Careers

Careers / Ham Outreach / Innovation / Mentoring

Recent Ham Radio Workforce Development Outreach

- by Nancy Austin

 

Building Bridges Workforce Summit at CCRI – Newport July 17, 2024

Building Bridges Workforce Summit at CCRI – Newport 

Kudos to the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) for hosting the Building Bridges Workforce Summit in Newport last week on July 17, 2024. It was an inspiring snapshot of the collaborations already taking place to transform learning pathways and connect Rhode Islanders with in-demand skills and sustainable careers across the key sectors of Labor, Defense, Finance, Healthcare, Hospitality, and the Integrated Maritime Blue Economy. 

All presenters encouraged us to think more broadly about career entry points and the transferable skills gained. For example, hiring needs in a hospital are not unlike the scope of skills required to run a small city: from food services to niche-needs (like who will sterilize the surgical tools and how to find and train these workers as older one’s age out), to administrative and tech support. Joe Caparco, the LiUNA New England Region Apprenticeship Director, gave a compelling pitch for why we need to think more broadly about what it means to be skilled “Labor” and the breadth of opportunities.

But! “We need to have a trainable person in the seat”. Someone who has learned what it means to be dependable. Heather Singleton helped the audience reflect that many got their first jobs in Hospitality. (Nationwide, 8 in 10 Americans.) These early work experiences can deliver  lifelong learning dividends about fundamentals like showing up, greeting your customer and hearing their needs. Demonstrating personal persistence through speed bumps as you navigate finding your allies to mentor you and support growing on the right team in the right role. She shared research from Jason Dorsey that younger generations now are not getting that first job experience until they are in their 20s, with then a decade until in a job and able to pay for their own basic needs. One action item brought up over and over was the request to focus on the soft “communication” workforce-readiness skills that are actually hard – and in demand.

The ham radio community is fortunate to have this opportunity unfolding as we raise awareness to new stakeholders of our enduring commitment to free cross-generational civic mentoring in a hands-on learning community that is all about communication. (“Ham Radio – the original Social Media”!) We offer a unique place where a growth mindset attitude matters more than degrees, and everyone is open to learn from and mentor anyone interested. This experimental tech innovator educational mission was a founding part of the FCC-mandate granting electromagnetic spectrum worth billions to licensed hams. https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service

Radio amateurs offer practical learning about electronics, wireless communication, spectrum propagation, structured communication, and the hard “soft skills” that all industry representatives mentioned as far more important than this or that technical skill. Are you curious and willing to learn? Also dependable? Accountable contributing on a team? Able to navigate feedback and keep working toward a shared goal? Communicate what matters most about the situation at hand? Problem-solve next steps? 

Interested to learn more about “How Hiring Managers see a Ham Radio license“? Check out this post: https://ri-arrl.org/ri-section-newsletter-2024-04-30/ 

Join us as we bring the benefits of being able to communicate without internet access or commercial power to new generations and more Rhode Islander stakeholders. Find out more about getting licensed here: https://hamstudy.org/ 

Radio Tune-Up at the Tech History New England Wireless & Steam Museum campus – East Greenwich, RI

If you love to nerd out on tech problem-solving and/or Rhode Island’s world-class history of industrial innovation, then the New England Wireless & Steam Museum (NEWSM.org) community gatherings are for you. Last weekend’s Radio Tune-Up was no exception. Great to see the NEWSM.org volunteer President Randy Snow, along with many volunteer Board members, including entrepreneurial tech start-up engineering innovator Terry Jones of Kuva Systems (Cambridge,MA), and Newport’s Don DeLuca, an accomplished industrial designer and entrepreneurial consultant on product invention and market IP for consumer and marine products. 

I pitched the idea of the New England HamXposition Tech in a Day license class to these NYAH (Not Yet a Ham) highly-technical engineers, and hope they will follow up. Then, they could join fellow hams on their NEWSM board, including Ken Carr, KE1RI and Mike Thompson, recently licensed with the NCRC. All would be a big help as we continue outreach this October and February via the ARRL School Club Round-up – with the collegiate focus on URI and Brown.  

