We’ve been fortunate to have a hard-working program chair in charge of arranging our club presentations. Even when he’s wintering in Florida, he makes sure everything is ready for the next meeting and joins in via Zoom.
It’s not just about filling a time slot for the monthly meeting. Without good programs, no club can succeed or survive for very long. The program chair’s most challenging job is providing programs that will appeal to club members—not put them to sleep.
Sometimes clubs take member surveys to get ideas, seek club officer input, or ask members during casual conversations what programs they’d like to see. Unfortunately, the answer is often “I don’t know” or “Something about ham radio.” So program planners must constantly think of new ideas and strive to make every program interesting and timely.
Ideas
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. There are many potential speakers out there, including ones who have already done programs for other radio clubs. They may have a list of topics they’ll do or may even have some videos of previous presentations you can download and show to your group.
Club Members: Your group may have some individuals who have some expertise in specific ham radio topics that could be turned into an interesting presentation. Elmers are a logical choice—people who are good at explaining technical topics so they are easily understood.
Being a good storyteller also helps. One of our members did a presentation about electromagnetic pulses (EMP) and their effect on radio equipment. But he also wove in a story about our area and the Cold War.
Hamfests: Hamfests are a great place to learn more about the hobby through forums, presentations, and vendors. Many of these presentations have been recorded as PowerPoints or videos and are available online or by request.
Vendors will sometimes have presentations available or be willing to speak live to your club via video conferencing. This is a win-win situation. Your club gets a program and the vendor gets to introduce products and how they work. Our club recently had a presentation from a California-based company that sells products that suppress RFI/EMI and noise, as well as a line of baluns and antennas. We got some tips on dealing with RFI and some questions answered as well.
Ready-to-Go: Ready-made PowerPoints and videos? They’re available. See the list of links at the end of the article.
High-Profile Hams: If you’re lucky, you may be able to schedule a well-known ham to do a program. A number of years ago, our ARES group had the opportunity to hook up with H. Ward Silver, N0AX, for a video conference. John Portune, W6NBC, is one of our favorite Zoom speakers when it comes to building antennas, along with Al Christman, K3LC, who lives locally.
Contest stations K3LR and W3LPL have online video tours where you can see their well-equipped contest stations. You can also see their extensive antenna farms, complete with some bird’s-eye drone views.
Borrowed Ideas
During my travels, I’ve visited several radio clubs and seen some great presentations. An interesting one I saw in Arizona was about the pico balloon, an ultra-lightweight plastic balloon suspending a tiny, lightweight amateur radio transmitter. They’re capable of sailing around the globe—sometimes many times. Unlike other balloons, they use hydrogen because it leaks less than helium.
Be sure to get the presenter’s contact information and ask if they’d be willing to do a presentation for your club—most likely it will be done by Zoom.
Project Sessions
These don’t always have to be on a regular meeting night. Schedule them when it works best for your group—maybe a Saturday. If you choose to make it the meeting activity, keep it simple and doable within a reasonable amount of time. Things like making coax jumpers, 2-meter J-pole antennas, or a simple choke/1:1 balun can be completed during the meeting time. Individuals can be responsible for materials or the club can make a group order. (Suggestion—get the money upfront for group orders.)
A variation of this would be the show-and-tell. Members bring in projects they have completed and share with the group. They can answer questions about parts needed, how it works, and building tips.
Courtesies: Always be a class act.
Here are some things you should remember:
Before:
- Invite the speaker at least two months in advance of the meeting.
- Give the date, place, theme, and any other information pertinent to the meeting.
- Specify the amount of time allotted and whether a question-and-answer session will be expected.
After Accepting:
- When the speaker accepts, acknowledge the acceptance promptly. Provide further information about the meeting and location and agree on the presentation time.
- Inform the speaker immediately if there is any change in the scheduled meeting time and place.
- Send a reminder e-mail or phone call before the meeting date.
During the Meeting:
- Start the meeting on time. The presenter’s schedule comes first—don’t make them wait for your business meeting to end.
- Introduce the speaker with a brief bio.
- Members who insist on chattering or being a distraction should take the conversation outside.
After the Meeting:
- Write a thank-you to the speaker within 48 hours of the meeting. Comments complimenting the speaker on specific points in the speech are always appropriate.
When You Need to Punt
Poet Robert Burns once said, “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.” No one can prevent the unexpected. Everything from illness to snowstorms, floods, and technical difficulties can prevent your speaker from showing up for your program. You can plan for such emergencies by setting up a reserve of programs in case a speaker cancels—or your Zoom connection fails.
Start Here
These links should help you find a suitable program for your meeting. This is not an exhaustive list, but it should give you some ideas.
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DX Engineering
Various Ham Radio Topics
- Contest University Presentation Videos
- Gary, W9XT has downloadable PowerPoint presentations and will do Zoom presentations on request.
