?
This situation may have happened to you or you may have even been the
breaking station. The same thing happens (or should happen) at club
meetings. If you need help with something the closest resource is
your local club. On the surface the club may appear to be
dysfunctional, but once you are involved you will find that it is
actually very productive.
The Pareto principle, commonly know as the eighty-twenty rule is a
simple expression that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the
causes. As applied in the business world this would be 80% of the
sales are driven by 20% of the customers. In a club the percentages
may be slightly different but the fact remains that a small
percentage of the membership is responsible for making things happen.
This is not to suggest that eighty percent of the members do not
participate, but without a "sparkplug" some things would never get
started. These people are the doers. The doers don't take no for an
answer and are always willing to take on more responsibility. But
where is the fun in jump-starting a project without someone telling
you it would never work? Of course it would be much more fun without
the negative comments but that goes against human nature. Ever since
man tried to open a coconut with a rock someone was right beside him
offering a thousand excuses why it won't work. "You'll smash your
thumb." "The rock will break." "You should invent a wheel and roll
it over the coconut." "Let's just eat the bananas." The cynics of
the world are an essential part of society, and of our clubs. They
challenge us and make us work harder to prove them wrong. Learn to
accept these people but never let them distract you from moving
forward.
You only get as much from a club as you put into it. A majority of
the club bashers tend to be long time hams with a "been there, done
that" attitude asking what a club has to offer them for them. To
borrow from President John F. Kennedy, "ask what you can do for your
club." Of course we took more than we had to offer when we were
younger and inexperienced. But over the years we have gathered
knowledge that we can share with the newcomers. Based upon my
countless interactions with hams of all levels of experience, the
novice has much to offer the old-timer even if it is just reliving
the joy of discovery. The local radio club has something for
everybody who is willing to get involved.
Don't know where you local club is? Use the ARRL Affiliated Club
search.
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubsearch.phtml
---
Cruise-In
by Jim Aylward, KC8PD
President, Portage County Amateur Radio Service (PCARS)
aylwardjim@aol.com
Is your club looking for an easy, virtually free way to bring members
together and meet with hams from throughout your area? Try
sponsoring a Mobile Radio Cruise-In
Many of us are familiar with cruise-in events at restaurants,
drive-ins, or other venues, where participants bring their cars,
trucks, motorcycles, whatever, to display and compete for awards.
The owners of the vehicles take pride in their efforts to restore,
modify or otherwise spruce them up and enjoy displaying them as much
as the spectators enjoy seeing them. Mobile radio operators are also
proud of the time, effort and more than a few dollars that they have
invested into their transportable Amateur Radio stations. Our club,
Portage County Amateur Radio Service decided to organize a Mobile
Radio Cruise-In where these roadway radio ops could display there
tricked out sleds.
The owner of the A&W Restaurant in Ravenna, Ohio, graciously agreed
to allow PCARS to use the large, spare parking lot adjacent to the
restaurant. If you are not familiar with A&W it is a franchised root
beer/drive-in restaurant operation. We created a flier and sent it
along with a brief news article to the ham radio club newsletter
editors in the surrounding counties. Fliers were also posted at the
AES Cleveland store and at area hamfests.
The event was scheduled to run from five to nine in the evening. We
arrived early to set up a canopy and tables for a radio to assist
with "talk-ins" as well as posting fliers for the club and our Fall
Technician course. The weather was perfect for an Ohio August
evening. When the first participants showed up before five o'clock
we knew things were looking good for this first-time event.
The Cuyahoga Falls Amateur Radio Club was holding one of its biweekly
Fox Hunts that night and Gay, WB8VNO, the sly fox, parked in the A&W
lot where she was eventually found by all the hunters.
All together there were nearly fifty vehicles and almost seventy
attendees from a half-dozen counties. Seventeen vehicles (including
one motorcycle) were entered in the Best Installation contest.
Prizes were given for the top five, including an AES gift certificate
for the winner and A&W mugs and PCARS coffee cups for the runners-up.
It was a great evening of ham radio camaraderie and fun, with
positive feedback from everyone. PCARS plans on making this an
annual event. Why not give it try at your club?
-----------
Milestones July 2009
10 Year July
*W4
SFL Boca Raton Amateur Radio Association WB4QNX
NC Randolph Amateur Radio Club NC4ZO
*W5
AR Baxter County Amateur Communications & Emergency Service
K5BAX
STX Highland Lakes Amateur Radio Club K5HLA
STX Houston County Amateur Radio Club WA5EC
*W6
SB Ventura County Amateur Radio Society K6VCS
SF San Francisco Ham Radio Club NO6PW
*W7
AZ Radio Society Of Tucson (RST CLUB) K7RST
WWA Federal Way Amateur Radio Club WA7FW
WY Sweetwater County Amateur Radio WY7U
50 Year July
*W5
WTX Sun City Amateur Radio Club K5WPH
60 Year July
*W1
RI Newport County Radio Club W1SYE
Milestones August 2009
10 Year August
*W3
EPA Northern Tier Repeater System KB3EAR
EPA Lycoming County Emergency Management Agency KB3DXU
*W4
GA Paulding Amateur Radio Club, Inc W4TIY
*W6
SF Redwood Amateur Radio Club KF6SYK
SF U.S.S. Pampanito Amateur Radio Club NJ6VT
25 Year August
*W4
GA Coastal Plains Amateur Radio Club, Inc W4PVW
NFL Chipola Amateur Radio Club W4BKD
*W5
NTX Ham Association Of Mesquite WJ5J
*W6
ORG Sam's Radio Hams K6SRH
======================================================================
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,
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:
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
www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubnews/. Issues are posted to
this page after publication.
======================================================================