This weekend’s New England Wireless & Steam Museum Radio Tune-Up brought vendors from across New England, and even northern Rhode Island. Great to catch up with RI ARES Emergency Coordinator SKYWARN net control, Wayne Burkett, KA1VRF. 

I was amazed to learn his mother, June Burkett, W1VXC (1929-1982)  was the ARRL RI Section Communications Manager in the 1950s, and “worked Civil Defence for hurricanes and was a Morse Code speed award winner.” She was the President of the Rhode Island Young Ladies Radio Club, organized in 1955. (QST-1956-11: 63) and ran their CW net.

   

Among other things, the Radio Tune-up gathering was my chance as the new ARRL RI Section Manager to meet many hams I might not otherwise get to meet or hear from. Some longtime hams shared their unhappiness about the recent ARRL dues increase – and where was ham radio’s relevance for today? But this only reinforces in my mind the need to help older radio amateurs  communicate their stories to new generations about how our mentoring community directly offered career entry paths in the past – and is more relevant than ever today. We have a shared goal to keep our ham band privileges available. Amateur radio has so much to contribute right now. 

Want to learn about satellite operation? Space weather? Make Earth-Moon-Earth contacts? Find someone who knows how to solder? Build and legally fly their own drones? Nerd out on SDR? Welcome to today’s Amateur Radio! 

For example, Tom Lapointe, WA1LBK (above left) from Fall River, MA was filled with stories about his wonderful life-changing introduction to RF technologies he credits to his High School’s hands-on electronics and radio club at the (now-closed) Bishop Connolly. He got his first FCC-Technician class license at 16 before he knew how to drive! After high school, Tom WA1LBK went on a familiar southern New England worker skills-pathway of on-the-job vocational training. The Math required by a college engineering degree was not for him, and so Tom followed ever-changing job opportunities in electronics repairs, analog and digital circuitry, field radios, and everything he saw coming as new tech from his never-ending involvement as a licensed ham exploring UHF, VHF, and satellite contesting capabilities – informed also by his model aircraft and railroad hobbies. Tom was eager to show us the tiny circuitry of his latest (cheap and dependable) model aircraft. He remarked on the future of electronics as the cost of entry makes experimentation open to everyone. Decades later, his enthusiasm and willingness to invent new solutions and share them is as strong as ever. 

Tom, WA1LBK and Jeremy, K1JST, the RI Section Emergency Coordinator, talked at length about the value of understanding how RF analog waveforms work. Digital natives are comfortable with 0s and 1s. Something is on or off. But how does that help software engineers, for example, quickly understand an RF fiber optic interface board? Software engineers are welcome to join in and discover for themselves why ham radio is the “greatest hobby of a lifetime.” A career springboard. And so much more.  

Hope to see you at the New England Division HamXposition annual convention next month in nearby Marlboro, MA. NOTE: conference hotel discounts end July 23, 2024. 

Not to miss: Space weather rock star Dr. Tamitha Skov, WX6SWW, will be the invited guest speaker for the HamXposition Saturday evening Grand Banquet . Known as the “Space Weather Woman” on network TV and in social media, she forecasts and analyzes space weather processes in the heliosphere and exosphere. 

Many thanks to the New England Wireless & Steam Museum for their ongoing collaboration with the Fidelity Amateur Radio Club. Scenes here from the club’s June Summer Field Day and January Winter Field Days held on the NEWSM.org campus in East Greenwich, RI.

Satellite QSO set-up Summer Field Day 2024

Winter Field Day, 2024

 

Careers / Ham Outreach / STEM / Young Professionals / Youth

Please welcome RI’s new Section Youth Coordinator

- by Nancy Austin

Hello! I am Rowan Eggert, WO1P.

I am thrilled to accept the position of Section Youth Coordinator (SYC) for the Rhode Island ARRL section. I am proud to be the youngest SYC in the New England Division at 21 years old. With a passion for amateur radio and a commitment to youth engagement, I look forward to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community of young radio enthusiasts as well as supporting our dedicated team of volunteers, including Nancy Austin, KC1NEK, RI Section Manager. 

