Skip
As stated in an earlier e-mail to this forum. You need to get your local
club involved. If need be run for office and use the pulpit to broadcast
the Weak signal message.
Ideas follow:
Sponsor a picnic. The local club here in Orlando Florida has a bimonthly
event called "Saturday in the Park". This event allows newcomers to gain
"Hands on" experience with different modes - ie weak signal
VHF/UHF. Usually for the June contest I offer to have it at my QTH
beginning on noon Saturday. this give everyone a chance to eat and ask
questions before the contest starts. (I even pick up a few "Q"s as people
leave for home on 50, 144 and 432 SSB with all those IC 706s and FT 100s
out there mobile.
One of the club members, KU4WD, has taken the hook so deep that he has
placed 1st in the Single Op-Low Power Cat here in the NFL section more
than once. (it makes the Elmer feel great).
Use the clubs newsletter to introduce the concept of VHF operations to
those members having those new DC-Daylight radios. Convince them to get
something up that is horizontally polarized. They wonder why they never
hear anything on 2M+ SSB with their vertical (-20 Db or so). If you
become President run a monthly "Prez Sez" column and preach the "Weak
signal" message.
Never pass up the chance to give a program to the ham community on Weak
Signal operation. I did on last year at the Annual QCWA convention (great
attendance and interest at the forum). Ask for forum space at local
Hamfests. Does your local club offer entry-level classes for new
hams? Ask to offer a 15-60 minute presentation on Weak Signal. Does your
local club offer a program at its meetings? Stand up and preach to the
crowd, answer questions, offer tours of your station to local teachers with
radio clubs and other interested parties - a lot of new (and old) hams
don't know vhf and above goes beyond line of sight.
Its hard to stop preaching once you start. Try it - you'll like it (also
the increased interest raises ones Contest scores).
VRY 73
Bob Cumming
W2BZY
President - Orlando Amateur Radio Club
QRV 160M-13Cm
from EL98hr
At 08:07 PM 4/11/2003 -0400, KG4QDZ wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>
> >Any advise, hints and ideas for the article will be appreciated.
>
>-----------------------------
>
>Every time I think I won't write again on the topic, I go and do it! ;) As
>everyone knows by now. I'm fairly new. When I first heard of 'weak signal'
>work I was being told by all the new FM friends I found that if I wanted to
>go outside the repeater I'd need an HF rig and better license. In fact,
>that's how most of the clubs around here see it. A little over a year ago, I
>found out what else existed in VHF thanks to a phone call and meeting with 2
>great guys from the SE VHF Society - Bob and Jim. As they'll tell you, my
>entry into this wasn't normal, but I must have been a salmon in a previous
>life - I keep trying to swim upstream it seems ;)
>
>I've been a little slow to get excited about contesting (I'm at "interested"
>right now). However, my XYL was listening to the Jan contest on 6m as I
>called back to a few folks and her eyes lit up. You know, that kind of real
>interest and excitement. She had talked about getting her license for a over
>a year, but no study yet. Then, less than 2 months after the contest, she
>got it! I can't swear it's total cause and effect, but I'd say she's got
>more interest in contesting than you'd find in most FM places. She also saw
>me put together last year's program for the SE VHF Society conference, so
>she knows a bit about weak signal too. However, she's also the one that
>didn't think I should submit my measly score in Jan. SO, let me try to use
>our perspectives as newcomers to see what we went through...
>
>Unless you already know other hams well, you get your first license and go
>get an FM rig and/or an HT. You get to talk to lots of interesting people,
>although local, and you hear that IRLP and other internet ways let you talk
>around the world. The clubs tell you you'll have to upgrade your license for
>'real' DX. When I promote the SVHFS conf at club meetings I get VERY LITTLE
>interest. A few tell me they might get into it someday, others believe that
>it's too much work...
>
>SSB and weak signal work are TOUGH! I've almost given up several times
>listening to static. The close encouragement I've gotten has kept me in.
