An important part of the Nashua Area Radio Society’s mission is to create learning opportunities in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) for young people through Amateur Radio. Many of our members began or enhanced their interest in STEM careers and learning through Amateur Radio and we are working to provide similar experiences for the next generation.

We have lots of fun Amateur Radio activities for young folks. Perhaps you are interested in finding hidden transmitters using Radio Direction Finding (RDF)? We regularly sponsor “Fox Hunts” where we hide a transmitter and use radio equipment to see if we can find it.

We provide displays that help young people to learn about and try out different aspects of Amateur Radio at local Ham Radio Conventions, schools, and other public places. Our displays feature many hands-on activities and opportunities to get on the air and communicate around the world and through space. You can learn more about our Amateur Radio Activity Displays here.

Maybe you’re interested in making new friends in other parts of the United States or even in other countries around the world. Using Amateur Radio equipment, we can easily help you to make new friends and learn about other cultures and geography around the world. We call this “DX” for distant contacts – contacting Amateur Radio operators in other countries around the world. We regularly set up temporary radio stations in schools, parks, and other public locations to allow anyone to get on the air and make new friends. A really cool time to do this is during the ARRL Kid’s Day activity where kids all around the U.S. get on the air to contact each other and make new friends.

Abby, AB1BY operating in the 2016 ARRL Rookie Roundup

Do you like to compete? Amateur Radio can provide some really neat ways to do this. We have contest teams that compete in the ARRL Rookie Roundup and other contests and special events several times each year to see how many contacts we can make in a limited amount of time. We have earned several nice certificates from our entries in these contests. Contesting also helps us to develop our communications and radio operator skills as well.

Maybe you’re a Maker and like to build things with computers, software, or electronics. Building the equipment that we use in our stations is a big part of what Amateur Radio is all about. We hold monthly Tech Nights and Kit Building sessions to help you learn about computers, software, and electronics and to help you build your own gear and test it out.

Are you interested in space communications? There are satellites in orbit that only Amateur Radio operators can use to make contacts around the world and there is also Amateur Radio equipment on the International Space Station! We have built a satellite ground station and we regularly provide opportunities to make contacts through Satellites.

We also recently completed a STEM project in conjunction with local High Schools. We created and delivered a series of classroom presentations about High Altitude Balloon technology and Atmospheric Science. We put together a High Altitude Balloon which carried an Amateur Radio payload to the edge of space and back! We used an Amateur Radio transmitter to track Balloon’s flight path to space and back, look at data from onboard science experiments and make a really cool video of the flight which you can play above! We are looking for young folks who want to help us build and launch our next Balloon.

You don’t need a license to try out Amateur Radio and see if it’s fun for you. If you decide you want to have your own transmitter and station, we can help you get your official Amateur Radio license. We offer classes to help you learn what you need to know and pass your FCC license exam so you can have your own transmitter and talk to other Amateur Radio operators whenever you want.