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Onekama
Middle School students were excited to participate in a
special presentation by an amateur radio operator.
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Onekama
Middle School students were excited to participate in a
special presentation by an amateur radio operator.
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 The oscilloscope
Brandon speaks into a microphone and watches his "voice print" on the oscilloscope
Brandon plays the tuba
Airen plays the trombone
Students listen as Mr. Lindrooth describes the electronic equipment |
Mr. Don Lindrooth, of
Granville, Ohio, demonstrated to a group of
eighth grade students at Onekama Middle School how to
apply the information they have learned in the classroom.
Students were very curious to find out what all the equipment might be used for as they walked into the classroom and saw a table set up with a variety of electronic equipment including an amateur radio transmitter and receiver. Mr. Lindrooth demonstrated the pitch and intensity of sound through the use of an oscilloscope. Various tones were produced by a function generator and students viewed these tones on the oscilloscope. Students then spoke into a microphone and watched how their voice could produce a unique sound wave specific to their overtones. Several students commented on how easy it was to "see" sound when you could observe it on an oscilloscope. Brandon Schram and Marlee Herkelrath brought their instruments to the demonstration to play a few notes. Students compared the wavelength and frequency of a tuba’s tone to the wavelength and frequency of a tone produced by a piccolo. Noelle Barna commented that "now you can see why a piccolo sounds so different compared to a tuba. The sound waves are so different." The demonstration continued as Mr. Lindrooth showed students how they could participate in the exciting high-tech hobby as a Ham Radio Operator. As a licensed Ham Radio Operator for over 40 years, Mr. Lindrooth, K8YVK, discussed with students how amateur radio operators are considered to be involved in a contact sport; contacting anyone in the world. Amateur radio operators use radio transmitters and receivers to communicate with each other. The name amateur has nothing to do with skill or knowledge but rather implies that ham radio cannot be used for commercial or revenue generating purposes. It is truly a hobby but often one that makes a difference especially in emergency or disaster situations. Whether you would like to chat with your friends on the way to work or school, check into a net to discuss topics of a mutual interest, or volunteer for emergency services, amateur radio is first and foremost about communication. With hams that means two-way communication by radio. Radios can be hand-held transceivers similar to a walkie talkie, a mobile unit for use in a car or other vehicle, or a base station with an outdoor antenna used for local or distance communication. Amateur Radio licenses and call letters are assigned to a qualifying individual after passing a written test provided by the FCC. Each country that has Amateur Radio status is allocated a range of call signs by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). Mr. Lindrooth concluded by encouraging students to become part of this high-tech and exciting hobby and to contact a local Ham Radio Operator for additional help and information.
We had a special speaker visit the 8th grade science class yesterday. I wrote an article and took some pictures that you might want to add to the web/virtual tour. Please do what you can. October 3, 2002
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