WEBVTT 00:00:10.299 --> 00:00:13.140 Thanks for tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on 00:00:13.140 --> 00:00:31.059 the air shortly. Please stand by. Thanks for 00:00:31.059 --> 00:00:33.820 tuning in. HamTalk Live will be on the air shortly. 00:00:34.100 --> 00:00:41.640 Please stand by. This episode of Ham Talk Live 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:45.159 is brought to you by Tower Electronics. For cables, 00:00:45.259 --> 00:00:50.740 connectors, and more, call 920 -435 -2973 or 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:56.039 visit pl -259 .com and by the Ham Station. Get 00:00:56.039 --> 00:01:00.200 your new radio or antenna by calling 800 -729 00:01:00.200 --> 00:01:36.090 -4373 or go to hamstation .com. Good evening, 00:01:36.250 --> 00:01:38.709 everyone. It's time for HamTalk Live, episode 00:01:38.709 --> 00:01:42.769 number 82, Public Relations Tips and the Great 00:01:42.769 --> 00:01:45.969 Lakes HamCon, recorded live on Thursday, September 00:01:45.969 --> 00:01:51.629 21st, 2017. I'm your host, Neil Rapp, WB9VPG. 00:01:51.670 --> 00:01:55.049 Thanks for tuning in to this episode of HamTalk 00:01:55.049 --> 00:01:57.569 Live. Tonight, we're joined by Scott Westerman, 00:01:57.750 --> 00:02:02.950 W9WSW, and he will take your calls live in just 00:02:02.950 --> 00:02:05.840 a few minutes. Last week on the show Gary West 00:02:05.840 --> 00:02:10.860 K8DEV was here and Jay Adrick K8CJY and they 00:02:10.860 --> 00:02:13.819 were talking about the 75th anniversary celebration 00:02:13.819 --> 00:02:17.419 and the new Crosley exhibit at the National Voice 00:02:17.419 --> 00:02:20.379 of America Museum of Broadcasting and that's 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:23.860 coming up on Saturday so don't forget they will 00:02:23.860 --> 00:02:27.099 be on the air they don't have any frequencies 00:02:27.099 --> 00:02:31.759 planned out just yet. But they will be on the 00:02:31.759 --> 00:02:35.759 air around 9 or 10 Eastern and go until the big 00:02:35.759 --> 00:02:38.560 celebration over there in Westchester, Ohio at 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:42.460 6 p .m. Eastern time. So be sure to listen for 00:02:42.460 --> 00:02:48.620 WC8VOA on Saturday and you can work the 75th 00:02:48.620 --> 00:02:53.139 anniversary celebration station over at the Voice 00:02:53.139 --> 00:02:57.530 of America Museum. If you missed that show, you 00:02:57.530 --> 00:03:00.409 can listen to us at HamTalkLive .com anytime 00:03:00.409 --> 00:03:04.490 or you can catch us on one of those podcast apps 00:03:04.490 --> 00:03:07.710 like Apple Podcasts or Stitcher, Google Play, 00:03:07.849 --> 00:03:10.110 TuneIn, SoundCloud. We're also over on YouTube. 00:03:10.189 --> 00:03:14.030 We're on Overcast and some others as well. So 00:03:14.030 --> 00:03:17.169 pick out your favorite app. Chances are we are 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:20.270 there. And we're on iHeart Media as well on iHeart 00:03:20.270 --> 00:03:24.180 Podcasts. So just a quick update on a couple 00:03:24.180 --> 00:03:26.080 of things. First of all, the hurricane nets, 00:03:26.180 --> 00:03:29.759 they are stood down. There's still a lot of health 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:33.199 and welfare stuff going on. So keep an eye on 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:36.900 that and you can find those resources out there. 00:03:37.259 --> 00:03:40.919 on the internet pretty easily for some of the 00:03:40.919 --> 00:03:44.139 health and welfare stuff coming out of the Caribbean 00:03:44.139 --> 00:03:49.939 especially. And special event station W7NTV is 00:03:49.939 --> 00:03:54.120 the National Tribal Emergency Management Association. 00:03:54.889 --> 00:03:58.569 their amateur radio association and they're at 00:03:58.569 --> 00:04:01.550 an emergency management conference at the Tai 00:04:01.550 --> 00:04:05.210 Chi Palace Casino and Resort in Lemoore, California 00:04:05.210 --> 00:04:07.889 and they've been on since the 18th and they will 00:04:07.889 --> 00:04:11.310 finish things up tomorrow. So make sure you look 00:04:11.310 --> 00:04:14.569 for them on 20 meters and on 40 meters. They 00:04:14.569 --> 00:04:17.170 are posting frequencies and times on their Facebook 00:04:17.170 --> 00:04:20.889 page. That's the NTARA, National Tribal Amateur 00:04:20.889 --> 00:04:24.290 Radio Association. Right now they're on 14 dot 00:04:24.290 --> 00:04:28.509 two four five so after the show you can look 00:04:28.509 --> 00:04:30.129 over there and see if they're still there they've 00:04:30.129 --> 00:04:33.269 been hanging around fourteen dot two three five 00:04:33.269 --> 00:04:36.470 but right now they're on two four five so give 00:04:36.470 --> 00:04:40.060 them a listen And I think that's all the updates 00:04:40.060 --> 00:04:43.399 we have for you. So I'll come back. We'll talk 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:47.319 to Scott about some things. And then we will 00:04:47.319 --> 00:04:49.939 take your calls after the interview. You can 00:04:49.939 --> 00:04:52.360 give us a call. And I'll go ahead and give you 00:04:52.360 --> 00:04:56.000 the phone number to call. It's 812 -NET -HAM 00:04:56.000 --> 00:05:02.459 -1. That's 812 -638 -4261. Or you can Skype us 00:05:02.459 --> 00:05:05.579 at HamTalk Live. You can also tweet us anytime. 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:08.610 Our Twitter handle is... is at HamTalk Live, 00:05:08.689 --> 00:05:10.370 but I'll let you know when it's time to call. 00:05:10.750 --> 00:05:13.009 We're gonna talk to Scott first and then we'll 00:05:13.009 --> 00:05:15.769 take your calls live. So I'll be back right after 00:05:15.769 --> 00:05:19.449 this from Tower Electronics right here on HamTalk 00:05:19.449 --> 00:05:22.430 Live. This episode of HamTalk Live is brought 00:05:22.430 --> 00:05:26.120 to you in part by Tower Electronics. Tower Electronics 00:05:26.120 --> 00:05:29.339 has been the Ham's Dime Store since 1978. When 00:05:29.339 --> 00:05:32.060 you need connectors, mobile and handheld antennas, 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:35.519 cables or adapters, visit Scott or Jill at a 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:38.879 HamFest near you. Or you can order online at 00:05:38.879 --> 00:05:46.620 PL -259 .com or call 920 -435 -2973. Stock up 00:05:46.620 --> 00:05:49.860 on those supplies like PL -259 and end connectors, 00:05:50.279 --> 00:05:53.439 SMA adapters, audio cables, soldering supplies, 00:05:53.680 --> 00:05:56.439 mobile antennas, and hamsticks. Their silver 00:05:56.439 --> 00:05:59.360 -plated end connectors are even used on the International 00:05:59.360 --> 00:06:02.680 Space Station. Tower Electronics carries MFJ, 00:06:02.879 --> 00:06:07.040 Comet, Daiwa, OPEC, Workman, and HamPro products. 00:06:07.240 --> 00:06:10.839 And don't miss their 0 % off sale going on now. 00:06:10.980 --> 00:06:15.399 Tower Electronics online at PL -259 .com. Proud 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:19.819 to sponsor this episode of HamTalk Live. All 00:06:19.819 --> 00:06:43.949 ham, all the time. HamTalk Live. I'd like to 00:06:43.949 --> 00:06:47.370 thank Scott and Jill at Tower Electronics for 00:06:47.370 --> 00:06:51.730 helping to bring HamTalk Live your way this evening. 