This project began when a colleague of mine knew I was a ham radio operator and asked me if I'd like to show some students about Ham Radio.
It was February 2015, My colleague is the district librarian and the 3rd Grade class was reading a book called Mr. Crumbs Secret. The title character recently started a new hobby and the main character was encourage to discover what Mr. Crumbs' new hobby was, which turns out to be Amateur (Ham) Radio.
Since it was just prior to the ARRL School Club Roundup, it seemed a perfect opportunity to show the kids how ham radio works.
I brought in my Yaesu FT897d including my digital mode setup. I didn't have a lot of time to figure out a good plan, so I brought along some hamsticks and put them in a dipole mount and set it up on the other side of the room from the radio. It wasn't ideal by any means.
The digital modes confirmed my signal was getting out, but no QSO's were made. The kids had fun each calling "CQ School Club Round Up" and getting a turn on the mic. I showed them morse code and explained some basic concepts. Again with out a formal plan since I put it together so quickly.
The kids loved it, one going so far as saying it was the most fun he'd had in school. Considering this was a success, the idea was born to setup a club station at the school.
No comments:
Post a Comment