For the last couple of months, I’ve been working on getting kids more involved with ham radio. I’ve started teaching some kids at a local middle school and have given talks at several schools here in Southeastern Michigan. I’ve also talked to some of the local ham clubs. Here’s the outline of talk I’m giving Tuesday evening to the General Motors Amateur Radio Club.
As always, comments are appreciated.
Getting Kids Into Ham Radio
- Some recent events
- Summer 2005: Part of my platform is getting more kids involved in ham radio.
- Fall 2005: I lose the election.
- December 2005: At the invitation of Ig, N0EXF, I speak at Scarlett Middle School. Ig is trying to arrange a QSO with NA1SS, the Intl. Space Station.
- February 8: At the invitation of a science teacher, Sam KC8QCZ and I give a talk on ham radio to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders at the Ann Arbor Learning Community, a charter school in Ann Arbor.
- A2 Learning Community
- Feb. 15: We’re invited back to discuss setting up an amateur radio club.
- March 1: We hold first club meeting.
- Different than normal Tech classes:
- More electronics: these kids want to learn how to build stuff.
- They’re hot to learn Morse Code.
- First project: no-solder code practice oscillator (http://www.arrl.org/news/features/2003/10/30/1/).
- Second project: regen SW receiver.
- Random Thoughts
- I think it’s hogwash that kids are no longer interested in ham radio.
- Somehow, ham radio has lost the ability or the will to relate to kids.
- There is more competition, but we just have to be more proactive.
- We need courses tailored to kids.
- Kids want to do things, not learn things.
- We need to work with parents and teachers as well as kids.
- I think targeting our efforts at middle schools, rather than high schools, will be more productive.
- Charter schools and private schools might afford better opportunities than public schools.
- Web Resources
- HamKids – www.hamkids.com
Site run by Gordie, KD8CDP, and his father, Mike, KD8BUS. - AARC Jr. – www.ki3ds.org
- K3ASK – www.kidshamradio.com
- Tuesday night net on EchoLink. Connect to KD8BUS.
- ICOM Kids Section – http://www.icomamerica.com/amateur/kids/
- ham_instructor Yahoo Group – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ham_instructor/
- HamKids – www.hamkids.com
I really don’t know where all this is going. When I’ve talked this up, at clubs or on the air, I get a lot of people nodding their heads, but what we really need is to get more people interested in working with kids. If that’s you, get in touch.
Leave a Reply