00:06:53.329 --> 00:06:56.449 They're going to be in Cedarburg, Wisconsin this 00:06:56.449 --> 00:06:59.430 weekend. And then Saturday, October 7th, they'll 00:06:59.430 --> 00:07:03.490 be in Belton, Texas. And October 13th and 14th, 00:07:03.490 --> 00:07:06.329 they'll be down in Melbourne, Florida. Or you 00:07:06.329 --> 00:07:11.170 can give them a phone call, 920 -435 -2973, or 00:07:11.170 --> 00:07:16.240 catch them at their website PL -259 .com. Tell 00:07:16.240 --> 00:07:18.439 them you heard it on HamTalk Live. We're here 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:21.079 every Thursday night at 9 p .m. Eastern Time 00:07:21.079 --> 00:07:26.240 at HamTalkLive .com. Scott Westerman, W9WSW resides 00:07:26.240 --> 00:07:29.060 in East Lansing, Michigan where he is an Associate 00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:32.459 Vice President of Alumni Relations and Executive 00:07:32.459 --> 00:07:35.060 Director of the Michigan State University Alumni 00:07:35.060 --> 00:07:39.139 Association. Scott spent 32 years as a broadcaster, 00:07:39.480 --> 00:07:42.699 corporate executive and entrepreneur after graduating 00:07:42.699 --> 00:07:45.670 from Michigan State. Scott is actively engaged 00:07:45.670 --> 00:07:48.189 with the Michigan State University Amateur Radio 00:07:48.189 --> 00:07:53.430 Club W8SH and is the chair of the ARRL Public 00:07:53.430 --> 00:07:56.649 Relations Committee. He's also been a technical 00:07:56.649 --> 00:07:58.970 coordinator for the New Mexico section of the 00:07:58.970 --> 00:08:03.189 ARRL. Scott was licensed in 1982 and he is the 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:06.189 social media director for the upcoming Great 00:08:06.189 --> 00:08:10.209 Lakes HamCon that we'll be talking about. So 00:08:10.209 --> 00:08:13.439 Scott, welcome to HamTalk Live. Neil it's great 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:15.480 to be with you. You read that just exactly the 00:08:15.480 --> 00:08:20.600 way I wrote it. Thank you very much. Yeah Well, 00:08:20.720 --> 00:08:24.459 it's it's a pleasure to have you on and I Feel 00:08:24.459 --> 00:08:27.899 like after reading that that that I should play 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:31.079 the Michigan State fight song here But I figured 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:35.399 that would be a copyright violation. So I didn't 00:08:35.399 --> 00:08:39.529 I didn't pull out my copy of the fight song It's 00:08:39.529 --> 00:08:42.110 no copyright violation, but I hear that often. 00:08:42.429 --> 00:08:47.529 So it's okay to go an evening without it. Every 00:08:47.529 --> 00:08:50.470 time there's a touchdown, here comes another. 00:08:51.429 --> 00:08:56.490 Michigan State fight song play so yeah I do some 00:08:56.490 --> 00:08:59.570 sports announcing and with doing high schools 00:08:59.570 --> 00:09:01.990 you know they always steal all the college fight 00:09:01.990 --> 00:09:06.210 songs so I have a collection of all of you know 00:09:06.210 --> 00:09:10.970 the major college fight songs so I do actually 00:09:10.970 --> 00:09:14.500 have a copy of it but Well, anyway, tonight we're 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:17.879 here to talk about ham radio. So let's do that. 00:09:18.139 --> 00:09:21.559 And since you work every day promoting Michigan 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:24.759 State and the alumni and working with people 00:09:24.759 --> 00:09:29.600 every day, you spend a lot of time promoting 00:09:29.600 --> 00:09:33.480 things and relating with the public. And you 00:09:33.480 --> 00:09:36.860 also spend a lot of time promoting ham radio. 00:09:37.019 --> 00:09:39.559 So let's talk a little bit about public relations 00:09:39.559 --> 00:09:45.309 and how you can Get the word out on on ham radio 00:09:45.309 --> 00:09:51.049 and maybe your local club and and Kind of spread 00:09:51.049 --> 00:09:55.169 the word about ham radio Well, I mean it all 00:09:55.169 --> 00:09:59.049 it really public relations is is simply the narrative, 00:09:59.230 --> 00:10:01.090 right? So the first thing you need to think about 00:10:01.090 --> 00:10:03.809 is what is your narrative and for every club 00:10:03.809 --> 00:10:06.090 it's a little bit different because every club 00:10:06.090 --> 00:10:11.570 has its own personality and its own membership 00:10:11.570 --> 00:10:15.070 and its own culture. And one of the things that 00:10:15.070 --> 00:10:19.149 translated very well for me from my day job to 00:10:19.149 --> 00:10:21.809 Ham Radio is the whole notion of the club structure. 00:10:21.870 --> 00:10:24.049 Because we at Michigan State, the Alumni Association, 00:10:24.210 --> 00:10:29.409 have over 140 clubs worldwide. And no two are 00:10:29.409 --> 00:10:33.330 the same. But the narrative we try and work with 00:10:33.330 --> 00:10:35.750 is very similar. So when we're thinking about 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:40.049 what the value of ham radio is the kind of the 00:10:40.049 --> 00:10:42.690 old saw that we've always used is when all else 00:10:42.690 --> 00:10:44.769 fails were there. And we have a lot of really 00:10:44.769 --> 00:10:48.789 neat examples of that, especially now, when the 00:10:48.789 --> 00:10:53.450 infrastructure fails. For example, today, Carl 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:57.110 Berry, Kilo Charlie 5, Charlie Mike x -ray, set 00:10:57.110 --> 00:11:01.629 up a website which is kilo golf, kilo for golf, 00:11:02.330 --> 00:11:07.600 Sierra Oscar dash us. And what that does is that 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:11.360 takes the current technologies of a website and 00:11:11.360 --> 00:11:14.600 allows you to put a message if you're looking 00:11:14.600 --> 00:11:16.500 for somebody or want to get a message to somebody 00:11:16.500 --> 00:11:18.820 in Puerto Rico or any of the other disaster areas 00:11:18.820 --> 00:11:21.379 where the infrastructure is currently down, he 00:11:21.379 --> 00:11:23.360 will make sure that gets into the national traffic 00:11:23.360 --> 00:11:26.620 system. So that's an interesting piece of the 00:11:26.639 --> 00:11:29.279 emergency communications narrative but there 00:11:29.279 --> 00:11:31.919 are several others that that i think work equally 00:11:31.919 --> 00:11:34.720 well and it depends again on the second piece 00:11:34.720 --> 00:11:38.720 of this public relations uh puzzle which is what 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.320 what is your audience right so neil for guys 00:11:41.320 --> 00:11:43.779 like you and me that have been around a while 00:11:43.779 --> 00:11:46.220 there are certain things that we're interested 00:11:46.220 --> 00:11:50.980 in right and that's the typical club stuff but 00:11:50.980 --> 00:11:53.679 the next generation that we're trying to attract 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:56.259 may not be interested in that. And so that's 00:11:56.259 --> 00:11:59.240 where the opportunity to think about what it 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:02.179 is that your audience is interested in and how 00:12:02.179 --> 00:12:05.509 do they like to consume information. So, for 00:12:05.509 --> 00:12:09.129 example, at our club, we do an awful lot with 00:12:09.129 --> 00:12:11.149 the maker movement. We hold our meetings in the 00:12:11.149 --> 00:12:15.129 maker space. We align with the various maker 00:12:15.129 --> 00:12:17.669 organizations around town because that's where 00:12:17.669 --> 00:12:20.970 we find the new hams. That's, in essence, what 00:12:20.970 --> 00:12:23.129 we were when you and I, when you got, I think 00:12:23.129 --> 00:12:26.950 you were licensed around, let's see, if you were 00:12:26.950 --> 00:12:31.570 five, so that'd be 1975, right? 76. 76 around 00:12:31.570 --> 00:12:33.870 the same time I was and back then we were still 00:12:33.870 --> 00:12:35.990 building things and it was still cool to use 00:12:35.990 --> 00:12:38.470 a foam patch and all that kind of stuff and That's 00:12:38.470 --> 00:12:40.230 in essence what the maker guys are doing now 00:12:40.230 --> 00:12:42.950 So when you think about that demographic the 00:12:42.950 --> 00:12:44.529 Millennials and some of the younger folks, that's 00:12:44.529 --> 00:12:46.549 what they're interested in so part of the secret 00:12:46.549 --> 00:12:48.889 of public relations is number one figuring out 00:12:48.889 --> 00:12:50.909 what your narrative it is and then figuring out 00:12:50.909 --> 00:12:53.889 the the network that you want to use to get it 00:12:53.889 --> 00:12:56.809 to them. For example, we think that websites, 00:12:57.110 --> 00:12:58.990 guys our age still think websites are pretty 00:12:58.990 --> 00:13:01.629 cool, but there are a lot of clubs out there 00:13:01.629 --> 00:13:04.909 in my world that don't have a website that exists 00:13:04.909 --> 00:13:08.250 primarily on Facebook and Twitter because that's 00:13:08.250 --> 00:13:10.730 where their members are. So part of what you 00:13:10.730 --> 00:13:12.669 need to do in the club world is figure out how 00:13:12.669 --> 00:13:15.769 your your folks like to be communicated with. 00:13:16.190 --> 00:13:18.710 Our students, for example, Neil, don't open email 00:13:18.710 --> 00:13:20.929 anymore. If you want to talk to a student, you 00:13:20.929 --> 00:13:24.870 got to text them, right? So that's all about 00:13:24.870 --> 00:13:28.070 mine. Mine are even getting away from from texting. 