CONTACT - April 2017
Vol 15 #4
In this issue:
World Amateur Radio Day April 18!
ARRL McGan Award Nominations due May 19
Public Service Announcements for 2017 ARRL Field Day are now online. There are audio and video PSAs; all are 29 seconds long. There is one “generic” version, which directs people to the ARRL Field Day Locator, and another version with space/screen time for your club to include your local contact info. Be sure to use them as part of your Field Day PR strategy this year, and earn a lot of free bonus points for your club!
World Amateur Radio Day April 18!
World Amateur Radio Day is Tuesday, April 18! While the event is more popular in Europe than in North America, there is still plenty of cause for celebration and on-air contacts. Use the day to set up a demonstration in your local community and strut your stuff! Be sure to use the hash tag #WorldAmateurRadioDay on social media, too.
ARRL McGan Award Nominations due May 19
Nominations for the annual ARRL Phil McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award are due Friday, May 19, at ARRL Headquarters. The award is for the best volunteer PR efforts on behalf of Amateur Radio to the non-amateur community.
If you know a ham who does outstanding work in promoting the hoby to non-hams, nominate them for the McGan Award!
We are always glad to welcome new Public Information Officers and Public Information coordinators to the ARRL family. Thanks for your service!
PIOs:
Puerto Rico: Iris Vazquez-Llantin, WP4PKY
West Central Florida: Andrew Stevens, WX4AMS; Chris Bloxsom, AA4CB
Western Pennsylvania: Robert J. Mente, NU3Q
PICs:
New Mexico: Peter N. Spotts, NM5PS
The Duluth News Tribune published a nice writeup on Amateur Radio, featuring Doug Nelson, AA0AW, and Dave Miller, W0NWO. The story covers several facets of radio and their role in their community. nice job, Doug and Dave!
Colorado PIO John Bloodgood, KD0SFY, recently shared these tips from SocialMediaToday to the PR email reflector on common hashtag mistakes, and how to avoid them. Thanks for sharing, John!
With spring comes severe weather. Be sure to keep your SEC’s and ARRL HQ informed on your SKYWARN and other activities this year; fill out those Public Service Activity Report forms!
Speaking of SKYWARN, there have been a lot of stories in local media in the past month about storm spotting classes and the role Amateur Radio plays in getting weather data to the National Weather Service. Check out the Media Hits page, especially in March, for lots of links across the country. And if you’re interested in upping the visibility of ham radio in your area and your role in public service, consider taking a SKYWARN spotting class in your area.
Thanks for all you do.
Sean Kutzko, KX9X
Media & Public Relations Manager
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