my “KID’S CLUB” project

The “KID’S CLUB” amateur radio exposure unit

KID’S CLUB cw keyer-trainer in use

“KID’S CLUB” amateur radio receiver and antenna in use

amateur radio station at the Tyler Youth Center (cw practice station also shown)

The ham radio station at my home

adventurous hams “in print”

     KID’S CLUB is a project to expose hospitalized and other chronically ill children and their families to the joys of amateur radio. Another objective of the “KID’S CLUB” project is to make an effort to keep the  CW (morse code) mode of communication alive and well by exposing this historic mode of communication to the project’s target population.

     I do a lot of listening to the amateur radio conversations  over the amateur radio bands. Groups of two or more ham radio operators on any amateur radio shortwave frequency  across the United States and world are heard, discussing with each other almost anything under the sun (obscene topics and obscene words are against federal law).  I find that these topics, ranging from “apple harvesting” to “zucchini raising” and almost any topic in between are great stress diverters.

     It is so much fun to listen in on people’s lives. At this moment, I am listening to an amateur radio operator explain his life. He tunes concert level pianos for a living. He is describing  the celebrities he has met, the work involved with tuning pianos, etc.

    This comment is posted later the same day from the posted comment about the piano tuner. I am listening to this amateur radio operator talk about his long conversation with an amateur radio operator from the province in Australia called Tasmania.

     Further addendum to the previous two comments:  This evening, I heard a ham radio operator (loud, pleasant signal)  from the North Pole, Alaska in conversation with another ham radio operator.

     Have you listened to your father or grandfather as he related his experiences in World War Two? Tonight, I listened to an amateur radio operator clearly and pleasantly recall his experiences in his thirty one flights in europe as a ball turret gunner in the B-24 Liberator bombers. One harrowing experience was in trouble. The B-24 crash landed in Yugoslavia.

     This morning, I am listening to an elderly amateur radio operator discuss his experiences while living on a plantation in the deep south and his assigned duties which included picking cotton by hand.  He became successful in later life as a blues band leader- recording several songs.

     Late this evening, I am listening to a Canadian  amateur radio operator  in British Columbia.  His occupation is a “lighthouse keeper”, stating that ham radio is his way to  “socialize”. As you can see, this narrative can go on and on………..

     CW communication is historic, fun (when mastered), takes effort and time to learn and is challenging. CW may be a source of self esteem for the youngster, since, once learned, it is something the youngster’s peers will not know how to do. Some children think that cw communication is a “secret language”. Learning CW may divert the sick child’s mind from his/her medical problems for a time. CW communication takes time and effort to learn, but is so much fun if it is learned well. It is like learning any foreign language but with the fun part included.  CW communication combines the skill, challenges, fun part of video gaming with the best part of  cell phone texting to communicate with others. CW communication is  faster than cell phone texting. Once again, many children think that CW communication is a cipher  or secret language only a few can know.

       CW communication has given Philip, a disabled person who cannot otherwise communicate, a “voice” once again. You can read about this amazing story at this link:

         http://www.learnmorsecode.info/philip-morse-code/
     

     Please read this Yahoo News  excerpt (3/28/2011)  about teen self-esteem and Facebook  (regarding the new diagnosis seen in young adults called “Facebook Depression”):

     ” But there are unique aspects of Facebook that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already dealing with poor self-esteem, said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, a Boston-area pediatrician and lead author of new American Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines.

     With in-your-face friends’ tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they don’t measure up.”

     I strongly feel that KID’S CLUB units (and/or “ComCage” units)  should be in every children’s hospital and Ronald McDonald House. They should be a “fixture” in  psychologists, psychiatrists or mental health counselors’ offices.  Yes, each young patient’s life is invaluable. Yes, teen bullying and teen depression sometimes ends tragically (suicide). Yes, the more severe this depression, the higher the chances of this life ending tragically. If a KID’S CLUB unit will treat this depression by exposing the young patient to a new, different, fun, historic, safe, stress diverting, non-threatening, challenging, skill enhancing, self esteem building way to fulfill his/her social interaction needs and desires- the unit should be available. The KID’S CLUB units should be available as an option for the young patients to decide-would I be interested in using this unit at home? I make it so easy for at risk young people to try KID’S CLUB.

     Living with a mental illness can be a tough experience for adults, but with the increasing numbers of youth diagnosed and taking medications for mood disorders, it can become a time of isolation, according to a study from Case Western Reserve University Mandel School of Applied Social Sciences.

