[OMIK] HBCUs on the air?

Wed Sep 4 09:47:38 EDT 2024

BTW I've not heard from my contacts at Howard or Hampton.
I know new classes are moving in, and in the case of Howard, the class
of 2028 is largest class in the school's history. Folks are REALLY
busy.

I'll try again once things settle a bit. I'll see if I can do a demo
on Howard's campus during Homecoming next month. Time flies...

On Wed, Sep 4, 2024 at 9:39 AM jesse Alexander <wb2ifs at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks as always for your support, Ria!
>
> What the best way to do HBCUs on the air (HOTA!) and connect it with
> the STEM/STEAM/STEMM programs at the schools? As others have said, I'd
> like HOTA to be more than hams showing up on HBCU quads and calling
> "CQ HOTA" making QSOs and leaving. Besides with all the bomb threats,
> harassment, and cyberattacks against HBCUs/MSIs going on now I think
> security would raise more than a single eyebrow if some hams show up
> unannounced with radios and start hanging wires from trees on campus!
> ;)
>
> At the same time, I'm (painfully) familiar with the slow walk of
> approval to do anything on campus if we're perceived as an outside
> group. We will need alumni and faculty support at the schools to get
> this project off the ground and if we want to have a lasting effect.
>
> Perhaps it better to stick with 3-4 schools at first and make the
> others jealous ;) and ask "why can't have this at our school?" What
> say y'all?
>
> I think if we should select a single day of significance in history as
> a gathering day for the special event activation--emancipation day,
> Juneteenth, an educators birthday, etc. Okay OMIK hive-mind: ACTIVATE!
>
> I'll continue to dig. I've noticed that there were a lot of clubs
> during the heyday of shortwave--back in the 1960s. I'm searching old
> callbooks using the names of the the HBCUs I know and then using
> general terms like "university", "institute", and "college" . This is
> how I found Texas Southern University.
>
> Interestingly I found 4 hams in the 1960 callbook who used Hampton
> Institute as an address, but I couldn't find a club callsign for
> Hampton. Here are the hams I found.  Are the names of callsigns
> familiar to anyone?:
> W4DJV BURTON W. LEWIS, PO BOX 847
> WN5MYE LLOYD A. WALLS, PO BOX 641 (novice...hmmmm)
> K4PXR THOMAS R. AGNEW SR. BOX 1212
> K4ZWU EDWARD J. LOWE PO BOX 803
>
> On Tue, Sep 3, 2024 at 11:41 PM Ria Jairam <rjairam at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi Jesse
> >
> > The expired calls are unfortunate. Seems like a lot of clubs just vaporize after a while.
> >
> > What is the next step for outreach and perhaps reviving these clubs?
> >
> > I would like to help in any way I can.
> >
> > Ria
> > N2RJ
> >
> > On Thu, Aug 22, 2024 at 9:56 AM jesse Alexander via OMIK <omik at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> >>
> >> I've just started a spreadsheet with a list of clubs/stations at HBCU
> >> that I know about here: https://sites.google.com/view/hbucs-on-the-air
> >>
> >> Thanks Reggie for the NCA&T entry. Are there another others?
> >>
> >> Hampton is interesting. It looks like they had a club and it went
> >> inactive. The callsign has expired.
> >>
> >> 73s de wb2ifs
> >>
> >> On Tue, Aug 13, 2024 at 1:24 PM jesse Alexander <wb2ifs at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> >
> >> > I also have a contact at FAMU's NSBE Jr. project. They also have
> >> > multiple irons in the fire.
> >> > They responded positively to the this story about first year ham radio
> >> > classes: https://news.pantheon.cmu.edu/stories/archives/2024/june/amateur-radio-for-aspiring-professionals
> >> > and said that they would get back to me.
> >> >
> >> > I think "HBCUs on the Air" can be a boon to HBCUs/MSIs at a time when
> >> > too many engineering schools are eliminating Electro-magnetics
> >> > courses. I spoke with a professor during the HamSCI.org 2024 Workshop
> >> > that said exactly that his college is eliminating EMag. I was
> >> > horrified. Wireless is seen as a "known" thing--just buy the RF
> >> > module, plug it in, done. I think HBCUs are getting big $ to do
> >> > research in AI and other "hot" technologies--but not for RF active
> >> > devices, transmission line theory, etc.
> >> > SMH.
> >> >
> >> > On Tue, Aug 13, 2024 at 12:03 PM jesse Alexander <wb2ifs at gmail.com> wrote:
> >> > >
> >> > > Hey folks I just sent an email to Dr. Geddis and one of the students
> >> > > from my project NRAO ham radio project over at Hampton University (the
> >> > > other HU 😉) to get his impressions of this idea. Hampton has also
> >> > > received funding from the ARDC. (You can read more about their project
> >> > > here: https://jbhe.com/2022/08/higher-education-grants-or-gifts-of-interest-to-african-americans-284/)
> >> > >
> >> > > I have 4 contacts at my alma mater, the Real HU 😉, Dr. Marcus Alfred
> >> > > KC3JNF and 3 students from my project. I've also reached out to them,
> >> > > but they're crazy busy. I'll keep y'all updated with any progress
> >> > > here.
> >> > >
> >> > > --
> >> > > TNX ES 73,
> >> > > Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3
> >> > > OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
> >> > > Prince George's County ARES/RACES
> >> > > SKYWARN #PG116
> >> > > twitter @wb2ifs
> >> > > wb2ifs at arrl.net
> >> > > QTH: FM18ns
> >> > > Cell:201-247-0831
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > --
> >> > TNX ES 73,
> >> > Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3
> >> > OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
> >> > Prince George's County ARES/RACES
> >> > SKYWARN #PG116
> >> > twitter @wb2ifs
> >> > wb2ifs at arrl.net
> >> > QTH: FM18ns
> >> > Cell:201-247-0831
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >> TNX ES 73,
> >> Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3
> >> OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
> >> Prince George's County ARES/RACES
> >> SKYWARN #PG116
> >> twitter @wb2ifs
> >> wb2ifs at arrl.net
> >> QTH: FM18ns
> >> Cell:201-247-0831
> >> ______________________________________________________________
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> >>
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>
>
>
> --
> TNX ES 73,
> Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3
> OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
> Prince George's County ARES/RACES
> SKYWARN #PG116
> twitter @wb2ifs
> wb2ifs at arrl.net
> QTH: FM18ns
> Cell:201-247-0831

-- 
TNX ES 73,
Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3
OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.
Prince George's County ARES/RACES
SKYWARN #PG116
twitter @wb2ifs
wb2ifs at arrl.net
QTH: FM18ns
Cell:201-247-0831