Geography as a US middle school subject has not been a school class since
the 1980's [nationwide] ... this must have led to some decrease in SW
listening.

Curious, how many here have made an attempt to go to a local school with a
rig, and do a demo?
BTW, geography is taught in our middle school. I'm thinking more of a
broadband issue is degradation of education in general. We need to try
harder.

Best regards,

John

Here in San Diego, we not only do demos of Amateur Radio, we have helped set
up donated stations in 5 schools. Example:
http://transworldradio.8m.com/mchs/index.html

One school had students talk to astronauts in space (SAREX Program)
http://www.palomararc.org/Scope/jun02scope.pdf

Also the ARISS program
that offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of
Amateur
Radio by talking directly with crewmembers of the ISS (International Space
Station). URL:
http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/sarexfaq.html

Upwards of 100 San Diego students have obtained their licenses.

Currently 20 students are attending a Ham Radio class in Vista, Ca

And at the ARRL field day in June 2004, we had 20+ unlicensed Boy Scouts
and numerous kids OPERATE and make contacts on Ham radio as far away as
Australia -- via the GOTA station (Get On The Air)
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2...s-fd-2004.html

And an annual Scout event is JOTA -- upwards of 500,000 Scouts and Guides
all over the world make contact with each other by means of amateur radio.
http://www.scout.org/wse/jota.shtml


Re geography -- Who knows every country, island, cay, spit, and reef in the
world better than a Ham Radio DXer ??

--
The Anon Keyboard
I doubt, therefore I might be



"John Halliburton" wrote in message
m...
Curious, how many here have made an attempt to go to a local school with a
rig, and do a demo?
BTW, geography is taught in our middle school. I'm thinking more of a
broadband issue is degradation of education in general. We need to try
harder.

Best regards,

John

"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message
news:kdrmd.145285$hj.18911@fed1read07...
Here in San Diego, we not only do demos of Amateur Radio, we have helped
set
up donated stations in 5 schools.

Very cool.


Re geography -- Who knows every country, island, cay, spit, and reef in
the
world better than a Ham Radio DXer ??

A pilot, a sailor, a traveling salesman....;) However, point taken.

John

"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message news:kdrmd.145285$hj.18911@fed1read07...
Here in San Diego, we not only do demos of Amateur Radio, we have helped set
up donated stations in 5 schools. Example:
http://transworldradio.8m.com/mchs/index.html

One school had students talk to astronauts in space (SAREX Program)
http://www.palomararc.org/Scope/jun02scope.pdf

Also the ARISS program
that offers an opportunity for students to experience the excitement of
Amateur
Radio by talking directly with crewmembers of the ISS (International Space
Station). URL:
http://www.arrl.org/ARISS/sarexfaq.html

Upwards of 100 San Diego students have obtained their licenses.

Currently 20 students are attending a Ham Radio class in Vista, Ca

And at the ARRL field day in June 2004, we had 20+ unlicensed Boy Scouts
and numerous kids OPERATE and make contacts on Ham radio as far away as
Australia -- via the GOTA station (Get On The Air)
http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2...s-fd-2004.html

And an annual Scout event is JOTA -- upwards of 500,000 Scouts and Guides
all over the world make contact with each other by means of amateur radio.
http://www.scout.org/wse/jota.shtml


Re geography -- Who knows every country, island, cay, spit, and reef in the
world better than a Ham Radio DXer ??

True - but there is more to geography than simply knowing where places
are. The physical and social geography of the site is key to
understanding the overall relationship of that place to the rest of
the planet. However, you're right, knowing where the places are is
the start to understanding.

As an aside, we just got the new National Geopgraphic Atlas as a
(requested) early Christmas gift - if you haven't seen it yet, it is
fabulous, by leaps and bounds one of the most amazing documents I have
laid eyes on. When I have a few minutes to spare, I am able to sink
into that book, pore over it's contents and dream myself to distant
lands...

One of the most fascinating things about the maps is seeing how
sparsely populated and developed the Former Soviet Central Asian
nations are...compared to their surrounding nations, and especially
Europe, their maps look like (and certainly they really are in many
cases) vast expanses of open territory. To hear a SW station from
that neck of the woods is to hear a high desert frontier...

Bruce Jensen

Keyboard wrote
Re geography -- Who knows every country, island, cay, spit, and reef in
the
world better than a Ham Radio DXer ??

Bruce Wrote
True - but there is more to geography than simply knowing where places
are. The physical and social geography of the site is key to
understanding the overall relationship of that place to the rest of
the planet. However, you're right, knowing where the places are is
the start to understanding.

Keyboard writes
Agree, however many DXers take the time to look up country (island)
information.
One of our prime sources is the CIA fact book -- URL:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Gives:
Introduction & History
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

Bruce sed
As an aside, we just got the new National Geopgraphic Atlas as a
(requested) early Christmas gift - if you haven't seen it yet, it is
fabulous, by leaps and bounds one of the most amazing documents I have
laid eyes on. When I have a few minutes to spare, I am able to sink
into that book, pore over it's contents and dream myself to distant
lands...

