Section news
Tom Sly, WB8LCD
Field Day is getting close. Please, if you are planning on operating with your club make sure you get your Field
Day location listed on the ARRL Website Field Day Station Locator (arrl.org) . Not only will that make it easier for
folks in your community to find you, it’ll make it easier for ME to find you! I’m trying to arrange a travel plan that
will get me out to see as many of you as possible. It’s looking like it’s going to be a long night! This week I have a
generic Field Day Press Release that I am going to shotgun to as many media outlets across the state that I can
find! In next week’s PostScript I’ll have a sample press release that your club can use with your local media to
publicize your Field Day operation.
Let’s get the word out there! And, if that’s not enough, after Field Day is over let’s blanket the media a second
time to let them know what we accomplished. As I have been saying, one of my three goals for my tenure as
Section Manager is to improve and expand the public image and awareness of Amateur Radio in Ohio!
For those of you who haven’t heard, my three main goals for the Ohio Section are as follows:
1. I want every ham in the Ohio Section to get involved and have more FUN with their hobby than they
ever thought possible! One of the most interesting things about Ham Radio is how many different ways
there are to have FUN. If you’re having fun, you’ll be fully engaged and it will be contagious.
2. I want every citizen of the State of Ohio to be aware that YES – Amateur Radio still exists and it’s as
much fun and more exciting than ever. I also want every citizen in the State of Ohio to view Amateur
Radio Operators in a positive manner, and as people who engage in their hobby with passion, a sense of
service to their community, and as a group with a special bond of friendship and fraternalism.
3. I want to see the hobby grow. New Hams, and new ARRL members. There is strength in numbers!
All three of these goals work together. Each one supports the other two. I hope that you will support me in this.
With summertime quickly approaching, and the pandemic subsiding, we will probably see an uptick of service
opportunities with run-a-thons, bike-a-thons and whatever other “thons” there are out there. As we volunteer at
these events, we are the “face” of Ham Radio to the public we come into contact with. We need to be aware of
how we present ourselves. Our appearance and our actions will create the “image” of Ham Radio in the minds
of those who come in contact with us. This includes not only the public at large, but new hams who have
recently joined us. Make sure everyone gets to know what a great group of people we are.
My thanks and appreciation go out to everyone involved with the Ohio Section Journal and PostScript. Your
updates and articles make them way more interesting than anything I could do on my own. If you’re reading
this and think you might have a good idea for an article, write it out and send it in! In my 50+ years as a Ham,
I’ve found that most of my growth in the hobby has come from hearing about what others are doing.
That’s it for me this month. Get on the air, build something, try something new! Have fun and let me know
what you’re doing.