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Maker Faire 2015 Recap – Part 2 Leave a comment

Since pictures are worth a thousand words, here is a 2015 Bay Area Maker Faire recap in images from and around our Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio theme booth.

Click here to see the official Bay Area Maker Faire video from 2015

The Bay Area Maker Faire 2015 team: Team Leader Brian Yee W6BY and his wife Pat and daughter Stephanie, Dennis Kidder W6DQ, Lisa Gibbons KF6QNG and Paul Zander AA6PZ

We had working, hands-on ham radio projects including Brian’s (W6BY) 10 GHz ham radio transverter system, a radio-controlled tractor/forklift (ZigBee controller) and the big screen used as an electronic sign.

Dennis W6DQ brought several brand new projects this year, including a working Amateur Radio broadband (WiFi) network with seven nodes, a software-defined radio (SDR) system.

I brought a demonstration comparing old and new technology in antenna tuners. It uses light bulbs for a substitute (“dummy”) antenna.

: Lisa showing the new Arduino book to an interested Maker

: Stephanie shows off her “Lear to Solder” badge of honor

: Guys at the Nepal ham radio booth

There’s so much to see and do. Here are some pictures of what I get a chance to see.

Always great to see Tenaya promoting Arduino and Arduino related projects and products!

Great shirts and signage – Only at the Maker Faire!

Here are the posters we used to describe our projects on display this year.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2015: Recap Part 1 Leave a comment

Maker Faire Bay Area 2015 T-Shirts for Makers

Maker Faire Bay Area is now history. Our booth, “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio” included new projects and demonstrations. This was our fourth year as Makers and the fifth year as visitors to the Maker Faire in San Mateo.

This is a short overview of our display. Stay tuned for more images, stories and videos.

Here is the text from our handout. It answers some of our most-often asked questions:

What are we doing?
Thank you for your interest in our Maker Faire display “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio.” This is our fourth consecutive year as “Makers,” and our goal is to show people what today’s ham radio operators are doing with the newest technology.

Who are we?
We are licensed Amateur radio operators (“hams”).

Is this like CB?
Yes and no. Ham radio is similar in that we use two-way radios and antennas to talk with each other, but hams can communicate using Morse code and computers in addition to voice, and we even have our own satellites. Ham radio requires a license issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the US and licensees are required to pass a written test on electronics theory, radio regulations and operating procedures.

How far can you talk?
We can communicate with other ham stations around the corner or across the globe, depending on a variety of factors that affect the way radio waves travel. The equipment we are using operates on frequencies that generally follow line-of-sight paths. However, hams have discovered that signals can be reflected against objects such as buildings, trees, islands and mountains to extend the range. Using these techniques, we are able to contact other stations hundreds of miles away.

What kind of radios are you using?
We are builders and experimenters in microwave radio communications. No commercially-built, “off-the-shelf” equipment for these frequencies exists, so we must build our own equipment, or modify commercially-made equipment meant for other communications services, such as satellite TV, cell phone and long-distance telephone.

How much does this equipment cost?
Like any other hobby, people spend as much or as little as they can afford. Most people involved in ham radio spend as much as any serious stereo enthusiast, amateur photographer or woodworker.

Where can I get more information?
American Radio Relay League (ARRL) and QST Magazine

CQ Magazine

If you are a licensed ham and want to try a new challenge, contact your local VHF and up club:

The 50 MHz and Up Group

The San Bernardino Microwave Society (SBMS)

The Microwave Group of San Diego

Wayne Yoshida KH6WZ: YouTube

Broadband Hamnet-REV2

Broadband Ham Radio Network Under Construction. Photo by Dennis Kidder W6DQ

Software Defined Radio

Elements for the SDR. Photo by Dennis Kidder W6DQ

Old-vsNew-Ant-tuners

Old vs New Antenna Tuner Technology

KH6WZ 10GHz rig-Poster

Microwave transverter system by Brian Yee W6BY. Photo by Brian Yee W6BY

APRS Poster

APRS demonstration

The Greeter

OC Mini Maker Faire 2013 Recap Leave a comment

FindU.com APRS display of the KH6WZ-5 location beacon at the 2013 OC Mini Maker Faire at UCI

APRS display of the KH6WZ-5 location beacon at the 2013 OC Mini Maker Faire at UCI. Notice the beacon message at the top of the screen capture includes the URL of the event – a great publicity tool!

This past weekend, the second OC Mini Maker Faire happened. And it just so happens to be the second running of my ham radio demonstration called, “Not Your Grandpa’s Ham Radio (2)!” This is my continuing mission to remind people of two things:

First, “The Maker Movement” is nothing new, Amateur Radio operators have been doing this for a almost a century, and nearly 2 million people worldwide are involved in ham radio in some way.

Second, Ham radio is not necessarily an old man’s hobby where weird guys talk to strangers from garages and basements. We are skilled wireless communicators and use today’s technology, from GPS and microprocessors to lasers and microwave frequency linking.

This time I added static and working displays of my various APRS beacons (KH6WZ, KH6WZ-5, and others). I programmed the OC Mini Maker Faire’s URL to the beacon message so people can take a look at what was happening – an excellent publicity tool!

I also planned on making some 10 GHz contacts with my rig, since this was also the same weekend as the ARRL 10 GHz and Up Contest. The transverter covers were removed so people can see the system’s guts.

Based on previous experience at the Discovery Science Center “Meet the Makers” event, I demonstrated radio wave polarization- horizontal vs vertical – with my rig and the microwave strength meter.

Since I had plenty of space, I shared my booth with a company that makes interesting computer and microprocessor related items. This may sound trivial, until you realize this company is run by these three young guys . . .

Huxley, Max and Ethan showing one of their products called the SmartPac.

There seemed to be more people at this Faire, probably since not too many other events were happening nearby. The 405/605/22 freeway closure did not affect the MF, since it started after the event ended.

More than a dozen hams – either active or at least licensed – stopped by to visit. We talked about this event as well as the Bay Area Maker Faire, and what ham radio activities we are involved with.

One more thing: I met several guys from the San Diego area – they are finalizing the plans to have a Mini Maker Faire in the San Diego area – this is great news. Stay tuned and I will announce an update as soon as I hear something from the committee!

Here are some pictures from the event. I am already thinking of building some new displays for next year.