Bruce Jensen
------------------------------
Keyboard responds:
Yes the National Geographic Atlas is excellent -- in many a DXers library
(mine included)
As well as MS Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/

It is exciting to look up information on that far away place whether you are
a Ham or a SWLer.

With hams we can talk to people in those far away locations.
Fun to listen -- but a real thrill to talk to real people in far away lands.

To get your Ham license -- see URL:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html


The Anon Keyboard (Obviously an Amateur Radio Operator)
I DX, therefore I Am

"Keyboard In The Wilderness" wrote in message news:eFLmd.145412$hj.139237@fed1read07...
Keyboard wrote
Re geography -- Who knows every country, island, cay, spit, and reef in
the
world better than a Ham Radio DXer ??

Bruce Wrote
True - but there is more to geography than simply knowing where places
are. The physical and social geography of the site is key to
understanding the overall relationship of that place to the rest of
the planet. However, you're right, knowing where the places are is
the start to understanding.

Keyboard writes
Agree, however many DXers take the time to look up country (island)
information.
One of our prime sources is the CIA fact book -- URL:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

Gives:
Introduction & History
Geography
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues

What a cool resource! Thanks for the link.

Bruce Jensen
************

Bruce sed
As an aside, we just got the new National Geopgraphic Atlas as a
(requested) early Christmas gift - if you haven't seen it yet, it is
fabulous, by leaps and bounds one of the most amazing documents I have
laid eyes on. When I have a few minutes to spare, I am able to sink
into that book, pore over it's contents and dream myself to distant
lands...

Bruce Jensen
------------------------------
Keyboard responds:
Yes the National Geographic Atlas is excellent -- in many a DXers library
(mine included)
As well as MS Encarta
http://encarta.msn.com/

It is exciting to look up information on that far away place whether you are
a Ham or a SWLer.

With hams we can talk to people in those far away locations.
Fun to listen -- but a real thrill to talk to real people in far away lands.

To get your Ham license -- see URL:
http://www.arrl.org/hamradio.html


The Anon Keyboard (Obviously an Amateur Radio Operator)
I DX, therefore I Am

"bpnjensen" wrote in message
As an aside, we just got the new National Geopgraphic Atlas as a
(requested) early Christmas gift - if you haven't seen it yet, it is
fabulous, by leaps and bounds one of the most amazing documents I have
laid eyes on. When I have a few minutes to spare, I am able to sink
into that book, pore over it's contents and dream myself to distant
lands...

The "Times Atlas" - Comprehensive Edition is also an excellent resource.

Mark.
Auckland, New Zealand.

"John Halliburton" wrote in message om...
Curious, how many here have made an attempt to go to a local school with a
rig, and do a demo?

This is a great idea - and relatively simple too. I may just give
this a try. Even with a snaggly little wire, 19m ought to yield some
good stuff midday...

BTW, geography is taught in our middle school. I'm thinking more of a
broadband issue is degradation of education in general. We need to try
harder.

I agree, there is room for improvement -

but based on what I have seen at my son's school, and based on what my
wife brings home in the way of horror stories (she is a
speech/communications specialist in a school) - the parents simply do
not prepare their kids to learn. They hardly read to them at all, TV
is the babysitter (my wife right now is trying to teach a former
10-hour-a-day TV watcher, age 6, to *talk* in 3-word sentences), and
many set very poor examples for their children anyway, in too many
ways to list (but a short list includes drug and alcohol addiction,
pawning kids off on abusive relatives, ignoring their kids' needs such
as glasses and hearing aids, and just vegging out when they should be
actively engaged with their children...).

There are so many parents out there who either 1. do not care, or 2.
don't know how to help, or 3. think that starting learning in
kindergarten is soon enough (it ain't, folks)...the number of children
who don't know *how* to absorb substantive information that first day
of kindergarten is staggering.

Unfortunately, there is no license that a prospective parent needs to
get before raising a child - any idiot is traditionally deemed
"qualified" - and so it goes.

Ultimately, it means that my own kid, with just a reasonable amount of
effort from his parents to get him interested in reading and science
and geography and history, is at the top of his class and among the
top 10% nationwide in every test he takes. Is he smart? Yeah, but
probably not head-and-shoulders above all of his classmates - just
better prepared. I guess there's always a silver lining...

73,
Bruce Jensen
************

Best regards,

John

= = = "HireMe.geek.nz" wrote in message
= = = ...
Geography as a US middle school subject has not been a school
class since the 1980's [nationwide] ... this must have led to
some decrease in SW listening.

MH,

When Geography or any other subject is being taught. I is being
taught with the aide of a Computer for Text, Images and Sound.

This new generation will grow-up with "Memmories" of:
- Read 'interesting things' from Around-the-World on a Computer
the Internet (not books)
- Seeing 'interesting things' from Around-the-World on a Computer
and Cable-Satellite TV (not books)
- Hearing 'interesting things' from Around-the-World on a Computer
and Internet Radio or Satellite Radio (not Shortwave Radios)
YES - "The Times" They Are A Changing !

For this new generation will never know Shortwave Radio [.]
What they do not know; they will not understand; or have a
need for; its as simple as that.


alas, i am a member of my generation and a product of my times ~ RHF
..
..