[FPARC] Fwd: Field Day

Mon, 09 Jun 2003 14:46:38 +0000

>
>
>Hi everyone,
>
>          Each June many of us participate in the event known as Field
>Day.  We spend what is usually the fourth full rainy weekend in June
>with local club members and enjoy friendship, good food, mosquitos,
>sunburn, and visits from Murphy.  Since the event has contest rules,
>complete with bonus points, we often go to the information package
>prepared by ARRL headquarters, fill in the blanks on the press release
>and mail or fax it to the local newspaper in order to claim the 100
>bonus points.  Some groups reword or write their own release.  And about
>51 weeks later we do it all again.  But, we need to rethink things.
>
>           Field Day is not enough.  We need to promote Ham Radio
>throughout the year.
>
>           One of the  items mentioned at the PR Committee meeting in
>Dayton last month was "Every ham is a PIO."  There are  ARRL PIOs in
>every county of our section.  Most clubs and ARES groups have a PIO or
>PAO or Publicity Chair.  Many of these PIOs are not PR professionals,
>but they have taken on a job no one else in the club wanted and they
>have made the effort to learn how to be more effective spokespersons for
>their club and Amateur Radio in general. For that, we are all thankful.
>Amateur Radio needs you to help these PIOs and to help Amateur Radio.
>
>         Step One:  Send me an e-mail ([email protected] for this survey 
> only) and
>tell me who the ARRL PIO is in your area and tell me the PIO/PAO/PC is
>for your local club and ARES group.  I want to know who is out there
>doing the PR work.  (If you're a PIO or PR chairperson stand up at the
>next meeting or small gathering of hams and tell folks what you do.
>They may not be aware of your job description.)
>         Step Two: Introduce yourself to these PIOs and inform them of your
>radio activities, other hobbies, and any other information they may find
>useful for their PR work.  If you would like to speak to a civic group
>about radio, tell the PIO.
>         Step Three: Contact you club's newsletter editor, repeat the
>information you provided in step 2, and ask if he/she received my PR
>article for the newsletter.  (I will send this article in the next few
>weeks.)  If the article wasn't received tell the editor to send an
>e-mail to: [email protected].  Why WA4AW?  Jeff Beals, WA4AW is our
>Affiliated Club Coordinator and he will be e-mailing my article to them
>and he needs to update his e-mail list of clubs.  Is your club not
>affiliated?  That's OK, send Jeff the e-mail and request the article and
>he'll send info on how your group can become an affiliated club.
>         Step Four:  Smile.  Read the article in the club newsletter.  Visit
>http://www.remote.arrl.org/pio/handbook/ to view the PIO handbook if you
>would like to be more active in PR for ham radio.  E-mail me or the
>local PIO with any ideas, large or small, that you have about promoting
>ham radio.
>
>         I think we all need to look for simple, easy ways to tell our
>story.  Here's one from an OM living near me:  "I eat a lot of fast food
>burgers and go through a lot of drive-thrus.  My truck usually has at
>least 4 antennas on it.  These young folks at the window comment about
>the antennas - I tell them it's ham radio, reach into my glove box and
>pull out an ARRL pamphlet and give it to them.  Sometimes they talk to
>me about ham radio the next time they see me in the drive-thru lane."
>
>         "Talk up Ham Radio."  Let's banish the question, "Is that CB?"... 
> or at
>least we can replace it with, "Is that CB or Ham radio?"
>
>
>I'll be mailing the monthly news summary soon.  I will also add a "PR
>Hints" area on the web at: http://www.arrl.org/sections/SFL.html.
>
>Don't forget the NTS message to me and/or the SEC for Field Day bonus
>points.  I will be operating from my home station during Field Day
>weekend and I can take your NTS messages directly.  I will also be
>checking into several NTS nets.  Also, If you hear my OM - David, W4DKB
>- on Field Day, pass the NTS message to him (He will even be operating
>CW and RTTY).
>
>73,
>Sherri Brower, W4STB
>SM Southern Florida
>ARRL PR Committee
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>ARRL Southern Florida Section
>Section Manager: Sharon T. Brower, W4STB
>[email protected]
>---------------------------------------------------


73, Bill N4XEO

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