How to RUIN Your Ham Radio Club - or how to make it as unappealing as possible. Thanks to the author of this reddit post for these great ideas on how to destroy a club - watch this video and let me know what you think! Link to original article: https://www.reddit.com/r/amateurrad...to_make_you_ham_radio_club_as_unappealing_as/
My club uses groups.io and they do everything correct that I know of. My club has a club station and they are very active the next one is the 17th.
I’m glad that the club I belong to doesn’t fall into that very sad category (Northern Colorado Amateur Radio Club).
The reddit link was a good read. Best post? "If you enjoy a hobby don't join a club. Best advice I ever got after getting my license."
I find it interesting that he found most GMRS users also had an Amateur license. Makes me want to consider getting a GMRS license.
$35 for the ticket, one and done - covers the entire family. They don't define "family" so I suppose all the way out to Grandkiddos would be covered. UHF Fm tho.
The FCC defines "family" quite explicitly. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-47/part-95/subpart-E#p-95.1705(c)(2) I have a pair of radios certified for GMRS but programmed for MURS currently. I could get a GMRS license and reprogram the radios but I don't know anyone around here with a GMRS radio so even $35 has been enough of a barrier to entry so far. I keep two Part 95 radios on hand so I can loan one out as needed so it doesn't much matter if they are programmed for MURS or GMRS, or at least that's how I see it so far. In fact GMRS might be a step backwards since then I can't loan one out to a cousin or friend without reprogramming again for MURS. GMRS allows for a bit more power on the radios I own but I doubt it is enough to matter, and getting more power than those handhelds offer on GMRS means new radios. With my current collection of radios I don't much feel like making the collection larger unless there is a specific need to do so. In other words, it's not just $35 to get on GMRS but also the cost of gear. Or perhaps I could summarize it as the $35 doesn't buy me much more than I already have. If I knew that Amateurs around here were using GMRS for repeaters than the 2-meter Amateur band then that might be the final push I need. A quick look at a list of GMRS repeaters shows one in the area and that is listed as "closed". Not sure what "closed" means but I'll tune into the frequency for a bit today and listen. That defines most activity on the Amateur 440MHz band. Also not all that different than 2M, 6M, or perhaps even 10M. I've considered getting GMRS many times over the years, still didn't open the wallet yet for that $35.
Thank you, the 'family' listed is all I would worry over anyway. The 'value' of the GMRS ticket is that family members need no other license for a "high" power radio to stay in touch locally. Much like 2M etc - sans license requirement.
Why use email? People should correspond with one another on the air. I mean it's not an email club, it's an amateur radio club. Be engaging and encourage questions and answers to things on the air. There are no reasons why this cannot be done. It will encourage others to listen and participate too. After all, isn't that the intended goal of a radio club? ...To talk with one another on the air? Similarly, I'm not sure calling a social event a "meeting" is the appropriate thing to do at a radio club. I mean you're not going to a board room at a corporation... And don't bore people to death with "business ." Ditch the Robert's Rules of Order baloney too. You're supposed to be going to an informal, fun and engaging social event at a hobby club, and this is true of any hobby club. They need to walk away thinking they all had fun. If they are not getting this from the club, then something is wrong with what you're doing.
It could be the matter is of club business that may not be appropriate over the air, at least not in the open for others to see as permitted by Amateur radio. A matter of time, place, and propagation. If the intended recipient isn't on the air within the desired time frame, coincident with the time on air of the sender, and progation of radio waves won't permit it, then something that is on a wire and/or has some persistence in time, would be preferable. It can be that the member of the club sending the e-mail doesn't yet have a license. Or, as a bit of an extension of above with time and propagation, the sender has a GMRS license but the recipient does not. I believe that any (big "A") Amatuer radio club should include other (small 'a') amateur radio activities, such as GMRS. The Amateur radio clubs I've had membership would have as part of their activities storm spotting and neighborhood watch, something that we also see in Part 95 centered organizations like REACT. Widen up the statement of purpose on the club a bit to make it a "radio club" than just an "Amateur radio club". I suspect that might gather a bit more interest, and also avoid the need for e-mails to be sent from members not yet licensed with a question on the next VE exam. What might help avoid the need for e-mail by internet is some kind of packet network. I don't know much about how many of them work but I've seen some interesting variations on that theme. There's the often hated and/or misunderstood Sailmail/Winlink/PACTOR as an option. If that rubs people the wrong way then I can think up a few options that might work for cases like these. A simple system like the old POCSAG pagers might work to fix some time/place issues. If people want to send e-mails with attachments then there's options in the gigahertz bands. Of course there's plenty between those extremes.
The thing is, email can be sent, and will be ready for pickup when the other party goes to check email. The same cannot be said for radio messages. Also, some things are better left to a slightly larger amount of privacy.
