The Police Amateur Radio Team of Westford has voted to support a ham radio project in the Chelmsford High School, according to PART’s Arthur “Bo” Budinger, WA1QYM. “A unanimous vote was taken at the June PART meeting to support the project with a $200 donation, writes Budinger. “The funds will be used to purchase a ‘classroom bookshelf’ of ARRL publications related to wireless communications. In addition, it establishes PART as the sponsoring ham radio club for this activity.”
The request was presented to the club by KB1LD and KB1LQC. In addition, Dave Steeves, KB1MKW, a physics teacher at the school also spoke of the project. Steeves, a newly-licensed amateur, sees ham radio as a great classroom teaching tool. Steeves intends to apply for Chelmsford High School to be a pilot school under the ARRL’s Big Project. One prerequisite of a successful pilot school project is the willingness of local ham radio volunteers to provide technical assistance to the teacher and students.
“This is an excellent way to give young people a greater appreciation of ham radio,” comments Budinger. In writing to the PART membership, WA1QYM adds, “I fully support this project and hope that the rest of you will do the same. I suspect in the following months we will be called upon for some support in the form of equipment or technical knowledge.”