Tasmanian Club Showcased in ARRL QST for Leading Amateur Radio Community Engagement

The Radio and Electronics Association of Southern Tasmania (REAST) has received international recognition, with its innovative approach to promoting amateur radio featured in the August 2026 edition of the ARRL's QST magazine, one of the world's most respected amateur radio publications. The two-page article highlights how the Hobart-based club has developed a successful model for introducing amateur radio to the wider community through engaging, hands-on Open Days.

The article explains how REAST has moved beyond simply displaying radio equipment and instead focuses on creating interactive experiences that appeal to families, makers, hackers, university engineering students and the general public. The club's Open Days feature activities such as Morse code practice, foxhunts, software-defined radio demonstrations, Raspberry Pi projects, satellite reception, microwave experiments, amateur television and even Earth-Moon-Earth communications, giving visitors a real appreciation of the breadth of modern amateur radio.

The article also describes the planning behind these successful events, from building a volunteer team with complementary skills to using social media, community radio, schools and local networks to reach new audiences. It emphasises the importance of measuring outcomes, following up with visitors and maintaining ongoing engagement through training courses, experimentation nights and club activities. REAST's experience demonstrates that successful amateur radio promotion is built on welcoming people, making activities accessible and showing the many ways radio technology connects with science, engineering and everyday life.

REAST has become a leading example of how affiliated clubs can actively grow amateur radio within their communities. By combining technical demonstrations, education, STEM activities and community engagement, the club continues to attract new people into the hobby while strengthening existing membership. The recognition by the American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is a credit not only to REAST's volunteers, but also to the broader Australian amateur radio community, demonstrating that innovative club activities developed in Tasmania are worthy of international attention.

The article also serves as an excellent resource for clubs looking to refresh or expand their own public engagement activities. It provides practical ideas on planning, promotion, safety, volunteer management and visitor follow-up that can be adapted by clubs of any size.

The August edition of QST can be viewed through the ARRL website by members, with further information available at Link

Page Last Updated: Wednesday, 05 Aug 2026 at 22:13 hours by Justin Giles-clark

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