RE: Elecraft Rigs as Public Relations Tools

[Eric Ward-3]

I have to opportunity to mentor a group of Boy Scouts for their Radio Merit
Badge starting Tues night, and I will bring the KX1 to show them the
incredibly cool stuff you can do with ham radio in 2005.  I will make Ron's
point that this mode of communication gets through when nothing else can
(barring EMP, I guess...).
73
Eric
N0HHS
KX1 #670




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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

Eric, N0HHS wrote:

I have to opportunity to mentor a group of Boy Scouts for their Radio Merit
Badge starting Tues night, and I will bring the KX1 to show them the
incredibly cool stuff you can do with ham radio in 2005.  I will make Ron's
point that this mode of communication gets through when nothing else can
(barring EMP, I guess...).

---------------------

That's great Eric!

I like the KX1 for it's "Gee Whiz" factor because it doesn't look like a
typical two-way radio. Guess it's my marketing training, but when I
demonstrate my KX1 and people say "Gee whiz! Look at that!", I know that the
image and the message will stick in their minds.

To me, Ham radio emergency communications is like a fire extinguisher. We
hope we'll never need it, but one wants to know it's there just the same.

I've had the experience of suddenly being without telephone communications
or overland access of any kind in an emergency that isolated whole towns for
days. People were injured and dying, yet we were less than 50 miles from San
Jose and San Francisco, CA.

Once a person has had that sort of experience, the value of having emergency
communications is never forgotten.

With the sort of emergencies and threats we face today, more and more people
are wanting the comfort of knowing that reliable communications is there if
it is needed.

Ron AC7AC


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[Rick Hampton-2]

I don't want to discourage anyone, especially since I too show off my KX1, but
just be sure you don't oversell the technology.  Like everything else, amateur
radio, especially QRP HF rigs, do have their limitations.  "Reliable
communications" means different things to different people.  Do I carry my KX1
with me when I'm in the back country?  Yep, it's far more reliable than my cell
phone... when I have propagation with my compromise wire antenna and there is
little noise on the band so the guy on the other end can hear my QRP signal and
I'm the one who's not injured and ... well, you get the idea.

Frankly, I think Field Day should be graded solely on maintaining 24 hour
contact with one station at least 1000 miles away and passing traffic with them,
either direct or through a relay.  Maybe then people would understand that
setting up a dedicated circuit for emergency traffic is far more difficult than
throwing up a dipole, cranking up a generator and calling CQ until someone
answers you.

Amateur radio is fun and can make a difference, but it's only ONE of the tools
to be used in an emergency, not the only tool.

Rick, WD8KEL


Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> Eric, N0HHS wrote:
>
> I have to opportunity to mentor a group of Boy Scouts for their Radio Merit
> Badge starting Tues night, and I will bring the KX1 to show them the
> incredibly cool stuff you can do with ham radio in 2005.  I will make Ron's
> point that this mode of communication gets through when nothing else can
> (barring EMP, I guess...).
>
> ---------------------
>
> That's great Eric!
>
> I like the KX1 for it's "Gee Whiz" factor because it doesn't look like a
> typical two-way radio. Guess it's my marketing training, but when I
> demonstrate my KX1 and people say "Gee whiz! Look at that!", I know that the
> image and the message will stick in their minds.
>
> To me, Ham radio emergency communications is like a fire extinguisher. We
> hope we'll never need it, but one wants to know it's there just the same.
>
> I've had the experience of suddenly being without telephone communications
> or overland access of any kind in an emergency that isolated whole towns for
> days. People were injured and dying, yet we were less than 50 miles from San
> Jose and San Francisco, CA.
>
> Once a person has had that sort of experience, the value of having emergency
> communications is never forgotten.
>
> With the sort of emergencies and threats we face today, more and more people
> are wanting the comfort of knowing that reliable communications is there if
> it is needed.
>
> Ron AC7AC

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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

Rick, WD8KEL wrote:
Amateur radio is fun and can make a difference, but it's only ONE of the
tools to be used in an emergency, not the only tool.

--------------------
Absolutely. I apologize if I suggested any differently. I referred to the
rigs as "public relations" tools, speaking to their perceived value to the
community.

One of the greatest values to the public that we've served over the years
again and again is "health and welfare" messaging. That is, relieving the
strain on traditional telephones and other channels that are needed for the
emergency work by providing messages about the health and welfare of people
in an affected zone to anxious friends and relatives elsewhere.

It keeps us in practice and ready to jump in if needed to save lives. But
the real value is not in headline-gathering heroics. It's in the work-a-day
drudge work of letting Uncle Henry know that the kids in the storm zone are
safe and well. There's real satisfaction in doing that.

Rather than burn up any more bytes on the Elecraft reflector, I'd suggest
anyone interested check with the RACES pages at www.arrl.org or the National
Radio Emergency Network pages at http://68.43.101.244:81/nren/. NREN
maintains emergency communications capabilities at all times on the 40, 30
and 20 meter CW bands through volunteer monitoring stations.

If anyone has other questions, feel free to contact me off the reflector
too.

Ron AC7AC


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[Rick Hampton-2]

Ron D'Eau Claire wrote:

> I apologize if I suggested any differently. I referred to the
> rigs as "public relations" tools, speaking to their perceived value to the
> community.

No, Ron, you didn't suggest anything wrong.  More frequent than not, we (yes,
this includes me, sometimes) get carried away and sell the wrong concept by
accident.  I was trying to point out we need to be careful when we start selling
the positive aspects of the hobby we all love and not overdo it.

And thanks for the info on NREN.  I don't know that I'd seen it before.  If I
did, I'd forgotten about it.

73!

Rick Hampton, WD8KEL

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