| Oneonta boy broadcasts interest in amateur radio with students (May 10) |
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Adam Agoglia, 10, has a license to use amateur radio equipment, which can link him with other users across the country or worldwide. On Monday, Adam spoke his federally approved code _ kc2wwc _ used handheld equipment to reach out on radio waves as a satellite passed 400 miles above the playground at Greater Plains Elementary School in Oneonta.
Fifth-graders clustered around him, listening for a response, which was brief also in code _ E-N-80. The grid-based code revealed the response was from a user in Indiana, Paul Agoglia, Adam's father, said. Agoglia shared details with students about how amateur radios work as he Adam put together an antenna to send signals to the satellite. The satellites for amateur radio operations travel from the North Pole to the South Pole, he said, which differs from stationary satellites for cellular telephones global positioning systems. The amateur radio system can be used for experimenting or, if needed, emergency communications, Agoglia said. Part of the fun is sending out a call not knowing who will respond or the other user's location, he said. "This is more hobby than anything else," Agoglia said. Adam said he enjoyed using the equipment. "I just like it," he said. "I think it's fun." Adam studied for about a year took the license test in March, Agoglia said, officials in Norwich said they didn't know of local boys his age who had passed the test. Adam his father gave their presentation to Tim Nobiling's fifth-grade class Monday recently to Jan Andrews' fifth-graders in the classroom next door. Together, the classes have 42 students, the teachers said. Andrews said passing a test for a license is an accomplishment for Adam, who is in her class, the demonstration could "open new horizons" for pupils. Agoglia also set up a test to demonstrate how the Global Positioning System works, through clues, students found a snack of apple juice chocolate chip cookies. Several students agreed that they liked seeing how the amateur radio system worked. Michael Goodspeed, 11, of Oneonta, said the demonstrations showed real-life applications of longitude latitude. In the GPS excercise, he found the clue hidden near the batting fence that led to the location of the snack. "I found stuff," he shouted. "I can't believe I did it." Benji Blacklock, 10, of Oneonta, said he likes walkie-talkies said he hopes that he can learn how to use a system like the one discussed Monday. As a learning tool, the radio system can help teach about electricity, radio waves other science lessons, Agoglia said. The licensing aspect presents information about the legal system, he said, connecting with other users can reveal social studies language experiences. "There are all sorts of possibilities," Agoglia said. |
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