09/12/2025
The Bella Vista Radio Club (BVRC)[1] in northwest Arkansas, an ARRL Special
Service Club, found a good outreach opportunity with the NWA Maker Faire, held
Saturday, September 6, 2025. The event touts that it "brings together creators,
innovators, and DIY enthusiasts to showcase their projects, share ideas, and
show us all what the future can be."
BVRC is a large club and found a lot of interest quickly, said club member
James Bennett, KA5DVS, who organized the radio presence at the event. "I made
announcements at the monthly BVRC meeting and several club members volunteered
to help in planning, supplying equipment and other needs, as well as staffing
the booth. These included me, Tom Northfell, W5XNA; Ryan Biazo, K5HEX; John
Robinson, W5HB; Jan Hagan, WB5JAN, and Kathy Long, who helped set up and staff
the booth as well. Other club members who assisted included Sharron Edmondson,
KC5SKY, and Alex Smith, KI5EQK," he said.
The club visited with over 100 people who stopped by their booth. "Most were
familiar or at the very least curious about ham radio," noted Bennett.
"However, we also heard a few comments such as: `Is anyone still doing ham
radio?' and `I thought this was only used by truckers years ago,' so there is a
bit of an information gap on ham radio within the maker community, and this is
mirrored by the surprisingly low number of hams familiar with the maker
movement."
Radio clubs are vital to the growth of amateur radio. ARRL has declared 2026 to
be the Year of the Club, and radio clubs such as BVRC will be a central focus
of support next year. They are on the front lines of sharing amateur radio with
their communities.
Bennett feels that last weekend's booth was a good use of time to do so. "Maker
Faires are an outstanding venue for presenting ham radio and for ham clubs to
engage with the maker community, one that is filled with technically-oriented
folks who love tinkering, hacking and building."
For more information on BVRC, visit bellavistaradioclub.org[2]. To find a Maker
Faire in your area, use the map tool located at makerfaire.com/globalmap[3].
[1] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDMzNjc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TY1NDUwNw/index.html
[2] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDMzNjc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TY1NDUwNw/index.html
[3] https://arrl.informz.net/z/cjUucD9taT0zNDMzNjc5JnA9MSZ1PTUyNTgxODI4NCZsaT0zO
TY1NDUwOA/index.html
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