[OMIK] HBCUs on the air?

Wed Sep 4 09:54:23 EDT 2024

Fascinating!

On Wed, Sep 4, 2024 at 9:42 AM Ria Jairam <rjairam at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> There are always value adds - scholarships, ARISS, publicity doing public good.
>
> This can be the pitch.
>
> Ria
>
> 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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>>
>>
>> --
>> 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