Something to know about me is that I am very new to Rhode Island. I grew up in rural Illinois with a passion for STEM and attended the Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA). After graduating from IMSA, I first attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University for aerospace engineering on a full scholarship with the Army. However, after scholarship funding fell through, I transferred to Indiana State University to study Intelligence Analysis. During my time at ISU, I found myself involved in amateur radio and it reignited my love for technical challenges as well as a leadership opportunity in my community. After a few years at ISU, I decided to finish my degree online and move to Rhode Island in April 2024 to be with my better half and pursue a career in banking. I hope to move into fraud investigations after I graduate from Indiana State in May 2025. 

My journey in amateur radio is still young, much like me. I punched my ticket in April 2022, upgraded to general the following July, and earned my extra class license in April 2023. This hobby has combined my passions for public service, youth engagement, and STEM education. During my time at Indiana State University, I helped re-establish the Amateur Radio Club at ISU after years of inactivity. We grew quickly with the support of the university and the local amateur radio community. 

While club president of ARC@ISU, I enjoyed our Parks on the Air (POTA) events at Turkey Run State Park, seeing Scouts make their first contacts, encouraging individual operator growth through hands-on activities, free license testing, and so much more. 

We gained popularity in October 2023 after competing in the ARRL Collegiate QSO Party and placing fourth in our first ever competitive event as a club. 

In this year’s 2024 spring semester, we were involved in data collection for Case Western Reserve’s W8EDU and HamSci solar eclipse research project being one of the only universities in the path of totality. This work was presented at the 2024 ARRL National Convention at Dayton Hamvention. 

ARC@ISU  received the “Best Emerging Student Organization” award from the university for our efforts in revitalizing the club on campus and received almost $10,000 in grants and donations. It was a very valuable and rewarding experience as a student leader and I hope to use the knowledge gained to help Rhode Island youth amateur radio clubs succeed. 

As Section Youth Coordinator, my primary goal is to engage, educate, and empower the next generation of amateur radio operators in Rhode Island. During my appointment, I hope to focus on four key aspects: ARRL School Club Round-up (SCR), Scouting Jamboree on the Air (JOTA), outreach, and communication. I plan to collaborate with schools, youth organizations, and local clubs in a whole-community approach to increase youth participation in the ARRL, coordinated resilience, and the importance of STEM education in amateur radio. By promoting hands-on and inclusive learning experiences, we can cultivate technical skills, foster curiosity, and build lasting connections for Rhode Island youth.

I am dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where all young enthusiasts feel safe, valued, and supported. Together, we will explore innovative ways to utilize amateur radio for educational and community-building purposes, ensuring that the spirit of amateur radio thrives for years to come. 

Thank you for this opportunity to serve and contribute to the growth of our amateur radio community. I am excited to embark on this journey and work alongside all of you to inspire and nurture the future of amateur radio in Rhode Island.

If you are excited to see more youth engagement, come talk to me! I’ll be at the New England Division annual HamXposition (August 22-25) in nearby Marlboro, MA. The Rhode Island Section Meet and Greet  is scheduled for Saturday August 24th from 4pm-5pm. Hope to see you there. Meanwhile…

Stay tuned!

73, Rowan WO1P

Careers / Clubs / Operating / STEM / Youth

ARRL School Roundup Updates

- by Nancy Austin

Despite Tuesday’s blizzard,  Rhode Island stations got on the air to participate daily, Monday to Wednesday February 12-14, 2024.  Here are updates and what to expect before this Roundup wraps on Friday 7pm February 16, 2024.

W1KMV – University of Rhode Island

Special thanks to URI amateur radio club call sign trustee, Brian Maynard, K1NW for operating as W1KMV during Tuesday’s storm and then again Wednesday to make QSOs with dozens of schools and individuals. Highlights included contact with the Cornell Club station, W2CXM, where he was station master for several years in the 1980s.  Brian, K1NW reported having a great time contacting young operators at several school stations, mostly  on 20m with excellant band conditions. (W1KMV may be back on the air Th/Fri to bring this ARRL School Roundup to the finish line. Standby! Keep an eye on https://www.dxwatch.com/)

URI Faculty Brian Maynard, K1NW operated the URI call sign during Tuesday’s heavy snowstorm.

