[SMCARA] Re-focus

[Chris Ordiway]

Hi Tom,

Yes, you were clear and I understood. I just didn't agree. Experiments are
good, we are amateur radio operators after all! :)

Chris - KC3DIG

On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 12:29 PM, Tom Shelton, ND3N <
gl1800winger at verizon.net> wrote:

> Hi Chris,  in case I didn't make it clear, the class fee would include the
> book and the testing fee, which I estimate to be around $40.  The FD fee
> was for the non operators to cover some of the expenses that the club pays
> for, like sodas, burgers,  and snacks.
>
> Like I mentioned before, this was a thought experiment.  I'm not hard set
> on anything, except for emphasizing ham radio and encouraging it's growth.
> I'm open to any suggestion in that regard.
>
>
>
> Tom Shelton, ND3N
> 240-434-3811
>
> If it ain't broke,  let's fix it until it is...
>
>
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Chris Ordiway <kc3dig at gmail.com>
> Date:03/23/2015 12:12 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: Tom Shelton <gl1800winger at verizon.net>
> Cc: "<SMCARA at mailman.qth.net>" <smcara at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [SMCARA] Re-focus
>
> Tom,
>
> I agree with your thought on people seeing value in something that they've
> paid for. The non-profit I worked for put on educational activities open to
> the public sometimes and we had a hard time getting people to attend, even
> if they'd made reservations. When we charged a nominal fee attendance was
> much better, they perceived a value in something that cost them a few
> bucks. My argument would be in the time you suggest. People who sign up for
> a class are already investing money in the book and exam fee as well as a
> lot of their time. I'm all for boosting the club coffers but I don't think
> that that's the time to do it. Ask any drug dealer how to get repeat
> customers... hook them for free and then reel them in afterwards. It's a
> little crass but it's a sound business model. Consider especially that
> future Techs have been browsing HRO, MFJ, eBay, etc. investigating the
> costs associated with this new hobby, the sticker shock of it all is still
> fresh in my mind. A donation bucket on the table in the classroom would
> probably net the club as much as your idea, and without stirring up the
> skinflints like me.
>
> I also don't agree with charging for Field Day. (You said it should be
> free but I thought I'd throw my thought out there anyhow.) While it irks
> you that radios go unused and people choose to socialize face-to-face
> instead it probably really bugs the rag-chewers that FD'ers are crowding
> the air with lightning fast contest style contacts. You can't please
> everyone all of the time. I don't see any benefit to charging FD
> participants, it's not like we are offering a high-end station that they
> can use to bag contacts for their own call sign. Besides, a lot of us are
> capable of running off-grid right at home and could skip the club event
> entirely. Some come to be on the radio, some come to socialize. To each
> their own. I don't think charging to participate will change that or
> increase participation.
>
> I like the idea of treating the volunteers who help in events some sort of
> reward (pizza party, cake, etc.) but will leave that idea to the finance
> folks to sort out. If we have more going out then we have coming in then
> it's not sustainable and would probably be the first thing cut from the
> expense list anyhow.
>
> One of the things that I like most about this hobby is that it's full of
> options and each operator can choose how they want to be a part of the
> community. You can go big and buy it all or go cheap and put the boat
> motors back into service, work phone or CW or digital, log or not log,
> chase paper for the shack wall or not, share your thoughts with the world
> in a blog or be a hermit and keep your accomplishments to yourself.
> Everyone is free to choose, which is why I think the required costs to get
> into the hobby (as associated with the club) should be nothing more than
> the bare essentials. There are plenty of ways to make money for the club
> with some creative, out-of-the-box thinking, it shouldn't cost extra to
> step on the Welcome mat.
>
> Chris Ordiway - KC3DIG
>
>
> On Sun, Mar 22, 2015 at 7:08 AM, Tom Shelton <gl1800winger at verizon.net>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi Chris
>>
>> Well thought out and well written.  Worth much more than 2 cents...
>>
>> Many years ago, I was involved with a military community theatre that was
>> supported by morale and welfare funds.  We didn't charge anything for
>> tickets to our shows, and it was difficult to fill the seats.  There were
>> times when we played to only a few people.  We started charging a small
>> fee
>> for tickets (I think it was $2).  Once we started doing that, we were
>> playing to sold-out houses.  A little off-topic, but it supports my
>> statement that people appreciate things that have a cost.
>>
>> The things I suggested were the result of a thought experiment - trying to
>> go "outside the box," if you will.  I agree that FD should remain free,
>> but
>> it irks me when I see radios going unused and a bunch of people just
