The D.A.R.C. put together a series of do-it-yourself kits designed to interest a range of youngsters as young as age 6.   They have had supervised tables at Friedrichshafen (HAM RADIO) where kids learn basic soldering skills building an age-appropriate kit.  At the following link are several pictures of the D.A.R.C. kits.  It might be worthwhile to review their experiences and kits for some ideas to jumpstart this idea, what has worked and what hasn’t, at least in Germany.

Pictures:  https://tinyurl.com/wy33wqd.

Same thing at the YOTA camps in IARU Region 1.  This is an older group, generally ages 18-26, already with their licenses.  (Some European countries have a minimum age of 14 or 16 for ham licenses, it is a problem that they are working on with regulators.)  There usually is one or more kit-building exercise during the week so everyone can take something useful home.  It varies with the capabilities of the host society, and ranges from antennas that the kids then use to make QSOs, to Raspberry Pi programming and filter building for WSPR transmitters.  For example, several years ago each team built WSPR transmitters from Raspberry Pi’s and after returning home there was a contest to see whose WSPR would reach the farthest.   For an idea of the kit-building activities at YOTA, Lisa PA2LS is great and would know what they have tried, and results, over the years.  For example, a short video of the kids building antennas and their Raspberry Pi and filter kits at the 2016 YOTA is at this link:  https://vimeo.com/175276493.

This may help with some ideas, whoever is pursuing this.  These are just two of the ham youth activities I came across in Europe several years ago that I found interesting.

73,  Dave K3ZJ 

From: arrl-odv <arrl-odv-bounces@reflector.arrl.org> on behalf of Fred Hopengarten <k1vr@arrl.org>
Reply-To: Fred Hopengarten <hopengarten@post.harvard.edu>
Date: Monday, February 24, 2020 at 5:34 PM
To: arrl-odv <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org>
Subject: [arrl-odv:29728] Inexpensive Kit

To the Board:

I refer you to

https://www.amazon.com/WEmake-Soldering-Cutters-Glasses-Project/dp/B01JA8B4U2/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=ll1&tag=cnetdeals_nl-20&linkId=a1d3eb66bafe4538dff5e7390d1c9cc2&language=en_US&ascsubtag=ag%3A-%7Cvg%3A___VIEW_GUID___%7Cst%3Adtp

This is an FM radio kit, with soldering iron, solder, safety glasses, and side cutters, all for just $22.99.

It is my impression that kit building at regional conventions has been an enormous success. W1UE (our CAC Chairman) told me just this past week that he built a kit at the desk at the Orlando Hamfest, and he loved it!

I wonder if the Board of Directors should be encouraging a series of ARRL kits, similarly simple, similarly low-priced – for example:

• 2 m FM receiver,
• Short-wave receiver,
• UHF Transmitter with camera for balloon experiments,
• 40 m or 30 m CW receiver,
• 40 m or 30 m QRP transmitter,
• T/R switch for the above to make them into a transceiver,
• End-fed-half-wave antenna tuner,

(with instructions on how to make a SOTA station out of the latter four kits),

• A Blue Tooth adapter for transceivers and HT’s to use with headsets,
• A USB-stick SDR receiver controllable with ARRL software for an iPad, netbook, Raspberry Pi, cell-phone, etc., for listening to ham bands,
• A USB-stick SDR receiver for listening to digital TV in the car (plugging into the AUX jack)

Maybe we are doing some of  this already (but http://www.arrl.org/shop/Kits/ displays a fairly meager offering – and the CW Cub Transceiver kit is $105.95), but we are not packaging a major line of really low-priced kits with an ARRL Diamond brand. My idea is a branded series of kits, that are compatible with one another, all low-priced.

If it is outside of ARRL’s ability to develop such a series in the lab, could we solicit designs in our annual design contest? Or coordinate with a kit manufacturer (MFJ? An existing kit company such Elenco, Digi-key, Giga-Parts, QRP Labs, Pacific Antenna, QRPGuys, Bliss Radio, uBITX, 4sqrp, etc.?) for an ARRL-branded product line (and benefitting ARRL with commissions)?

I note that Ramsey Electronics has disappeared after 40 years, having sold a zillion kits, see https://qrznow.com/ramsey-electronics-shuts-down-its-hobby-kits-division/. But the death of Ramsey may be sui generis, and related to the fact that they were previously raided by the feds, see https://yro.slashdot.org/story/00/01/04/2316228/the-feds-ramsey-electronics-raid-blow-by-blow.

The concept of a branded product was proven with the Eton/Grundig Hand Turbine AM/FM/Weather Radio, https://www.ebay.com/c/1633862185, which sells for <$20 and contributes $1 for each radio sold directly to the American Red Cross, if I recall correctly (I may not).  

We have scads of retired engineers who might love to get involved in creating low-priced kits. I suggest that we could rally a battalion, or put the idea out to bid with the hobby-kit companies mentioned above.

I suggest consideration of such a program by our Programs & Services Committee. ARRL publishes books in competition with other publishers. How can we NOT be a leader in the “introduction to ham radio devices” kit world?

Fred Hopengarten, Esq.   K1VR

Six Willarch Road

Lincoln, MA 01773

781.259.0088, k1vr@arrl.org

New England Director

Serving ME, NH, VT, MA, RI and CT