The other night I worked a guy on 80m CW. He was sending kind of slowly, and when I looked at his QRZ.Com page, I saw that he had less that 600 lookups. So, I guessed that he was a relatively new ham. The QSO progressed in fits and starts, and I slowed down to make sure that he could copy. Like many new operators, he abruptly ended the QSO on the second exchange.
Right away, I decided to send him a QSL card. Sending a newcomer a QSL card is a good way to encourage them to get on CW again, and I included the message, “I hope to hear you on again sometime.” I truly do hope that I hear him again, and that we have many nice QSOs in the days to come.
That got me about other ways to encourage newcomers and what good Elmers do.
- Monitor local repeaters and talk to the new guys when you hear them on. Most new hams get 2m gear when they get their licenses. It’s a real disappointment when they call and no one responds to them. I especially listen for people who’ve just taken my class and talk to them.
- Send them a QSL card. If you do work a newcomer, even if it’s on a local repeater, send them a QSL card. I love it when guys tell me that my QSL card was their first.
- Show them your shack…especially if you’re on HF. HF operation is a mystery for many newcomers. (This is actually strange to me, since back in the day, Novices had primarily HF privileges.) Have them over, show them your rigs and antennas, and get them on the air. Also, show them the projects you’re working on. That might get them thinking about some projects of their own.
- Encourage them to ask questions. Many newcomers have some project in mind when they get their licenses. It may be satellite operation, or maybe radio control, or mesh networking. Since their newcomers, however, they probably don’t have all the information and expertise they need to actually put something together. By encouraging them to ask questions, you can help them figure out what they need to do, point them at the right websites and books, and warn them about some of the potential pitfalls. All this will ultimately help them be successful.
- Follow up with them to see if they’re struggling with anything. This is a suggestion by my friend, Bob, K0NR. By following up and providing some help, if needed, you can turn a frustrating situation into a successful one.
There are many more things that good Elmers do. What are some things that you do to help newcomers to amateur radio.
AA7US says
Reaching out to new hams is great advice!
A friend of mine got his Tech license a little over 10 years ago, bought an HT, tried to make some contacts with it but no one answered. He got discouraged, put the HT away, abandoned the hobby completely, and ultimately let his license expire. Recently I encouraged him to renew and helped get his interest rekindled. He’s now regularly using local repeaters and studying for his General upgrade.
Dan KB6NU says
Great work. Work with him on projects and you’ll both have more fun with ham radio.