ARRL Club Newsletter March 31, 2008 Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ Interdependency

+ Field Day Locator

+ Nettiquette

+ Show Off

Interdependency, The Need For Others In Order To Succeed By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ

All relationships require effort from all who are involved. Member recruiting and retention has long been a challenge for local clubs and cultivating interpersonal relationships with your club members is important to achieving the goals of the club and its members.

As people we are independent, capable of our own thoughts, actions and opinions but as members of society we are interdependent and rely on others to fill certain needs. As radio amateurs our interdependence is as basic as the need to have another radio operator to establish a contact. The local club fills a need beyond this basic illustration and provides where we can go to meet with friends and share knowledge and experiences.

If the needs of the individual are the Ying then the Yang must be needs of the club as an organization. Clubs need members to manage club business and perform the jobs required to operate a successful club. One does not have to look too far to see that successful clubs rely on synergistic roles that benefit both the individual and the organization. If a club provides a way for non hams to get licensed then the club will recruit new members. The club that offers classes for licensed hams to upgrade will retain members. Active hams that are willing to share their experience will teach the newcomers who then become club members and so-on and so-on.

Clubs that seek perfection and a world all the members get along and agree on everything are striving for an unrealistic goal and often end up in discontent. Healthy and active clubs tend to work together as a group toward a common goal. Setting the goal can be a democratic process, which in itself is a healthy activity, however once the objective is set it takes the effort of everyone to achieve the result. For club leadership, it is your job to keep the members focused on the mission. Club members also have a responsibility to the club by supporting the mission and not undermining the project just so they can say "I told you so."

People joined your club to get involved. One of the best ways to keep club members is to include them in club business and activities and most importantly, recognize your people for their contributions to the club. Your club newsletter is a terrific vehicle for recognizing members who participate in club activities and programs.

Sometimes a special presentation or award may be in line with a member's exemplary involvement. The actual deed is not as important as is the recognition of the people who make it all possible. When others see that the club appreciates the work of the members then more people will be willing to take on jobs and run for office.

Mutual effort must be ongoing if a club is to recruit and retain members.

Station Locator Service New For Field Day 2008 From ARRL Letter

This year, for the first time, the ARRL has put together a Station Locator to help amateurs or those interested in Amateur Radio find a Field Day site near them. According to ARRL Field Day Manager Dan Henderson, N1ND, many amateurs have been asking for something like this for many years.

If your group would like to be a part of the Station Locator Service, it's easy to get started. Just go to the Field Day Station Locator Web site <http://www.arrl.org/contests/announcements/fd/locator.php> and follow the instructions.

To help you out, Henderson has prepared a FAQ for the Field Day Station Locator.

Q) How does our Field Day site get listed on the map?

A) A club official or Field Day Chairman needs to go to the Web site.

Once there, click on the link for "Add a Station" and follow the instructions.

Q) I put in the name of the park where we will be holding Field Day but got the message that the program can't find it. What do I do?

A) You should use a street address for the location. Unfortunately, the mapping program doesn't have a 100 percent complete database of park names and public site names. You may use a latitude/longitude -- enter the values separated by a comma (e.g. 42.345N, 85.445W) and set the city to NONE).

Q) I put in a street address but the map locator put me it in a wrong location on the street. What do I do?

A) While in the data input or edit screen, use your cursor to move the red "pin" to the correct location on the map.

Q) What if I put in the wrong information or something about our Field Day operation changes?

A) The person who input the data will be able to edit the entry.

Simply follow the "Add a Station" link and then select "Edit this entry" next to the one to correct.

Q). I tried to enter my club's information, but I was denied access. What do I do?

A) To help ensure that only one person is managing a club's entry, you must be logged onto the site with your ARRL member ID and password. If you are not an ARRL member, ask a member of the club who is to be responsible for adding the club's information to the site.

Q) I am looking for a Field Day operation to attend. How do I use the site?

A) Begin by typing in the city and state where you would like to search, something like "Brooklyn, New York" or "Anaheim, California."

Depending on the geographic location, the map will take you to the area you list.

