Teens talk local, go global

Members of the nonprofit Taos Amateur Radio Club (also known as Taos ARC) are excited about a recent round of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) funding they won to teach digital radio technology to Taos High School students in an after-school setting.

According to a press release, the goal of the project is for students to earn an FCC License and high-end digital mobile radios capable of communicating around the world.

“This is a great opportunity for students to chart their future,” the release continued. “Living in our community we have many pockets of no-cell-phone-coverage. This project helps bridge that cell phone gap for safety and prepares students for higher learning or just a fun hobby.”

Taos ARC member Mike Kittredge told Taos News by phone Tuesday (Oct. 19) the project was the brain child of Tim Henson, then VP and now president of Taos ARC and a Los Alamos Labs employee.

“We in Taos all know LANL gives scholarships,” Kittredge explained, adding, “Kim said we should teach amateur radio to high school students because it’s STEM and LANL will fund STEM. So they gave us $5,000, just $900 short of covering all the expenses, which our very generous Taos community covered.”

The grant provides instructional materials, FCC testing fees and an online computer-aid testing course that practically guarantees passing the licensing test, covering 21 people overall, including 18 students and three teachers for the after-school training.

Each student receives a digital hand radio to own and use to talk to anywhere in the world, through internet repeaters.

“With this little radio in your hand you can talk to France, or Japan,” Kittredge said, “anywhere in the world.”

Besides amateur radio events, Taos ARC helps out during Taos Fiestas, homecoming and other parades, they also provide communication assistance during some search and rescue operations and more as requested.

Kittredge hopes more Taos parents will get involved. He said his wife and daughters use the HAM radios to alert them of bad weather or other untoward events that might signal danger or delay, or even just asking for last-minute pick up of extra groceries on a town run.

“It works almost everywhere,” he said, adding he’s talked to HAM operators from Rome, Puerto Rico and more. “It really is fun.”

Funding for this STEM project was made available for grants from the LANL Foundation and the Richard B. Siegel Foundation.

“Taos thanks you,” Kittredge acknowledged to the grantors in the press release.