Friday Buzz: The Super Bowl of Ham Radio

Amateur radio, or ham radio, is one of those things where you get it or you don’t.

But the American Radio Relay League hopes that a few more people get it after this weekend’s National Field Day, described  (opens in a new tab) as “part educational event, part operating event, part public relations event—and all about fun!” The event is part of the league’s Amateur Radio Week  (opens in a new tab).

The idea behind National Field Day is for ham radio operators to show off and demonstrate their radios to the public while attempting to see how far their devices can reach. The event tends to draw emergency department staff, who often use ham radio as a secondary communication option. John Zabriskie Sr., assistant director of the Charlestown, Rhode Island, Emergency Management Agency, noted that the tests work as a nice refresher for employees.

“The field day demonstrations keep our teams in Westerly and Charlestown in sync,” Zabriskie told The Westerly Sun on Thursday  (opens in a new tab). “We test our radios locally and long-distance — this keeps our teams sharp.”

Check out the ARRL website to learn more  (opens in a new tab) and to see whether a demonstration is scheduled near you.

Get Your Community Reviewed

What We Look For When Reviewing A Communityhttps://t.co/n8WAssHPAE  (opens in a new tab) #cmgr  (opens in a new tab) #esn  (opens in a new tab) #assnchat  (opens in a new tab)

— Richard Millington (@RichMillington) June 24, 2016  (opens in a new tab)

An online community is a real art form, and doing it well takes a lot of thought early in the process. So you might be curious whether you’re building yours correctly.

Fortunately, if you’re willing to go under the microscope, one well-known name in communities is willing to offer lots of feedback. The consultancy Feverbee, founded by author and expert Richard Millington, is launching a series of weekly analyses  (opens in a new tab) of different online communities on a broad range of different issues. In a blog post, Millington breaks down  (opens in a new tab) what he and his colleague Sarah Hawk look for.

If you’re feeling brave, you can learn how to sign up here  (opens in a new tab).

Other Links of Note

Alt-text. Hmph … what is it good for? Absolutely noth… er, more than you think. Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog explains  (opens in a new tab) why you shouldn’t ignore it.

Uber is getting rid of surge pricing, TechCrunch reports. Instead, they’re just gonna tell you  (opens in a new tab) in advance how much your ride will cost.

If you have T-Mobile, you may have heard about the company’s recent perks. If you’re traveling to Europe for an event, the latest one might be worth keeping an eye on: free, unlimited 4G LTE access to U.S. customers  (opens in a new tab). Get your backpack on!

(iStock/Thinkstock)