[BARC-List] FD: the PR confusion, etc.

[KA1MOM@aol.com]

A few discoveries / hindsight on PR at Field Day
1.  Simply making sure the various branches of the Brookline Public library 
had fliers
    seems to have worked well to get us noticed.

2.  I have heard from some of my neighbors who were going to drop by about 
the 
    time we set up that they couldn't find us.  On closer inquiry, they were 
in the 
    vicinity just before noon and saw no banners up identifying us.  This may 
have
    contributed to the missing WCVB crew, which looked for us from 11:30 to 
12:00.
    On Sunday, the TAB reporter showed up at 1:45 and only found us because 
he 
    recognized KA1TUZ's license plate as being a ham plate.  SUGGESTION: we
    need to have banners up half an hour before the deignated press tour time 
(they 
    were told to come by Saturday between 11:00 and 1:00) and keep them up 
until 
    the stations have been shut down and dismantled.

3.  The secret to getting the WBZ coverage, the TAB coverage, and the 
attempted
    TV coverage: give them the kind of grabber they want.  Instead of the 
"Ham 
    Radio in Action" headline on the fliers, I pushed the connection between 
hams 
    and the 9/11 attacks and other disasters.

4.  Fiedl Day is one of the best PR opportunities we have.  My thanks 
especially to
    Tom. KB1EVZ, for his willingness to share the wonders of PSK-31 with any 
    visitor who would listen.

5.  Eccentricity helps.  I heard several visitors who were quite impressed by 
the 
    homebrew 10GHz setup and the beradboard antenna tuner.  Both proved that 
not 
    all hams are appliance operators.

6.  ON THE LOST TV CREW:  From what the news assignment manager at WCVB
    said, the museum people at the bottom of teh hill were clueless as to our 
    existence, actually saying they knew of nothing going on up the hill.  
Our 
    decision to not put out guide signs this year to protect the new grass by 
cutting
    the crowd size (an excellent move to keep us at the site in the future) 
was
    siezed upon by the Minions of Murphy as the probable biggest guarantee 
that
    the media would pass us by; next year, they should go up before anything 
else.

7.  The future: I've delivered  an apology & a package of ham radio 
background 
    material to WCVB, and notes of thanks & background material to the TAB 
    reporter & WBZ.  With any luck, they'll remember that next year.

As to some of the comments already made:
N1IST:
<< What idiot decided that there are so many different sizes of those little 
coaxial DC power connectors? >>
Whoever it is, I finally gave up & rigged adapters using the ARES-standard 
Molex connectors.  Next year I'll bring the whole set.

KE1L:
<< The downside was the insects. I got bitten a LOT. I'll be itching for 
days. >>
I am with you on this.  If I had made a better cheklist, I would have 
remembered to brong the bug repellent lanterns I've been using to clear my 
back yard.

N1VUX:
<< Anyone else with photos put links up or put 'em up or something? >>
I should be getting my pictures back today or tomorrow.  The first thing I 
plan to do is to make a copy of the CD-ROM and give it to N1IST.  I suspect 
they will be on the club website shortly thereafter.

REQUEST FOR COMMENT:
Ed Hennessy has suggested I should be a Public Information Officer, 
presumably dealing with PR for ham radio in general as well as BARC in 
particular.  Looking at the work involved, it seems a bit daunting, but not 
impossible.  Is there anyone out there who thinks that either Ed or I are 
showing signs if approaching lunacy on this?
If not, I'm leaning towards accepting teh appointment.

-= Bill McIninch, Jr. KA1MOM =-