Not long after promoting Amateur Radio to Boy Scouts, the Belize Amateur Radio Club (BARC) has introduced ham radio to University of Belize (UB) engineering students. The BARC presentation included a summary of the club’s educational goals, a short video, and a lesson on Amateur Radio basics — such as propagation and the RF spectrum, and a question-and-answer session.

BARC President Emil Rodriguez, V31ER, encouraged the students to take advantage of the opportunities Amateur Radio offers to expand their skills in their fields of study — mechanical and electrical engineering. The introduction represented a first step toward establishing a partnership between BARC and the UB Engineering Department, which envisions that students will learn such skills as antenna construction, electronic circuits, radio theory, and radio procedures necessary to obtain an Amateur Radio license in Belize.

Following the BARC presentation, students and staff members expressed their intention to establish a UB Amateur Radio club and station. BARC said that, in addition to its educational benefits, a permanent ham station at UB would also allow students to become involved in supporting emergency communication during hurricane season. — Thanks to International Amateur Radio Union Region 2 (IARU-R2) and BARC.