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IN THIS EDITION:
Field day Hx is available Here
Releases were made available in earlier editions of Contact! and are at:
Scott Shafer, KD5MLY, has produced some 30-second PSA MP3 files suitable for broadcast radio in your area to promote Field Day 2007. This year he created two "flavors," and already has them playing on some local AM stations.
As in past years, Scott has generously made available "generic" versions containing narration "gaps" (he calls it a "donut") so you can customize them for your own use.
You can hear and download any of the files from the HOTARC web site's Field Day page. Of course, you'll want the 2007 files.
This is about the least expensive PR you'll find. After editing one of the generic versions on your PC, for the cost of burning a CD and driving it over to your local radio station manager, you can promote amateur radio and your Club several times a day over your local AM stations--for no additional cost! Contact Scott KD5MLY for tips on how to make this really happen in your city!
Severe Weather Week! See the web to find out when it is held in your area http://www.weather.gov/os/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml
This is also the start of HURRICANE SEASON.
One is usually elected by a club or group.
One is appointed by the Section Manager.
Some people are BOTH – and that is the best way to go.
The reason to get the SM appointment is that, with what is (slowly) coming in the EmComm world, when we get credentialing issues settled for ARES events, the formal ARRL PIOs should be able to go to the emergency centers and interact with the JIS and media there. Having just a club appointment will not meet the criteria to get inside an EOC. Credentialing and access will soon be a lot more formal. So, check with your PIC and SM and see if you can get an official appointment out of your SM as a PIO and then check to see what YOU will need to be part of a JIS.
What’s a JIS? Joint Information Service. These are the PR and media people, working together out of an EOC, who will be putting out the stories about an event. Be sure you and Amateur Radio are not going to be left out.
June
1 Atlantic Hurricane Season Begins
9 ARRL June VHF QSO Party
10 ARRL June VHF QSO Party
16 Kid's Day
17 Amateur Radio Week Begins
23-24 ARRL Field DayJuly
14-15 IARU HF World Championship
21 CQ WW VHF Contest
21-22 North American QSO Party--RTTY
22 CQ WW VHF Contest
If you thought the “Hello” campaign was over, I have a quote from Mark Twain for you. Reports of its demise are a bit premature. The latest country to use the Hello theme is France. Guillaume Devonyon, F8ARR, is their Promotional Committee Manager and has adapted the brochure for use over there. You can see it at http://promotion.ref-union.org/interne/tracts/Bonjour/
Something happens and you have the opportunity to talk to a reporter about ham radio. You say some words, perhaps hand them a press release, and what will you get?
Usually only what you gave them – and that wasn’t much.
A big part of your job is to make it EASY for media to report about us. So here’s the best way to do that… have a press folder ready to go at all times.
Here at HQ, I have a couple different types of press folders all set up, on my shelf and ready to grab as needed. The other people in my office area also are fully informed they are here and for this use – and they use them!
So how do you make up some press folders?
Here’s what I have been doing:
You can use any decent “presentation folder” like you get at Staples. I like the ones with a clear plastic cover. Often I even use thin (1/2”), 3-ring binders. I then insert several papers for the media to use.
Sometimes, it helps to have an interesting tidbit of science which is not commonly known. It makes a good public service insert for the public and gains interest when news is slow. Steve Ford, WB8IMY, of the ARRL staff had an interesting email exchange…
“All fluorescent lamps that contain mercury and are a disposal problem, because mercury, as we now all know, is toxic….”
Well . . . yes and no.
The mercury you and I played with, the fascinating silvery liquid, is "elemental mercury" and is harmless unless you make the effort to vaporize and inhale it. CFLs contain elemental mercury in extremely small quantities.
Mercury becomes toxic in so-called "organic" forms such as mercuric chloride or methylmercury. In the 19th century methylmercury was used to clean felt hats. Over time it poisoned the nervous system and caused dementia. Hence the "Mad Hatter" of Alice in Wonderland fame.
Unfortunately, many people don't understand the difference between elemental and organic mercury. That's why you hear reports of "toxic spill emergencies" when someone drops a thermometer in a high school lab.
Several states have gotten formal proclamations from politicians. It’s not that hard to do and definitely helps PR efforts! Here’s another example of how to write and get a proclamation.
