Tom's question generated some very good discussion at this morning's managers' meeting. Pub Sales reported that the calls they are fielding are for training material, primarily General Class License Manuals but with a healthy increase in orders for the Extra Class LM as well. There are few questions about, or orders for publications about, how to get on HF and operate there. There was some speculation about why there isn't more interest in, for example, the new book "Getting Started with Ham Radio." Some Techs reportedly say they're ready to go on HF and have been ready for two years, but their focus is on upgrading as soon as it's possible to do so without code rather than on using the limited Tech privileges. F&ES and particularly Regulatory Information said that most of the questions they receive have to do with the effective date, which of course is still unknown, and about vanity call signs. There are some questions about what equipment is suitable for HF operation. The opportunity for clubs to do mentoring of new HF licensees is not going unnoticed. VEC is deluged with work related to upcoming exam sessions -- there's been a sharp increase in the scheduling of exams and in the number of applicants per session. By the way, the reaction of our advertisers ranges all the way from "this is our big chance" to a conservative "wait and see" attitude. Some report a noticeable increase in orders from Techs. And specifically to Tom's point about reaching potential amateurs with the message that something's changed, while it has been possible for the better part of a generation to get a ham license without passing a code test the fact that it will be possible to get ANY ham license without code is sparking new interest among groups with an emergency response orientation -- e.g. Skywarn and church groups. Dave K1ZZ -----Original Message----- From: Joel Harrison [mailto:w5zn@arrl.org] Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 3:58 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:15135] Re: Thursday Evening Actually, I said we would be focusing on the 200,000 Technician class licensees that will have, for the first time, HF privileges as well as new Generals & Extras. New ham recruitment is something we should always concentrate on but the first rush will be the influx of current licensees that will automatically obtain HF privileges literally overnight. I'm sure the information you've suggested can be made available. 73 Joel W5ZN -----Original Message----- From: Tom Frenaye [mailto:frenaye@pcnet.com] Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2007 10:17 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:15135] Re: Thursday Evening At 12:37 AM 1/13/2007, Joel Harrison wrote:
After consultation with the Vice Presidents, we believe the best use of the Thursday evening time would be to focus our group's thinking on the challenge of assimilating the new HF operators.
Excellent plan. I do have one worry. While the intent of this Thursday night time is to focus on new Generals and Extras, I'm hearing there is considerable interest in getting licensed in the first place "out there" - based on input from SMs and club presidents at a recent cabinet meeting. The 2007 plan correctly focuses on upgrades, something more predictable than possible new hams. Perhaps Dave and the HQ crew could give us some more information about the mix of questions asked and publication orders received during the last month, and their current thinking on the numbers of new hams we might see in addition to the upgrades. I worry that we may be missing a great marketing opportunity to generate a lot more new hams. As far as I know, all we've done so far is a single press release about the FCC changes. -- Tom ===== e-mail: k1ki@arrl.org ARRL New England Division Director http://www.arrl.org/ Tom Frenaye, K1KI, P O Box J, West Suffield CT 06093 Phone: 860-668-5444