00:13:28.090 --> 00:13:30.309 And I went to Twitter because they were on Twitter. 00:13:30.389 --> 00:13:33.549 Now they've left that. Now it's Snapchat. Everybody 00:13:33.549 --> 00:13:36.259 on Snapchat. Because they think it disappears. 00:13:36.500 --> 00:13:38.279 They don't realize you can screenshot all that 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:39.840 and keep it forever just like anything else. 00:13:40.120 --> 00:13:41.740 But that's what we've got to do. We have to be 00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:43.799 out on the cutting edge. And one of the most 00:13:43.799 --> 00:13:45.779 interesting things for me about the most recent 00:13:45.779 --> 00:13:49.320 hurricane adventures is the emergence of Zello 00:13:49.320 --> 00:13:54.120 as a communications app. And some of my more 00:13:54.120 --> 00:13:56.480 seasoned amateur radio buddies say, well, that's 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:58.759 not ham radio. But it is what we do. Because 00:13:58.759 --> 00:14:02.360 after all, What my narrative is for amateur radio, 00:14:02.419 --> 00:14:04.620 and I think it's a very powerful narrative, is 00:14:04.620 --> 00:14:07.200 that we're the communication and technology specialists. 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.320 It doesn't matter what the platform is, we know 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:13.019 how to utilize it to make sure that the message 00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:16.529 gets through. Some of this, I've actually had 00:14:16.529 --> 00:14:18.269 a couple of conversations with the folks that 00:14:18.269 --> 00:14:22.309 were running the hurricane Irma Zello net because 00:14:22.309 --> 00:14:24.309 they wanted to talk about, okay, so how do you 00:14:24.309 --> 00:14:27.590 guys really handle a net control situation? Right. 00:14:28.149 --> 00:14:30.429 And there may or may not be a call sign in involved, 00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:32.769 but there are amateur radio guys involved. And 00:14:32.769 --> 00:14:34.669 at the end of the day, that's what we really 00:14:34.669 --> 00:14:36.629 need to, that's where our value add is. We're 00:14:36.629 --> 00:14:39.409 the experts in technology and communication. 00:14:40.409 --> 00:14:44.120 Absolutely. And, uh, There's there's all kinds 00:14:44.120 --> 00:14:47.679 of things. In fact, I got an email or tweet this 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:51.059 week from somebody saying that they were doing 00:14:51.059 --> 00:14:56.179 some GMRS cross -platform things with with hams 00:14:56.179 --> 00:14:58.899 and and trying to get you know something out 00:14:58.899 --> 00:15:03.039 there with the GMRS that's a little more Steered, 00:15:03.200 --> 00:15:05.580 you know toward the public and although a lot 00:15:05.580 --> 00:15:07.419 of people don't realize you're supposed to have 00:15:07.419 --> 00:15:11.139 a license for that But but there's some interoperability 00:15:11.139 --> 00:15:14.179 that that's going on over on GMRS and I'd never 00:15:14.179 --> 00:15:16.779 heard of it before so we're gonna look into it 00:15:16.779 --> 00:15:21.139 a little bit, but There's all kinds of app opportunities 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.809 and that the app The Zillow app, I know, I think 00:15:23.809 --> 00:15:26.789 it even got overloaded with a lot of things going 00:15:26.789 --> 00:15:31.009 on here in the last couple of weeks with all 00:15:31.009 --> 00:15:35.029 the hurricanes. Well, that's exactly right. If 00:15:35.029 --> 00:15:38.950 you look up radiorelay .org, that's a group founded 00:15:38.950 --> 00:15:41.570 by fans of the National Traffic System, and they 00:15:41.570 --> 00:15:46.389 actually created a guide for people who own GMRS 00:15:46.389 --> 00:15:49.830 or FRS rigs on how to use them to summon help. 00:15:50.009 --> 00:15:54.149 and they set out a system where you make your 00:15:54.149 --> 00:15:56.350 call for the first five to eight minutes at the 00:15:56.350 --> 00:15:58.870 top of the hour and then you listen to tell you 00:15:58.870 --> 00:16:02.029 how to conserve your power and how to, basically 00:16:02.029 --> 00:16:04.049 setting up a protocol very much like we do so 00:16:04.049 --> 00:16:06.009 naturally at Amateur Radio. So I think that's 00:16:06.009 --> 00:16:08.409 part of the value we add, right, is we can train 00:16:08.409 --> 00:16:11.490 these folks in how to use their technology. And 00:16:11.490 --> 00:16:14.480 then... what naturally kind of happens. I'm sure 00:16:14.480 --> 00:16:16.340 this happened for you, right? I mean, there's 00:16:16.340 --> 00:16:18.399 somewhere out there, there was an Elmer that 00:16:18.399 --> 00:16:20.840 kept you interested from the time you got your 00:16:20.840 --> 00:16:22.519 license till the time you decided this was going 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:25.379 to be not just a hobby, but an essential avocation 00:16:25.379 --> 00:16:28.360 for you. And then that's kind of what we do best 00:16:28.360 --> 00:16:30.639 is like that. So I was, I was really glad to 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:34.279 see radio relay .org put out a manual for GMRS 00:16:34.279 --> 00:16:36.320 folks and how they can use their stuff to summon 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:40.940 help. Yeah. And you know, I just, found out on 00:16:40.940 --> 00:16:45.200 on facebook here actually um that one of my former 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:49.379 ham radio students was lost in a cave for three 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:54.039 days and what wait a minute here how did that 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:56.220 happen of course he didn't have a radio with 00:16:56.220 --> 00:17:01.059 him uh but You know, they finally, you know, 00:17:01.460 --> 00:17:06.700 organized a search and they found him. But, you 00:17:06.700 --> 00:17:09.920 know, these kinds of things happen. And, you 00:17:09.920 --> 00:17:13.900 know, there's all kinds of possibilities there, 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:16.819 you know, and ham radio is definitely one of 00:17:16.819 --> 00:17:19.380 those avenues, but there's several out there. 00:17:19.980 --> 00:17:22.839 And, like you said, you get the message across 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:26.670 of how to handle the traffic and how to handle 00:17:26.670 --> 00:17:29.509 the flow. And of course, we want to use, you 00:17:29.509 --> 00:17:32.970 know, ham radio stuff to do that with. But, you 00:17:32.970 --> 00:17:36.069 know, in an emergency situation, you know, we 00:17:36.069 --> 00:17:39.170 may need to use more than that. Yeah, the platform 00:17:39.170 --> 00:17:41.250 doesn't matter at the end of the day. It's the 00:17:41.250 --> 00:17:43.849 people behind the platform. And the great thing 00:17:43.849 --> 00:17:46.809 about our essential avocation is that we spend 00:17:46.809 --> 00:17:49.230 a lot of time encouraging people to get trained. 