If a Field Day operation has been registered for that general area, a red "pin" will show on the map. If you click on the red pin, the details for that site will appear in the box on the right hand side of the screen. If you don't see a red pin, scroll out a level to find one near the location you listed. It is also possible to drag the map to other areas by holding down the left button on your mouse and then moving the map around. You can also scroll in and out using the +/- buttons on the left side of the map. You may also zoom in and center by double-clicking with the mouse near the red pin.

Q) I found a red pin near where I will be. Where do I find the information on that site?

A) Each entry has a contact person with either an e-mail address or phone number who should be able to help you. It will appear on the right side of the box when you click on the red pin for an entry.

Q) I found an entry with wrong information. What should I do?

A) Please contact the person whose name appears as the contact person for that site. ARRL HQ does not have detailed information on the site.

Q) I want to check on our club's information. What should I do?

A) Type in the call sign that will be used and you will be taken to the location and club information.

ARRL Field Day will be held June 28-29. For more information, please visit the Field Day Web page <http://www.arrl.org/fieldday>.

Netiquette

Today many people use e-mail reflectors and internet forums as a way to share ideas, thoughts and opinions on just about anything and everything. There are literally millions of people participating in this virtual town hall.

Too often we look at words on a screen and forget that we are actually interfacing with human beings. When people used to use pen and paper to exchange ideas there were numerous opportunities to explore our emotions and organize our thoughts before we sent a message to another person. However today many are quick to react and in a split second can fire off an often hurtful and degrading message.

Here is a great web page about etiquette on the internet or "netiquette" as it has been coined. http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html  Next time, think about it before you hit the send button.

Looking For Ways to Show Off Ham Radio?

Ward Silver, N0AX

We all know about Field Day and many clubs make an extra effort to set up in a public place, just to publicize our favorite hobby. But outside of Field Day, the opportunities may not be quite so obvious.

Here's a story about a club that scored big for Amateur Radio and had a great time in the process.

Readers of Make Magazine (http://makezine.com) know about the massive demonstrations of hands-on do-stuff activities called Make's Faire.  (http://makerfaire.com) With a theme of "Build, craft, hack, play, make", I'll bet you're interested already! Make is just one of the many "do-it-yourself" centers of activity - magazines, Web sites, blogs, TV shows - that are enjoying a resurgence of interest as folks take an interest in "what's under the hood." Maker Faire draws thousands of motivated, interested, tech-friendly attendees that wander the aisles soaking up the various activities on display. They sound like ham radio's kind of folks, don't they? Yes, they do, and more than 25,000 attended the Austin Maker Faire in October 2007.

If you browse the Maker Faire Web site, you'll see that under the "Participate" menu, in the "Call for Makers" selection, Ham Radio is a prominent entry! Last year, the Austin Amateur Radio Club (http://www.austinhams.org) took the lead in setting up shop for Maker Faire and drew a steady stream of visitors, from kids eager to shout into the microphone connected to an oscilloscope to adults and teens interested in learning more about Amateur Radio. Led by Jeff Schmidt N5MNW, the club did such a good job of illustrating the many interesting activities of ham radio that the organizers awarded them an Editor's Choice prize! Well done!

There is an upcoming Maker Faire in San Mateo, CA and last year the event drew over 40,000 makers. These large events are a small portion of the many smaller events around the country that take place in every town in every state. There are science fairs, technology demonstrations, career days, street festivals, and so on. The organizers are often seeking interesting displays and exhibits, particularly from local groups. They are not so much interested in slick, commercial displays - they want real people, just like you, to show off their skills and what interests them. It's not necessary to assemble a huge and intimidating display of equipment - just start building a kit, hook up a meter and let people measure their skin resistance, set out some books and fliers (many available from the ARRL), and prepare to answer lots of questions! Space is often available just for the offering - send an email or make a phone call and find out.

For a good look at the enthusiasm generated by the Maker Faire, watch the Quicktime movie at http://www.rocketboom.net/video/maker_faire/austin/bre.mov. (This takes a little while to load...) The do-it-yourself ethic is returning, like the swallows to Capistrano. Your club will enjoy presenting ham radio - where hands-on lives on! As the Maker Faire folks say, "This is the place to be, right now, in the world today!"

