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Spring 2003 Issue |
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Live Demos Sell Ham Radio Thinking of putting on a one-day ham radio info-intro session? WB6NOA tells you about some easy tricks. By Gordon West,* WB6NOA
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Each year the Long Island (New York) Mobile Amateur Radio Club (LIMARC) presents a wonderful one-day opportunity to get “hooked” on ham radio. It is called Ham Radio University, and it is a one-day event of presentations and exhibits that is scheduled and advertised well in advance.
A one-day introduction to ham radio presents
an excellent idea on how we all can encourage more newcomers to get
involved with our hobby and ultimately become licensed. I was fortunate to
take part in the LIMARC HRU this past January, and it certainly was a
success. Many non-hams who attended signed up for LIMARC’s upcoming ham
licensing and code classes, and several inactive hams were seen purchasing
new equipment from KJI Electronics, a New Jersey company in attendance, so
they could start operating on some new modes.
It is also a great way to “reactivate” local
ham operators who want to get back on the air after several years of
inactivity. A one-day ham orientation event is also a great club project
to bring in radio “specialists” who can’t wait to show off their latest
gizmo or mode of operation. As anyone who conducts classes knows, an overhead projector is good. A computerized Power-Point program is better, but the absolute best “hook” to bring in new hams is live demonstrations. Live demos are actually a requirement! If you are just a “talking head,” or simply a Power-Point presenter, or doodle your demos on an overhead transparency, you will lose your best shot at a razzle-dazzle introduction to the exciting world of ham radio. Your attendees will nod off in a second, or they will be seen slipping out the back of the room, never to return. When I present my weekend ham class seminars throughout the country, I travel with two big suitcases, each filled with 60 pounds of ham radio demo “stuff.” I wouldn’t think of presenting a class without all this show and tell. I wouldn’t think of any successful introduction to ham radio program without plenty of operating equipment, showing the sounds of many different bands and the activity using many different modes. If you’re going to hold the attention of your audience, you must present a show that they might never forget! Just ask Gallagher, who takes his watermelon on stage and smashes it with a sledge hammer. Who would think that this is the most popular part of his show? It is! You must be a showman to instill enthusiasm about all the different ham radio topics they will need to know to be a good ham and pass the licensing test.
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of Live Demos Sell Ham Radio _________________ © Copyright 2003, CQ Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or republished, including posting to a website, in part or in whole, by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher, CQ Communications, Inc. Hyperlinks to this page are permitted.
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