Interested in helping revitalize the URI student Amateur Radio Club? Reach out to Brian Maynard here: https://web.uri.edu/pse/meet/brian-maynard/

N1ASA – RI STEM Middle School

All Saints STEAM Academy (Middletown, RI) M to Th 3-4:30pm
  • After-School Club Lead: Mike Cullen, K1NPT operating as N1ASA

Thanks to its lively Middle School amateur radio club enthusiastically led for a decade by Newport’s Mike Cullen, K1NPT, the All Saints STEAM Academy in Middletown, Rhode Island is a long-time ARRL Club Roundup participant. This year was no exception. Mike, K1NPT really understands how to match the exuberant curiosity of middle school students to radio hands-on learning puzzles.

Many thanks to the RI hams who reached out to make an “Individual” Roundup QSO with these eager students on Monday and Wednesday.  (School was canceled Tuesday due to snow.)

TODAY is Thursday Feb 15th, and it’s not too late to listen for their N1ASA CQ at 4pm on 2m SIMPLEX 146.550. Or look for N1ASA on a dx spotting site on 20m or 40m SSB today between 3-4:30pm.  Huge thanks to the RI hams who took time to chat with these confident, cheerful young operators who sounded like they were having SO much fun!

Interested in helping Mike K1NPT mentor youth in radio across the state? Reach out to Mike Cullen here: [email protected]

Individual Roundup Operator Experience

This was my first time participating in any ARRL School Club Roundup, and it’s easy to see why this is such a beloved opportunity to encourage youth and college clubs.  Operating from my home QTH for about an hour each day (mostly between 3pm to 6pm on 20m, 40, 15m SSB and 2M FM Simplex) it was great fun to talk with experienced student operators at college clubs including University of Wisconsin, W9YT and Michigan State, W8SH.  And also the many Middle and High School new operators across the country (CO, SC, TX, IN, OK, GA, RI). A surpise to me was the opportunity to log a QSO with the almost 40% of Middle or High student operators I contacted who were young women.

K1D -Brown University Radio Amateur

The snowstorm, sickness and technical difficulties contributed to the challenges getting this call sign on the air before the expected Brown University, K1D ARRL School Roundup activation push planned for Thursday 3pm to Friday 7pm.  Keep an eye on https://www.dxwatch.com/

As a Brown alum, my plan is to be out there offering QSOs on 20m and 40m SSB to support this initiative. So don’t be surprised to hear Nancy, KC1NEK operating briefly today and tomorrow as K1D as we plan forward revitalizing the Brown Amateur Radio Club.

Interested in helping revitalize the Brown University student Amateur Radio Club? Reach out to Jose Sandoval, KC1TWM, a Brown student and the club revitalization contact: [email protected]

Fall ARRL School Roundup & JOTA synergy?

The next ARRL School Roundup is scheduled for M-F October 21-25, 2024 (The third full school week of October2024.) This would seem like a synergistic  follow-up to the weekend of amateur radio upskilling planned for the annual Scouting Jamoboree on the Air (JOTA), taking place “the third full weekend in October” – or Sat/Sun October 19-20, 2024.

Meanwhile, hope to see the Brown and URI Collegiate Clubs doing well, with hams stepping up to help. Hope to hear you on the air, even today, as we mentor and offer encouragement to others.

73, Nancy Austin, KC1NEK – RI Section Manager ([email protected])

Careers / Clubs / Operating / STEM / Youth

Support URI, Brown, & Steam Academy during ARRL School Roundup QSO Week

- by Nancy Austin

ARRL School Roundup Feb 12-15, 2024

Momentum is underway revitalizing Rhode Island’s collegiate clubs and K-12 after school amateur radio clubs. Please hunt these ARRL School Roundup call signs this week and spread the word. Let’s put RI innovators on the map. Help hunt all schools participating. Check for “School Club Roundup” on DX spotting websites, like https://www.dxwatch.com/

RI Best Dates/Times – possible frequencies- but check https://www.dxwatch.com/ 

  • Tues Feb 13, 2024 3:30-4:30pm + Wed 3-6pm
  • 20m (14.250-280 MHz) & 40m (7.225-255 MHz) – per ARRL
    Phone (MHz): 1.855-1.865; 3.850-3.880; 7.225-7.255; 14.250-14.280; 21.300-21.330; 28.440-28.460  [check https://www.dxwatch.com/ ]
  • Monday update: Lots of schools participating, especially on 20m.