Does ham radio have a place in that world?

Are you kidding - we helped invent it!

ARRL Affiliation Milestones for March 2008　

50 Years

*W4

NFL Panama City Amateur Radio Club W4RYZ

*W6

SV North Hills Radio Club K6IS

60 Years

*W2

WNY Rochester DX Association W2RDX

*W6

LAX Crescenta Valley Radio Club WB6ZTY

*W0

MO Southwest Missouri Amateur Radio Club W0EBE

75 Years

*W8

MI Motor City Radio Club, Inc. W8MRM

*W9

IL Central Illinois Radio Club of Bloomington, Inc. W9AML

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is published on the first Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of ARRL Affiliated Clubs.

Material from The ARRL CLUB NEWS may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL CLUB NEWS and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, clubs@arrl.org
Delivery problems (ARRL direct delivery only!): club-el-dlvy@arrl.org

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery:

ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site, http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the The ARRL CLUB NEWS, W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe to The ARRL CLUB NEWS by going to the Member Data Page at: http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1

Note that you must be logged in to the site to access this page. Scroll down to the section "Which of the following would you like to receive automatically via email from ARRL?" Check the box for "ARRL Club News (monthly news of interest to Amateur Radio clubs)" and you're all set.

Past issues of The ARRL CLUB NEWS are available at http://www.arrl.org/FandES/field/club/clubnews/. Issues are posted to this page after publication.

Newsletter

February 22, 2008

____________________________________________________________

Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, Editor

IN THIS ISSUE:

+ Leadership for the Amateur Radio Club

+ Swiss Army Knife

Leadership for the Amateur Radio Club

By Norm Fusaro, W3IZ

Congratulations! You have just been appointed to a leadership position of your Amateur Radio club. You may be on the board of directors or an officer of the club or you may be chairperson of an event like a hamfest or Field Day. Other positions of leadership may include heading up a team of Volunteer Examiners or organizing a new licensing class. Whatever the responsibility, the fact remains that the members of your organization are now looking to YOU to lead them to accomplish a set of goals.

Leadership is not a popularity contest. During the course of your tenure some people are not going to be happy with some of the decisions that are made. That is unfortunate but a leader has to do what is best for the organization. Trying to please everyone is a losing proposition and will only alienate those that truly have something to offer.

This does not mean that as the leader you get to ride roughshod over everyone. There are always diplomatic ways to affect change. As a leader you are the champion of change. Doing things the same old way is not leading, it is simply repeating the mistakes of others. Not that the way things were previously done were necessarily wrong, but a leader is one who will look at ways to do things better. Finding ways to tweak it, move it up a notch, fine tune it, or whichever cliché that you choose, is what a leader will do.

As a leader you are not going to have all of the solutions so keep an open mind and consider fresh ideas from your members. Rather than doing things "the way that we've always done" look for better ways to do them. It is neither "your way" nor "my way" but the best way.

Stimulate your members to find new approaches to the challenges at hand. An effective leader is one whose people believe that they did things on their own. Be innovative, not imposing. Be influential, not demanding. Inspire your team to take ownership of the project and do the best that they can do.

Leaders Must Have Integrity

Managers are people who do things right, while leaders are people who do the right thing.

--Warren Bennis, Ph.D. "On Becoming a Leader"

In order to be a good leader one has to develop trust from the membership. Trust is inspired by actions. Being open and fair with people is the best way to gain their trust. Nobody will trust someone who lies or doesn't give honest feedback. People will become skeptical of secret or closed meetings. Avoid these behaviors at all cost. They will be the downfall of even the most well intentioned person.

You and your team have made a commitment to the club to accomplish a task. It makes no difference if the position is voluntary or compensated; a promise has been made to do the job. As a leader you will delegate jobs and responsibilities. Be specific about what is expected. You will also have to provide feedback. Be honest in your feedback and don't blame others for things that did not work out.

A good leader will always see the glass half full. Avoid being cynical or negative as this will just undermine your objectives.

