Become a Magnet Club for Newcomers to Our Hobby by Dave Jensen W7DGJ, Martin Buehring KB4MG

Agree with you, Michael. That's really what a LOT of tech licensees have done. They're connected through YouTubers and so on . . . But there's a great deal that a local connection can do for those hams, by bringing them more into the safety/emergency area for their community, as well as offering them local, friendly Elmers who can help with antenna installations and more. The stuff that I love to do! Sometimes a physical presence is important to a person who has been in the past only connected via social media and so on, Dave

 

I suspect that my comments, on this site, are "preaching to the choir". Folks perusing the forums here are active leaders and members of their local groups. Start there, local, if at all possible. BUT if you find yourself among geriatric bad attitudes, say, "My mistake, return to your naps (and I really enjoy a nap these days ), I'll see myself out the door." Then, just as Dan, did move on down the directory til you find a group that shares your interests and values. Shares your "Why"...
Always a pleasure~

 

And where might the non-geriatric bad attitudes be found? Apparently the elder bashers would be a good place to look.

 

Dan, let me address the important point right up front...Great Dog! German Shorthair? I had a GWirehair, Liesel and she was the best "Good Girl".
Another good point, bad attitudes are not the exclusive domain of the "elderly". For clarity, I was born about the time you were first licensed, so.
The issue is the warm or cold reception which clubs give to those with a nascent (and highly impressionable) interest in the hobby. [deleted overly long analysis of club dynamics] So, whether you're young or old, club member's would do well to insure that newcomers are met with a warm hand-shake, eye-contact, a fresh donut and a hot cup of coffee.
Please give that good dog a pet on the head just from me.

 

There are many clubs that are ripe for take over by people who want a social club that have activities, etc. There are countless examples of ham clubs where the new members quickly become the officers and take the club in a new direction. The ability to communicate to thousands of people for free makes it even easier to re-build an old club or even create a new one. Many clubs have been saved by going "hybrid" where they have an on-line component to allow members who move away to still participate. My two cents.

 

Thanks for the comments on Jake. He is a German Wirehaired Pointer age 11. Today is his birthday.

 

Yes, that!

 

We hope our talk on the QSO Today Forum will shake things up a bit with clubs that have lost their way. I am optimistic about it and think they will either figure it out or maybe new clubs will start up to replace them.

 

I am trying to get more active or find local clubs both in the Phoenix area and home town of Minneapolis area. I sometimes make summer travel plans around club meetings. I used to be (way back in the 60s) active with the Minneapolis Radio Club but it seems to have died years ago (without me ? ) I actually grew up in Richfield MN and they have an active club once it warms up..up there!

One thing I like is when they also have HF nets with decent activity. But most of them are on VHF/UHF where I have never been. - which makes sense for Technicians. There is an active 10-10 on air group in Phoenix but mostly on the far South end and in the noise from my two remotes in Yavapai county and one just inside the Maricopa border even with big high beams and full power amp. I tried checking in a few times, but not heard since too far. I understand the Yavapai group is no longer active - did check in once I believe when they were active.

The leader of the Phx Red Cross affiliated club is very dynamic and friendly and I keep thinking of trying the Scottsdale group. The other area groups are far from me.

Do enjoy getting out more, enjoyed SeaPac last year in Oregon and County Hunters in Montana, and had nice visit with the Toronto club a few years ago (Mississauga one). More interested a bit smaller ones vs the huge national ones and prefer hotels vs fair grounds as swap meets not my interest.

Just call me looking for my way around local groups

 

K7NGS - Sorry to hear about your experience. As the Club president of a club in Colorado, I work hard to make sure each member is greeted at meetings and are felt welcome. We even meet each Saturday for breakfast.
I even send out an emails to all club members with current events at least once a month.
I am sure there is a club out there for you. What I recommend to new hams is check out a club first before joining. Not all clubs are for everyone. There are some "Good Ole Boy clubs" out there and I hope they change for the hobby's sake.
Sounds like you are ready to jump in and learn and experience the hobby. Keep up the search I am sure you may find a club that is welcoming and appreciates new hams to the hobby.
If interested we even have a hamlet net on Tuesday nights at 7PM MT, you can join on echolink if you like node 8305.