00:17:49.440 --> 00:17:51.960 Right. So one of the first things I did when 00:17:51.960 --> 00:17:54.299 I was licensed was I went to Skywarn training 00:17:54.299 --> 00:17:57.619 and I was assigned my bridge down near Roseville 00:17:57.619 --> 00:18:00.039 in Metro Detroit. And every time there would 00:18:00.039 --> 00:18:02.079 be a watch that looked like it was going to go 00:18:02.079 --> 00:18:04.480 to warning. I went to my bridge and I looked 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:09.420 for circulation in that cumulonimbus cloud that 00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:12.740 was supposedly coming over. And that's that's 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:14.599 the value that we can add. If you look at a lot 00:18:14.599 --> 00:18:16.980 of organizations at Michigan State University, 00:18:16.980 --> 00:18:20.410 we have a C .E .R. RT team. And there are some 00:18:20.410 --> 00:18:24.309 ham radio guys on there. But the ham radio knowledge 00:18:24.309 --> 00:18:26.910 and technology and the ability to train is, I 00:18:26.910 --> 00:18:32.130 think, one of our strongest suits. And it is 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:34.769 interesting because what tends to happen, I think, 00:18:34.910 --> 00:18:38.470 to a lot of us after time goes by is that we 00:18:38.470 --> 00:18:41.440 kind of latch on to a certain dimension of the 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.099 hobby. One of the things that's so great about 00:18:43.099 --> 00:18:44.980 this hobby, Neil, is there's something for everyone. 00:18:45.380 --> 00:18:48.059 There's a wide array of things you could do with 00:18:48.059 --> 00:18:50.660 ham radio that it's very easy to find something 00:18:50.660 --> 00:18:52.700 you're interested in. But as you grow older, 00:18:53.160 --> 00:18:55.779 you get hooked on CW like some guys do, or some 00:18:55.779 --> 00:18:58.039 guys are DMR, D -Star guys, or some guys are 00:18:58.039 --> 00:19:00.380 satellite guys, like my good friend KX9X, Sean 00:19:00.380 --> 00:19:03.259 Kutsko. And you end up wanting to do specifically 00:19:03.259 --> 00:19:07.220 that. And then that's where I think you get into 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:09.779 some trouble because then you begin to think, 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:12.319 well, this is what ham radio is. So for example, 00:19:12.640 --> 00:19:14.039 when somebody gets a license, the first thing 00:19:14.039 --> 00:19:16.079 I tell them to do before they even go out and 00:19:16.079 --> 00:19:17.980 buy a radio is I tell them to go get the echo 00:19:17.980 --> 00:19:21.079 link app for their phone and start talking to 00:19:21.079 --> 00:19:24.440 people there. The key is to find ways to keep 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:27.240 them engaged and excited about it. And from a 00:19:27.240 --> 00:19:29.420 public relations perspective, that's the challenge 00:19:29.420 --> 00:19:31.759 that we have is how do we tell those stories, 00:19:31.759 --> 00:19:34.759 right? Because it's the stories that really excite 00:19:34.759 --> 00:19:38.359 people about the hobby. Absolutely and and you 00:19:38.359 --> 00:19:41.420 know and even as a teacher that that's that's 00:19:41.420 --> 00:19:44.420 chemistry even you know it's storytelling and 00:19:44.420 --> 00:19:46.980 and you got it you have to get those those stories 00:19:46.980 --> 00:19:50.279 in there to get the get the attention of them 00:19:50.279 --> 00:19:53.660 and and and get in there and and and get them 00:19:53.660 --> 00:19:56.259 excited about something and get them interested 00:19:56.259 --> 00:19:58.519 in one of the things that I talk about a lot 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:02.299 is listening to drive -up headsets they have 00:20:02.299 --> 00:20:05.259 no idea that you could actually listen to you 00:20:05.259 --> 00:20:09.200 know Drive -up headset at McDonald's and it's 00:20:09.200 --> 00:20:13.359 like oh you can do that It's like yeah, you know 00:20:13.359 --> 00:20:15.839 and Thursdays after school we have him radio 00:20:15.839 --> 00:20:23.579 club come join us and and it works See that's 00:20:23.579 --> 00:20:25.839 fascinating that's the stuff I love because there's 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:27.599 always somebody somebody out there figuring something 00:20:27.599 --> 00:20:31.759 out I have sitting next to me a Kenwood tk820 00:20:32.700 --> 00:20:35.880 formerly a business band repeater that I've repurposed 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:39.599 for a 77 centimeter repeater and it is controlled 00:20:39.599 --> 00:20:43.019 by a Raspberry Pi which is using the asterisk 00:20:43.019 --> 00:20:46.619 all -star image and of course I had some Elmer's 00:20:46.619 --> 00:20:48.539 that helped me figure out how to do that but 00:20:48.539 --> 00:20:51.079 that thing you know it has you can connect to 00:20:51.079 --> 00:20:53.220 any all -star echo link node with that thing 00:20:53.220 --> 00:20:58.240 using DTMF You can do it from an IXRPT phone 00:20:58.240 --> 00:21:01.579 on your computer. It has the weather at the bottom 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:06.240 of the hour. I connect to the Insomniac's Net 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:09.079 every morning at 2 a .m. and to the Good Morning 00:21:09.079 --> 00:21:11.660 Net every day at 10. It does everything that 00:21:11.660 --> 00:21:14.519 that controller we used to pay $2 ,500 or $3 00:21:14.519 --> 00:21:17.319 ,000 for does. And it was some guy that figured 00:21:17.319 --> 00:21:21.180 out how to put it on a $25 item. So that's that's 00:21:21.180 --> 00:21:23.220 what I really love about this hobby. It's just 00:21:23.220 --> 00:21:25.480 there's just so many dimensions and for a guy 00:21:25.480 --> 00:21:27.460 like me that has a very short attention span 00:21:27.460 --> 00:21:29.279 there's always something new and shiny I could 00:21:29.279 --> 00:21:32.640 play with. Oh yeah absolutely. Well let's talk 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:34.359 a little bit about what the league is doing. 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:38.140 You're the chair of the public relations committee 00:21:38.140 --> 00:21:41.279 and so tell us some of the things that the the 00:21:41.279 --> 00:21:44.599 league is doing to help promote ham radio. Well, 00:21:44.599 --> 00:21:46.599 I mean the most exciting thing that's going on 00:21:46.599 --> 00:21:49.019 right now and that the league now that and Pota 00:21:49.019 --> 00:21:51.519 is over I think the national parks on the air 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:54.799 thing that Sean and Norm Fusaro came up with 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:58.500 it HQ was probably the most exciting thing that's 00:21:58.500 --> 00:22:01.759 happened Oh since there were sunspots the last 00:22:01.759 --> 00:22:06.109 decent sunspot cycle we had There were so many 00:22:06.109 --> 00:22:08.230 people that were involved in that last year and 00:22:08.230 --> 00:22:10.329 there was just so much fun. So many new friendships 00:22:10.329 --> 00:22:14.029 were made. New stars emerged in the hobby. That 00:22:14.029 --> 00:22:17.450 was really an out of the park home run for the 00:22:17.450 --> 00:22:20.109 league. And one of the things that Tom Gallagher, 00:22:20.190 --> 00:22:23.170 our CEO, started to think about is how can we 00:22:23.170 --> 00:22:26.069 engage the collegiate audience? So he came up 00:22:26.069 --> 00:22:28.150 with the Collegiate Amateur Radio Initiative. 