I'm enjoying the discussion about how to attract new hams into VHF
Contesting or other activities. Many of the points are valid. None of
us believe that simply adding an FM only category and doing a talk at
the monthly club meeting is going to entice a ton of newcomers
into VHF operating and contesting.
There is no one answer for how to get many of our new hams involved in
the "traditional" aspects of the hobby. But this step by the VUAC and
the league
is a positive step that no doubt will be successful in generating at
least some new converts. Considering that many VHF/UHF contests generate
200-400 logs
per event, even 15-20 newcomers is real progress. I think the impact
could be greater than that.
In our area, many new hams have been recruited into emergency
communications efforts and public service. The appeal here is the chance
to give back
to our community, the excitement of participating in disaster response
or storm spotting, or the chance to work inside a served agency and be
near the
action.
One area that worked for us here was to encourage "FM Simplex Tests"
during contest weekends to combine a practical emergency communications
exercise with
the fun of VHF contesting. It worked well, sometimes enticing 25-30 hams
to submit logs during the June event. I imagine it would have been even
more successful
with the "FM Only" category.
The ability to communicate well via simplex could be vital in an
emergency. And knowing how to use gain antennas, seek out elevated
locations, and pass traffic
effectively while battling the FM capture effect are all important to
EMCOMM operators. Consider reaching out to your County EC or District EC
for ARES--and
tell them about the new FM only category.
Combining EMCOMM with contesting now makes even more sense.
Also, I love the influence of the new "maker" generation---and don't
mind if they forego some of the traditional parts of our hobby. Tech for
tech sake is one of our
traditions.
--
73,
*Les Rayburn, N1LF*
EM63nf
121 Mayfair Park Maylene, AL 35114
6M VUCC #1712
Grid Pirates #222
Life Member Central States VHF
WPC4LF Popular Communications Monitor ID
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