Good Luck - K0ITP

 

This is a great topic. As a club president of a club in Colorado, I have heard some of these same comments over and over.
I have had the opportunity to present to the Rocky Mountain ARRL conference last year on this similar topic.
The biggest problem I see it takes a village to run a club. So it is hard to keep one together with just 1-3 people doing all the work.
Every monthly meeting we have I always state to the club, this in not my club, not the board's club, this is your club, what do you want it to look like?
I am fortunate to have club members that have stepped up and help make our club successful and moving forward.

 

Hi Dave - thank you for your post here. I hope you'll be with the QSO Today Virtual Conference coming up in a week! I'm a member of a Phoenix area club. I would be happy to tell you about this organization. It could either use some new blood or I won't be signing up again. Perhaps you are just the guy to help invigorate it and we can make a difference! Message me here or use my Gmail address on QRZ. Dave

 

Thanks for jumping in. Sounds to me like you've built a great club up there in CO. Please join us at our session and participate in the Q&A after the talk! Dave, W7DGJ ("Trials and Errors -- Ham Life with an Amateur" Author on QRZ.com)

 

It is a bit embarrassing how difficult it is for hams to manage a simple half decent club. I have sought membership in several clubs in two states, here are my experiences:

1. Dated websites that were 10x worse than what my kid could make in a day using free hosting and templates.
2. Payment required a paper check, mailed to a PO Box
3. Emcomm focused club with no one of experience signed up and active resistance from the County (for good reason). Solution? Learn as we go and quietly setup in the back of their parking lot to reduce chances of being asked to vacate the premises. LOL.
4. Within 5 minutes, literally, I was advised that everyone who was in political party B would not be welcome. I asked if that position applied to offering emergency assistance to them and was met with riotous laughter and head nods of yes.
5. Club leaders and other positions filled with zero regard to skill sets, personality, etc. It's not awesome for recruitment when the outreach guy is an 82 year old retired plumber who spent his entire ham career on a dipole doing nothing but ragchews and/or cw. I find nothing wrong with ragchewers and plumbers, but that doesn't make you the right person for every role.
6. 2 out of the three clubs had their meetings on weekdays around 11am. The irony of meeting at the local snowbird cafe of choice during the typical work week to discuss
increasing younger ham participation...it's almost too much to handle.


This isn't complex guys. We don't need fancy analytics or symposiums to identify the low hanging fruit issues which if solved, would go a long way. It's really perplexing how so many are so bad at it, almost as if the least qualified are the most likely to try and lead? And before the obligatory "Why don't you join and lead them to greatness?" comments, I've tried. I am not going to keep getting into massive debates and fights trying to convince someone that young people cant show up if they are all working and at school. The fact we even have to discuss it is asinine and shows there is statistically little chance that person will suddenly develop logic and critical thinking skills.

Remember, your club better pop somehow, because it's 2023 and you are competing against people who actually know a lot, are good communicators, and who's high quality content is available anytime from anywhere. People aren't waiting for their local library to get a book on antennas, and they aren't waiting a month or more for the next meeting to learn how to make a tape measure yagi.

 

Good comments Justin and we'll cover some of these in our presentation. There are a couple of comments I object to, however, and I'll note them. But all in all, we have a good deal more mutual agreement.

For one, you mention that 82 year old ex-plumber who has done nothing but use a dipole and perhaps CW. Personally, I see absolutely ZERO wrong with that fellow's experience. So what if he's using CW? So what if his antenna of choice is a dipole? What difference in the world would that make!!! He's a ham radio operator, and if he's the right person for an outreach role, than more power to him. The questionable part would be whether he's a good communicator -- can he write and speak well, can he get people excited, and so on. Perhaps a younger ham with a communications background would be a better choice, but my comment is that his ham experience is VALID and just as valid as a 35-year-old ham who works digital modes.

The other comment I'd make is that you seem to denigrate "fancy analytics and symposiums." ("We don't need no stinkin' symposiums" - see my link). Is that what you think the QSO Today series is all about? It's a symposium - yes, but is it just a bunch of wasted time and people sitting around quoting analytics? Not at all. The organizer made sure that every speaker has a tight, focused approach to an issue. In our case, we're coming up with ideas to help clubs bring more newcomers into their clubs, to make them more productive and helpful, and so on.

As I said, your comment resonates with us. Just felt those two issues needed to be clarified. Dave, W7DGJ (Columnist, QRZ's "Trials and Errors -- Ham Life with an Amateur")