00:22:28.619 --> 00:22:31.640 And there is a Facebook page for that. And there's 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.920 a dedicated group of a growing number of groups 00:22:34.920 --> 00:22:38.559 that represent ham radio clubs at the college 00:22:38.559 --> 00:22:41.059 level across the country. Some that had been 00:22:41.059 --> 00:22:42.980 dormant for many years that are coming back, 00:22:43.079 --> 00:22:46.400 some that are legendary, like W1YU, the Yale 00:22:46.400 --> 00:22:48.440 University group that's got a net every Tuesday 00:22:48.440 --> 00:22:51.220 night. And they're all coming together and talking 00:22:51.220 --> 00:22:55.910 about how to excite the next generation about 00:22:55.910 --> 00:22:58.710 amateur radio and that's been great fun for me 00:22:58.710 --> 00:23:01.109 because what it's helped me do is to research 00:23:01.109 --> 00:23:04.579 What the things are that are out there? that 00:23:04.579 --> 00:23:08.359 really make for revitalizing a college ham club. 00:23:08.779 --> 00:23:12.619 And if you go to my website, W9WSW .com and scroll 00:23:12.619 --> 00:23:15.740 down a little bit, you'll see that revitalizing 00:23:15.740 --> 00:23:19.460 your college ham club. And I got about two dozen 00:23:19.460 --> 00:23:22.579 ideas that I picked up along the way, many of 00:23:22.579 --> 00:23:24.779 which we've used at the MSU Amateur Radio Club, 00:23:25.420 --> 00:23:27.900 which can work to get people excited about the 00:23:27.900 --> 00:23:30.180 hobby and get things organized and get things 00:23:30.180 --> 00:23:32.619 going. And the best thing about it, Neil, is 00:23:32.619 --> 00:23:37.390 it really can be used beyond the collegiate level 00:23:37.390 --> 00:23:40.430 and you can plug it in basically to any club 00:23:40.430 --> 00:23:43.349 that's out there. And if you use some of those 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:45.990 ideas, you can't help but get people excited 00:23:45.990 --> 00:23:48.329 about it. One of the things that we do at Michigan 00:23:48.329 --> 00:23:51.990 State is on game day, we attach an APRS beacon 00:23:51.990 --> 00:23:55.759 to our mascot. Sparty is the world's most well 00:23:55.759 --> 00:23:58.779 -known college mascot, and you can follow Sparty 00:23:58.779 --> 00:24:03.920 wherever he is on game day by going to aprs .fi 00:24:03.920 --> 00:24:08.910 and looking at uh whiskey nine mike sierra uniform 00:24:08.910 --> 00:24:13.230 w8 msu whiskey eight mike sierra uniform slash 00:24:13.230 --> 00:24:16.250 13 and you'll see that's exactly where sparty 00:24:16.250 --> 00:24:18.650 is so that's just one example of many things 00:24:18.650 --> 00:24:21.470 that you can do at the collegiate level to get 00:24:21.470 --> 00:24:23.730 people excited but also translates real well 00:24:23.730 --> 00:24:26.630 no matter what department of ham radio you're 00:24:26.630 --> 00:24:29.529 really working on so you you heard it here on 00:24:29.529 --> 00:24:31.930 ham talk live if you if you're michigan state 00:24:31.930 --> 00:24:36.180 fan you want to get a picture with sparty All 00:24:36.180 --> 00:24:40.819 he got to do is pull up a PRS People have done 00:24:40.819 --> 00:24:43.700 that very thing I you know, I've seen guys that 00:24:43.700 --> 00:24:45.940 have come up to me and they're waving their their 00:24:45.940 --> 00:24:48.319 HT in their hands and they're saying this is 00:24:48.319 --> 00:24:56.779 how I found you That's great that is great I 00:24:56.779 --> 00:25:00.160 love it. Well, we've got to take a break here 00:25:00.160 --> 00:25:03.400 soon, but I know we wanted take at least a couple 00:25:03.400 --> 00:25:06.059 of minutes here to talk about another event that 00:25:06.059 --> 00:25:09.700 you're associated with, you're promoting, and 00:25:09.700 --> 00:25:13.960 that's a new convention up in Michigan. It's 00:25:13.960 --> 00:25:17.500 the Great Lakes HamCon coming up soon. So take 00:25:17.500 --> 00:25:19.779 a couple of minutes and fill us in on what's 00:25:19.779 --> 00:25:22.500 going on with HamCon. Well, I'm really excited 00:25:22.500 --> 00:25:24.720 about Great Lakes Ham Con, because in essence, 00:25:25.160 --> 00:25:27.920 it's the latest startup in amateur radio ham 00:25:27.920 --> 00:25:30.980 fest. We have this fantastic venue, the Michigan 00:25:30.980 --> 00:25:34.079 International Speedway. There are no races going 00:25:34.079 --> 00:25:37.779 on that weekend, so it's all ours. The flea market 00:25:37.779 --> 00:25:40.680 is going to be on pit road. We have a special 00:25:40.680 --> 00:25:42.200 event station that's going to be in one of the 00:25:42.200 --> 00:25:45.640 garages. The league is sending out representation. 00:25:45.799 --> 00:25:47.460 Rick Roderick's gonna be our keynote speaker. 00:25:47.579 --> 00:25:50.119 We got Carol Perry, the legendary Youth Forums 00:25:50.119 --> 00:25:52.599 person that's coming. We have a few vendors. 00:25:53.799 --> 00:25:56.660 There's so much going on surrounding our date 00:25:56.660 --> 00:25:58.960 that many of the major vendors who will be with 00:25:58.960 --> 00:26:01.759 us next time around. can't make it because they're 00:26:01.759 --> 00:26:04.279 still unpacking from Pacificon and that kind 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:06.859 of stuff. But we're really excited about this 00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:11.420 as a festival that we think will grow. We have 00:26:11.420 --> 00:26:13.599 representatives from the Dayton Hamvention coming 00:26:13.599 --> 00:26:15.759 up. We got people from Orlando Hamcation that 00:26:15.759 --> 00:26:18.799 are going to be there. And we expect we're going 00:26:18.799 --> 00:26:20.900 to have right around 1 ,000 people show up for 00:26:20.900 --> 00:26:24.000 this first time. And if we do, that'll be a success 00:26:24.000 --> 00:26:27.140 and we'll break even. So the date is October 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:29.559 7th and 8th. And it's going to be at the Michigan 00:26:29.559 --> 00:26:32.259 International Speedway in Brooklyn. We got hotel 00:26:32.259 --> 00:26:35.359 discounts in Jackson. We have a ton of great 00:26:35.359 --> 00:26:38.000 camping. This is a NASCAR event. So you know 00:26:38.000 --> 00:26:41.680 they do the camping stuff really well. And we 00:26:41.680 --> 00:26:43.599 got the banquet. We're doing a woof -ong. We're 00:26:43.599 --> 00:26:45.460 doing the whole nine yards. And you can learn 00:26:45.460 --> 00:26:51.220 all about it at glhamcon .org. GL for Great Lakes, 00:26:51.500 --> 00:27:01.220 hamcon .org. sounds on the uh... p a of warm 00:27:01.220 --> 00:27:05.700 you know make people feel like you know they're 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:08.640 there at the speedway or you know what i had 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:10.519 not thought about that deal i think that's a 00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:14.119 great idea yeah normally at a race to have a 00:27:14.119 --> 00:27:16.180 bit of a NASCAR but you can hear a darn thing 00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:18.839 it's really well uh... so it's it's going to 00:27:18.839 --> 00:27:21.220 be uh... at the the venue itself is going to 00:27:21.220 --> 00:27:23.559 be so much fun because we'll have the whole infield 00:27:23.759 --> 00:27:25.720 One of the things that Dayton guys are very interested 00:27:25.720 --> 00:27:29.440 on is figuring out how to make it so that the 00:27:29.440 --> 00:27:32.680 flea market's not so muddy at Xenia. And at MIS, 00:27:32.859 --> 00:27:35.359 it's all asphalt. So we guarantee that even if 00:27:35.359 --> 00:27:38.319 it were to rain, you're going to have a perfect 00:27:38.319 --> 00:27:40.359 place for your flea market. But it's going to 00:27:40.359 --> 00:27:43.160 be great fun. We're looking forward to it. Now, 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:46.519 I got to throw this out there, OK? If it's NASCAR, 00:27:47.099 --> 00:27:50.279 you know what's going to come up? after they 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:52.619 go down the straightaway, it's another left turn. 00:27:53.420 --> 00:27:55.720 And what comes up next? Oh, it's another left 00:27:55.720 --> 00:27:58.359 turn. So does that mean that if you drive those 00:27:58.359 --> 00:28:01.140 little scooters around at the Hamfest, you can 00:28:01.140 --> 00:28:05.740 only turn left? Yeah, that's great. Well, we 00:28:05.740 --> 00:28:07.779 won't restrict people from turning left. We'll 00:28:07.779 --> 00:28:09.480 make it very easy for you to do it if you want 00:28:09.480 --> 00:28:15.269 to. Oh, it's another left turn. All right. Well, 00:28:15.349 --> 00:28:16.910 we're going to take a break, we're going to come 00:28:16.910 --> 00:28:19.869 back and we'll take your calls and we may talk 00:28:19.869 --> 00:28:23.150 a little more about Michigan State and the collegiate 00:28:23.150 --> 00:28:25.690 initiative and all that kind of thing, but we'll 00:28:25.690 --> 00:28:29.309 give you a chance to call in and that phone number 00:28:29.309 --> 00:28:35.970 is 812 -NET -HAM -1, 812 -638 -4261 and we'll 00:28:35.970 --> 00:28:39.910 be back after we pay a bill or two and take your 00:28:39.910 --> 00:28:42.930 calls after this from the Ham Station right here 00:28:42.930 --> 00:28:46.069 on HamTalk Live. This episode of HamTalk Live 00:28:46.069 --> 00:28:49.529 is brought to you by the HamStation. For over 00:28:49.529 --> 00:28:52.569 37 years, the HamStation has sold new and used 00:28:52.569 --> 00:28:55.470 radios, antennas, accessories, and equipment 00:28:55.470 --> 00:28:59.250 to hams everywhere. Give Dan or Jeff a call at 00:28:59.250 --> 00:29:05.809 800 -729 -4373, or order online at hamstation 00:29:05.809 --> 00:29:09.390 .com. HamStation carries all the major brands 00:29:09.390 --> 00:29:13.170 like Icom, Yezu, and Kenwood, and they have a 00:29:13.170 --> 00:29:15.500 wide selection. collection of radio scanners, 00:29:15.799 --> 00:29:19.319 MFJ accessories, Hile sound products, amplifiers 00:29:19.319 --> 00:29:22.839 by Mirage and Ameritron, Cushcraft antennas and 00:29:22.839 --> 00:29:26.579 more. Easy online ordering is at hamstation .com 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:32.720 or call 1 -800 -729 -4373 to place an order and 00:29:32.720 --> 00:29:35.519 talk it over with the experts. The Ham Station, 00:29:35.839 --> 00:29:39.240 proud to sponsor this episode of Ham Talk Live. 00:29:44.549 --> 00:29:48.089 Join the conversation. Call us on voice with 00:29:48.089 --> 00:29:51.890 Skype at HamTalk Live or give us a call at 812 00:29:51.890 --> 00:29:58.269 -NET -HAM -1. That's 812 -638 -4261. Now here's 00:29:58.269 --> 00:30:02.140 more HamTalk Live. All right, well it's still 00:30:02.140 --> 00:30:05.299 buy your husband a ham radio month according 00:30:05.299 --> 00:30:08.339 to Twitter So give ham station a call at eight 00:30:08.339 --> 00:30:10.839 hundred seven two nine forty three seventy three 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:15.339 or go to hamstation .com and and you know, leave 00:30:15.339 --> 00:30:18.859 that web page up and intentionally open maybe 00:30:18.859 --> 00:30:22.299 maybe you know, maybe buy you a new radio. You 00:30:22.299 --> 00:30:25.140 never know. Be sure to listen to HamTalk Live 00:30:25.140 --> 00:30:27.579 every Thursday night, 9 p .m. Eastern Time at 00:30:27.579 --> 00:30:31.380 HamTalkLive .com. Check out our Facebook, Twitter, 00:30:31.460 --> 00:30:33.740 and Instagram. Just search HamTalk Live. You'll 00:30:33.740 --> 00:30:37.740 find us. And it's time for your call. So if you 00:30:37.740 --> 00:30:40.099 have a question for Scott about public relations, 00:30:40.180 --> 00:30:42.960 about the Great Lakes HamCon or the college initiative, 00:30:43.619 --> 00:30:46.779 any of those things, give us a call right now. 00:30:46.819 --> 00:30:52.829 And our number is 81263. 8 4 2 6 1 that spells 00:30:52.829 --> 00:30:57.690 out 8 1 2 net ham one or you can just Skype us 00:30:57.690 --> 00:31:00.130 just look for ham talk live on Skype you can 00:31:00.130 --> 00:31:03.670 find us there or you can tweet us if you're too 00:31:03.670 --> 00:31:08.190 Mike shy you can give us a tweet and that's at 00:31:08.190 --> 00:31:14.430 ham talk live as well so give us a call 812 net 00:31:14.430 --> 00:31:18.650 ham one is the number. Now let's follow up a 00:31:18.650 --> 00:31:20.569 little bit more on this ham con thing because 00:31:20.569 --> 00:31:25.279 we cut that a little short. You know, you said 00:31:25.279 --> 00:31:28.500 my friend Carol's coming to do some some youth 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:31.980 stuff and you've got some of the people coming 00:31:31.980 --> 00:31:34.720 from Dayton and Orlando and that kind of thing 00:31:34.720 --> 00:31:38.859 and so what are some of the Some of the other 00:31:38.859 --> 00:31:42.299 events that are going on there at ham con and 00:31:42.299 --> 00:31:45.779 and fill us in a little bit more on on that Well, 00:31:45.839 --> 00:31:48.700 we have a full slate of forums that are going 00:31:48.700 --> 00:31:50.420 on and this way it's gonna be very similar to 00:31:50.420 --> 00:31:52.400 what you experience when you go to a place like 00:31:52.460 --> 00:31:56.259 Dayton or Orlando. You know, we have my good 00:31:56.259 --> 00:31:59.259 friend Dan Romanchek is going to be there with 00:31:59.259 --> 00:32:01.700 his technician license in a day class if you 00:32:01.700 --> 00:32:04.579 want to get licensed for the first time. Whatever 00:32:04.579 --> 00:32:07.200 the area of amateur radio that you're interested 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:10.140 in, we've probably got a forum for you from DX 00:32:10.140 --> 00:32:13.599 to YL, the contesting and propagation, kit building, 00:32:13.819 --> 00:32:18.380 fox hunting, QRP, you name it. And several of 00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:21.279 the area clubs are actually using that venue 00:32:21.279 --> 00:32:24.559 for an opportunity for a club meeting. So it's 00:32:24.559 --> 00:32:29.180 going to feel very much like one of the majors 00:32:29.180 --> 00:32:31.640 in that space. I mean, the main thing that I'm 00:32:31.640 --> 00:32:36.480 trying to make sure that people realize is that 00:32:36.480 --> 00:32:40.039 this is a startup. We have some angel investors 00:32:40.039 --> 00:32:42.339 that are helping us get off the ground, and this 00:32:42.339 --> 00:32:45.819 is going to be the first year. We'll have our 00:32:45.819 --> 00:32:49.819 bumps and stuff like that. But the great thing 00:32:49.819 --> 00:32:52.339 about it is that both the Great Lakes Amateur 00:32:52.339 --> 00:32:55.039 Radio Association, which is the group behind 00:32:55.039 --> 00:32:58.400 this, and MIS are in this for the long haul. 00:32:58.799 --> 00:33:00.640 And we're going to take what we learn and make 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:03.579 it better with every passing year. We are accessible. 00:33:03.779 --> 00:33:05.759 You were talking about scooters turning left. 00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:10.180 We do have scooters available there. So if getting 00:33:10.180 --> 00:33:11.880 around is a challenge for you, we'll make it 00:33:11.880 --> 00:33:15.920 very easy for you. Great, great camping opportunities. 00:33:16.500 --> 00:33:19.799 Some of the best, I think, anywhere. So you can 00:33:19.799 --> 00:33:23.180 actually, and of course, the hotel rates in our 00:33:23.180 --> 00:33:25.240 part of Michigan are very, very reasonable. So 00:33:25.240 --> 00:33:27.880 you can get there for relatively inexpensively, 00:33:27.880 --> 00:33:30.720 and it won't cost you a whole lot. And there 00:33:30.720 --> 00:33:33.880 will be a lot to do while you're there. All right. 00:33:33.880 --> 00:33:37.880 Sounds like a great time. And like you said, 00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:42.660 first year is always figuring out stuff. But 00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:45.299 it sounds like, like I said, you've got a commitment 00:33:45.299 --> 00:33:47.640 for the long haul, and it's just going to get 00:33:47.640 --> 00:33:50.259 better. So it sounds like a great time. So make 00:33:50.259 --> 00:33:52.799 sure you check that out. And that website, again, 00:33:53.539 --> 00:33:58.720 is glhamcon .org. GL for Great Lakes and then 00:33:58.720 --> 00:34:01.839 hamcon .org and everything that you could ever 00:34:01.839 --> 00:34:04.519 want to know about about it is listed over there 00:34:04.519 --> 00:34:07.500 in great detail We're also on Facebook and Twitter 00:34:07.500 --> 00:34:11.260 by the way under GL hamcon for late updates as 00:34:11.260 --> 00:34:14.079 they say in the radio business Alright, very 00:34:14.079 --> 00:34:17.099 good. So check that out and if you can make it 00:34:17.099 --> 00:34:21.980 up there why sounds like a great time. 812 -638 00:34:21.980 --> 00:34:27.519 -4261 is the Teleo phone number. 