Amateur Radio Girl Scouts STEAM Expo in Sacramento, CA

The May 13, 2017 Sacramento Girl Scouts STEAM Expo celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics was held from 2-6 PM in the parking lot of the Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Office, 6601 Elvas Ave, Sacramento, CA.

On May 6, Kaayla Jaret, KA6YLA, Roger Cain KI6FYF and Carol Milazzo KP4MD conducted a survey for the ARRL Sacramento Valley Section/YLRL Amateur Radio Booth Site.

For HF we proposed a 40 meter full wave loop antenna--a 140 feet perimeter square of thin wire, approximately 35 feet on each side, and suspended from the tops of twenty foot telescoping fiberglass poles. The poles would be secured to existing posts with nylon cable ties. This location was expected to offer a clear path for radio propagation to the northeast, east and southeast.

Over 200 Girl Scouts of all ages attended Girl Scouts STEAM Expo on Saturday, May 13, 2017. The volunteers who assisted at the Amateur Radio Booth included the W6SFM Samuel F. Morse ARC President Michael Aretsky, N6MQL, North Hills RC President Kaayla Jaret, KA6YLA, River City ARCS Member James Chin, KK6FON, ARRL SV Section Youth Coordinator Dr. Duane Wyatt, WAØMJD, ARRL SV Asst. Section Manager Roger Cain, KI6FYF and ARRL SV Section Manager and YLRL District 6 Chair Dr. Carol Milazzo, KP4MD.

Our Amateur Radio Station operated using Kaayla's call sign KA6YLA. The HF station consisted of an Icom IC-756 Pro III and the 40 meter full wave Loop SkyWire at 20 feet. We used an Icom IC-7000 and a "split dipole" antenna on 2 meter FM.

For the adult leaders and parents we provided literature about amateur radio, the Young Ladies' Radio League and the ARRL and the new ARRL Girl Scouts Radio and Wireless Technology Patch program, and how to contact their area amateur radio clubs for assistance.

The Morse Code practice stations were very popular with the scouts, where they completed a look-up worksheet and learned how to use a telegraph key to send their names in Morse Code.

Scouts also experienced the excitement of their first on the air contacts with radio amateurs via 2 meter FM. The Reverse Beacon spots that we received demonstrated that the HF antenna radiated quite well. Unfortunately, the S9 power line noise level from nearby commercial power lines did not permit the HF contacts on CW and voice that we attempted on 7 and 14 MHz. We hope that a magnetic loop receiving antenna can eliminate the noise sufficiently for successful HF operation during our next activation from this site.

The event organizers, adult leaders and scouts enthusiastically appreciated our participation and requested our return for future events. #ARRL #GirlScouts #HamRadio

Видео Amateur Radio Girl Scouts STEAM Expo in Sacramento, CA канала KP4MD