href="#fb3_img_img_c2edfa2f-f442-5455-bcc7-174a1aa917b9.png" alt="Tip"/> Obviously, you won’t start your ham club career by running for president at your second meeting, but ham clubs are pretty much like all other hobby groups, so you can become an insider by following a few easy first steps. You’re the new guy or gal, which means you have to show that you want to belong. Here are some ways to get acquainted and fit in:
Right at the start, introduce yourself to a club officer as a visitor or new member as soon as you get to the meeting. If a “stand up and identify yourself” routine occurs at the beginning of the meeting, be sure to identify yourself as a new member or visitor. If other people also identify themselves as new, introduce yourself to them later.
Show up early to help set up, make coffee, hang the club banner, help figure out the projector, and so on. Stay late and help clean up, too.
Be sure to sign in, sign on, or sign up if you have an opportunity to do so, especially at your first meeting.
Wear a name tag or other identification that announces your name and call sign in easy-to-read letters.
Introduce yourself to whomever you sit next to.
After you’ve been to two or three meetings, you’ll probably know a little about some of the club’s committees and activities. If one of them sounds interesting, introduce yourself to whoever spoke about it and offer to help.
Show up at as many club activities and work parties as possible.
Comb your hair. Brush your teeth. Sit up straight. (Yes, Mom!)
These magic tips aren’t just for ham radio clubs; they’re for just about any club. Like all clubs, ham clubs have their own personalities, varying from wildly welcoming to tightly knit, seemingly impenetrable groups. After you break the ice with them, though, hams seem to bond for life.
Getting more involved
Now that you’re a regular, how can you get more involved? This section gives you some pointers.
Volunteering your services
In just about every ham club, someone always needs help with the following events and activities:
Field Day: Planners and organizers can always use a hand with getting ready for this June operating event (see Chapter 1). Offer to help with generators, tents, and food, and find out about everything else as you go. Helping out with Field Day — the annual continent-wide combination of club picnic and operating exercise — is a great way to meet the most active members of the club. Field Day offers a little bit of everything ham radio has to offer.
Conventions or hamfests: If the club hosts a regular event, its organizers probably need almost every kind of help. If you have any organizational or management expertise, so much the better. (I discuss hamfests and conventions in detail later in this chapter.)
Club “stuff”: Managing sales of club logo items is a great job for a new member. You can keep records, take orders, and make sales at club meetings.
Shared equipment: Many clubs maintain a supply loaner equipment. All you have to do is keep track of everything and make it available to other members.
Club station: If your club is fortunate enough to have its own radio station or repeater, somebody always needs to do maintenance work, such as working on antennas, changing batteries, tuning and testing radios, or just cleaning. Buddy up with the station manager, and you can become familiar with the equipment very quickly. You don’t have to be technical — just willing.
Website and newsletter: If you can write, edit, or maintain a website, don’t hesitate to volunteer your services to the club newsletter editor or webmaster. Chances are that this person has several projects backlogged and would be delighted to have your help. You’ll also become informed about everything happening with the club.
Find out who’s currently in charge of these areas and offer your help. You’ll discover a new aspect of ham radio, gain a friend, and make a contribution.
Taking part in activities
Along with holding ongoing committee meetings and other business, most clubs sponsor several activities throughout the year. Some clubs are organized around one major activity; others seem to have one or two going on every month. Here are a few common club activities:
Public service: This activity usually entails providing communication services during a local sporting or civic event, such as a parade or festival. Events like these are great ways for you to hone your operating skills.
Contests and challenges: Operating events are great fun, and many clubs enter on-the-air contests as a team or club. Sometimes, clubs challenge each other to see which can generate the most points. You can either get on the air yourself or join a multiple-operator station. (For more on contests, see Chapter 11.)
Work parties: What’s a club for if not to help its own members? Raising a tower or doing antenna work at the club’s station or that of another member is a great way to meet active hams and gain experience with station building.
Construction projects: Building your own equipment and antennas is a lot of fun, so clubs occasionally hold “show and tell” or “homebrew” meetings. Some sponsor group construction projects in which everyone builds a particular item at the same time. Building your own equipment saves money and lets everyone work together to solve problems. If you like building things or have technical skills, taking part in construction projects is a great way to help out.
Exploring the ARRL
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