Students learn about wireless radio during Basic Survival Skills summer programme

In an effort to keep students occupied during their vacation with activities that can eventually lead them to their vocation, the Science Department in the Ministry of Education organized a series of training sessions, one of them in the area of communications as part of its Basic Survival Skills Club summer program.

Many persons use a cell phone and do not understand the process that involves speech transforming into a digital signal, then transmitted wirelessly to the nearest cell tower, then via other cell towers to the destination number dialled, which can be another phone locally or overseas.

This complex process happens at the speed of light, which is the same speed at which radio signals travel — 186,000 miles per second.
This lesson was an introduction to wireless radio, so much detail did not go into the intricate details of the cell phone system, as the lesson was more focused on the practical application of communications and in particular the use of 2-way radio.

As a result, the children were taught the phonetic alphabet and thereafter used two-way radios (transceivers) to introduce themselves spelling their names phonetically, which turned out to be the highlight of the training session.

Coordinating the Science summer activities was team leader Juanita Hunte-King, education officer for Science. She was ably assisted by Asif Dover, Rosmund Griffith, Kenral Daniel, Karen Burgin, Shermaine Barnwell, Chivaughn Hooper, Renson Humphrey, Ashanna Jack, Nikisha Primus, Shermina Williams-Bushay and Rochelle Kennedy.

The two classes on the introduction to wireless communications on Thursday, July 28, 2022 were conducted by YRM Director, Donald De Riggs. The two schools involved on that occasion were the Georgetown Government School and the Sandy Bay Secondary School. (Contributed by: Donald De Riggs)