Inclusion

Without involvement, there is no commitment. Mark it down, asterisk it, circle it, underline it. No involvement, no commitment.--Stephen

Convey--

Your radio club is comprised of people. People are individuals and each person has something unique to offer to the group. As the leader of the organization you will be tasked with identifying the talents of the individuals and delegating tasks that will achieve the mission of the club.

The individual members of your club also have needs. We will assume that the basic needs of life are being met--food, shelter, clothing--so we will look at people's other needs. All people have a need to belong, to be recognized, to learn, to accomplish something and to express an idea or vision.

By focusing on your people, the goals of the organization will be met. However, if you simply focus on the goals and not the members then you will not have the support of the people needed to accomplish the mission, in which case you will have failed all around.

The members of your club want to be a part of the activities. Deep down even the most introverted person in the club wants to be involved but they are just waiting to be invited to participate.

When looking for people to do jobs for an event, passing around a clipboard with a sign up sheet will net very little. Walk up to people and ask them if they would care to assist by doing a specific job.

"Bob, would you like to help us by putting address labels on the envelopes for the hamfest fliers?" Or "Mary, could you be the contact person to register new hams for the upcoming licensing class?"

These are specific jobs asked of specific people. By asking people to participate you are satisfying their needs to belong, to accomplish something and to perhaps learn something. Even the simple task of mailing labels may teach someone about the process of mail merging and computer generated labels from a data base. You will never know unless you ask.

Furthermore, when recognizing these individuals for their part in the project start with the smallest job first. By putting them in the front of the parade you are making them important and not trivializing their contributions.

Have A Mission Statement

The goals of the club should be communicated to every member.

Committees of a club should also have a mission statement. This statement should clearly define the objective and the mission of the group. Your mission statement may only be one sentence, "The mission of this club is to have fun." The Frankford Radio Club in Philadelphia has a very simple statement, "Proficiency through competition." For a contest club that pretty much says it all.

Whatever the mission of the group is, write it down and communicate it to everyone. Keep it handy and visit it often. Don't loose sight of what it is that all of you are there for. Effective leaders will continually find new ways to communicate this vision.

Commit To Excellence

The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.

-- Vincent T. Lombardi

Always do things to the best of your ability and accept nothing less than the best that anyone can do. The key to this is to empower your people. Don't micromanage your team. Set goals and guidelines and your people will find ingenious ways to accomplish them. Good enough is never good enough.

Accept Responsibility

No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.

-- Andrew Carnegie

Own the project. It is not what "they" want or what "the board" or somebody else wants. It is what needs to be done and we are going to do it. Own it and do it. Nobody wants to listen to a wishy-washy person. A leader is going to take command of a situation and gather input from the team and then make a decision on how to accomplish the goals. If things fail, a leader takes responsibility and doesn't blame others. Leaders don't take credit for successes, leaders acknowledge the entire team.

Create Excitement

You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.

-- Colette

Lead by example. Your excitement about the project should be contagious. "This is going to be the best event ever." Say it and mean it. Avoid sarcasm or negative comments. You were not drafted or bamboozled into doing this job. You volunteered to do this job because you wanted it to be successful.

Remember the first part of this exercise where we said that you are not going to be able to please everyone? This may be true, but if you have a naysayer that is trying to undermine the operation so that should it fail they can say "I told you so." perhaps you may need to talk to that individual and find out specifically what it is that he or she sees wrong with the project. You will have to try to create the excitement on a personal level. Surely you won't expect this person to jump up with bells and balloons but you may just be able to neutralize their negative outlook.

Always Remain Positive

Celebrate the victories, no matter how small, and never dwell on the negative. If something didn't work this time, look at it as an opportunity to improve upon it next time. We learn from our mistakes as well as our successes. A good leader has the humility to admit that something didn't work but also takes a lesson from it.

Be proactive and anticipate changes. Always have a "Plan B" in case something should happen that wasn't part of the initial plan.

Build Relationships

Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters.

-- Albert Einstein

Everything we do in life is interdependent upon the relationships that we develop with other people. We said earlier that clubs are comprised of people. As a leader you will have to build relationships with everyone in your club. Everyone has something to offer. Avoid playing favorites or developing a click. Leaders do not seek hero worship.