812 -NET -HAM 00:34:27.519 --> 00:34:31.119 -1 is how you spell that out or Skype us or tweet 00:34:31.119 --> 00:34:34.539 us and we'd love to hear from you right now and 00:34:34.539 --> 00:34:38.940 ask questions here with Scott Westerman W9WSW 00:34:38.940 --> 00:34:42.590 who's joining us. Talking a little public relations 00:34:42.590 --> 00:34:46.230 tonight and a little bit about the Michigan State 00:34:46.230 --> 00:34:50.489 Amateur Radio Club and the Great Lakes Ham Con. 00:34:50.869 --> 00:34:58.309 So give us a call 812 -638 -4261. Okay, so while 00:34:58.309 --> 00:35:02.389 we're waiting here, let's get back to the college 00:35:02.389 --> 00:35:07.880 initiative a little bit. kind of in the same 00:35:07.880 --> 00:35:10.239 kind of thing where we do it at high school level, 00:35:10.719 --> 00:35:13.199 but we're always trying to recruit new members 00:35:13.199 --> 00:35:17.059 and trying to get people engaged. So tell us 00:35:17.059 --> 00:35:20.199 a little bit about what the club there at Michigan 00:35:20.199 --> 00:35:25.099 State is doing to kind of work with that college 00:35:25.099 --> 00:35:28.619 initiative and how you're trying to grow the 00:35:28.619 --> 00:35:35.760 club there at W8SH. Well, MSUARC .com is our 00:35:35.760 --> 00:35:42.409 website for MSU Amateur Radio. We have a very 00:35:42.409 --> 00:35:44.949 robust presence on Facebook and Twitter and that's 00:35:44.949 --> 00:35:47.309 that's you know Kind of a common theme that I'll 00:35:47.309 --> 00:35:49.289 be repeating is that you really need to have 00:35:49.289 --> 00:35:52.929 an outpost Wherever you think your membership 00:35:52.929 --> 00:35:55.650 is And the kind of stuff that we've been doing 00:35:55.650 --> 00:35:57.769 over the last few years at Emma at the MSU amateur 00:35:57.769 --> 00:36:00.230 radio club It's been fun and is really easily 00:36:00.230 --> 00:36:04.269 translatable beyond chasing Sparty around We 00:36:04.269 --> 00:36:07.670 had a couple of years ago, we did a special event 00:36:07.670 --> 00:36:12.190 station for every home game with customized QSL 00:36:12.190 --> 00:36:15.550 cards for each of those games. And you could 00:36:15.550 --> 00:36:17.809 collect the whole set by making a contact for 00:36:17.809 --> 00:36:19.849 every one of those games. And if you got them 00:36:19.849 --> 00:36:23.449 all, we would send you a poster into which you 00:36:23.449 --> 00:36:25.730 could place those cards. They had specific spaces. 00:36:25.789 --> 00:36:28.630 And that was a lot of fun. That generated a lot 00:36:28.630 --> 00:36:31.539 of interest. Oh, I love that idea. The other 00:36:31.539 --> 00:36:34.300 thing is to is to think about how you make your 00:36:34.300 --> 00:36:36.619 shack state -of -the -art. That's really really 00:36:36.619 --> 00:36:39.599 important Dave Sumner K1 ZZ went to Michigan 00:36:39.599 --> 00:36:41.360 State and he's not even from the state of Michigan 00:36:41.360 --> 00:36:44.860 But he came to MSU because back when he was around 00:36:44.860 --> 00:36:47.539 was was hamming The coolest thing out there was 00:36:47.539 --> 00:36:51.000 the Collins s line and we had one we had that 00:36:51.000 --> 00:36:54.980 set up at the station. So now what our Philanthropic 00:36:54.980 --> 00:36:57.039 members are doing is they're helping us get the 00:36:57.039 --> 00:36:59.630 state -of -the -art stuff. So we've got a we've 00:36:59.630 --> 00:37:02.550 got a flex in the in the student in this in the 00:37:02.550 --> 00:37:05.369 shack and we also have something really fun which 00:37:05.369 --> 00:37:09.849 is we've got a Kenwood 480 that is connected 00:37:09.849 --> 00:37:12.650 to a remote rig setup so if you're a student 00:37:12.650 --> 00:37:15.150 you can take a control head in a remote rig with 00:37:15.150 --> 00:37:20.030 you anywhere on campus and use the campus Wi 00:37:20.030 --> 00:37:22.889 -Fi and actually connect to the base unit, which 00:37:22.889 --> 00:37:25.170 is located in the shack, and you can operate. 00:37:25.710 --> 00:37:28.869 So imagine if you want to take that control head 00:37:28.869 --> 00:37:30.989 back to your dorm room and do some hamming from 00:37:30.989 --> 00:37:35.170 back there, or it's very easy for us, for example, 00:37:35.230 --> 00:37:38.510 to set up a special event station anywhere on 00:37:38.510 --> 00:37:41.130 campus without having to worry about moving the 00:37:41.130 --> 00:37:43.489 antennas and all that stuff. So those kind of 00:37:43.489 --> 00:37:45.989 things are important. I think the most important 00:37:45.989 --> 00:37:49.320 thing, Neil, is programming. you really need 00:37:49.320 --> 00:37:52.380 to make sure that your club meetings have topics 00:37:52.380 --> 00:37:54.619 of interest that are going to make people want 00:37:54.619 --> 00:37:57.900 to come and check it out. And that requires some 00:37:57.900 --> 00:38:01.059 thought. It can't just be the latest build night 00:38:01.059 --> 00:38:02.820 or something like that. You really need to think 00:38:02.820 --> 00:38:05.320 about how you can get some rock stars. So think 00:38:05.320 --> 00:38:09.030 about getting Tamitha Scove to talk about a propagation 00:38:09.030 --> 00:38:11.250 on Skype with you for one night. We have a guy 00:38:11.250 --> 00:38:15.349 who is heavily into DMR that brought 13 different 00:38:15.349 --> 00:38:18.710 digital radios to show us and took us right back 00:38:18.710 --> 00:38:22.090 to the very beginning of how digital communication 00:38:22.090 --> 00:38:24.289 started to happen, how it happens commercially 00:38:24.289 --> 00:38:27.949 and in the ham world. And that was fascinating. 00:38:28.010 --> 00:38:31.150 That brought you a bunch of people. And use your 00:38:31.150 --> 00:38:34.829 resources. For example, we have an AM and FM 00:38:34.829 --> 00:38:39.059 and a TV station on campus. And later this month, 00:38:39.340 --> 00:38:42.739 we're doing a behind the scenes tour of the facilities 00:38:42.739 --> 00:38:45.000 there because they are absolutely state of the 00:38:45.000 --> 00:38:47.440 art. So those kind of things from a programming 00:38:47.440 --> 00:38:50.179 perspective are really, really important. Another 00:38:50.179 --> 00:38:52.920 thing to think about is how you can interconnect 00:38:52.920 --> 00:38:56.000 with other college ham clubs. And that's where 00:38:56.000 --> 00:39:01.219 the N1YR Weekly All -Star EchoLink Net, the Collegiate 00:39:01.219 --> 00:39:03.079 Ham Radio Net, which happens Tuesday nights at 00:39:03.079 --> 00:39:06.320 8 p .m. Eastern, is really a great place to make 00:39:06.320 --> 00:39:08.420 new friends because there are other folks in 00:39:08.420 --> 00:39:10.659 the collegiate world that have the same interests 00:39:10.659 --> 00:39:13.599 and you're able to broaden your reach even if 00:39:13.599 --> 00:39:16.880 you don't necessarily have a critical mass of 00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:19.860 members there. So those are a few of the things 00:39:19.860 --> 00:39:22.820 to think about from a social media perspective. 00:39:23.460 --> 00:39:25.519 The real key is to make sure that your social 00:39:25.519 --> 00:39:28.809 media accounts have personality. One of the things 00:39:28.809 --> 00:39:30.989 that I love about the way you do what you do, 00:39:31.010 --> 00:39:34.349 Neil, is your personality exudes everywhere that 00:39:34.349 --> 00:39:38.869 you are on the web. We know all about you and 00:39:38.869 --> 00:39:40.690 all about the things that makes you such a great 00:39:40.690 --> 00:39:42.789 hamster, such a great guy, right? And that's 00:39:42.789 --> 00:39:45.070 why people tune into your show, because they 00:39:45.070 --> 00:39:47.630 tune in for the personality and the conversation. 