[ARRL-OK] DIY video out

[Lloyd Colston]

The launch of the new “Do It Yourself”, or “DIY”, video and
accompanying PR campaign is a major initiative for ARRL.

In 2006, ARRL’s Public Relations Committee began three major recurring
themes aimed at the general public and inactive Hams.  There are: 1)
the “Hello” campaign which describes on air fellowship, DXing and
contesting, 2) “Emergency Radio” emphasizing emergency communications,
and 3) “We Do That Radio” concentrating on experimentation and design.
 All three have web pages on the main ARRL website and are designed to
be destination web pages through search engines.  Please take a look
at each after finishing this explanation posting (URLs below).

It’s no secret that the “Emergency Radio” website has been the theme
with the greatest emphasis and dedicated resources following Hurricane
Katrina and other disasters.  The time became ripe, however, to return
to a balance by focusing again on the other two themes.  Until today,
ARRL has not released a major, general purpose video since “Amateur
Radio Today” hosted by the late Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD.  The DIY
video is aimed at hobbyists, a segment which makes up a large portion
of Hams, and reinforces the “We Do That Radio” campaign.

Accompanying the video are printed materials and PowerPoint
presentations.  Please use them and encourage your fellow section
officials to use them too.  Experimentation, kit building and design
are a growth industry.  If you haven’t already, find a “Maker Faire”
event near you and plan to attend, or better yet, host an ARRL table
using DIY materials.  Maker Faires, a DIY movement, now holds dozens
of “faires” which are like hamfests across the country.  The people
who attend Maker Faires are prime candidates to become Hams, and these
faires draw thousands.  You can find one near you at
http://makerfaire.com   Also, with renewed interest among educators in
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), DIY is a
natural area to share with schools and colleges.

Please take advantage of the new DIY materials, and check out the
three websites mentioned above at:
http://www.arrl.org/helloradio-org
http://www.arrl.org/emergency-communications
http://www.arrl.org/wedothat-radio-org

If you have any questions, please contact me or ARRL’s Media & Public
Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP.  Thanks and Happy New Year.

73,
Bill Morine, N2COP
North Carolina Section Manager
ARRL Public Relations Committee Chairman