Elmers
| Elmers | |
|---|---|
| Meaning | An experienced ham who mentors newcomers |
| Related terms | "Elmering" (mentoring); "my Elmer" (the ham who helped you start) |
| Origin | Uncertain; often traced to a 1971 QST column |
| Where to find one | Local clubs, license classes, Field Day, hamfests, nets |
| Typical help | |
| Before the license | Study tips, exam sessions, choosing a first radio |
| After the license | Programming radios, putting up antennas, first contacts, operating habits |
An Elmer is an experienced amateur radio operator who mentors newcomers. An Elmer might explain a confusing exam question, help program a first handheld, hold the other end of a wire while a dipole goes up, or sit beside a new ham during a first nervous contact. Mentoring has always been part of amateur radio, and many hams can name the person who got them started decades later. The word is used for anyone in the role, of any age or gender, and helping someone this way is often called "Elmering."
What an Elmer does
There is no formal job description. Some Elmers help one newcomer for years; others answer a single question at a club meeting. Common kinds of help include:
- Getting licensed. Recommending study material, explaining the theory behind tricky questions and pointing the way to an exam session run by volunteer examiners.
- Choosing equipment. Helping a newcomer avoid buying the wrong first radio, or the right radio with the wrong antenna.
- Setting up a station. Programming repeater frequencies and tones, building and tuning antennas, checking SWR, and explaining safe grounding.
- Getting on the air. Explaining how a contact works, from calling CQ to giving signal reports, and introducing new interests such as Morse code, digital modes or contesting.
Because the rules allow an unlicensed person to speak over an amateur station under the supervision of a licensed control operator, an Elmer can even let a prospective ham make real contacts before passing an exam, subject to the third-party rules in Part 97.
Origin of the term
Nobody knows for certain where the word came from. Its first known appearance in print is commonly said to be a 1971 column in QST, the ARRL's journal, that mentioned an "Elmer" in this sense. The term spread after that, and it may well have been in spoken use earlier. Whatever its source, it is now one of the most familiar words in ham slang.
Finding an Elmer
Elmers are seldom assigned; most newcomers find one by turning up where hams gather and asking questions.
- Clubs. A local ham radio club is the most reliable place to start. Many run license classes, new-ham nights or formal mentoring programs, and almost all have members glad to help. The ARRL's website includes a search for affiliated clubs.
- Field Day. Every June, clubs set up stations in parks and other public places and welcome visitors. Many run a special station where newcomers and visitors can make contacts with an experienced operator alongside.
- Hamfests and exam sessions, where experienced hams are easy to meet in person.
- On the air. Local nets and repeaters often have regulars who help new hams; asking for advice on a net is common and welcome.
- Online. Forums and video tutorials answer countless questions, but they can't look at your antenna or hand you a wrench. A local mentor is still worth finding.
Being an Elmer
Anyone who knows a little more than someone else can be an Elmer; a ham licensed for a year may be the ideal person to help one licensed last week, because the hurdles are still fresh in memory. A few habits make a good mentor:
- Be patient. Every expert once asked the same questions. A sharp answer can drive a newcomer out of the hobby.
- Let them do it. A new ham who solders the connector or makes the call learns far more than one who watches.
- Match the pace. Answer the question asked, and save the full history of the subject for another day.
- Share the whole hobby. Introduce people, bring them to club events and show them activities they haven't discovered.
Mentoring also benefits the mentor. Explaining something is the surest way to understand it properly, and new hams bring energy, fresh ideas and new skills to clubs that need them.