Short Takes #30: Amateur Radio Promotion Goes Solo

Hi Leo - thanks for the nice comments. You know, I thought about this question for some time, and I have only one idea -- but, it would require some work for sure. When I had left the hobby for a few years, I was still reading articles about radio and interested generally in the topic. When I came back to the ARS, I was SO surprised at all the new things . . . new technologies, new bands, etc. It looked like a lot had happened while I was "gone."

That's why I think that an announcement of a meeting in your county would be of interest if you can reach out to those hams with an invitation. Have four or five speakers to introduce the "coolest" of the newer technologies. Get those out-of-date hams a picture of today's digital world, or satellite communications, etc. Get a couple of your active hams to participate with overviews of newer stuff they are interested in, get a couple of Zoom dial-in speakers on good subjects (people like Marty KB4MG on WSPR), perhaps even a ham talking about how easy it was for him to get back into things with a small radio and a dipole, or a prepper ham talking about how important it is to have a working station when the you-know-what hits the fan. Anyway, all of those topics might interest someone who isn't presently active, and draw them out of the woodwork. I wish I had other ideas for you. Just doing what I did at the Starbucks, announcing a get-together (via Facebook, Instagram and NextDoor) to just have a round table discussion about amateur radio could work on a smaller scale as well Good luck! Dave, W7DGJ

 

Hi Dave and thank you for your very thoughtful comments....sincerely appreciated.
Your timing is perfect as I will be meeting with other members of our club this week to address this very issue.
I'll let you know how it goes.....Thank you for your time. 73, Leo