• Hamfest Overview (D)

    From Daryl Stout@954:895/7 to All on Thursday, May 04, 2023 00:05:30
    Conclusion

    Hamfests can be termed as "family reunions", because as an amateur radio operator, you are part of a worldwide "family". While you may not be able
    to go to as many hamfests as you would like, go to the ones that you can attend.

    Many clubs that put these on use them as fundraisers for the expenses that their club incurs each year, with the repeaters, etc.

    If you're licensed, bring your HT...especially if you're coming as a family
    or group, to keep track of each other. FRS Radios are available for
    purchase at area stores for those who aren't licensed...to keep track of
    those in your group...as it's easy to get lost among a large crowd of
    people.

    If you are a part of a club that puts these on, you'll find out in a hurry
    that there is a LARGE AMOUNT OF VOLUNTEER WORK to be done...before, during,
    and after the hamfest...and it takes a large commitment to make the hamfest
    a success. Whether you do Talk-In, Admissions, Concessions, Security, VE Testing, Forums, Parking, Website, or something else...your offer to help
    will be greatly appreciated.

    Sadly, many hamfests are disappearing, for a lack of people wanting to put
    in the effort to put on the hamfest in the first place. So, when you attend
    a hamfest, let the organizers know how you felt about it. While no hamfest
    is perfect (there are bound to be glitches), simple encouragement, and "constructive criticism" to those who work with it can help prevent those things from occurring at a future hamfest. Don't berate and lecture them as
    if they committed the unpardonable sin...this spirit of discouragement is
    one of the reasons that folks don't want to put on hamfests anymore...as if monetary costs (high gasoline prices, etc.) nowadays weren't enough of a deterrent to hamfests.

    So, the future of the hamfest...and of the hobby of amateur radio is up to
    you. Do what you can to keep it alive...and be part of the solution...not
    part of the problem.
    --- SBBSecho 3.20-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - Little Rock, Arkansas (954:895/7)