KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

KB6NU's Ham Radio Blog

STEM

Articles: Scrappy circuits, ham radio inspires student, why measurements are important, why copper is important

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Here are some articles I found intersting. The first details a cheap way to teach kids (and adults, too!) about circuits….Dan

Scrappy circuits

Circuit components made from dollar-store items.
Circuit components made from dollar-store items.
The best dollar you can spend on a child’s STEAM education is to take them to the dollar store, buy an electronic item, and then take it apart. Learning how a handheld fan, LED light, remote control, or headphones work will help show how wind turbines, traffic lights, speakers, keyboards, and other modern devices function. The next step is to take apart a dollar store item and make it better — combine two items, replace a switch, create something new and unique. Scrappy Circuits is the perfect way to get started. I first developed Scrappy Circuits with Chris Connors and Eva Luna while working at Xraise, an education outreach program at Cornell University. What began as an exploration of DIY switches ended later as a self-made invention system sourced from a fifty-cent LED tea light. Educators can build it with their class for about $20. Anyone with access to office supplies and a dollar store can make the five Core Bricks for about $1. Here’s how to create each one.

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I think that we short-change ham radio’s usefulness in getting people to pursue STEM careers…..Dan

Ham radio inspired this Scranton University student to pursue engineering

Many college students participate in sports, listen to music, or play video games in their spare time, but IEEE Student Member Gerard Piccini prefers amateur radio, also known as ham radio. He’s been involved with the two-way radio communication, which uses designated frequencies, since his uncle introduced him to it when he was a youngster. His call sign is KD2ZHK.

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I’ve always been something of a measurement nerd……Dan

Why measurements are important

Practically everything you use in your everyday life works because of measurement science. Without precise measurements, your car wouldn’t run, your phone wouldn’t work, hospitals couldn’t function, and the ATM would fail. NIST is the national measurement institute of the United States. Most people in the U.S. have no idea that there is a single organization within the federal government that makes sure all measurements in the U.S. are correct and trustworthy — and that they are accepted by other governments worldwide.

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Copper is one of those things that we take for granted…..Dan

Copper: Conductivity Benefits and Environmental Impact

Most circuit designers probably aren’t thinking about, much less worrying about, the metal copper. But as the electrification of the world continues, copper conductors used in applications from microchips, other components and circuit boards, to household, industrial, and automotive wiring, and critical workhorses like batteries and electric motors, points to the need to spotlight its starring role.

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Amateur radio videos: FCC to replace symbol rate limits with bandwidth limits, K5ATA’s vision for the role of ham radio in STEM education, rain gutter POTA antenna

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FCC to lift symbol rate limitations

This is a topic that’s been in the news lately. The FCC is planning to remove the baud rate limitation on digital transmissions and replace it with a 2.8 kHz bandwidth limitation. This video goes into quite some detail on this.

You can find the complete text of the Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking at https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-397992A1.pdf.

K5ATA’s vision for the role of ham radio in STEM education

Steve, K5ATA, ARRL Education and Learning Manager, gave the keynote speech at the 2023 ARRL Pacific Division Ham Radio Convention Pacificon. I love the vision. The question now is how to turn that vision into reality.

POTA activation rain gutter


Mr MUD, VA5MUD, forgot to bring an antenna to one of his latest POTA activations. That didn’t stop him, though. As he shows in this video, he simply clips a wire to a nearby rain gutter.

We’re missing the STEM boat

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I subscribe to an email newsletter named Model D that covers community news in Detroit. The company that publishes it also publishes other email newsletters that cover similar news around the state of Michigan.

In the last issue of Model D there was an ad for the SC4 STEM Fest. I thought to myself that this kind of event would be perfect for some kind of amateur radio involvement. So, I emailed our ARRL Section Manager and asked if he might know if anyone in the amateur radio community was exhibiting at the event, and if not, what we might do in the future to find out about upcoming events and to get involved with them.

I received the following response:

Thanks for the heads up I have forwarded this to the club up in Port Huron. If they can make it great, if not we will look a little further in advance and see if any local clubs can support. It would be perfect to introduce amateur radio at this one since a former astronaut will be there.

While this is an understandable response, I think it’s missing the boat. I think that someone in the ARRL organization should be keeping on top of these things and making sure that amateur radio has a presence at them. Not only that, we need to come up with some kind of exhibit that will be engaging enough so that kids will be attracted to our hobby, and if not our hobby, electronics and communications engineering.

This is really more than a small amateur radio club can handle. An effort like this really needs to be addressed on a statewide, if not a national level. I asked our section manager what he would think about starting some kind of Michigan Section STEM Committee, but I haven’t received a reply yet.

Having said all this, here are a few questions:

  • Do you know if the ARRL has any kind of program for finding out about this kind of STEM event and any kind of exhibit that could be displayed at them? I know that the ARRL conducts the Wireless Institute, but that’s really a thing for teachers, not students.(Right after I post this, I’m going to email Steve, K5ATA, ARRL’s Education and Learning Manager about this.)
  • Have you been involved with any of these STEM programs? If so, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
  • Is there a list of STEM events somewhere that we could consult to find upcoming events?
  • Do  you have any ideas for what kind of exhibit would be a hit with the students and/or the teachers that attend these events?