As a new leader you may be called upon to mend broken relationships.

This may require some tact and in most cases may not happen overnight. Time really does heal all wounds. The first step in these types of situations is to extend a hand in friendship and acknowledge that, though not intentional, things did not turn out exactly for the best. Make a concerted effort to go forward and apologize for anything that may have happened in the past. Take this lesson from the ancient Chinese who used gold to fill the cracks in a broken vase making it more valuable than the original.

It is the uniqueness of every individual that makes your club work.

If everybody was exactly the same the group would be dysfunctional.

Celebrate diversity and utilize the many points of view that everyone has to offer.

People are not objects that can be shelved and returned to at a later date. We must continually work at the relationships in our lives and in our club. This means that we must be mindful of other commitments to family and work and other organizations that we are involved in and respect other's prior commitments.

Balance is the key.

Have Fun

Lead and inspire people. Don't try to manage and manipulate people.

Inventories can be managed but people must be lead.

-- Ross Perot

As a leader you are going to take risks and challenge the status quo.

You are going to upset some people sometime. As long as you continue to build strong relationships with your club members you will not alienate anyone.

The idea of a club is to have fun. Even the most serious of people enjoy a break and some fun. Maintain a sense of humor and learn to laugh at your own mistakes. Leaders are not gods. They are human beings just like everyone else in the club. So, don't take yourself too seriously.

The reward for any good leader is being asked to tackle the next challenge.

Summary

- Respect people - Earn trust

- Set goals

- Communicate effectively

- Strive for excellence--Accept responsibility

- Celebrate victories--learn from mistakes

- Create excitement--stay positive

- Be proactive

- Build and maintain relationships

Important Words

The six most important words: "I admit I made a mistake."

The five most important words: "You did a good job."

The four most important words: "What is your opinion?"

The three most important words: "If you please."

The two most important words: "Thank you,"

The one most important word: "We"

The least most important word: "I"

-- Author unknown

Swiss Army Knife

The Swiss Army Knife for PIOs CD, version 2008, is now available.

This is the "all in one" toolkit on a disk for Amateur Radio public relations.

To receive a copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope (make sure the SASE is large enough for a CD disk!) with at least 70 cents postage on it and a note to:

Public Relations

ARRL

225 Main St

Newington, CT 06111

ARRL Affiliation Milestones for February 2008

25 Years

*W1

ME Merrymeeting Amateur Radio Association KS1R

*W4

KY Western Kentucky Dx Association KY4DXA

*W5

NM New Mexico Big River Contester NM5NM

*W7

OR Amateur Radio Relay Group K7RPT

*W0

MO Southside Amateur Radio Association, Inc KC0JGA

60 Years

*W2

ENY Yonkers Amateur Radio Club W2YRC

*W3

MDC Potomac Valley Radio Club W3GRF

*W4

NFL Orlando Amateur Radio Club W4PLB

*W8

OH CLARK COUNTY Amateur Radio Association W8OG

*W7

WWA Cascade Radio Club W7EK

======================================================================

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is published on the first Wednesday of each month by the American Radio Relay League--The National Association For Amateur Radio--225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111; tel 860-594-0200; fax 860-594-0259; www.arrl.org. Joel Harrison, W5ZN, President.

The ARRL CLUB NEWS is an e-mail digest of news and information of interest to active members of ARRL Affiliated Clubs.

Material from The ARRL CLUB NEWS may be republished or reproduced in whole or in part in any form without additional permission. Credit must be given to The ARRL CLUB NEWS and The American Radio Relay League.

Editorial questions or comments: Norm Fusaro, W3IZ, clubs@arrl.org
Delivery problems (ARRL direct delivery only!): club-el-dlvy@arrl.org

To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address for e-mail delivery:

ARRL members first must register on the Members Only Web Site, http://www.arrl.org/members/. You'll have an opportunity during registration to sign up for e-mail delivery of the The ARRL CLUB NEWS, W1AW bulletins, and other material. ARRL members may subscribe to The ARRL CLUB NEWS by going to the Member Data Page at:

http://www.arrl.org/members-only/memdata.html?modify=1