ARRL Club News for August 2007

Mentoring Activity Is Active Mentoring 

Amateur Radio has always been an activity of exploration and
discovery as well as personal growth and social interaction.  The
people who often receive the most satisfaction from Amateur Radio are
those who have spent time developing skills.  They have made a
commitment to increase their knowledge of the subject and who have
become a part of the fabric of the amateur community.  Obtaining a
license and purchasing a radio does not make you a radio amateur any
more than purchasing a tennis racket makes you a tennis player.  If I
may carry this analogy a step further, mentoring in ham radio is like
coaching in sports; it is ineffective unless there is an effort from
the participant.

"Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk
it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment." --
Stephen Covey 

Too often time and energy is wasted by well-meaning amateurs who want
to help people discover Amateur Radio.  Fueled by their good
intentions, these disciples of Amateur Radio try to spoon-feed
information to apathetic newcomers who somehow meandered through the
door to ham radio or have found themselves handcuffed to ham radio
either through school, career or family involvement.  License mills
that systematically churn out call signs and don't offer any follow
up training are not the least bit beneficial to the Amateur Radio
Service.  One new ham who gets involved in a local club and is active
on the air will have far more impact on Amateur Radio than a hundred
call signs who may never even purchase a radio let alone get on the
air.  Unfortunately the dormant call signs will clutter the census of
Amateur Radio for up to ten years, misleading the actual number of
active hams. New hams should already have that wide-eyed zeal of any
person who has willingly embarked on a new hobby or venture.  The
enthusiasm of new hams is often contagious and this can have a
positive effect on a club by invoking renewed excitement to the
group.

A recent example of this wide-eyed enthusiasm happened at our club's
Filed Day event when I met a newcomer to Amateur Radio who had only
been licensed about six weeks at the time.  I could instantly see in
the eager but curious way that he immersed himself in the weekend's
activities that this person had the potential to be an asset to our
club and to Amateur Radio.  Soon after Field Day, the novice operator
had a General class license manual in his hand but, more importantly,
he was in my shack experiencing DX, SSB, digital and CW operating. 
Soon after that, I had him in the chair participating in the IARU
contest.  Immediately after his inoculation of on-the-air operation,
my new protégé was planning his first wire antenna and the layout of
his shack.  He even designed a QSL card to confirm future contacts
with other radio amateurs. By the time this newsletter is released I
am certain that he will probably have upgraded to General and started
logging contacts from his own station.

Amateur Radio has a wide variety of things to offer but the fact
remains that in this post 911 and post-Katrina world, many people
have been attracted to Amateur Radio through the emergency
communications feature of the service.  It is wonderful that these
new people are using the EmComm portal to come into the exciting
world of Amateur Radio however, if the intention is to get an entry
level license, buy a hand-held radio and keep it in a box only to be
used for emergencies.  All of the spoon feeding in the world is not
going to enable these people to become good operators and effective
communicators.  

Active radio operators are effective communicators and are essential
to "maintaining a reservoir of trained communicators," as stated in
FCC Part 97 as the basis and purpose of the Amateur Radio Service. 
Not only do active hams make good communicators, active hams "enhance
international goodwill" which is also part of the FCC's basis and
purpose of the service. 

Effective mentoring in ham radio requires coaching, teaching and
above all, encouragement.  The mentor who is a cheerleader and
promotes activity on and off the air gives new hams a purpose and
lets them learn by doing.  Activity introduces new hams to other
operators and offers opportunities for new friendships and resources
that can help develop communication skills.

Contests and awards are not just for collecting certificates and
other wallpaper.  Operating events are fun and they can be used as
mentoring tools to encourage new operators to set goals and get
involved.  More time spent on-the-air with other hams not only
increases an operator's ability to be able to pass information, but
it cultivates good listening skills, creates a familiarity and
comfort level in using the equipment, and it helps to understand
complex topics like propagation. 

Proficiency comes by doing, and as one becomes more proficient at
something, the more enjoyment there is to be derived from it.  People
who enjoy what they are doing are more likely to share their
avocation with others who show an interest.  Mentors who promote
activity kick start the machine that generates momentum in a club. 
Active hams are enthusiastic hams, and enthusiastic hams create
commotion that others want to be a part of.  As the passion for ham
radio activity grows, soon the students become the teachers who
mentor a new group of excited wide-eyed novices.  

Radio amateurs have many opportunities to be recognized for their
operating achievements and mentors ought to be using these programs
as training aids.  ARRL sponsors or supports many events and awards
programs that are designed to get hams on the air.  In fact, the very
first tab on the ARRL Web page < www.arrl.org > is "Operating
Activities."  Along with contests and awards, there are many special
event operating activities.  On any given weekend there are operating
events that hams can participate in.  Besides the structured events
and activities mentioned we can always sit down with a new ham and
call CQ.  Effective mentoring comes not from spoon feeding, but by
setting a buffet table full of activity and inviting new hams to join
in the feast.

 
Resources:
Checklist for a quality mentor program:
http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/mentor/check-list.html

Special Event listings:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/spev.html

ARRL Contest Calendar:
http://www.arrl.org/contests/calendar.html

Contest Corral (Non ARRL Contests):
http://www.arrl.org/contests/months/jul.html

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"I Can't Afford to Join the ARRL."
By Sherri Brower, W4STB

Most of us manage to afford things that last a lot less time than a
year's membership to an important organization.  Basic membership in
the ARRL is $39.00 per year.  It's about twice the amount of one
year's dues for a local radio club.  It's about average for other
national organizations.  It's less than one cup of coffee per week
for a year, less than a month of cable television service, and less
than most monthly cell phone bills. 

It's not the "afford" that we should be concerned about.  Rather it's
the value for that $39.00.

What do you get for the dues?  You get a full year's membership, a
monthly magazine,  e-mail newsletters delivered straight to your
inbox, a package of services that you can personally use, a cadre of
volunteers in your local area to assist you with a variety of amateur
radio matters and activities, a voice in Congress, specialists at
Headquarters, and much more.

When you pay the yearly dues you can often choose a gift of a
publication or you can pay through your local club.  Did know that
the local affiliated club can retain a portion of the dues to use in
your local area?  The club can keep $15.00 for a new member and $2.00
for each renewal application.

The ARRL is an association of amateur radio enthusiasts joined
together by a common interest and a voice -- a voice that protects
our frequencies and provides the insurance for us to remain active on
the radio.  Other organizations-- labor, farmers, merchants,
hobbyists, companies -- join together to increase their
effectiveness.  Why not hams?

ARRL -- a great value.  Join TODAY.

(This is the first in a series of articles featuring ARRL benefits. 
The ARRL Public Relations Committee will be providing these articles
in this club newsletter for your use in your club newsletters. Sherri
Brower - W4STB, Southern Florida Section Manager and Chairman, ARRL
Public Relations Committee)

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ARRL Affiliation Milestones for August 2007

	75 Years	
*W7	 	 
WWA   	Clark County ARC	W7AIA

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