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D I X I E A M A T E U R
R A D I O C L U B , I N C .
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HOW TO CONTACT THE DIXIE AMATEUR RADIO CLUB 
There are several ways to contact the Club. The Dixie Amateur Radio Club has a Post Office Box to receive Postal Mail to: That address is: Dixie Amateur Radio Club, Inc. P.O. Box 2196 St. George, Utah 84771-2196 The Club also has an e-mail address which is: w7drc@arrl.net Please use e-mail as your first option as this account is checked several times each day. You can also meet other Club Members and the DARC Board Members at our monthly meetings. Please see the "Club Meeting Info" button below to find the date and time of the next meeting. To contact the Club's webmaster, please send an e-mail at the same general e-mail address. MENTORING
HELP FOR NEW HAMS - WHO TO CONTACT:
The Club has implement a voluntary list of local Amateur Radio operators
who have a willingness to assist new ham radio enthusiasts in learning more
about the hobby and help when questions/difficulties arise. You might
have heard the term in the ham radio vernacular calling this mentoring of
new ham operator "Elmering", and those people who assist the new hams
being called "Elmers". This is simply "ham-speak" for mentoring.There has been a bit of question as to why we sometimes use the term mentor as opposed to the "traditional" term "Elmer". Ham radio does have its share of tradition and lore, and to a lot of folks it seems that we are breaking from tradition and discarding the affectionate term Elmer. Not so. Most folks outside of Amateur Radio do not recognize what an Elmer is, but they do know what a mentor is. Because our Club's program is geared toward the new ham we don't want to confuse anyone so we will call it mentoring. Now that we know that mentoring and "elmering" is the SAME exact thing, let's take a moment to learn where the term Elmer is derived. Origin of the term "Elmer" The term "Elmer" --meaning someone who provides personal guidance and assistance to would-be hams (and newly licensed hams)-- first appeared in the American Radio Relay Leagues' Journal QST in a March 1971 "How's DX" column by Rod Newkirk, W9BRD (now also VA3ZBB). Newkirk called them "the unsung fathers of Amateur Radio." While he probably was not trying to coin a term at the time, here's how Newkirk introduced "Elmer" in his column and, as it turned out, to the rest of the Amateur Radio world: "Too frequently one hears a sad story in this little nutshell: 'Oh, I almost got a ticket, too, but Elmer, W9XYZ, moved away and I kind of lost interest.'" Newkirk went on to say, "We need those Elmers. All the Elmers, including the ham who took the most time and trouble to give you a push toward your license, are the birds who keep this great game young and fresh." -- ( info provded byRick Lindquist, N1RL) As you can see, the term "Elmer" is not very old. Prior to the first use of Elmer as the one who guided and encouraged us, what were these folks called? There have been a lot of suggestions; teacher, mentor, tutor, guide, helper, sage? All of those are appropriate but our best guess would be that, first and foremost, they were called friend. So we will likewise say, first and foremost, "Welcome to the hobby, friends!". Send your request to w7drc@arrl.net and it will be sent to our groupp of Elmer volunteers. One will resond to you as soon as possible. ADDITIONAL
MENTORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AND NEEDED
If you are willing to be added to the list of volunteer mentors please e-mail: w7drc@arrl.net |