Exchange: (Plan is to use “S” for School) So expect this exchange: N1ASA or W1KMV or K1D,  Signal report, Class (“School”), U.S. State = RI (Multi-operator group stations must choose one call sign to use for the whole operating period.)

Scoring: Stations may be contacted once per band and mode | Multiplier: [Number of U.S. States plus Canadian Provinces/Territories plus DX countries/entities] plus 2× [Number of Clubs contacted] plus 5× [Number of Schools contacted].

N1ASA

All Saints STEAM Academy (Middletown, RI) M*,T*,W,Th 3-4:30pm –  N1ASA
  • Team Lead: Mike Cullen, K1NPT operating as N1ASA
  • Confirmed 12-15 Feb (Mon*, Tues*, Wed, Thurs) each day in the 3PM to 430PM window., SSB on 40M and 20M.  (* Possible only elementary school students students Monday; * likely no ops on Tues due to expected snow closure)
    Can you please get the word out to RI hams that each day Feb 12, 13, 14, 15  at 4PM,   the students will call CQ on 146.55 simplex and I’ll have students track the RI towns contacted.
  • Other:  Send us a small (10Kb or less) picture of your  operations via Winlink  and we’ll send one in return.  Use Winlink address of K1NPT.
  • Monday Feb 12th update: Day #1 a success on 20/40m and calling CQ at 4pm on Simplex across the state/region to map this form of resilient radio communicaton. Tuesday ops canceled due to the snowday and storm. Will be back Wed!

W1KMV

UNIVERSITY of RHODE ISLAND (URI), Confirmed T Feb 13, 2024 3:30-4:30pm + Wed 4:30-6pm / 20m (14.250-280 MHz) & 40m (7.225-255 MHz) – W1KMV
  • Team Lead: Brian Maynard, K1NW operating as W1KMV – URI Faculty & Call Sign Trustee
  • Asa McQueen, KE0HFF operating as W1KMV – former & future URI Physics Dept student and ongoing member of the 102nd Cyber Ops Squadron at Quonset
  • Chris Lirakis, AA9AL operating as W1KMV – Adjunct Faculty, Physics Dept (Quantum)

Favorite Sound Byte : “Quantum is just engineered RF (radio frequency) pulses and ham radio is an enabling way to learn … just so much!”  Chris Lirakis, AA9AL 

“Ham Radio is a Gateway to Technology”

K1D

BROWN University, Providence RI –  T Feb 13, 2024 3:30-4:30pm + Wed 4:30-6pm / 20m (14.250-280 MHz) & 40m (7.225-255 MHz) – K1D
  • Team Lead: Jose Sandoval, KC1TWM, operating as K1D – Brown student and club revitalization contact 
  • Adam Paul, KC1KCC, operating as K1D – Linux Admin, Brown staff
  • Jeremy Taylor, K1JST,  operating as K1D – ARRL RI Section Team SEC and mentor
  • Don Stanford KV4DN, operating as K1D – Brown Faculty and Brown Alum 


New Technician-class licensed radio amateur Jose Sandoval, KC1TWM operating during Winter Field Day January 2024. Brown University double major in Computer Science and Portuguese & Brazilian Studies.  Please reach out to Jose, KC1TWM if you want to get involved revitalizing the Brown Amateur Radio Club now!

STANDBY!