      In one of the first studies of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 with mental illnesses and taking medications, researchers found that at least 90 percent of the study’s participants reported experiencing some form of stigma. It has lead to shame, secrecy and limiting social interactions. 

      Forty adolescents in the study reported that the attitudes of parents and schools either protect against or magnify the youth’s feelings of being different or ashamed that they have a mental illness.

    

     High frequency amateur radio operation does not have the suspected health risks that cell phone usage does. Cell phones operate in the microwave radio range, which heats body tissues. The long term adverse health effects “jury is still out” for cell phone usage.   Video games promote violence- killing of imaginary people and “monsters”. It is hard for me to see how this is a positive activity for youngsters.

     CW communication is considered a “sport” in europe. There is even a “high speed telegraphy” world championship each year. The championship contest for 2009 was held in Bulgaria. The “Belarus” team won the championship, the United States team finished 9th, I believe  (There was a “teenager” in the 2009 high speed telegraphy team from the United States who competed in Bulgaria.)

      Morse communication is still relevant for useful, effective communication. I saw this newspaper article:

      “Morse Code still dashing through the Cordillera”
      

       By Desiree Caluza
       Inquirer Northern Luzon
      First Posted 04:17:00 12/23/2009

     BAGUIO CITY—There is no mountain high enough to block a Christmas greeting because highland communities that have no mobile telephone signals can still be reached by Morse Code.

     In this day and age, the Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) in the Cordillera Administrative Region is still operating a telegraph system that serves clients here. 

     Nothing beats the old technology, according to telegraph operators working at the Baguio City Post Office, never mind that each word transmitted costs a customer P2.40. (Mobile or landline telephone calls cost P10 a minute.)

      There are still a lot of amateur radio operators to talk to over the ham radio bands using cw (morse code). I am concerned that this may change, and this historic and fun mode may one day become a “dead language” if public exposure is not initiated and maintained. I can converse with people using morse at a rate up to thirty words per minute, copying the morse in my head without the use of written notes.

      CW communication has an exciting history.  I tell the children that cw communication was the language of the Wild West: of Wild Bill Hickock, Wyatt Earp, and the Pony Express.  It was the language of World War Two and Cold War spies and spying agencies, of  world war two submarines and gunships. While doing internet research for KID’S CLUB, I found out that during the Civil War, the Union and Confederate leadership utilized youngsters as telegraphers. The leadership realized that young people seem to learn morse much faster and easier than older people. They utilized this knowledge.

     I would like to see “KID’S CLUB” amateur radio exposure units in as many of the nation’s children’s hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses as possible.

     Many of the larger American universities have amateur radio clubs with college student membership and faculty sponsors and mentors. I know that many of these college amateur radio club members and mentors would love to volunteer their time at a local children’s hospital and/or Ronald McDonald House to supervise the use of these KID’S CLUB amateur radio exposure units.

     This project is new and novel because:

1.  No license is needed to use the units (no signal is transmitted).
2. Minimal supervision is needed once the operator is familiar with the equipment.
3. Because signals are not transmitted, there is no danger of radio frequency interference with other electronic equipment.
4. The units are small, portable, self contained and attractive-they can be placed in hospital rooms or at bedside. If used in the hospital, the nurse in charge of the patient will wipe the patient’s hands before and after use with a disinfectant to minimize spread of infection.
5. If a patient is too ill to use the KID’S CLUB unit in the hospital, the parent can sign a release of liability form with hospital staff (or Ronald McDonald House staff), leave a monetary deposit with the staff and take the unit home for a specified length of time. If the patient later becomes interested in using this unit at home, the unit can remain at home for several weeks or months, or the parent can purchase the unit by forfeiting his monetary deposit. If the patient is not interested in using the unit, the parent can return this “KID’S CLUB” amateur radio exposure unit to the children’s hospital or Ronald McDonald House, where the parent will receive his deposit back. This returned unit will then be disinfected and reused at the hospital or Ronald McDonald House.
6. Computers, i-Pods and other electronic equipment are so commonplace that they may be boring to the child.  These amateur radio exposure units contain equipment that these children and their families may never have seen before. The equipment looks complicated- with knobs and buttons and strange keys. You know that many children  (especially boys) like to “fiddle” with new pieces of complicated looking equipment. One has to worry about inappropriate access to “adult websites” , the increasing risk of  ” computer virus infection” and also conversations with anonymous online users.  Since all amateur radio operators have their own specific callsign, ham radio operators have to pass an FCC supervised exam prior to licensure, and the amateur radio bands and licensees are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission, these dangers are avoided.

