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Please Help a High School Radio Club.

Discussion in 'Amateur Radio News' started by N4EU, Jul 20, 2002.

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  1. KC0LTV

    KC0LTV Ham Member QRZ Page

    It's great to see someone starting up such a club. I'm fifteen years old (almost sixteen), have been into radio for about five-and-a-half years (but was licensed only last November), and have gotten a friend, now an Extra, into the hobby.

    Try to demonstrate things others would consider "cool". Something that I think would work as an excellent advertisement for this club is ATV. You can find very inexpensive tiny ATV transmitters that transmit on the same frequency used by Cable Channel 58 (tune to that channel on a TV) and demonstrate their use on RC vehicles, etc. Look at what the guys at the Detroit Amateur Television (http://www.detroitatvrepeater.com) have done and you'll have inspiration for some sure crowd-impressers. Someone had previously mentioned making contact with ISS. This would also be a great idea, and talking over satellites with a handheld would also be pretty cool.

    For a main transciever, you might consider buying an inexpensive rig that does all (HF ~ UHF) while keeping the cost low. A good example would be an older (or newer, if you can find one cheap) IC-706x type transciever, and some much more inexpensive handheld and mobile VHF or UHF transcievers. Antennas? Homebrewing them would be a good idea, to save cost and it'd also be a good learning experience. You guys could have a really cool station over time.
     
  2. KG8DN

    KG8DN Ham Member QRZ Page

    Alexander,

       I'm sorry that I can't help much with equipment, but for information to you and others on this thread, we operate a Collins S-Line station (with 400-Watt Linear) to a dipole at Gilmour Academy here in Gates Mills, OH (Cleveland Area).

       We don't have spare equipment, although we have worked over time with benefactors (station has been up for 10 years) to gradually improve things.

       I'd suggest you get in touch with WB2JKJ through qrz.com.  He also runs ads in QST for their school in New York and he appeals through these for equipment -- has been doing so for years.  Since you are in Florida, you wouldn't really be "competing" with him, and he may be able to suggest ways to get equipment.

       Join one or two of the nearest local Amateur Radio clubs in your area.  Find out through the officers, or at a club meeting, if there happen to be members who are also graduates of your new school, or who have sent their children to that school.  Adults who have a vested interest in the school, or who have supported the school financially, are very motivated to help.  Offer through the principal to send them a "thank you" letter if they donate equipment.

       My information is also in qrz.com, so some day perhaps we can talk on 20 meter SSB with your school!  Florida is fairly easy to "hit" from Ohio on 20 m.

      Good luck,

           Ken Kane, KG8DN, Gilmour Academy   [​IMG]
     
  3. KD7LXL

    KD7LXL Ham Member QRZ Page

    As a reply to the above message:

    PSK31 is a lot easier/cheaper to set up then packet, no tnc. All you need is a radio, cable, and computer. Just a thought. [​IMG]

    ----------
    Tom Hayward, KD7LXL
    http://tom21988.home.att.net
    AIM/AOL: tomakakd7lxl
    Yahoo! Messenger: kd7lxl
    Windows Messenger/MSN: tom21988@att.net
     
  4. KD7LXL

    KD7LXL Ham Member QRZ Page

  5. Guest

    Guest Guest

    [​IMG] Hello, and man yall are so lucky that can start up a club at your school............at my jr. high, they won't even let me use my radio in emergencys. But anyway's, great to hear you getting some people intrested, i've got 2. [​IMG] better than nothin! 73

    p.s. not all the kids that are intrested in ham radio are geeks!
     