Rhode Island and Regional collaborative inspiration underway.  It’s not too late to see if your school can act quickly to participate and join the fun! Do you know who among students, faculty, staff, and alum are the licensed amateur radio operators – always ready to get on the air and help with communications? 
NEW – Bridgewater State (MA) Physics and Optical Engineering Dept – [K1YBE]
  • Team Lead: Paul Fredette, K1YBE (NCRC VP & BSU Adjunct Physics Faculty) 
  • Confirmed Wed Feb14 from  3-5pm on likely 20m (14.250-280MHz) & 40m (7.225-255) – CHECK  https://www.dxwatch.com/ ]
Careers / Innovation / Mentoring / STEM

Ham Radio & Medical Slow Scan TV

- by Nancy Austin

Dr. Greg Jay, W1EDY has stepped up to be a mentor on the team revitalizing the collegiate Brown University Amateur Radio Club, K1AD.  When asked for an example of how a background in amateur radio can help advance professional STEM innovation today,  Dr. Jay immediately thought of this recent research utlizing slow-scan television (SSTV) he had read in a 2023 issue of WILDERNESS & ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2023.05.009

“Introduction—Point–of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is used in wilderness medicine and could potentially be the only imaging modality available. Cellular and data coverage is often lacking in remote areas, limiting image transmission. This study evaluates the viability of transmitting POCUS images from austere environments using slow-scan television (SSTV) image transmission methods over very-high-frequency (VHF) hand-held radio units for remote interpretation. …

Conclusions—Slow-scan television image transmission is a viable option for transmitting ultrasound images in remote areas where more modern forms of communication are unavailable or not practical. Slow-scan television may have potential as another data transmission option in the wilderness, such as electrocardiogram tracings.”

[Note: At  the December 2023 RI ARES meeting, Jeremy Taylor, K1JST (RI-SEC) gave a demo on Slow Scan TV apps and why he considers SSTV a ham skill worth knowing.]

 

Amateur Radio – a growth mindset community of curious innovators. 

Please reach out if you are interested in being a mentor helping revitalize any one of Rhode Island’s currently dormant collegiate Amateur Radio Clubs. Please share examples you would use to pitch how a background in amateur radio can be a professional super power.  

Careers / Ham Outreach

RIC’s new Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies (And Why Radio Literacy Matters)

- by Nancy Austin
Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, speaking at the launch of the new Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies (6 November 2023, Providence RI)

This morning Rhode Island College celebrated the launch of the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, which will be chaired by former RI Congressman Jim Langevin, a RIC alum. 

The Keynote Speaker was Jen Easterly, Director of CISA, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. Other speakers included Gov. Dan McKee, U.S. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse, Congressman Seth Magaziner, House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi, Senate President Dominick Ruggerio, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Providence Mayor Brett Smiley, Postsecondary Education Commissioner Shannon Gilkey, and RIC President Jack Warner. 

As Governor McKee and Director Easterly observed, this cyber career pathway is uniquely housed in the Business School and should prove transformational in providing Rhode Islanders the highly-paid, skilled workforce needed to face the challenges ahead. 

Everyone talks about the pressing problem of the cyber talent pipeline. In my strong and unchanged opinion, the Amateur Radio community has work to do to better explain how we are already contributing. 

From our proven hands-on and free experiential learning community model open to every age. Our ability to communicate around the world with no internet or commercial power. Our commitment to Public Service. Our deep bench of technical experts willing to jump in and contribute to problems around spectrum, sensors, satellites, emergency communication, situational awareness, software/hardware, drones, electronics old and emerging, … the list goes on and on.  

And yet at the gathering this morning, everyone I did a post-pandemic catch-up with was interested in my pivot to ham radio – but really had limited understanding of what amateur radio is, why it might be relevant in 2023, and how the ham community has already been a welcoming, mentoring high-tech career pathway pipeline for over a century. Cybersecurity is about more than IT. Radio literacy matters. This is a huge opportunity for amateur radio to paint a different portrait of itself. 

As the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies takes off, with the support of so many influential stakeholders across Rhode Island dedicated to its success, I encourage every RI radio amateur to continue being that positive ambassador in their own networks. Take the time to explain, again, what it is we do, why it matters, and what about this resonates with their audience?  Rhode Island’s motivated radio amateurs are team players ready to participate. Let’s tune up and talk. 

73, Nancy Austin KC1NEK

ARRL Rhode Island Section Manager

[email protected]

https://ri-arrl.org