On 31 Oct 2008 at 19:41, Dave Guimont wrote:

not by some "go to the store and buy a

push button radio" to make it easy!! AO51 FM voice!! Waste of money...

Hi Dave

You make me remember the time just before the first cellular phone come on the market they where quite expensive 1500$. Many ham club base their recruiting on the "phone patch" a FREE and easy available look a like cellular push button phone... Membership increased by a factor of 10 here but if i'm looking at the 2008 membership theses new "push button hams" disappear in thin air!

I previously wrote about AMSAT-NA recruiting ideas" This recruiting is not aiming the right target at all. Refocused the recruiting campaign towards college and universities with some appealing actual argumenting will be far more effective IMHO."

There is no need to have spectacular stage effect to attract. Just make small move around your community. It takes a very small amount of very small things to show the crowds what's HAM radio is about. I just come out the scout jamboree and look at my web page www.qsl.net/ve2dwe it takes a straight CW key on one side and the ISS with SSTV pictures on the other to have young folks making their first contact with ham radio.

P.S. the newspaper article is in french if someone needs a translation just ask for it.

"-"

Luc Leblanc VE2DWE Skype VE2DWE www.qsl.net/ve2dwe WAC BASIC CW PHONE SATELLITE