00:39:48.030 --> 00:39:50.269 So as you're thinking about your social media 00:39:50.269 --> 00:39:53.800 presence, Give some personality to that and have 00:39:53.800 --> 00:39:56.320 an interactive relationship So be if you're gonna 00:39:56.320 --> 00:39:59.179 do for example Twitter monitor that Twitter feed 00:39:59.179 --> 00:40:02.079 and when somebody Retweets you or makes a comment 00:40:02.079 --> 00:40:05.300 talk back to them engagement conversation the 00:40:05.300 --> 00:40:07.000 minute I saw that you would you would post it 00:40:07.000 --> 00:40:09.809 about my joining you on the show I made sure 00:40:09.809 --> 00:40:12.730 that all of our social media channels at Michigan 00:40:12.730 --> 00:40:15.030 State and everybody that I knew knew about that. 00:40:15.630 --> 00:40:17.989 And the great thing about that is they speak 00:40:17.989 --> 00:40:20.690 in their own voice to their own audience. So 00:40:20.690 --> 00:40:22.730 it's a very important thing to think about as 00:40:22.730 --> 00:40:25.150 you're communicating is that each medium has 00:40:25.150 --> 00:40:27.469 its own cultural language, right? So what you 00:40:27.469 --> 00:40:29.570 say on Facebook is different than what you say 00:40:29.570 --> 00:40:33.519 on Twitter. Absolutely, it is. And, but your 00:40:33.519 --> 00:40:36.019 personality needs to shine through there. They 00:40:36.019 --> 00:40:38.579 need to know who you are and why it's important 00:40:38.579 --> 00:40:42.559 that they want to make you their friend. And, 00:40:42.559 --> 00:40:45.619 and mascots help too. So you've got, you've got 00:40:45.619 --> 00:40:48.940 Sparty, I've got Hammy. Yeah, right. Exactly. 00:40:48.980 --> 00:40:51.420 I've got Hammy, you know, maybe we need to put 00:40:51.420 --> 00:40:54.820 APRS on Hammy. Well, it's, it's, it's real easy 00:40:54.820 --> 00:40:57.039 to do. I mean, basically what you, what you do 00:40:57.039 --> 00:40:59.380 is you find one of the, uh, the HTs that has 00:40:59.380 --> 00:41:02.949 APRS built in. Program your SS ID for whatever 00:41:02.949 --> 00:41:06.630 you want and and stick it on the guys belt and 00:41:06.630 --> 00:41:09.010 wherever they go You'll be able to find them. 00:41:09.110 --> 00:41:11.510 We actually have an eye gate on campus so it's 00:41:11.510 --> 00:41:13.730 very easy for even very low power signals to 00:41:13.730 --> 00:41:16.650 get out into the You know the digital atmosphere 00:41:16.650 --> 00:41:20.250 over the in the cloud as they say And that works. 00:41:20.489 --> 00:41:22.510 That's fun stuff. Use APRS, for example, to help 00:41:22.510 --> 00:41:24.550 people find you if you're doing a special event 00:41:24.550 --> 00:41:27.610 station somewhere on campus. Do that as well. 00:41:28.550 --> 00:41:30.090 The other thing to do is to think about other 00:41:30.090 --> 00:41:31.750 platforms. One of the things we do at Michigan 00:41:31.750 --> 00:41:34.929 State is we have a Google map where you can self 00:41:34.929 --> 00:41:39.070 pin your tailgate location. So if you want Sparty 00:41:39.070 --> 00:41:42.429 and his appers radio to come your way, you can 00:41:42.429 --> 00:41:44.389 just put your pin down and say, this is where 00:41:44.389 --> 00:41:46.380 I'm going to be when I'm going to be there. Same 00:41:46.380 --> 00:41:48.500 things work with APRS for amateur radio guys. 00:41:50.360 --> 00:41:55.599 Very good. And I love the remote through the 00:41:55.599 --> 00:42:00.199 Wi -Fi. When I was in school at the University 00:42:00.199 --> 00:42:04.760 of Southern Indiana, W9MOK, our station was literally 00:42:04.760 --> 00:42:09.340 in a mop closet. That's where the radios were. 00:42:09.539 --> 00:42:13.840 And a lot of the radios, you know, really got 00:42:13.840 --> 00:42:16.320 a lot of damage from the humidity and then all 00:42:16.320 --> 00:42:18.719 the contacts were always, you know, messed up 00:42:18.719 --> 00:42:21.480 and everything. But we were literally stuck in 00:42:21.480 --> 00:42:23.420 a mop closet. It was the only place we could 00:42:23.420 --> 00:42:27.900 get with, you know, access to the tower and everything. 00:42:28.739 --> 00:42:32.900 And, you know, it was an ordeal to get there. 00:42:35.650 --> 00:42:38.489 you know, the remote and you can be back in your 00:42:38.489 --> 00:42:40.730 dorm room or, you know, back in your apartment 00:42:40.730 --> 00:42:44.110 or whatever, and just hop on there, you know, 00:42:44.769 --> 00:42:48.269 the possibilities are endless. Well, when you 00:42:48.269 --> 00:42:51.530 think about the creativity of the current crop 00:42:51.530 --> 00:42:53.550 of college kids, there's a lot of ways to do 00:42:53.550 --> 00:42:56.190 it. You don't have to buy a remote rig in a 480. 00:42:56.570 --> 00:42:59.250 If you have Ham Radio Deluxe running any of your 00:42:59.250 --> 00:43:04.110 rigs and you want to set up a remote control 00:43:04.110 --> 00:43:06.590 application like TeamViewer or something like 00:43:06.590 --> 00:43:08.469 that to be able to give people access to it, 00:43:08.989 --> 00:43:12.010 it's possible to set up a user list based upon 00:43:12.010 --> 00:43:15.369 your membership where you can do what in essence 00:43:15.369 --> 00:43:18.510 is going on right now at remotehamradio .com, 00:43:18.570 --> 00:43:21.739 right? A lot of us got booked on remote ham radio 00:43:21.739 --> 00:43:26.039 during Epota. Right. And that costs money, but 00:43:26.039 --> 00:43:27.820 it doesn't have to cost money at your school. 00:43:28.079 --> 00:43:30.099 If you want to set up a ham radio deluxe with 00:43:30.099 --> 00:43:31.880 a remote control, you can do it that way too. 00:43:31.960 --> 00:43:34.849 Yeah. Now we've got an ICOM 7300 and we've just 00:43:34.849 --> 00:43:37.469 bought the software for it. And so we can remote 00:43:37.469 --> 00:43:40.550 from my classroom and remote around, but I haven't 00:43:40.550 --> 00:43:42.730 been able to get the IT guys to let us through 00:43:42.730 --> 00:43:45.130 the firewall yet. So we're going to have to. 00:43:45.130 --> 00:43:47.250 That's a challenge, isn't it? Yes, that's the 00:43:47.250 --> 00:43:52.949 big challenge. Do you have a ham net mesh thing 00:43:52.949 --> 00:43:57.010 going on where you live? No, we don't have any 00:43:57.010 --> 00:44:01.030 mesh that I know of anyway. That's another interesting 00:44:01.030 --> 00:44:03.409 thing wouldn't surprise me I mean one of the 00:44:03.409 --> 00:44:05.130 things that that our double e guys are doing 00:44:05.130 --> 00:44:08.309 is they're actually building and a ham ham net 00:44:08.309 --> 00:44:12.110 mesh overlay as kind of a backup to the university's 00:44:12.110 --> 00:44:16.449 Wi -Fi and it's totally You know unique and separate. 00:44:16.469 --> 00:44:19.349 It's all solar powered. So it's always available 00:44:19.349 --> 00:44:22.489 and What we hope to be able to do is actually 00:44:22.489 --> 00:44:24.550 interconnect it We have a backbone that goes 00:44:24.550 --> 00:44:27.190 around the state a microwave backbone that one 00:44:27.190 --> 00:44:30.110 of our guys got some Homeland Security money 00:44:30.110 --> 00:44:33.789 for and that's all ham that stuff So, uh, depending 00:44:33.789 --> 00:44:36.409 upon the thing that I love about this hobby is 00:44:36.409 --> 00:44:39.150 it's only limited by your imagination and your 00:44:39.150 --> 00:44:41.750 energy. Any idea that you have, you can make 00:44:41.750 --> 00:44:43.230 real with hamburger. I'm going to have to cut 00:44:43.230 --> 00:44:45.869 you off there, Scott, but well said. And so, 00:44:46.090 --> 00:44:49.190 uh, seven threes to everybody and seven to five, 00:44:49.309 --> 00:44:51.969 may the good DX be yours next week. We're talking 00:44:51.969 --> 00:44:54.989 about handy hams. Lucinda Moody, a, eight, AB 00:44:54.989 --> 00:44:58.190 eight WF will be here. So, uh, be sure to tune 00:44:58.190 --> 00:45:00.090 in then. So seven three for now.