In the last couple of weeks, we’ve had some interesting feedback passed our way about what Essex Ham’s been up to.
One comment received here is that we’re too visible. At first, this struck us as an odd comment – one of Essex Ham’s aims is to get more people aware of amateur radio, and key to this is raising awareness of the hobby, and what amateurs in Essex get up to.
“Essex Ham is Everywhere”
That’s what we’ve been told. It seems that the Essex Ham name has been cropping up frequently. We’ve been told that:
- When searching for amateur radio content, Essex Ham keeps coming up
- Articles written by, or featuring Essex Ham’s team keep appearing in the media.
- People online or on nets keep on mentioning Essex Ham
We’ve been lucky that we have had some coverage of some of the events in Essex of late, including the SEARS ISS schools contact, JOTA, Essex Air Ambulance Special Event and the CARS Skills Nights.
Some of the Essex Ham team and our members have been featured in both the mainstream media and in publications such as Radcom and Practical Wireless. We’ve assumed that the PR for the clubs in Essex and amateur radio in the county could only be a good thing… but could it be that we’re too involved?
Essex Ham started out to support amateur radio in Essex, help out newbies, and to support the activities of local groups. So, how are we doing, and do we need to change? Here’s a quick poll:
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If you’ve got any comments about what we do that aren’t covered by the above options, feel free to add your thoughts and feedback below.
Essex Ham – Supporting Amateur Radio in Essex
That’s crazy, how can it be TOO MUCH , ? Essex ham is a shining example of a good organisation done very well, to highlight amateur radio, to show its not all based indoors in your shack, that as an amateur, you can get out to events , become involved, make new friends, enjoy the great outdoors, and promote all things radio in a very enjoyable way , the media coverage proves it, if it wasn’t interesting, they wouldn’t publish it, speaks for itself, if others are bothered because it crops up “too much” , well let them do the hard work that ESSEX HAM does , and see if they get good reports and recognition that is fully deserved, keep it all going , it is very needed and I’m proud to be an Essex ham member and help out where I can , and if all the media coverage and exposure , gets just one new person interested in this amazing hobby, well it’s all worth it , best wishes xx
Many thanks for that Dorothy. I agree – at a time where the hobby needs all the new people as it can get, then I’d have thought all and any publicity is a good thing. The JOTA that we both worked on recently made it to the press and has stimulated some interest with the scouts… got to be a good thing. Thanks for the kind words, and see you for the next ‘thing’… Pete
It wouldn’t let me vote ?, i’m assuming it’s ip based as my wife and I share the same ip ?
Who is complaining ?, There is no such thing as to much promotion of the hobby, Maybe the sad person(s) should try doing something similar.
I wasn’t aware it was a competition.
There are some very sad individuals in this hobby.
“When searching for amateur radio content, Essex Ham keeps coming up”
Maybe because it’s the only site doing anything and it has seen a niche and occuppied it, i’m sure there is room for others but they are to busy criticising.
“Articles written by, or featuring Essex Ham’s team keep appearing in the media.”
Thats because they are being sent in, The media will post anything sent to them, instead of complaining send in an article.
“People online or on nets keep on mentioning Essex Ham”
Thats because it is a usefull resource, who would bother to pass on rubbish ?. Essex ham covers most of the local groups if it wasn’t for essex ham some of these groups would be less known.
As far as i’m concerned it’s the best Essex based site (the only one) since I got my first license in 1992.
If people are not happy then make your own site and show how you think it should be done.
I like Essex ham as it is and find it invaluable finding out what is going on in the county, instead of trawling through each club I can come on here and see what each club that I have an interest is doing.
Hi Richard,
Thanks for the kind words… I agree, this is not a competition. As you know, Essex Ham was created to fill a gap – to bring together the various activities going on here in Essex and to help raise awareness of the hobby in the area. Yes, it’s turned into something bigger now that more and more people are helping out, contributing and sharing. I’d have thought it was a good thing for the hobby in general.
