[Elecraft] Suggestions for Introducing a 10-year-old to Amateur Radio and Electronics

[Fred Jensen]

Number of wives: 1.  Number of wives interested in ham radio: 0.  We 
have 4 kids, 11 grandkids, and 5 great grandkids [so far].  Number 
showing any interest in my ham radio: essentially zero.  Joe, at perhaps 
14, came in and asked what I was doing.  When I told him I was competing 
in a contest, he got a bit excited and his next question was, "How do 
you win?" His interest did not extend past that question.

A number of resources have been suggested [kits, projects, etc] but in 
my experience, those "work" only if they can tap into an interest area 
your grandson already has.  For example, a good friend has a now 14 yr 
old grandson who was somewhat immersed in Scouting, and really liked 
outdoors activities [hiking, camping, etc].  My friend ran into Summits 
on the Air when grandson was about 10.

Radio and SOTA added a new dimension to outdoor things and had the added 
advantage that he and his grandson could take advantage of shorter time 
periods than camping required to activate a summit. He bought a used 
FT-817 for grandson who now has a General.  Kids today carry the "Magic 
of Radio" around in the pockets of their cargo shorts, and a home-brewed 
station is exceedingly rare. Everything is pretty much just plug-N-play, 
like everything else in their lives.

Good luck, I hope you can find an avenue

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 10/15/2017 8:46 AM, Dauer, Edward wrote:
> Looking for suggestion about books or kits or whatever else that might interest a ten year old to electronics and to amateur radio.  He is adept at mechanical things and pretty bright.  What else could he be?  He’s my grandson.
>
> But his understanding of electronics is well insulated by contemporary smart phones and games and the like, about the innards of which one can learn nothing in the old way – the way we did it, by taking the family radio apart and then having to learn how to put it back together.
>
> Any other grandpas or grandmas out there have experiences to share?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Ted, KN1CBR
>