Is there an event (State / County / Community Fair, Festival, or Community Event) you would like to activate? Hop on the FOTA website and register it. Once you have an activation scheduled on FOTA, it's time to plan what you want to do. This is a perfect club project or special event, though it doesn’t have to be a club or group… you can do it individually. It’s easier if you have a few people to help, because you can set up an exhibit and expose LOTS of people to ham radio. FOTA is likely the single easiest way to expose the largest number of people to ham radio that exists today. Your club or group can also use this as an opportunity to get folks to your ham radio classes, club meetings, etc.
DISPLAY: First, decide if you want a display to show people what ham radio is. If you do a display, use a popup tent or two to help block the sun and possibly shed rain, a couple of tables, chairs, and bring some bits to display. Simple things work great...a few bits and pieces of radio gear, morse code keys, microphones, club banners, etc. Stuff that might catch the public eye and pull them to your tent. The ARRL and other organizations can provide handouts. Ask people if they have heard of ham radio, if they've ever known someone who was involved with it, etc. It doesn't take long to strike up a conversation on the topic. While interested in old tech and such, the younger folks seem more interested in how computers and modern tech are now rolled into the hobby. The conversations are endless.
RADIO ACTIVATIONS: If you plan to make contacts from the event, you should survey the site for possible antenna installations and interference from surrounding equipment. If you plan to operate on-site, you might want to think about being able to work local repeaters for demonstration purposes, as well as HF for long distance contacts. 20 and 40 meters are easy bands to work with a minimal antenna and are open most of the day to somewhere. Have a backup plan for HF operation. Be sure to read the event summary for the NC State Fair Summary / Lessons learned for more on this topic.
GROUP / LOCAL ACTIVATIONS: Utilize your local club or group members to help make contacts for your activation from their home or mobile stations in the area. One of the main purposes of FOTA is to commemorate these events and bring attention to them via radio. This can really increase the footprint of your activation and actively involve more people...and it's FUN!
INDIVIDUAL ACTIVATION: If you plan to activate a State, County, or Local fair or event as an individual, you can do so quite easily. If the event isn't registered on the FOTA site, register it. It only takes a minute to get it added to the list to bring more attention to your activation for people to hunt. If it's already listed, just go to the event location, find a spot somewhere that you feel is safe, and get on the air. Prior contact with event management may get you a nice spot in the event. Operation from parking lots or surrounding areas is also very easy to do with little effort.
