Successful amateur radio event in the Octopus School, Holland

For the future of our nice hobby it's very important to involve children to amateur radio. On 25 March, there was a ham radio event for school children in the Octopus School in the city of Zwolle (in Holland).

The activities in the school:
International Space Station (ISS).
Amateur Television
Foxhunting
Making small electronic circuits
DARES emergency radio
Morse

During the activities we where lucky that Bill McArthur had some time to come on the radio so we could show the children that with our beautiful wireless hobby, we also can talk with astronauts in Space.

In the first (good) ISS pass the school director Dick (PA0DFN) made a QSO with astronaut McArthur (NA1SS). Bill McArthur invited us for the next pass. Also in the third ISS pass we had a nice short contact, at that time many more children (and parents) were present in the school.

Unfortunately I could not let the children talk to McArthur because this was not an official ISS school contact (we used the normal EU freq. shift).

The ham radio equipment for this event was my Kenwood
TS-790 and a 9 element cross yagi (with hor & ver switch).

Audio recordings of the ISS contacts you can download from:
http://www.pd0rkc.com

The school director Dick (PA0DFN) received 8 private service radios, they are already modified to the VHF ham radio frequencies, at 10 April will be given to 8 schools where childeren can listen to future European ISS school contacts, and other hamradio activities.

We go to make a easy J antenna schematic so the students can build the antenna for their school.

Cor (PD0RKC) shall give the teacher (and students) instructions to use the equipment.

I hope this is also an idea for others!!!!

73's Cor PD0RKC

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