>> hanging
>> out.  As far as charging for classes - The book costs $25-ish and the test
>> fee is $14-ish.  That is $39, leaving $11.  Splitting this 50/50 between
>> classroom support and club activities, that's $5.50 to each.  Assuming 20
>> students, that a $110 to classroom support and to the club for club
>> activities.  Not terribly excessive, I think...
>>
>> I do think we need to encourage getting on the air.  Whether in community
>> service, rag-chewing, contesting, ARES/RACES/Skywarn, or anything else -
>> so
>> things like a pizza party for volunteers or mode/radio presentations would
>> be appropriate.  We are an ARRL affiliated club, so encouraging membership
>> is a no-brainer.
>>
>>
>> And I didn't list a third option that I'd much rather see - that is, I'd
>> really love to see a big membership with almost everyone active.  All that
>> said, at this time these are only ideas that came from a
>> thought-experiment.
>> Nothing is carved in stone and, to cite an old adage, you can lead a horse
>> to water, but...
>>
>> Given your experience, I'd strongly encourage you to run for a position,
>> or
>> at least to head-up an activity or two.
>>
>> Tom Shelton, ND3N
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: SMCARA [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Chris
>> Ordiway
>> Sent: Sunday, March 22, 2015 12:37 AM
>> To: <SMCARA at mailman.qth.net>
>> Subject: Re: [SMCARA] Re-focus
>>
>> Tom (et alii),
>>
>> As one of those reasonably new guys to the club I wanted to toss my 2
>> cents
>> into the ring.
>>
>> I spent about 10 years working for an environmental non-profit with a
>> struggling membership and lackluster volunteer involvement and just
>> recently
>> retired from the Southern Maryland Audubon Society where I spent many
>> years
>> as a volunteer on their Board of Directors. My experience in both
>> organizations was that there will always be a core of dedicated folks who
>> keep things alive and the rest come and go. My observation of SMCARA since
>> last summer has been very similar to SMAS and my work with the non-profit;
>> and a core of dedicated people can only do so much. If I based a guess on
>> meeting attendance and repeater use alone I'd have guessed we only have 30
>> or 40 members. It's primarily the same voices and faces on the air and at
>> the events. Most people don't want to be involved in club activities and
>> operations and there's nothing we can do about it. I say this because I
>> strongly caution against the idea that a smaller active membership is
>> better
>> than a bigger one that isn't active the way the dedicated core is. If 80%
>> of
>> the membership is happy to pay their dues, occasionally pop into a meeting
>> and otherwise remain inactive (as far as we
>> know) in this hobby then who are we to expect/require/demand more of them?
>> We have to take the wide angle approach and invite everyone to the party,
>> those that want to be involved will turn up. Usually just about the time
>> someone else is finally burned out and needs a break. And is ready to
>> retire
>> from the Board of Directors.
>>
>> The idea that people will be more involved if we make them "earn" it just
>> doesn't work either, they aren't involved for a hundred reasons that have
>> nothing to do with ham radio. I've heard that comment, along with the
>> no-code and appliance operator cracks, over and over online and it still
>> raises my hackles. At 40+ years old I had to work to earn my Tech and
>> General tickets and will have to work three times as hard to even hope to
>> get my Extra. I also did exactly what the FCC required of me. So the idea
>> that the club should add some hurdles to make sure new members pay their
>> pound of flesh really bugs me. Frankly, if the club was charging $50 for a
>> test last summer I wouldn't be a ham now. Correction. I'd be a ham but I
>> would have taken my class and/or test with some other club. Which would
>> be a
>> shame because I think it's a great club and I'm glad to be a member. I'm
>> also grateful for the free membership, it's a nice gesture of welcome that
>> goes a long way to foster a new friendship. Someone who isn't going to
>> renew
>> the free year to a paid membership probably wouldn't have paid for a
>> membership in the first place. And if the ARRL membership was a forced
>> requirement, well...
>>
>> I've only experienced one Field Day so far but I can say, without a doubt,
>> that it was the encouragement I needed to finally jump into amateur radio.
>> It was fun, it was free, everyone was nice, they put me to work entering
>> data and offered to let me get on the air. I stuck around until midnight
>> and
>> decided to sign up for the summer classes based on my experience that
>> day. I
>> think it's a reasonable guess that if we polled a random group of non-hams
>> that many think this is a hobby for old white guys with disposable income
>> who sit and talk about the weather on their expensive radios. We all know
>> that both the demographic and the purpose of amateur radio is so much more
>> than that but it wouldn't take much in the way of pay-to-play requirements
>> to make us look like stuffy elitists. And that's no way to encourage the
>> curious to check us out.
>>
