[Elecraft] Looking for Grandkid radio

[David Heinsohn]

Neil

   My suggestion would be to shy away from the easy to build, but hard 
to operate, or lower quality receivers. At this point I suspect the 
grandson is not all that interested in how hard or easy a receiver is to 
design or build. Rather I suspect he's interested in listening to stuff. 
Don's suggestion about finding an SDR makes lots of sense. Add a key and 
oscillator so he can make noise but not transmit and away he goes. The 
goal of a quality receiver, that is simple to operate makes sense.

Good Luck,
David

On 11/5/2015 11:14 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> Neil,
>
> I have seen several responses recommending a regenerative receiver. I 
> would suggest otherwise.  While regenerative receivers are "fun" to 
> play with and can be quite sensitive and selective when properly 
> tuned, they do require some 'training' to know how to properly operate 
> both the tuning and the regen knobs together.   If you want to pursue 
> the Regen route, look at some of the regen designs by George Dobbs 
> G3RGV - he has several that work well.
>
> Since your grandson likely has access to a computer, I would suggest 
> that you look at some of the SDR receivers, such as the SoftRock kits 
> - inexpensive and quite functional for all modes. Building the kit 
> (with help from grandpa) may peak his interest in building his own 
> gear and add to his interest in the hobby. some software running on 
> the computer is necessary, but there are several software applications 
> that will do - Rocky is one of the easiest to install and configure, 
> HDSDR is good but requires a bit more configuration "smarts".  There 
> is also PowerSDR that can be used and there may be more that I am not 
> familiar with.
>
> If kit building is not in store, then look for a used 
> receiver/transceiver that may be up to the task.  If you can find 
> someone who has an SWL40 transceiver for sale (ask on the QRP-L 
> reflector), that is a good starting point for 40 meters that will give 
> good results - there are versions for other bands as well, but I 
> suggest that 40 meters is the best starting band for single band 
> rigs.  There is usually some activity on 40 when other bands are 
> 'dead' - and an antenna for 40 meters is of a reasonable size.
>
> I started introducing  my 2 grandsons to electronics when they about 8 
> years old.  It only "took" for one of them who got his license at age 
> 13.  The 6 granddaughters were not interested at all.  So do keep 
> working with him - if it "takes", ham radio in its diverse interests 
> and niche activity groups can produce a lifelong hobby, and may be an 
> introduction to a rewarding career in electronics and/or 
> communications technology.
>
> I am one of those examples - I became aware of ham radio in Boy Scouts 
> at the age of 14 when the local ham radio club offered classes in 
> morse code.  That led to my novice license at age 15, and those ham 
> club members, coupled with my interest in math, led me to pursue an 
> electrical engineering degree.  That led to a very rewarding career 
> and now even though I am officially retired and at age 75 1/2, my 
> workbench is always full (and usually backlogged) with repairs of 
> Elecraft gear. So there is hope for your grandson to engage in a 
> lifelong pursuit that he may really enjoy.  If he enjoys puzzles, he 
> may enjoy puzzling over electronics problems which is the heart and 
> soul of troubleshooting (and design).
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 11/5/2015 6:46 PM, Niel Skousen wrote:
>> Found out last night that one of grandsons (6 1/2 yr) has developed 
>> an interest in Morse code and radios. Who know how long it will last 8-)
>>
>> BUT in the interest of feed the fire, I'm looking for something that 
>> I can help him listen on at his house ...
>>
>> Anybody got anything collecting dust that needs a new home ??
>>
>>
>
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-- 
David Heinsohn
Chief Engineer
Flint Hills RR
Happily Playing with Trains Representing
ATSF
Eastern Lines
Western District
Middle Division
1st district
Emporia to Newton
in the 1930s.