My assumption has been that there may be some who see Essex Ham’s name appearing in Google searches, possibly higher in the rankings than their personal or club’s websites, or see that a story covered by Essex Ham gets into Radcom or the press, whilst theirs doesn’t. Some of the core Essex Ham team come from marketing and PR backgrounds, and realise that it’s better to work with sites and publications that rank well online or get press coverage – the amateurs and groups in Essex that work with Essex Ham and contribute to the site do tend to benefit. We keep an eye on webstats and traffic logs for the top amateur radio sites here in Essex, and as we’d expect, those who use resources such as Essex Ham, Southgate, Transmission 1 and others, do tend to perform online better than those that operate in isolation.
Thanks again for the words Richard – Good to know that we’re doing something right, at least for you! 73, Pete
me again
Just had a look you have all the clubs, all the training course so people can find a local club/training centre. what do the whingers want to go back to the old days where nobody knew where to go or what to do ?
It’s people like these whingers that give the hobby a bad name and stop people wanting to get involved !!!.
Agreed. I identified some time back that there didn’t seem to be a site listing how to become a radio amateur in Essex. Google would return information about some of the clubs running courses, but this was typically a list of dates, and no information about the courses or what to expect. Now, doing the same search brings up a summary of how to get started, a list of clubs and dates in Essex, plus a video of what you can expect from a typical training course. Gotta be a good thing, surely?
Hope you can get some constructive answers from those complaining, do they want help creating and promoting their own content?
Essex Ham is additive rather than subtractive — more Essex Ham doesn’t mean less of everything else. It would be worth checking that these complaints aren’t from people who are finding it hard to get their clubs or articles into magazines, because professionally packaged content does produce unexpected competition when there are only a few pages available.
In that case, asking the editors to be more balanced, and to print a call for non-EH content actually does you both a favour.
You could also put together a guide on publishing relevant amateur radio content online, and how to get projects published by magazines. Make people aware it’s relevancy and quality, not volume that matters online.
Of course if they’re just generally moaning, chin up and promote even harder, because they’re clearly not getting it.
Hi Nick, and thanks for the comments.
Yes – That’s part of the reason for the post… to find out exactly what’s at the root of the comments. It may be that the comments stem from those struggling to get column inches in the press, which can be tricky. It comes down to understanding what a local paper would want to print, or what would make for an interesting radio interview. Yes, Essex Ham does have an advantage here, in that many of the core members have come from a media background – radio, PR and magazines. We’ve also got the support of people such as Kristian 2E0SSX (who’s a whizz with a camera, and takes great shots of events that look good in print), as well as Trevor M5AKA, who “gets” the need for PR and is very active in promoting what happens here in Essex.
If the issue is that people are struggling to get their own stories into print, then the flippant answer is to let Essex Ham help – that’s what we’re there for. Most of the stories we cover are events put together by other groups and clubs in the area – if we cover the event and get the club some PR on the radio or in the press, then it’s a bonus for the club. We also see it as a bonus for the hobby in Essex, as it may attract more people to consider taking up the hobby. For those keen to do their own thing, and work direct with the media, then there’s a handy guide on how to do this on the RSGB’s website: Media Guide for Affiliated Societies, which explains how to contact the media and how to put together a press release.
Hopefully, this post will stimulate those who may think Essex Ham is too active to comment here publicly on what’s causing them concern, so that we can either set the record straight, or work together to promote their activities and the hobby to the widest possible audience.
Thanks Nick! Pete
In some sense i think Essex ham seems to focus on to many clubs out in the east Anglia side of essex more. At times it seems to be more about the same people and the same clubs. Other clubs are doing stuff which kinda never spoken about.
It might be what bugs people is the fact we based in essex yet mentioned in so much media that maybe the name might not be right if the attention is though out the uk.
Essex ham its true its known in quiet a few places. I been down the bottom of the country and heard people talking about the website. I called out on GB3SD and when i said i came down from essex the guy asked if i knew of Essex Ham.
