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Planning and Operating a Special Events Station

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by WB4AEJ, May 25, 2010.

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  1. W8DEC

    W8DEC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Thanks for the advice. Very helpful.
     
  2. WX1MAN

    WX1MAN Ham Member QRZ Page

    Special Event

    Great points! One of the enjoyable aspects of working a special event station is feeling as though you are part of the event by making that contact. However, when the operators know nothing of The Sinking of the Titanic or, The Lewis and Clark Expedition (ficticious special events) it makes me feel like they showed up just to get on the air. A special event should be just that - special. I hope when setting up the details for a special event folks will follow your article and educate the operators as to what it is they're promoting.
     
  3. TA2RX

    TA2RX Ham Member QRZ Page

    Very true. I am always concerned about this, too. So, we always stay away from special events that is tied to any commercial organization AND finance all our cards ourselves.
     
  4. PB7Z

    PB7Z Ham Member QRZ Page

    Special Even Stations

    Hi all,
    I did a few SES last year and also this year.We where active from a Windmill with PD6MILL during the National Windmill day.
    Also last year i did PD55EA...what was to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Museum "Ellert and Brammert" in my City.

    Doing a SES is also a kind of advertisemend.Like when we were in the Windmill,people did ask us what we were doing.This way it's also advertisemend for our hobby and we also put the Windmill on the air.

    From the 23th of June i will be active in another SES event.
    PD80TT will be the call,to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Dutch TT MOTO GP in Assen.

    I live close by Assen,just 15km from me.The Dutch TT is always a very big event,the biggest in the Netherlands.The week of the TT there will be alot of people coming towards Assen.At the training days there will be around 10.000-15.000 people...and at the raceday it will be around 100.000.

    When i do a SES,i always send to all that make the QSO with me via the buro.This way there are not too much costs for both sides.If someone wants to get the QSL via direct,they have to send me the QSL with SAE.
     
  5. KU2US

    KU2US Ham Member QRZ Page

    Another Thing!

    Everything depends on how you want to run the special event. If you want to go first class all the way, then expect to pay for first class. With the "13 Colonies" we decided to do the best we can with all first class stuff, after all, the SE topic-Independence warrants this. So, no copy paper, but 67lb bond card stock. The certificate has over 25+/- different colors (Ink costs), no flimsy white rice paper large envelopes, but manilla 9x12's, some QSL cards for the individual colony stations are full color proffesionally printed, no "plane Jane" cards, First class postage only, no media mail or bulk mail, plus all the supplies & time. Operators appreciate this, and deserve this from a SE as large as ours is. Smaller Special Events do not have to be so eleborate, to get the point made, and still have a good time and they do offer a very attractive QSL card. Our situation is kind of unique. We offer a different certificate with a different Independence era topic, each year, so this makes them kind of collectible-in a series. We try to represent ourselves in the best way possible, and at the same time offer something that will be hanging on your shack wall, and not placed in a circular file! So the call is yours, either way, it does not diminish the special event in any way. The goal is to have fun, and to highlite your event..
     
    KF5KWO likes this.
  6. TA2RX

    TA2RX Ham Member QRZ Page

    Speaking of costs, don't ask how much we have spent for the HamFest at Friedrichshafen, Germany!:p (See http://www.tcswat.org/activities/HamTronics2009/index.html for a brief story of our travel.) Preparations took months because we had to get printed posters, brochures, magnets, stickers, get a video edited (thankfully this was done by one of our friends). All of these in addition to the QSLs and our ILOTA awards.

    This year it is going to get worse because we have got three awards now. (See http://www.tcswat.org/awards/index.html for the list) more than 20 special events for the year and an estimated QSL of 40000 in total, perhaps more. Thankfully, having so much activity going around, we attract a lot of new hams to come and join us, and eventually share the cost, I hope :rolleyes:
     
  7. G1PIE

    G1PIE Ham Member QRZ Page

    special event

    I love both operating and working special event stations there is some smashing qsl cards to collect.
    my current one is GB4WLR have a look and my own.
    73.
    mark.
     
  8. WB4AEJ

    WB4AEJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    As far as the phone calls, I'd suggest you get a VOIP phone for that purpose. If you already have high speed Internet, this will work just fine. You'll save quite a bit.

    I'm with you one hundred per cent on the QSL cards or certificates. They should be some really nice art work. When the event is over, they will be the only remnant of your operation.

    73,


    Fred, WB4AEJ
     
  9. N4KC

    N4KC Ham Member QRZ Page

    Very good primer

    Like others, I have experience with setting up and running special event operations (See N9N here on QRZ.com), and can verify that this is a great primer. Where were you two years ago when I really needed you?:p

    Plus, I am a sucker for these things, and especially if they serve the dual purpose of recognizing an event or honoring someone and also demonstrate amateur radio for the public. I just worked AA5AR on the WWII troop train this morning and loved hearing the train whistle in the background during the QSO. Heck, they can be a lot of fun and a great rallying point for a club, too.

    One note: the 1X1 callsigns can be reassigned multiple times during the year so be prepared to get QSLs for other operations. Even though I posted notes on QRZ and on my own web site, I still got quite a few for a club state QSO party operation using N9N. I sent them a voided QSL anyway along with their SASE and a note to send it to the correct address.

    Be prepared, too, to get QSLs for a while. It has been 21 months since N9N and I still get cards.

    (To see more on the N9N "Nautilus 90 North" special event from the USS Nautilus, visit www.n4kc.com.)

    Don Keith N4KC
    www.donkeith.com
    www.n4kc.com
     
    KF5KWO likes this.
  10. WB4AEJ

    WB4AEJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Two years ago? Well, I'd like to believe that I am not the only one that could have written an article like this. Where were the others?

    True, they can and often are assigned multiple times in a year. But I've never gotten a QSL for one that we ran if it wasn't for our station.

    I never heard of it going 21 months, though. I'm afraid if anyone waited that long on K5B that they'd probably be out of luck. We are about out of cards and I don't think we'll be printing any more.

    73,


    Fred, WB4AEJ
     
  11. TA2RX

    TA2RX Ham Member QRZ Page

    To bureau or not to bureau

    Ha ha! I can see you do not know how some QSL bureaus work. Outgoing TA QSL bureau does not send anything for years and IARU refuses to change it because it is attached to the "National Member Society", whatever that means! (I am still waiting for them to answer my questions regarding this definition.) We send all cards of TCSWAT activities ourselves. Some of our HAM friends request to add their cards in, too. That's why our QSL manager functions like a QSL bureau. I can assure you he has got a hard time all through the year. We are lucky that he enjoys it. Otherwise it would be one of the greatest problems we experience because this year we expect to have some 40.000 QSO's from our SE activities.
     
  12. WB4AEJ

    WB4AEJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    Well, we aren't accepting requests from the bureau. We are only accepting cards that were directly mailed to us. And since there is more than one K5B, how would the bureau know where to send it anyway? And besides, we're about out of K5B cards. I doubt that any more will be printed.

    And I do have some limited experience with the bureau. I've sent a number of cards to DX stations via the bureau. But I've rarely received anything back via the bureau.

    73,



    Fred, WB4AEJ
     
  13. WB4AEJ

    WB4AEJ Ham Member QRZ Page

    We got all Thirteen Colonies this year AND the Union Jack station, too.

    Our certificate came yesterday and will make a proud addition to the wall of our clubhouse.
     
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