NEW DIRECTIONS RADIO

Enlarge Image Image Gallery

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

To involve those having General Class licenses, and still make slow-scan TV part of the week-end activities, we're going to try something new. The primary operating frequencies will be in the Advanced portions of the bands, just 4 kilohertz up-frequency from the usual SSTV gathering frequencies. Each moderator, however, will try to beg or borrow a second receiver which will be tuned to a specific General Class frequency in the band being used. In this way, the "Generals" can listen to what's happening on the primary frequency and still be able to reach the moderator with their questions and comments.

THE "FUTURES HAMFEST"

Among amateur radio's traditions are periodic get-togethers where hams from miles around meet to spend a sociable weekend, listen to talks on technical topics, look at the latest equipment and swap old parts and radio gear. These gatherings are usually called "hamfests".

On one of the West Coast New Directions Roundtable sessions, Ron Wilbur (K6ZEZ) made a suggestion which caught the imagination of the group: Why not hold a new kind of hamfest some weekend . . . an on-the-air event devoted to exploring the future? By planning well in advance and concentrating a lot of effort on that one occasion, we could line up various knowledgeable people to talk with us about our planet's problems. In addition, we could got a bunch of "doing" folks to rap with us about the approaches they personally are taking to meet those challenges.

Well, mark the weekend of March 8—9 on your calendar and start making preparations, 'cause that's when it's going to happen I The final schedule will depend on such factors as the number and location of stations willing to act as "moderators" or "facilitators" and the completed list of people who agree to share their insights with us. We can promise, though, that the sessions will cover a wide range of present and future concerns, including the environment, economics, the back-to-the-land movement, energy, women's issues, education and more.

The schedule I'm including with this column is as complete as it can be at present, with the Futures Hamfest project still in its early stages. Last-minute details can be obtained by sending a stamped selfaddressed envelope to Ron Wilbur (625 24th St, Hermosa Beach, Calif. 90254) or to me.

There are a number of ways to get involved in the Futures Hamfest. The most fundamental—if you have a ham license—is to join us on the air March 8 and 9. Another is to spread the word to your amateur acquaintances and get the general public interested (a good way to introduce people to ham radio at one of its better moments). You might, for instance, declare "open house" at your station throughout that weekend by giving advance word to your local newspaper. If you know other hams, see if they won't do the same. Any with SSTV gear would be especially welcome, since many presentations will be accompanied by slides, drawings and photos converted to slowscan for transmission.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print