[kids] KIDS DAY BEFORE KIDS DAY

[Rebecca Rich, KB0VVT]

Comments From Dad (Dave KG0US).

The Thursday before Kids Day our family gave an Amateur Radio
Demonstration for the Summer Reading Program at the Raytown, MO
library.  Barbara (KG0UT), Rebecca and I introduced about 30+ young
people and a few adults to amateur radio.  It was scheduled during the
afternoon so Barb and I had to take
4 hours vacation to prepare for the demonstration.

Before the presentation, we setup tables, put out radios and hung up QSL
cards and Rebecca’s WAS award.

I started the program off by telling how I became interested in amateur
radio and earned my license when I was sixteen years old way back in
1977.  We then showed the first 10 minutes of the recruitment video that
we purchased from the ARRL for $12.

Rebecca then talked and showed transparencies to the young people about
how she became interested in and what she enjoys about Amateur Radio.
She told of how she became interested in Amateur Radio while watching
her mother studying to earn her license.

Rebecca also told and showed the audience some really great books she
has read that were written by Cynthia Wall (KA7ITT).  These books
involve teenagers named Kim and Mark who happen to be amateur radio
operators.  These books are only six bucks each and are really good
suspenseful stories. You will enjoy reading these books yourself as well
as to your child if he or she is not old enough.  Look for the following
titles:

Night Signals
Hostage in the Woods
Firewatch
Easy Target
Disappearing Act
A Spark to the Past

Rebecca also showed the audience some books she is just now starting to
read by Walker Tompkins (K6ATX).  These books are only five bucks each
and have the following titles:

SOS at Midnight
CQ Ghost Ship
DX Brings Danger
Death Valley QTH
Grand Canyon QSO
Murder By QRM

Barb then talked and showed transparencies to the audience about how we
prepared Rebecca to take the amateur radio examinations and described
additional studying options.

We then gave a code demonstration using two code oscillators we had
across the room from each other. We placed a sheet of paper next to each
code oscillator that had the alphabet and its corresponding dots and
dashes.  We then called for one boy and one girl volunteer from the
audience.  I then explained and showed a dot and then a dash while
emphasizing that a dash is three times longer in duration.  Then we had
our volunteers send a predetermined sequence of letters.  Rebecca worked
with the boys while I coached the girls.  The girls sent "..   .-..  ..
-.-  .   ..-" and then we had the boys send "..   .-..  ..  -.-  .
..-   -  ---  ---".  The young people were embarrassed and the audience
got a laugh when we told them what was sent.
Note:  The above message was left in code as an exercise for your young
person to break the code with adult help.

Afterwards, we had the volunteers make up a message for Rebecca and I to
send back and forth to show the secret code really works.

Before the presentation, we setup a Yaesu FT5100 VHF/UHF mobile powered
by a small lightweight Astron switching power supply.  For an antenna,
we used a J Pole Rebecca had built (with Dad’s help holding the solder
and helping to hold the torch) a couple of years ago at one of our area
Ham Feast Picnics.  To finish things up,  we arranged for all the young
people to talk to some of the local Kansas City area hams on one of our
local repeaters.  We had a long line of young people patiently waiting
their turn to talk over the microphone.  Some of the adults in the
audience even talked over the radio.  It was a lot of fun!

After the presentation, several adults and young people stayed around
practicing their code and asking questions.

73,
Dave KG0US



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