     The attractive, self-contained wooden enclosure will be laminated with several coats of VARITHANE plastic so it can be easily disinfected.

      This unit will contain complete laminated instructions of the equipment as well as contact information of the local amateur radio club president or designee. Also included with this unit will be a laminated copy of the morse code alphabet as well as laminated color copies of QSL cards received and a laminated copy of a letter written by a fifth grade class of students, expounding on the fascination of amateur radio, including cw communication.

      This hobby may appear “old fashioned” to some, but after forty five  years of immersion  in this fun amateur radio world, I still have a “thrill” after I hear my callsign coming back to me in CW through the “Aether” after I call “CQ” (seeking someone to converse with). I feel it is almost like fishing- one never knows who will reply to the calls.

     I now have access to a digital video camera, in which I will demonstrate how to use all the equipment, demonstrate how much fun cw communication is, discuss ways to learn cw and then make DVD copies to distribute with the units.

     FOR THE VIDEO OF THE KID’S CLUB DEMONSTRATION UNIT IN OPERATION, CLICK ON THE PAGE  IN THIS BLOG THAT CONTAINS THIS VIDEO LINK.

     TO VIEW THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEWS SYNDICATE’S  NEWS STORY ABOUT KID’S CLUB, PLEASE CLICK ON EITHER ONE OF THE TWO LINKS BELOW :

http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/03/19/minn-man-hopes-to-teach-kids-about-amateur-radio/) and on MPR News (http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2011/03/20/amateur-radio/?refid=0). 

    

     The attractive enclosures will contain:

1.  Icom R 75 amateur radio receiver with the DSP module- for listening to SSB (voice) and morse code (CW) conversations. With Digital Signal Processing (DSP), the “white noise” is eliminated, allowing for pleasant listening.
2. Palstar AA 30 Active Antenna:  My Palstar active antenna does not work well. Perhaps the unit I have is defective, or perhaps a different model of active antenna should be used. There are several different models of active antennas. Ideally, an outside wire receive antenna should be used for optimum reception. Outside wire receive antennas are very inexpensive, so easy to make and install and can very easily be made to be a part of each KID’S CLUB unit that is sent home with each young patient. No modifications to the KID’S CLUB cabinet or equipment need be made. The Palstar AA 30 active antenna is designed to also be used with an outside receive antenna.
3. Series of four exciting adventure-amateur radio books written for teens by Cynthia Wall
4. West Mountain Radio’s Clear Speech DSP external speaker
5. Vibroplex or Bencher model morse code key: There are two vertical paddles. One paddle is used to send electronically a series of dashes as long as it is pressed. The other paddle sends electronically a series of dots as long as it is pressed. It is loads of fun and challenging to send the right amount of dots and dashes for the letters and words that are sent electronically. No physical effort is needed, the work is done electronically.
6. Morse Code keyer-trainer- QSO (conversation)  simulator.  The demonstration unit contains a neat “QSO Simulator”, in which the user can set the beginning and ending cw speeds and can talk to the keyer. The machine will remember the user’s name, QTH, the RST report received as well as the user’s “rig” etc. A real off the air simulated cw conversation can be maintained with the machine. The user can call “CQ” and the morse code keyer-trainer will answer the user etc. The user can develop code speed and confidence while making mistakes without embarrassment.
7. Twelve volt battery power supply made by Power Port Store (“bag battery”) and battery charger.
8. Copy of the morse code alphabet
9. Set of six comic books produced by Icom America personnel, which extensively discusses the myriad of activities involved with ham radio. The astronauts on the US Space Station talking to students over their “on-board” amateur radios in space and the “School Club Roundup” -a contest in which the school amateur radio club members contact each other over the air are just two of the several activities for youth.

Duane E. Wyatt WA0MJD

Email: duanewyatt@hotmail.com

Postscript:

     I would like to mention that these KID’S CLUB units are useful for other patients as well. People in nursing homes, older patients in hospitals, veterans suffering from depression and PTSD  would love to eavesdrop on LIFE via these KID’S CLUB amateur radio exposure units.  Consider the value that KID’S CLUB units may have for the parents of those young patients this aspect of the project is targeting. The parents may find these units a great stress diversion from the worry they may have for their son or daughter. This benefit is something that video games will not have.

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Tags: amateur radio, care for hospitalized children, children's hospital, ham radio, stress diversion