I know this is all kind of partly baked, but I think that this could be a good way to get more youth involved in amateur radio. So, I say, “Let’s get on board with STEM!”

Amateur radio in the news: 83 year old uses ham radio on solo voyage, school uses ham radio to prepare students for STEM careers

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Solo voyager Horie, 83, passes Hawaii 3 weeks into Pacific trip

HAWAII–Octogenarian Kenichi Horie, who aims to become the oldest solo voyager to cross the Pacific, passed Hawaii on April 17, a week ahead of schedule and apparently in good shape and spirit.

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Although Horie carries a satellite phone, communicating with others through a ham radio remains one of his favorite pastimes.

“March 31: I spotted a tanker on the sea’s horizon this morning for the first time since I set out. The vessel was traveling eastward. Tomorrow, I am going to use the ham radio.”

Amateur radio fans across Japan tried to communicate with Horie on April 1, with some setting up large antennas. But they could not reach him due to the poor conditions for radio wave transmission. The following day, some could.

Kenichi Horie waves on his yacht, Suntory Mermaid III, as he sails off Honolulu. (© Kenichi Horie)

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Launch into more: Gloversville school club prepares students for more than careers in STEM

GLOVERSVILLE, NY – Once a weather balloon is launched – payload attached – Gloversville Middle School science teacher Chris Murphy is behind the wheel, ready to drive to wherever the landing site might be. In the backseat are students following the airship on computers and punching in data that helps determine his directions.

The advisor for the school district’s High Altitude Achievement club has been going on these adventures with students since 2013, and ham radio operators along the route and someone at a home base help direct, too. The experience varies from a car caravan to a single vehicle, and from students on a second or third launch to their very first. The seventeenth, and most recent launch, on March 17 was, however, a first. It was the beginning of a launching era including eighth graders in the experience.

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Ham radio operator reflects on 40 years in the hobby

Peru resident Bill McAlpin said he vividly remembers being a kid and someone giving his father a shortwave radio.

Shortly after acquiring it, McAlpin’s family strung an antenna up between his house and his grandparents’ house next door, and he’d sit for  hour listening to communications from all over the world.

And McAlpin’s been hooked on amateur (ham) radio ever since.

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Let’s expand our concept of public service

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I try and keep up with the news about amateur radio, and to that end, I subscribe to the Southgate ARC news feed and get an amateur radio Google Alert.

The Hudson River Radio Relay is holding a series of special event stations to raise funds for the preservation of the Bannerman Castle on an island in the Hudson River.

Every now and then, there’s a news story that catches my eye about a club providing some kind of public service outside the normal channels. In this instance, it’s a special event sponsored by the Hudson River Radio Relay to raise funds for the preservation of the historic Bannerman Castle, which sits on an island in the Hudson River. Hams who contact the club’s special event stations will be sent a certificate along with information on how to contribute to the fundraiser.

Here in Ann Arbor, I’m trying to raise funds for a permanently-endowed scholarship for a student attending Washtenaw Community College. My goal is to raise $10,000 that the community college’s foundation will then use to award a $500 scholarship every year to a student who either holds an amateur radio license or is pursuing a career in a technical field. Unfortunately, I’m a better amateur radio operator than I am a fundraiser, so it’s going slowly. I do intend to see this through, though.

Another opportunity that some might be interested in is volunteering with TryEngineering.org. This is an IEEE program, which encourages young people to “try engineering” and pursue a technical career. According to the website, there are opportunities for volunteers, and there might be some way that your club could contribute.

One possibility that intrigued me is the Parents Program, but when I clicked on the link, I got the following:

Parents play a large part in furthering their children’s STEM interests. These activities are designed specifically for parents to introduce them to STEM fields and to share resources to aid parents in guiding their children. The workshops can feature presentations from STEM professionals, hands-on activities or informal discussions. We currently have no programs in this category. If you have a program, that targets parents, we would like to include it in the library.

Now, that sounds like something I could do. I’m much better working with adults than I am working with kids. I plan to contact our local STEAM school and see if they already have some kind of parents program, and if not, think about what I might be able to do to start one.

I think that you get the picture here. It’s all about using our knowledge and skills in new ways to better serve our community. Providing emergency communications is all well and good, but there’s no reason that we can’t do more. Thinking outside the box of traditional amateur radio activities will enable us to help more people and is great PR for ham radio.

Let me know if your club is already doing something like this, or if you have other ideas for “out of the box” public service.

TryEngineeringTogether helps kids get into technology

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Want to help kids get involved with technology? This short item from EDN magazine describes and IEEE program that might be worth your while…Dan

Want to inspire the next generation of engineers and scientists? For a few hours of your time each month, you can do your part. Once students hit grade 8, apparently half have already lost any interest in STEM subjects.

(source: TryEngineering Together)

So…the IEEE has teamed with Cricket Media to create TryEngineering Together, facilitating eMentoring relationships between techies just like you and students in grades 3-5.

My colleague Nicole DiGiose over at sister pub EBN has written about this in much more depth. Go check it out – change a kid’s life.