[HCRA] Amateur Radio Finally Jumps on the Maker Bandwagon by Dan, KB6NU

[Larry - WB1DBY]

>
> Amateur Radio Finally Jumps on the Maker Bandwagon
>
> by Dan Romanchik, KB6NU
>
> Over three years ago, I wrote that amateur radio should do more to 
> associate itself with the Maker, or "do it yourself" (DIY) movement 
> (www.kb6nu.com/lets-get-on-the-maker-bandwagon/). Well, it finally looks 
> like it is going to do just that.
>
> Just before the first of the year, the ARRL unveiled its DIY campaign 
> (www.arrl.org/news/arrl-launches-new-diy-campaign). The most visible part 
> of the campaign is a video (www.youtube.com/ARRLHQ), but there are also 
> some other bits, including:
>  - a flier to be handed out to interested persons,
>  - buttons that say "Ask Why I DIY with Ham Radio," and
>  - a PowerPoint presentation and speaker’s notes that you can use to give 
> a presentation to an amateur radio club or other non-ham group.
>
> These items are available from the ARRL website, www.arrl.org/DIY.
>
> CQ also on board
> CQ  magazine is also jumping on the bandwagon. They recently annnounced 
> that they will run a quarterly "Maker" column, written by Matt Stultz, 
> KB3TAN. Stultz is the founder of HackPittsburgh, a "hackerspace" or 
> community workshop for makers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He has been a 
> ham since 2009 and has integrated amateur radio into many of 
> HackPittsburgh’s activities.
>
> Stultz’s first column, titled "We Are Makers," will appear in the March 
> issue of CQ. It provides a general introduction to the maker/hacker 
> community for hams, as well as a description of a high-altitude balloon 
> project that brought the two groups together in Pittsburgh.
>
> Hams at the Maker Faire
> In 2006, Make: magazine hosted the first Maker Faire (www.makerfaire.com) 
> in San Mateo, CA. Since then, Maker Faires have also been held in Austin, 
> TX, New York, NY; and Detroit, MI. Maker Faires are showcases for all 
> kinds of crazy projects that people are working on.
>
> Hams usually have a presence at these events. This year, the theme for one 
> of the amateur radio groups participating in the California Maker Faire, 
> which is the flagship event, is Arduino (www.arduino.cc) applications in 
> amateur radio. Michael, NE6RD, who is organizing this group has lined up 
> several very cool projects. One of them is an Arduino-controlled satellite 
> antenna system.
>
> A project I proposed is an Arduino-controlled keyer. On the face of it, 
> this is not a real exciting project, but my twist on this is that instead 
> of directly keying a transmitter, I plan to have the Arduino actuate a 
> solenoid that will press a straight key. That should make the project a 
> little more visual.
>
> Hams sometimes like to claim that we were the original makers and hackers. 
> We certainly have a long tradition of DIYing. Let's show these upstarts 
> exactly what ham radio is capable of. Perhaps, in the process, we'll even 
> entice a few of them to join us.
>
> ===========================================================
>
> When he's not "making" things, Dan, KB6NU, teaches ham radio classes and 
> works a lot of CW. You can contact him about some of the things you're 
> making by e-mailing cwgeek at kb6nu.com.
>
> ### end column ###
>