Ed KE8ANU sent us this nice list of info links
The Northern New York Amateur Radio Association web site has information about Clubs, Repeaters, and Nets in and around the Adirondacks and Northern New York.
Amateur Radio Workshop & Kid’s Day
Amateur Radio is the original social networking technology!
A hundred years ago – long before computers, ipads, cell phones, the Internet, wifi, or other communications technologies existed – Amateur Radio operators (hams) were talking with each other across town and around the world.
Hams today use a variety of the latest technologies to communicate wirelessly by Morse code, voice, and computer – completely independent of any commercial infrastructure such as telephone lines or cell towers.
Once you have the radio it is all free. There are no subscriptions or connection charges; and unlike cell phones, ipads, and wifi, you can do it from anywhere. You can get started for around $100, and for less than the cost of a good computer, you can have a complete Amateur Radio station that allows you to communicate with other hams around town or thousands of miles away – literally around the world when radio wave propagation is right.
Amateur Radio is the most powerful and versatile personal communications available to anyone who makes the effort to get a license. You must pass a test, but the entry level (Technician) is not hard. Once you get involved, it is also not that hard to upgrade to the General license.
There are many aspects to Amateur Radio. Aside from being just plain fun, it provides you with the ability to communicate in an emergency or from a remote location when telephones, cell phones, the Internet are not available. It is an excellent way to learn about math, science, and technology and can help you on the way to an exciting and well-paying engineering and technical career. You will be able to have very interesting conversations with people from all over the world, in a way that is very different from the telephone or Internet instant messaging, chat rooms, and social networking sites.
The Dodge Pratt Northam Art and Community Center and the Boonville and Black River Valley Amateur Radio Clubs would like to offer Amateur Radio workshops or demonstrations. Please contact DPN if you are interested.
The initial goal was to prepare young people to participate in the Kids Day on-air event. Kids Day encourages children to have fun with Amateur Radio by making radio contacts with each other and and is sponsored by the ARRL (Amateur Radio Relay League).
However, we encourage anyone interested in technology and/or in talking with people in different places to explore Amateur radio. At any given time, depending on radio propagation and other factors, we may make contacts with stations across the country and around the world. The “magic” of ham radio is that we can do this without relying on telephone lines, cell towers, the Internet, or anything else.
You do need a license to transmit on Amateur Radio frequencies by yourself, however you do not need a license to get on the air under the supervision of a licensed operator.
It does help if you have a general idea of what ham radio is, how it works, and most importantly the basics of how to talk on the radio. Like any other hobby – and especially any other form of electronic communication, there are certain procedures and words used. These ‘classes’ will help you learn about ham radio so that you can have fun at Kids day or other events.
Here is a list of resources and information. Hope to see you at the next workshop or demonstration!
- Morse_Code
- Build your own Morse code practice oscillator for about $20.
- Schematic, Parts list, Instructions
- Construction Steps (pictures)
- PC board or full parts kit available from Far Circuits
- Phonetic Alphabet
- Distance and Temperature conversion
- Time Notation – Local (Eastern) 12 hour, 24 hour, and Coordinated Universal Time
- 2 Meter FM Operation
- Amateur Radio Band Plan (color 8.5×11) (grayscale 8.5×11)
Web resources:
- 22 Things You Can Do With Amateur Radio
- ARRL Kids Day
- Back River Valley Amateur Radio Club web site, with links to area clubs and general info.
- Science Fair/ Merit badge projects (ARRL)
- All About Circuits – a series of online textbooks covering electricity and electronics.
Amateur Radio License Study On-line Resources:
- Ham Academy and Morse Academy
- Practice Amateur Radio Exams @ QRZ.com
- eHam.net Ham Exams
- Amateur Radio Technician Class License Prep (Youtube video series)
Ham Radio in the News:
- Amateur radio is attracting a new generation of enthusiasts
- Scout Training Saves Day Backcountry Skiers
- Ham radio: Last means of communications in a disaster
- Amateur radio event helps youths connect to others around the world
- ‘Hobby of friendship’ a real old-school earful
- Ham radio operators share their hobby with children
- Amateur radio operators’ club is more than just fun
- Radio amateurs prep launch of tiny FUNcube satellite
- Students Work the Radio Dial to Win a National Contest
- Forget Skype: This Whiz Kid Prefers Radio
- Montana radio operator hams it up from his home
Other interesting stuff:
Ham Radio in Decatur (Audio segment from WABE Public Radio, Atlanta, Aug. 15, 2012 )
Calling CQ Adventures of Short Wave Radio Operators by Clinton B. DeSoto (Book, 1941)