Culver Proclaims Amateur Radio Week June 17-23, 2007
Whereas, Amateur Radio operators are celebrating a century of the miracle of the human voice broadcast over the airwaves; and
Whereas, Amateur Radio has continued to provide a bridge between peoples, societies and countries by creating friendships and the sharing of ideas; and
Whereas, Amateur Radio operators have also provided countless hours of community service throughout these decades; and
Whereas, these Amateur Radio services are provided wholly uncompensated; and
Whereas, the State also recognizes the services Amateur Radio’s people also provide to our many emergency response organizations, including FEMA,DHS,and Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management; and
Whereas, these same individuals have further demonstrated their value in public assistance by providing free radio communications for localparades,bike-a-thons, walk-a-thons, fairs and other charitable public events; and
Whereas, the State of Iowa recognizes and appreciates the diligence of these "hams" who also serve as weather spotters in the SKYWARN program of the National Weather Service; and
Whereas, Amateur Radio once again proved its undisputed relevance in the modern world in 2005 by providing emergency communications when other systems failed in the devastation of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the USA and in the tsunami catastrophe overseas; and
Whereas, the American Radio Relay League is the leading organization for Amateur Radio in the USA; and
Whereas, the ARRL Field Day exercise will take place on June 23-24, 2007 and is a 24-hour emergency encampment exercise and demonstration of the Radio Amateurs’ skills and readiness to provide self-supporting communications even in fields without further infrastructure; now
Therefore, I, Chester J. Culver, Governor of the State of Iowa, do hereby proclaim the week of June 17-23, 2007 as Amateur Radio Week in Iowa.
Your Contact Info Here
Name
Address
TelephoneYour Town, State, Date of release -- On June 16, hundreds of young people throughout the country will be chatting with other kids, not via the Internet or cellphone, but over the airwaves using Amateur Radio (or "ham radio") technology during Kid's Day. Now in its thirteenth year, Kid's Day is sponsored by ARRL -- the national association for Amateur Radio. In the _____(town)_________ area, parents and children can see and take part by visiting __________(address)____________ between __ and __(times)___.
Many of today's scientists, radio engineers, astronauts and Amateur Radio enthusiasts became involved with science and technology in their youth. Often this was through a relative or a neighbor that took the time to show them how things worked. During this event, licensed Amateur Radio operators will encourage children, young people from the neighborhood or even a local scout troop to experience the enjoyment of ham radio firsthand.
“Getting kids on the air is an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.” says Mark Spencer, WA8SME, of the ARRL’s Field and Educational Services. According to Spencer, “To make it a productive experience we try to keep it simple. Contacting rare foreign locations is fun, but local, quality contacts often work better and in most cases make a more lasting impression.”
Today there are nearly 680,000 Amateur Radio operators in the United States and more than 2.5 million worldwide. Information on how to become involved in Amateur Radio is available from ARRL--the national association for Amateur Radio, by calling 1-800-32-NEW HAM or visit ARRL on the Web at www.hello-radio.org . You can also contact a local club in your area at _____(phone) or to find a ham radio club near you, go to www.arrl.org/findaclub .
By Joe March, K9JHM
When a young reporter comes out to cover an amateur radio event, expect him or her to have no clue about what you do, most of the time.
Trust me. I’ve been doing PR for a long time.
As a retired public relations officer for the U.S Navy, believe me, we need to educate each and every reporter that comes out to cover what we do from the most basic level. I don’t know of any “beat” reporters covering amateur radio; whoever shows up after you sent the assignment editor a press advisory will likely be a general beat reporter with literally little or no knowledge of amateur radio. Involving them in actual operations will be the very best payoff in giving them a true picture of what amateur radio is about. If possible, let them take the microphone and talk, use the keyboard in RTTY, and personally experience ham radio. However, short of field day or RACES/ARES exercises, person to person contact and discussion are the most effective way to convince a reporter to do a story about ham radio operators.
As public information officers like to say, it is a very gratifying feeling when you can sense the reporter suddenly finding the “light bulb above their head come on,” signifying the sudden influx of understanding of why this story is important. Always assume there will be misconceptions or downright ignorance of what amateur radio does both as a hobby and as a public service in the community. Our goal is to “turn on that light bulb” of understanding for each and every journalist to what we as hams do for our communities.
To begin with, most young reporters assume all communication occurs by cellular telephone or Blackberry, which is good enough to reach anyplace, anytime. Right?
Secondly, ham radio operators tend to be computer “geeks” or strange folks wearing earphones who talk to foreigners on the radio. Right?
Third, the government has all necessary communications under control through police and fire radios that never fail. Right?
So why do we need a cadre of “hams” to provide emergency communications? Isn’t that a waste of time and energy?
Those of us who are proud to be radio amateurs know only too well the answers to those questions, but you must understand that most of today’s reporters at daily and weekly newspapers or radio and television stations simply have no concept of the vulnerability of commercial communications to a variety of weather and incident related catastrophes.
One F-3 tornado can knock out cell towers across multiple counties; one hurricane can topple police-fire-city towers across multiple jurisdictions and freeze emergency communications. And Lord knows, what one dreaded HEMP explosion at 200 to 300 miles above the United States will do to anything electrical – especially computers and communications- across the entire nation.