Hi Mitchell,
Yes – you’re absolutely right on this, and it’s not just an issue for the Essex Ham website. If you look in Radcom, it’s the same three or four clubs appearing in the Region 12 news pages, and the same clubs that get their events featured on sites like Southgate Amateur Radio News. Looking in the last two Radcoms, of the 18-or-so amateur radio organisations in Essex, it’s often the clubs in Braintree, Chelmsford, Thundersley and Thurrock that get their club events promoted by the RSGB – where are the rest?
We do try to list events from around the area in our Essex Amateur Radio Events calendar, but obviously rely on the clubs and their members to send us contributions, photos, articles, etc, and to keep us up-to-date with what they’re up to.
If you’re the member of a club that’s not getting featured in Radcom, on Southgate or on Essex Ham – have you asked the club’s organisers why this is? Do they not have time to submit stories? Do they not think that it’s worthwhile? Perhaps they’re happy to only promote to their own club members? Maybe they don’t want their members to read about their events on someone else’s website? If they’ve done events that they’re proud of, why not tell the press and the ham radio media? Surely it’s all good PR for that club, and for the hobby as a whole. I’d be interested to hear what response you get from the clubs you’re referring to.
As for this site – I identified a “gap” online – no single point for amateur radio in Essex – so I created Essex Ham to fill that gap. I know you’re working on your own amateur radio website project, which also fills a gap. Sometimes you’ve just got to do it, even if it rocks the boat a little – as it’s in the interests of the wider hobby. When your site goes live, you might find the same as we have. As I’ve said before, I’m very happy to help out should you need any info for your new site, and once it’s ready and live, you have the support and the PR power of Essex Ham to help get it noticed!
73, Pete
This is a ‘no-brainer’ – of course Essex Ham is good for the hobby, & can never be ‘too visible’. If people don’t like it – don’t look…
I gather that’s the problem though Jim – as we’ve featured Essex amateur radio events online, in magazines, on the radio, in the newspapers and even at Ideas Hubs (!), the brand name and the content is visible in lots of places and it can be hard to simply “not look”. Hopefully this post will tease out the reason for the comments, and if there’s something we can do better, we’ll try!
“Essex Ham is too visible” …says who? Some perspective is required here. Is it a club that isn’t visible and/or struggling with generating good PR or is it somebody who won’t put their Name+Callsign to the comment?
Does this mean that Mrs Essex Ham thinks that you’re “too invisible”? :)
I’m struggling to get the context too – the comments have been made via two different third parties, and I’m not sure if they’re acting on behalf of a club or for their own reasons. As nothing’s been said first-hand, something may have been lost in translation. This post has been put out there to encourage the person/persons/club to get in touch direct, via the comments section or via the poll – either giving their names(s) or anonymously… so that I can get the right context.
Mrs Essex Ham doesn’t get to see much of me these days – events, meetings, club nights. When we are both here at the same time – I’m normally on the phone or glued to a keyboard. Cloaking device enabled…
If they haven’t got the guts to contact you direct just ignore them and keep doing what you’re doing. It’s just jealously mate! Long Live The Essex Ham!!!
The proplm is that some club in essex,do not went Info on Essex Ham website I cannot see wi not, And yes I do a grey that it is the same people and club, but all clubs shod all git on with all clubs in essex and in the uk, I was on 20m JT65 and essex ham was mesons in the USA so it is not only uk
Thanks James. Yes, it’d be great if all of the groups and clubs could come together with the common aim of promoting the hobby and getting out there to tell people about amateur radio. Competing with other clubs doesn’t help get new people into the hobby, and may put some people off getting involved. I can’t think of a reason why any club wouldn’t want whatever exposure and promotion it could get, but if a club decides it would prefer not to use Essex Ham, Southgate, Radcom, etc, then it means there’s more scope for other clubs to get the free publicity for their activities.
Hi Pete,
The answer is simple,if you want to appear in Radcom,pw,GB2RS,etc.
Then contact them,they all want news articles.I have only had positive feed back from the above about articles I have submitted. Didn’t even mention Essexham Sorry Pete :)
If it is promoting an event then make sure you get it in early!
