Friday Buzz: The Super Bowl of Ham Radio
The American Radio Relay League National Field Day, the biggest event of the year for ham radio operators, is all about testing your reach. Also: These consultants want to review your online community.
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 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.
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. “We test our radios locally and long-distance — this keeps our teams sharp.”
Check out the ARRL website to learn more 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 #cmgr #esn #assnchat
— Richard Millington (@RichMillington) June 24, 2016
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 of different online communities on a broad range of different issues. In a blog post, Millington breaks down what he and his colleague Sarah Hawk look for.
If you’re feeling brave, you can learn how to sign up here.
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 why you shouldn’t ignore it.
Uber is getting rid of surge pricing, TechCrunch reports. Instead, they’re just gonna tell you 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. Get your backpack on!
(iStock/Thinkstock)
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