>> I absolutely agree that it would be great to get the new hams active and
>> on
>> the air, if that's their goal, and that we should do more activities that
>> catch the attention of the community. I really appreciated the CW class
>> you
>> did last year and would like to see more activities like it. I also think
>> we
>> should have an Education/Outreach person or committee so we can get more
>> face time with kids who are being encouraged (bombarded?) to get into STEM
>> related fields. I know Dan does this to some degree but I don't know
>> whether
>> it's a club thing or just because he loves to talk about technology and
>> electronics. I think the club is already great but can see the potential
>> for
>> growth and I'm happy to share some ideas and thoughts I have with whoever
>> the President is.
>>
>> Chris Ordiway - KC3DIG
>>
>> PS: I'm sorry if I offended any of the old white guys with disposable
>> income, I hope to be one too someday! LOL
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Mar 21, 2015 at 10:36 AM, Tom Shelton <gl1800winger at verizon.net>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > During the discussion on by-laws, I mentioned that I would step-up for
>> > the position of president, but that I would just be a figure-head.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Anyone who knows me knows that that comment was hyperbole and that I
>> > just can't help myself from being involved.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Dan and I continued the discussion off the reflector, and here are a
>> > few excerpts - In short, my hats in the ring.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > As President, I would focus on getting our new hams active and on the
>> air.
>> > Meetings would feature different modes and how they're used, different
>> > entry level equipment available - with demonstrations and hand's on
>> > play time - different antennas from home-brew to commercially
>> > available with pros and con - how to set-up your home or mobile
>> > station.  I'd like to see more community support and would ask the
>> > club to sponsor a pizza party (or other social get-together) for
>> > volunteers - and their families - after each community support event.
>> > I'd also pump up the Elmer program in the club.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I also have a few ideas on why the new people aren't active:
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Because the FCC made it much easier to get a license, people don't
>> > have to earn it (at least without as much effort as before) and if you
>> > give something to someone then they don't appreciate it as much.  Step
>> > 1.  Stop giving free membership to people who take the class and pass
>> > the test (same for radios, but as I understand it, that's gone away).
>> > Step 2.  Charge for the classes (I don't think that $50 is out of the
>> > question - include study book and test fees and split additional funds
>> > over the cost of the book/test between club activities and class room
>> > support).  On a side note - I really prefer the ARRL study guide over
>> > the W5YI guide.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Right now (IMHO) the new hams see the club as a social organization,
>> > so I would want to re-focus it towards being a General Ham Group.  For
>> > example - Field Day should focus more on operating than on dinner,
>> > testing, side meetings, etc.  The site I operated from last year cost
>> > me $60 to operate there - but I and one other guy made over 1,000
>> > contacts just on 75M phone (over 13,000 for the whole site, with over
>> 800
>> just on the GOTA station).
>> > Give people a choice - if they provide a radio or antenna or other
>> > equipment, or do set-up/tear-down, then they can operate and come to
>> > dinner
>> > - if they don't, then they'll be a cost associated ($10?).  No test
>> > session at FD - but certainly have a GOTA station going.  Just going
>> > to back to people appreciating things more if it costs them something.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Make ARRL membership mandatory.  Well -   at least strongly encourage
>> it.
>> > Maybe at every meeting have the ARRL members stand up to be recognized.
>> > Perhaps give a discount to the annual SMCARA dues for ARRL members ($5
>> > off???).  Have ARRL member only activities.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I'd rather have a lower number of members who are active than a huge
>> > number who are there for the parties, but inactive otherwise.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > I know some (or all) of these will be unpopular with some (or most)
>> > people
>> > -
>> > but let's open a dialogue and discuss it.  Share your thoughts, step
>> > up and volunteer for a position or to sponsor an activity.
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > Tom Shelton, ND3N
>> >
>> > Ham Radio, Motorcycling, and a Loving Wife who lets me play with both
>> >
>> > What more could a man need
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > ______________________________________________________________
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>> >
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