Nor do they understand, or know the history, of how amateur radio operators have and continue to fill the void, when all other forms of communications fail, no matter how fancy the back-up systems. Earthquakes, fires, floods, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes – not to mention the myriad biological, nuclear, EMP, or chemical havoc that potential terrorists can unleash on the country, would virtually eliminate normal communications across the nation.
History has proven that amateur radio is the best backup our country has to keep vital emergency and human welfare communications flowing when all else fails and they are needed the most.
After all, what service has complete communications systems ready to go when power is out within hundreds of miles? What cadre of volunteers has hundreds, if not thousands, of mobile radios ready to move in any emergency? What group of professional-volunteer communicators can move message traffic through digital modes from home, mobile, or portable setups on virtually immediate notice from home, shelters, hospitals, or mountain-top locations?
I subscribe to the theory that the best public relations officers are those who know their business (or hobby) and are enthusiastic about what they do. Heavens to Mergatroid, that about describes each and every one of us who have a valid FCC amateur radio license!
Conclusion: Each of us is an ambassador for the greatest hobby/service in the nation - amateur radio. However, to be really effective, we need to be able to focus our message, not only to media, but to every citizen in our community.
PR folks like to use message points. They use them in media interviews. They brief their corporate executives to use them. The points are very basic messages in broadcast sound-bite form that summarize the essence of what it is that company, entity or service does best. And the pros recommend always having 3 or 4 memorized in the hip pocket ready at anytime.
Ergo, here are four I recommend you keep handy in your memory for the sudden need that will arise at the time you least expect. Of course there are plenty more, but you know them and can make out a much longer list than this article will allow. These are the basic:
Of course, each of us could add a plethora of bullets to these talking points based on personal ARES/RACES experience and successful missions, as we should. Every PR effort should focus on what local amateurs can do best for the community. The point is, we as a community of amateurs, need to reach out and tell our story. Not only to the Emergency Management Agency folks who could really use our services if they are not already doing so, but to the young people of our communities perhaps considering a career in engineering or science, and/or emergency management. Or indeed anyone having an interest in the great movement that Marconi moved us all to get involved in – radio.
We are enthusiastic. We are dedicated. And we understand, through history that no matter how widespread personal communications devices become, they will always be vulnerable to the whims of nature, electrical power and potential attack. Amateur radio operators are too, but we are prepared. So, let’s spread the word. Let’s recruit new hams, promote the science of communications engineering and let’s make sure that every community in America has the backup communications resources necessary to meet the needs of whatever may come. As a nation at war, we should do no less.
And you can quote me on that.
Joe March is public information officer for the Hamilton County, Indiana, Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) and is a retired U.S. Navy public affairs officer. He now serves as national director of public relations for The American Legion in Indianapolis. He is a life member of ARRL and the Veteran Wireless Operators Association. He holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio License and an FCC General Radiotelephone Operators License with ship radar endorsement. He has worked as a professional broadcast newsman and radio station chief engineer.
Your most valued amateur Radio Operators can now be recognized with President’s Volunteer Service Award Pin, Certificate of Achievement, and a letter of congratulations from the President of the United States and President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation.
Three categories , bronze, silver, and gold represent different levels of participation, over the course of a year. For example, an adult giving 100 hours of volunteer time over 1 year qualifies for a bronze award, then could receive a silver pin at the 250 hour mark.
Gold pins are awarded for 4000 hours of participation over a lifetime.
Full information is at http://www.presidentialserviceawards.org
You may remember that in early April Randy Hatfield, AG6RH, received such an award in person from the President. http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2007/04/13/104/ While no one can guarantee another Presidential visit, being recognized by this award is a major boost to volunteers!
All President’s Volunteer Service Awards must be verified and issued through institutions which are called Certifying Organizations (CO). CO may include faith-based institutions, schools, higher education, nonprofit and community-based organization, businesses, labor unions, civic or service clubs, membership and trade associations, and federal, state or local government agencies.
To qualify as a CO, an organization must:
There are some minimal postage and handling costs involved with the award. Joe Madas, AE6JM, (AE6JM@arrl.net) is one ham who can validate and process orders for the awards on behalf of the President’s Council. He is the contact for the Orange (CA) Section which is a Certifying Organization for this award. Other clubs and ARES groups are also encouraged to become CO’s in their own right. Information on how to do this is on their website. The lead time for awards is 6-8 weeks.
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Even the TSA sees value of Amateur Radio
http://www.tsa.gov/press/happenings/amateur_radio_operators.shtm
Once again the ARRL has produced a full set of coordinated materials for PIOs, clubs and other Amateur Radio organizations to use in presenting our story to the non-ham public. This year, the theme is on Emergency Communications and ham radio’s opportunities to meet the concerns of families and communities in a crisis.
Included are:
Information about how to order, download or receive these and other PR materials is available on the Web at http://www.arrl.org/pio .