Plan for the day
Today we’ll be meeting at Chelsea Piers along the Hudson River, at the intersection of 22nd Street and 11th Avenue (google maps link). The meeting spot is next to the corner of the Chelsea Piers Sports Center here.
Google maps can give you directions if you need them. Probably the best route via public transportation will be the C or E train to 23rd Street, and walking from there. The M23 bus also runs along 23rd Street and may be useful.
[NOTE: As of May 5, 7am, I updated the Google Maps link and map image below to be more accurate.]
Meeting details
We’ll be outdoors so we can use common sense in regards to masking, using them if we’re unable to maintain safe social distancing. I will also have wipes on hand to sanitize any objects that multiple people will be using. Please help me be especially careful about microphones or anything else held near the face, making sure to wipe these down between uses.
Background & preparation
Today we’ll be testing several technologies. To have a fun and effective day of testing in the limited time of our class session, some preparation will be required. Read below:
- Crystal radio. Watch this video about how crystal radios work. I have already assembled a crystal radio in advance, but if you would like to see how I did that, have a look at this video, which is mainly what I used as a guide. Also have a look at these tips for working with a crystal radio – these will be useful to keep in mind as we setup the device for testing in the park.
- goTenna. To prepare, everyone please install the goTenna app on your smartphone. It should be available in the app store for any Android or Apple device. Install the app called “goTenna” (not “goTenna Pro” or “goTenna Legacy”). You can read more about this on the goTenna website. The app is used to pair a phone with the goTenna device via Bluetooth. I will have 6 devices to test, so not everyone will get to pair their phone to a device, but installing the app is part of the process of learning about it. Go through the steps to install and it when it prompts you to pair a device, you’ll be ready for tomorrow.
- 2 walkie talkies (GMRS)
- And if we have time, we can test a car-based CB radio connecting to a portable, handheld CB.
- I will also have a small amateur / ham radio with me (the BaoFeng UV-5R) and can explain how this works although we won’t have time to use it.
- We probably won’t have time but another option would be to experiment with a very low power FM transmitter. With these, we could turn the transmitter on, see if we can find its signal, and test what range it covers.