>Knowing the technical side, I also know what is possible. Not so with many
>who hear the faint sounds in the static and think I've wasted my money when
>I could have clear FM.... ;) or HF. If you have the $ for MegaWatts and
>antennas bigger than the house, maybe you can have a good VHF or UHF
>station.... (I don't believe that..... maybe....almost.... ;)
>
>My conclusions so far:
>
>- It's a CONTEST! Not a jog in the park, and not a golf game.... If you're
>in ham radio, you can chat anytime - you don't have your station just so you
>can turn it on one or two days a year. This is the time you do your best and
>COMPETE! Competitors want a chance at recognition.... That can include
>published standings, awards, etc. If you're not competing, sending in logs
>isn't important... It also means having some class for newbies, or there
>won't be any... It's not guaranteed awards that bring out competitors, it's
>HOPE! Look at the classes and past scores and see how long it will be before
>a newbie even has hope... Even runners in a road race get a T-shirt (no
>nasty comments - I'm not advocating a 'something for everyone' approach,
>just hope for something...).
>
>- An FM only contest or class probably won't create long-time contesters,
>but it will get people exposed. However, there needs to be a growth path to
>get those that get some recognition on FM, and like it, to take it further.
>Otherwise, they will just stay there or leave...
>
>- Education is important. The local (FM) clubs don't know much about this,
>but think they do and it isn't fun. Many have HF too. I see a LOT more
>interest in IRLP and satellite than WS VHF. As it is, I don't feel qualified
>to do a club presentation about it and make it sound really cool... Can we
>collectively put a presentation together for everyone to use?
>
>- Non-contest activity is important!! Hold nets, listen, call, and whatnot
>all the time (you like this stuff, right?). I can get on dozens of nets on
>all sorts of topics on VHF FM any time, have a call returned on any
>repeater, and on HF you can find folks all the time, but I've spent a lot of
>time calling with only occassional replies on VHF. Because of limited range
>and no atmospheric enhancement, it's more important for everyone to 'talk
>more'. That way, it's also easier to generate interest in the bands between
>contests. Why enter a contest if no one is there? *See megawatt perception
>above*
>
>- My interest in this has gotten me a higher power amp and working 2m FM
>simplex more. Breaking the repeater habit... It helps keep the "real radio"
>enthusiasm between dead spots.
>
>- Loaning antennas is a nice gesture, but I don't think it will be a big
>impact, especially without the above. So they borrow the equipment, then
>without the patience, they confirm the bands are dead.... Better to invite
>them over to share the shack. Or, how about antenna building projects? It
>happens in other areas, and VHF/UHF ones are so easy - like the Cheap Yagis!
>Do it at a decent VHFer's shack and spend some time on the air too.... Then
>they'll have a workable antenna and be psyched...
>
>I think it would help to take a newbie-FMer's point of view on this, if it's
>new blood that's needed. I'll recap:
>
>* It's a CONTEST. You can ragchew anytime... Why get involved in the cost
>and effort to do what can be done more easily on HF, or IRLP, or Sat.?
>
>* Be on the air. WS VHF isn't just for contests, and newbies won't buy into
>it just for contests they won't ever place in ;)
>
>* Take advantage of some easy ways to get newbies interested - help them
>build an antenna instead of loaning one and show them how to operate. Now
>they're in it with their HF+6+2 rig...
>
>* Think like a newbie first
>
>* Let's have a 'message', like all the other facets do. And not everyone
>wants to smell solder flux <G> so it has to have broad appeal.
>
>* Give the FMers a path one step at a time (maybe FM simplex operations,
>Vertical SSB operation to make use of existing newbie antennas, etc)
>
>* Be on the air - after they get all excited, build an antenna, attend the
>party, see it done, and go home all fired up, who they gonna talk to on the
>air??
>
>I hope I didn't offend anyone, and many thanks to the guys that help(ed)
>me - but it's not over for me yet either (I still need help). I thought
>there might be some benefit in going back and retracing some of our steps,
>thinking about the reactions I've gotten from newbies on the repeaters, and
>what hit and what didn't, and sharing that.
>
>73, Skip
>
>-----
>Dr. Skip Coppola, KG4QDZ
>EM73ru
>6m, 2m, 70cm: SSB, FM, & Digital modes
>NWS Advanced Spotter
>
>
>
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