Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

The world isn't the same as when we were all 15. I think what you have to do is find out what excites the kid, and then finding a part of amateur radio that matches. I'm far from 15, but I never got to love CW, even though I made more than a few contacts when I had my novice license. Gotta

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

After a period of experimenting with basic circuits, a good step is to find an older copy of the ARRL Handbook. I studied the "Electrical Laws and Circuits" section of the handbook until I had a good understanding of what the components did. That is the source I learned from at the age of

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Excellent idea Alan! An added advantage of that kind of approach is that you can write on the blocks - like the name of the component, its schematic symbol, and he can see how to follow the schematic to connect them. Polarized devices like diodes can be marked with the anode and cathode ends

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

I started with a flyer from Summer school that showed how to make a crystal set.  Simple stuff, took a week or so to gather the materials and wire it all up with a wood burning converted soldering iron, hi.  We did it on a bread board that Mom said was too marked up.  Used a telephone hand held

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Here is one more approach: I took a pine 1X2 and cut it into 3” pieces ; then screwed a couple of Fahnstock clips into the tops of each one near the ends. I then selected an assortment of 2 node components plus a pile of 6” cut copper wire pieces. Whoopee…we could then make stuff…doorbell plus

[Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Many thanks to the many people who offered suggestions and advice on this subject, all of it worth pursuing. If it works out, there may come from it another participant in the Elecraft reflector some day. Thanks again, Ted, KN1CBR

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Hi everyone, I've wrestled with this too. My 9 year old son really enjoyed learning how to send his name perfectly in CW while being graded by the KX2's decoder. He wouldn't stop until he got it perfect - no spaces or anything! But my 11 year old gave up sorta quickly. I drag them on SOTA

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

www.sotawatch.org is the main site.  Like everything else, one size does not fit all.  The programme [it started in the UK] offers a number of awards which attract some but not all folks.  Some are just outdoor folks who would be hiking/camping anyway.  Some don't hike but derive pleasure from

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

I'm with Fred. I gave both of my grandsons a Kano and they have just love them . This is, essentially, a Raspberry Pi with a custom-built Linux operating system . They've learned Scratch, a procedural-type of programming language that uses

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

It sounds to me like the makerspace idea is pretty cool. I may have to join one here in Bozeman cause project space (and projects) are seriously limited in the new digs. Googling makerspace for Denver looks like there are number of places. Maybe some would be better than others for your

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

One of the past speakers at Pacificon sold it at a private high school as teaching how to talk to the ISS and satellites. Everything else came following that hook. On Oct 15, 2017 2:46 PM, "Richard Thorne" wrote: > Hi Knut, > > I've operated a couple SOTA's this year. > >

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Hi Knut, I've operated a couple SOTA's this year. So far other hikers have been quite interested in what I was doing and didn't seemed to be annoyed, just curious in what I was doing. Rich - N5ZC On 10/15/2017 4:21 PM, ab2tc wrote: Hi again, Not a bad idea. We were very successful in

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

I got started in 1958 (almost 60 years ago). There was no Internet, google, personal computers, or even hand calculators (unless you include the pencil). I was not introduced by a mentor (elmer) or any ham. It was some neighbor kids family table Zenith Ocean-O-Graphic radio. I was twelve

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Hi again, Not a bad idea. We were very successful in getting our four children interesting in the outdoors. The oldest daughter and her husband are even into backpacking in the back country (Algonquin park), something we never got into. The other three are very good hikers, too. I hate to be a

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Number of wives: 1.  Number of wives interested in ham radio: 0.  We have 4 kids, 11 grandkids, and 5 great grandkids [so far].  Number showing any interest in my ham radio: essentially zero.  Joe, at perhaps 14, came in and asked what I was doing.  When I told him I was competing in a

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

I'll try a completely different tack. If you like the outdoors, how about Summits-on-the-Air (SOTA)? You'll get to spend time planning your SOTA adventure, and taking the hike to the peak. He'll get to see you operating and hopefully that will encourage him to be interested as well. He can

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Hi all, Interesting OT thread. It's getting closed to the limit for OT threads, but I'll risk another entry anyway. It reverberates with me since I just became a grandfather. Of course I have another 10 years or so before I have to really start thinking about this. On G3RJV's book. It is very

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Ted, G3RJV - the Reverend George Dobbs has spent a lot of time and energy creating easy to build radios. He has also done a lot with children to help their interest in building and radio. His name is familiar to most QRPers and until last year has presented at FDIM - always quite

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Companies like Elenco still make the 150-in-1 and 300-in-1 Electronic Project Labs that let you easily walk through theory and application with quick results yet still allow you to do the builds and easily modify circuits. Safely. They have the "Snap Circuits" line of kits for things like building

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Some of us "homebrew" in software. Then there is the whole "maker" community that should be a nice fit. 73 -- Lynn On 10/15/2017 9:20 AM, GRANT YOUNGMAN wrote: That’s a good question. Most kids’ grandpas, even it they’re hams, don’t have a workbench filled with boat anchors torn down in

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Your foil antenna sounds a great deal like Marconi's first antenna used on the family estate to prove radio waves were not just "line-of-sight". https://readtiger.com/img/wkp/en/Marconi%27s_first_radio_transmitter.jpg 73, Ron AC7AC -Original Message- From:

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

I second this. My first foray into electronics in general and radio in particular came from the old Radio Shack / Science Fair "160 in one" and "200 in one" project kits. Prepare for a spaghetti-wire mess of jumpers between spring terminals, but it was a really great means for me to begin to

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Edward I’d suggest anything under the Snap Circuits brand https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002AHQWS/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?ie=UTF8=1508086022=8-12=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65=snap+circuits The kits are easy to manipulate, marked clearly (with proper symbols) and use real components. My kids love them /Rod

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Ted, When my now-21 yr old son was about 14, he had by then earned his Technician and learned CW. At that point he had an iPod and put an iambic keyer app on it. He thought it would be fun to use as a key but I pointed out that that would be modulated CW and not actual CW. Using his

Re: [Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

That’s a good question. Most kids’ grandpas, even it they’re hams, don’t have a workbench filled with boat anchors torn down in some state of repair or restoration, or aren’t into home brew of much more than getting a relay to work, wiring a connector, or something similar. They may not even

[Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

Looking for suggestion about books or kits or whatever else that might interest a ten year old to electronics and to amateur radio. He is adept at mechanical things and pretty bright. What else could he be? He’s my grandson. But his understanding of electronics is well insulated by