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May 16th 04, 01:16 PM
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Subject: ARRL and the local scene
From: "KØHB" Date: 5/15/2004 7:26 PM Central Standard Time Message-id: et I propose that the ARRL BoD consider an initiative to attract these newcomers to an interest in ARRL by establishment of a new "Department of Community Support". Just what the ARRL needs...Yet another partially staffed, under-funded program to manage. The mission of this department of ARRL would be to organize, train, support, and nurture a system of tactical communications teams on the LOCAL level. I use the term "tactical" as opposed to "emergency" intentionally to broaden the scope of the mission to include a wide variety of community-level communications needs. Someone/somewhere already got THAT message becasue that's exactly what most ARES organizations (at least hee in Tennessee) do. 1) A focused national program with Director (or higher) level leadership would have more impact than the current fragmented attention to "local" Amateur Radio. Wait-a-minute...First you're promoting a "local" ARRL prograsm, then you go right back and put the "leadership" as a "national" proram. 2) Such a program, if successful, would give Amateur Radio valuable credibility in the regulatory and legislative arenas, and with national organizations like Homeland Security, FEMA, and the Red Cross. Huh....?!?! Again, you ae NOT paying attention to current events, Master Chief. Again, I can only make reference to Tennessee and what I know of programs on-going in neighboring states (I sit right against AL and GA), but loal ARES managers are knee-deep in those exact issues. And the LAST thing the HS folks need is yet-another alphabet soup organization showing up purporting to represent some other sector of an already finite subset of responders. 3) Such a program, if successful, would serve to elevate the perceived value of Amateur Radio with local civil authorities, perhaps softening the effects of issues like tower ordinances, etc. Local civil authorities already HAVE that "perceived value", Hans...otherwise UHF-REACT would suffice. 4) Such a program, strongly identified with the League, would provide a membership "attractor" to those classes of Amateurs that are now only locally "affiliative". Gaining some traction into this huge reservoir of potential members would be a godsend to the health and growth of ARRL. What would need to be done to implement such a plan. Here are some "off the top of my head" thoughts. Obviously you are sincerely motivated, but are having a bit of a "Senior Moment" in as much as you've used a lot of bandwidth to suggest things that are already in place. Bunch of snippage.... Obviously a lot of this proposal needs a great deal of "fleshing out" and refinement, but I present it in the spirit of a "topic for discussion". I'm sure that the minds gathered here will not be bashful about improving my PBI. What you COULD do is take the existing programs and put a bit of polish on them and more effectively accomplish them without creating yet-another ARRL bureaucracy, Hans. 73 Steve, K4YZ |
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