  6. W9IND

    W9IND Ham Member QRZ Page

    Post Preview

    Some quick thoughts for Alexander:

    1. Congrats on being motivated enough to try to start a ham radio club at your school.

    2. Don't be discouraged by what seems like a small turnout. The main thing to remember is that most teens really have no idea what ham radio is. That's the fault of all of us hams for not doing more to promote it, but it's a fact. So don't take it personally. Instead of lamenting the fact that not many fellow students seem interested, view it as a communications problem and take it as a challenge. It's the same challenge that advertising agencies face every day: They have a product to sell, and often it's a product that the average person doesn't know about. So how do they sell it? Basically, they find something about it that appeals to their target audience. Ask yourself: What is it about ham radio that the average kid my age would find cool? It could be TV, it could be satellites, it could be talking to people halfway around the world (and actually hearing their voice), it could be the contesting (competitive) aspect of the hobby. Whatever you think would appeal to your fellow students, emphasize those aspects of the hobby. After all, something about ham radio got YOU interested, right? Put yourself in the place of someone who knows nothing about it, and go from there.

    3. Again, realizing that most people don't know what ham radio really is (some mistake it for CB, etc.), you should consider teaming up with a local ham club or local hams to conduct some sort of demonstration. Seeing it is better than hearing about it. So try to find people who are dynamic and creative, active in many high-tech aspects of the hobby, not hams who are content ragchewing for 90 minutes with the guy down the street. Personally, I would recommend demonstrating something dramatic, such as TV, satellite, DX, etc. Or maybe you could find people who are into hiking and backpacking with their rigs. Nothing against 2 meters -- which certainly has its useful place -- but I would advise against simply demonstrating a local repeater. To the uninitiated, it can merely seem like local communication ... sort of like your basic walkie-talkie set. (Please, folks, don't flame me on this point. I'm not saying 2 meters is the SAME as walkie-talkies; I'm saying that any form of strictly local communication can SEEM that way to the uninitiated -- and when you have only a short time to make a first impression, perception is reality.)

    4. Don't expect too much from your school's administration right off the bat. Lots of kids have lots of ideas about "great" activities, but the average teen has a short attention span and quickly loses interest in his own plans. Plus, many schools have financial concerns that prevent them from throwing money at every idea a student comes up with. So again, you have a selling job to do. It's up to you to prove that you're serious about your idea, and that there's sufficient interest among other students, too. Once you do that, you'll probably find a more receptive audience among school officials.

    5. Even if you do everything right, you'll be doing well if you get 10 solid members in your ham radio club. Again, don't set your sights overly high ... hey, most of us would be very proud if we could recruit nine new hams who stayed with the hobby. Teenagers have a lot of things competing for their time, and heck, these days it's tough to even get anybody interested in anything -- just look at how hard it is for organizations like the Shriners and the Elks Club to keep their membership up. So take it a step at a time. If you can get a viable club with a working station, you'll have done a fine job indeed.

    GL and 73,
    Brian
    W9IND
     
  7. KC4EOE

    KC4EOE Ham Member QRZ Page

    Hello, Alexander. Hope you found a use for the ten-meter rig. I have excess to my needs a new-in-the-box Isotron 80 meter limited space antenna with 35 feet of new quality coax (with silver pl-259's) on the ends. I will get it to Jerry kc4ggu so he can pass it on to you for your project. It is an impressive looking futuristic antenna and may serve you well at the school. It certainly will draw attention. (see page 126 in the AES catalog) You can use it indoors, but it will really perform better outside of the building. I will give you the heavy duty five foot mast that goes with it and you can extend that with a longer mast for good counterpoise. Good luck in your venture. Springstead is a first rate school and my own son will start there next year. 73's  Al kc4eoe
     
  8. WB3JVK

    WB3JVK Ham Member QRZ Page

    </span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote (kg4ogn @ July 19 2002,17:19)</td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">Hello All,
    My name is Alexander Tubonjic, I am 14 years old and I need you'r help! I am going to attend Springstead High School come August, so in my spare time I have been                                   Alexander Tubonjic KG4OGN 73![/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>
    I note in this post and lots of similiar posts, that the school is not well identified. For a high school student who's world experience has not gone beyond his hometown, "Acme High" would say it all. Actually though, if the poster put say... Acme High in the town of Smallville, OH., along with a contact reference and address, they would probably excite more interest.

    Steve
    WB3JVK
     
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