This month the ARRL launches the most ambitious public relations campaign on behalf of Amateur Radio that has been undertaken in many years.

The concept is simple yet profound. The friendliest word in the English language is "Hello." Voice over IP is all the rage these days, but this year everyone -- radio amateurs most of all -- should celebrate the fact that people have been saying "hello" to one another by radio for 100 years.

Radio (or wireless) is both old and new at the same time. It was heralded as a modern miracle at the dawn of the twentieth century and is still being applied in new and miraculous ways, with no end in sight.

Amateur Radio, too, is both old and new. We honor and maintain our traditions even as we explore and embrace new radiocommunication technologies. We lovingly restore vintage equipment one day and marvel at the features of the latest transceiver the next.

But Amateur Radio is about more than just equipment. It's about people. It's about working together to benefit our communities during public service events so we will know how to work together when a natural disaster strikes. It's about meeting people from outside our normal circle of acquaintances, whether across town or across the ocean. It's about discovering we share common interests with someone we may never see in person, but whom we soon will be saying is our friend.

And it all begins with one word: "Hello."

One of the six tenets of "The Amateur's Code," originally written in 1928 by Paul M. Segal, W9EEA, is: "The Radio Amateur is Friendly...slow and patient operating when requested; friendly advice and counsel to the beginner; kindly assistance, cooperation and consideration for the interests of others. These are the hallmarks of the amateur spirit." Few of us whose lives have been enriched by Amateur Radio would be so blessed had we not encountered, early on, at least one personification of Segal's words. Today we call them "Elmers," although they have many names and are female as well as male. It is in this spirit that the "Hello" campaign extends an invitation to the public to join us in experiencing the magic of Amateur Radio.

The "Hello" campaign is the brainchild of ARRL Media and Public Relations Manager Allen Pitts, W1AGP, with considerable assistance from the volunteers on the ARRL Public Relations Committee. It was incorporated in the 2006 budget plan that was adopted by the Board of Directors at its January meeting. As the article beginning on page 49 explains, it is a coordinated campaign involving print, audio and video media. By keying it to a centennial with universal appeal, we hope to merit the attention of the mainstream media. Anyone who wants to learn more will be guided to a dedicated Web site, www.Hello-Radio.org, where they will see and hear about the attractions of Amateur Radio without having to visit the complex and somewhat daunting ARRL Web site.

But that is just for starters. To be successful the "Hello" campaign must be embraced by local radio clubs and other organizations as well as by individuals -- in other words, you. We can say that radio amateurs are friendly and welcoming, but people will decide for themselves based on their own experience.

The best place to start is with the people closest to you. Most of us were introduced to Amateur Radio by friends and family, or by someone once removed -- the friend of a friend. Oh, we might have read a book or seen an article or some television coverage about Amateur Radio, but it took the personal touch to turn that glimmer of interest into a passion. It took someone's helping hand to guide us through the maze of unfamiliar terms, baffling regulations and arcane procedures. Now it's our turn.

Opposite page 48 you will find a special four-page pullout section. Use it to frame your own personal invitation to a family member or friend. If you need more copies, e-mail to hello@arrl.org or drop a note to Allen Pitts, W1AGP, Media and Public Relations Manager, here at ARRL Headquarters.

Volunteer to help your local radio club organize an open house with a "100 Years of Voice Over Radio" theme. Let club members demonstrate their own particular passions, whether they be vintage radio, QRP, mobile, DXing, microwave, emergency preparedness, or some of the many ways to combine computers and radios. Remind your club members to take the initiative to introduce themselves to visitors, and to avoid jargon as much as possible. Plan the event far enough in advance that you can extend invitations to the public via local radio stations, newspapers, bulletin boards and the cable television community access channel. Collect contact information from anyone who expresses an interest in attending a licensing class, and follow up with a phone call after the event.

Many "Elmers" say that sharing their experience with newcomers is the most rewarding part of Amateur Radio. If you haven't felt the glow when the spark of your own passion comes alive in someone else, make 2006 -- the 100^th anniversary of Voice Over Radio -- the year it happens to you.