Ham Radio Gear library Idea from W8EDU via HamSci

[wb2...@gmail.com]

QST HamSCI,

I had such a blast at the HamSCI conference that I forgot the names and callsigns the two hams from W8EDU who had the "Ham radio equipment library" idea. Hey y'all! Please DM me, connect with me here. I'm also on discord, matrix.io, or on https://mastodon.hams.social. My callsign is my handle on all those platforms. I'd like to explore your idea further. Let's iterate.

This idea it's similar to the old-school model of the equipment library I used during the heyday of Bell Labs. BITD if a member of technical staff needed expensive gear, we were strongly encouraged to check the inventory of the Equipment library before completing a purchase order to order it.

I love your idea, because, as I said in my talk,  the lack of "ham equity" is the greatest challenge facing new hams. In fact, at least one learner from my project was concerned that they wouldn't have the funds to continue after the project. An Ham radio library would allow them the opportunity to get access to the equipment to continue with their hobby.

TNX ES 73 DE WB2IFS/3

-Jesse

[Kristina Collins]

If I'm not mistaken, that'd be Matthew Canel KE8NZR and Nathaniel Vishner KB1QHX, cc'd.

The idea was inspired in part by our work with the Electric Moon Foundation and Matt's 3D printed violins. (That's why we keep referring to it by the shorthand "Electric Spoon" or "Eclectic Spoon.")

It was also inspired by the SKs whose estate bequests have helped outfit our students at W8EDU over the years, and by seeing a lot of potentially useful things getting thrown away at the end of Dayton Hamvention.

73 de KD8OXT

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[wb2...@gmail.com]

Excellent Kristina. I recall a similar conversation with Tess Anderson KJ5DCM over at the NRAO Domenici Science Operations Center (DSOC) in Socorro, NM last year. She planning to approach her local library about a grant for lending science kits, telescopes, Radio Jove kits, as well as ham equipment. As I recall, her public library lends tools already.

I'll check in with her to see if she ever wrote the grant.

lol great minds think a like!

Not surprisingly we're very much "distracted" by the firing and layoffs at the NSF as well as the federal government at large.

73s

-Jesse

[Matthew Canel]

Yep, that was me and Nathaniel (and Kristina too). Forgive the crude typography below, writing all this on mobile on my lunch break. 

The three of us know the Electric Moon people from the NAMM show and after staying for Sunday at Dayton last year, we saw so much usable stuff go to the dumpster that we started a write up on the drive home of a framework of what a library or donation scheme might look like and what would be accepted.

I can send that document this week when I have a bit of time to turn my scrawl into sentences, but the general idea went through about 5 major SK donations that really impacted W8EDU and what of them we kept/sold/discarded (a last resort). From there, we sorted them into categories and determined their utility to a new ham as well as to a ham who is starting their own station after maybe being a part of a club and we started refining what would be most useful/needed as well as what would not be worth accepting due to weight/age/complexity/danger/lack of parts (tubes in particular).

I will be happy to send more once I have that document and discuss the idea with anyone who wants to. 

73,

Matthew Canel, KE8NZR

ke8...@case.edu 

[wb2...@gmail.com]

I just participated in the Teaching a One Day Tech Class presentation with Dan Romanchik KB6NU and met Drew Birden,  KC3UKF, a librarian at the Philadelphia Free Library! He's on board with the idea of creating a Library of Ham equipment. You may want to reach out to him. It looks like his club (https://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/falls-library-amateur-radio-club) meets at one of the libraries. 

I can envision a network of libraries serving as pick up and drop off points for ham gear.

73s

Jesse

[Kristina Collins]

On Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 11:17 AM wb2...@gmail.com <wb2...@gmail.com> wrote:

I just participated in the Teaching a One Day Tech Class presentation with Dan Romanchik KB6NU and met Drew Birden,  KC3UKF, a librarian at the Philadelphia Free Library! He's on board with the idea of creating a Library of Ham equipment. You may want to reach out to him. It looks like his club (https://www.arrl.org/Groups/view/falls-library-amateur-radio-club) meets at one of the libraries. 

I can envision a network of libraries serving as pick up and drop off points for ham gear.

Oh, that's an intriguing idea. 🤔

Perhaps we could work through the STAR Net library network, which is led by the Space Science Institute's education branch: https://www.starnetlibraries.org/ 

 

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[Frank M. Howell]

Kristina,

I’ve envisioned a broader partnership with public libraries …. See this and related posts on my blog:

73,

Frank

K4FMH

Sent from my iPhone

On Apr 8, 2025, at 1:00 PM, 'Kristina Collins' via HamSCI <ham...@googlegroups.com> wrote:



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[Jesse Alexander]

Hi Frank,

Yours is indeed a very cool concept. 

I just remembered that this week is National Library Week and that we need to fight to keep our libraries open.

73 de wb2ifs

-Jesse

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TNX ES 73,

Jesse Alexander, WB2IFS/3

OMIK Amateur Radio Association, Inc.

Prince George's County ARES/RACES

SKYWARN #PG116

https://mastodon.hams.social/@wb2ifs
wb2...@arrl.net

QTH: FM18ns
Cell:201-247-0831

[Frank Howell]

Thanks Jesse! I'm awaiting the World Radio League to incorporate the db of all public libraries in the US, Canada and the UK that I recently built to support the LiOTA concept. It's a great opportunity, as I describe in my several blog articles, for HamSCI and others to engage public libraries. It's already been tested here in Madison MS and in South London. The Saturday Morning Amateur Radio Time logo says, Get S.M.A.R.T. and the Library!

73,

Frank

K4FMH

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[john Campbell]

Team - This is a wonderful idea and I too attended the HARC Ham Radio class this weekend. Here is an idea to get the ball rolling:

   ==> I will lend anyone in the Philadelphia region my 2 meter / 440 MHZ Baofeng to play with.  

A piece of junk ?  sure but It plugs in to a laptop and a newbie can have fun with it.  It gets FM radio. 

It cost me $25 five years ago…. so if I never see it again I am okay.  I have other gear (borrowed).  

But it may be a start for someone.  I would lend other equipment if I owned it. 

I started a spreadsheet available to anyone with the link so I ask the group :

==> is this a good way to start ?  a spreadsheet of who owns what and what they are willing to lend and under what terms ?

Best,

John Campbell

W3MHZ

415.830.2095

Penn Class of 1992

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1r1wj0gKRjndn-uMFBgAsA9n4dotLC43JYfpgYeC3iq8/edit?gid=0#gid=0

Radio Gear Library					DRAFT	April 8, 2025
	Call Sign	Equipment	Frequencies	Terms	Contact:	E-mail	Phone	Zip Code
W3 Land:
	W3MHZ	Baofeng UV 5R	2 meters / 440 mhz	borrow for a week or two	John Campbell	Jthomas...@yahoo.com	415.830.2095	19147
	W3MHZ	YAGI ANtenna	440
W6 Land:

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[Jesse Alexander]

Hey folks,

This has been a great conversation. I suggest that we continue at https://groups.io/g/Ham-Radio-Gear-library

I've taken the liberty to invite everyone that responded on this thread to the Group. You may also subscribe here Ham-Radio-Gear-l...@groups.io if you don't already have the invite in your inbox.

Let's keep the ideas flowing.

73s de wb2ifs

-Jesse

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