Hi Steve. Agreed – as you say, editors are normally happy to receive and publish stories… to get a better shot at getting well-placed, following their requirements (hi-res photos, word count, style etc) can sometimes make the difference. Radcom and PW have quite a long lead-time, but Southgate is updated daily, so is a quicker way to get a short-term story or event announcement out there. Problem of course is that not everyone gets PW and Radcom, or doesn’t check Southgate / Essex Ham frequently, so it’s a case of using multiple channels sometimes, as well as club newsletters, social media and group emails. Whatever you do, there’s always someone who misses the announcement!!
Hi, I’m relatively new HAM. My first search about the hobby begun on google in 2013. I didn’t know anything about the clubs or meetings. Everything looked more complicated that it should be. I was going through various websites. Some of them were outdated or information was not correct. Essex Ham gave me clear view of what is going on in my local area. Where to start and who to contact to get my first licence. I found my nearest club and signed up for the course and all that thanks to Essex Ham website.
So from perspective of new or future amateur radio operator having all detailed and up to date information in one place is something fantastic.
So, keep up great work guys. It worked for me and I’m sure for many others too. I can not see anything wrong with what you are doing.
In my opinion Essex Ham is promoting amateur radio in professional, very informative and up to date way, which helped many. Leading it to 21st century for younger generations.
73,
Awesome – many thanks for the comments Jakub. That’s exactly what the site was set up to do, and you’re a great example of the site working and doing its job. Thanks for the kind words, and long live the resistance!
Pete,
The work you do for amateur radio and your website are the best things that ever happened to the hobby. Ignore that very small negative minority – 99% of Essex ops are 100% behind you. Thanks for all you’re doing.
73s,
Dave.
Thanks for your support Dave – very much appreciated! See you soon, Pete
Pete.
Some perspective, You say “One comment received “. If you were receiving frequent and consistent criticism it would be cause for investigation. Your are not. So don’t take this comment to heart, whoever said it. Everyone has an opinion….
Thanks Rob. The nature of the comment was such that it required a sanity check – the implication was that there was not an isolated comment from one individual, and as such I couldn’t ignore it. I was hoping that this thread would give anyone with an issue or a concern the opportunity to voice it publicly (or privately), so that it could be addressed. Other than two “promote the hobby less” and “do less nets”, no-one’s raised an issue, so as far as I’m concerned, nothing to worry about, no need to change anything, and full steam ahead supporting the amateur radio activities around Essex. Cheers Rob (and everyone)
Pete.
All the comments you have seen above reflect on yourselve as a real benefit to the hobby and the area in general, it shows that essex does not sit on hits hands when it comes to activities unlike some other places in the UK, ..so what you get people involved you get it published, theres no shame in any of that.
Personally I would like to see Radcom do a two page spread on all the activities you have been involved with this year to set an example for all others to follow..
Keep up the excellent work.
“Can I get another car sticker for thy other car” ;-)
Cheers
Mike
Thanks Mike. Much appreciated. I’ll have a word with Radcom!! And yes, you can have a free car sticker at half-price!
I tried to engage with a licenced chap next street away. Not vey chaty,as said they only use 2 for a quick net on some Sundays and a pit od Data on HF,got no problem with that as I use JT65-hf
The site is well constructed and is fine by me ,but,as i have a few problems.I would like someones help setting up my rig for the local repeaters,I have not used a repeater since 1884,and had a Storno for 70cms in me MGB,Well handy!
I am
troubed,thatthe level of SSB activity on144/432,as well as 6mtrs these appeare on nearly all all basestations, now from heybridge bellow the seawall got to be! using a homemade 21 element yagi ,wooden boom I have worked Gernany /Sweeden.
this yagi thhe boom touched nexdoors trees and was at say 17` agl turned by hand.144 12 element wood boom both from same designer,who some say is a heretic!.Oh 50mhz delta loop horizontal polarised 450ohm matching stub all coax H100worked EI /GI GD now look up the specks of a 10yr old ft897d,no preamps .so USE THE BANDS before they are historyprobable get flamed for this ,Sorry.
Jon G8CCL
PS for the spelling