Woodruff Middle School STEM Club
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Woodruff STEM Ham Station Operational!
By Jon Pearce WB2MNF
After months of eager anticipation, the Amateur Radio antennas are finally up and running into Angela Metzger KE2DRJ's classroom at Woodruff Middle School. The setup, installed by the school district's facilities team, features a sturdy aluminum base secured with four heavy concrete pavers on the roof directly above Angela's classroom. A tall mast rises from the base, supporting two horizontal cross arms :
A separate 25-foot end-fed HF antenna stretches between the mast and a nearby light post about 60 feet away.
To bring everything indoors safely, a weatherproof PVC conduit was run through a drilled hole in the cinder block wall, feeding two coaxial lines into the classroom. The exterior weatherproof box seals everything.
Two feedlines run from the antennas thru the box into the classroom :
This station opens up opportunities for students :
It also allows introducing radio-related activities into the STEM curriculum and combining them with actual ham operating.
Having an actual ham station as part of a STEM program was highly recommended at the ARRL Teachers Institute workshop Angela attended last summer, and hopefully it will encourage some of the students to pursue their own licenses.
By Jon Pearce WB2MNF
After months of eager anticipation, the Amateur Radio antennas are finally up and running into Angela Metzger KE2DRJ's classroom at Woodruff Middle School. The setup, installed by the school district's facilities team, features a sturdy aluminum base secured with four heavy concrete pavers on the roof directly above Angela's classroom. A tall mast rises from the base, supporting two horizontal cross arms :
- One cross arm holds the 2m/70cm "eggbeater" antennas - generously donated by Mike Thompson KG4JYA - perfect for omnidirectional VHF/UHF coverage and satellite work.
- The other cross arm supports a solar panel powering the Meshtastic 915 MHz STEM device that we hope will extend Meshtastic coverage from the Clubhouse node south into Cumberland County.
- The AcuRite weather station sits atop the mast.
A separate 25-foot end-fed HF antenna stretches between the mast and a nearby light post about 60 feet away.
To bring everything indoors safely, a weatherproof PVC conduit was run through a drilled hole in the cinder block wall, feeding two coaxial lines into the classroom. The exterior weatherproof box seals everything.
Two feedlines run from the antennas thru the box into the classroom :
- One LMR-400 feedline from the eggbeater antennas (combined via a diplexer) connects directly to the Yaesu FT-991A transceiver for VHF/UHF and satellite operation.
- The other RG-8X line runs from the HF end-fed antenna routes through an MFJ automatic antenna tuner to the 991 for HF operation.
This station opens up opportunities for students :
- Making real HF voice and digital contacts around the world, experimenting with satellite communications using the eggbeaters, and diving into Meshtastic mesh networking.
It also allows introducing radio-related activities into the STEM curriculum and combining them with actual ham operating.
Having an actual ham station as part of a STEM program was highly recommended at the ARRL Teachers Institute workshop Angela attended last summer, and hopefully it will encourage some of the students to pursue their own licenses.
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STEM Kids Operate In ARRL School Roundup
By Jon Pearce WB2MNF
The Woodruff Middle School STEM Club participated in the ARRL School Roundup contest on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 with three students who stayed after school to get their first HF radio contacts. After school at 2 PM we set up a 25-foot end-fed antenna, strung between a gutter pipe on the school building and a light post about 30 feet away - a less-than-ideal setup. Using a loaned FT-991A radio, we first tried the 40-meter band but heard no activity. Switching to 20 meters, we found many signals, including several contest participants. The students made contacts with other middle schools, elementary, and college stations, though some operators focused on earning contest points and kept conversations brief.
In 90 minutes, we made six contacts, with time spent explaining the process and technology to the students. This was the first on-air experience for all three students and also for the substitute teacher, who was filling in for the regular teacher, Angela Metzger KE2DRJ. Everyone was enthusiastic, and afterward we discussed ways to offer license training for interested students, despite challenges with after-school scheduling.
We hope to develop a plan to help these students get licensed.
By Jon Pearce WB2MNF
The Woodruff Middle School STEM Club participated in the ARRL School Roundup contest on Wednesday, October 22, 2025 with three students who stayed after school to get their first HF radio contacts. After school at 2 PM we set up a 25-foot end-fed antenna, strung between a gutter pipe on the school building and a light post about 30 feet away - a less-than-ideal setup. Using a loaned FT-991A radio, we first tried the 40-meter band but heard no activity. Switching to 20 meters, we found many signals, including several contest participants. The students made contacts with other middle schools, elementary, and college stations, though some operators focused on earning contest points and kept conversations brief.
In 90 minutes, we made six contacts, with time spent explaining the process and technology to the students. This was the first on-air experience for all three students and also for the substitute teacher, who was filling in for the regular teacher, Angela Metzger KE2DRJ. Everyone was enthusiastic, and afterward we discussed ways to offer license training for interested students, despite challenges with after-school scheduling.
We hope to develop a plan to help these students get licensed.
Woodruff Middle School STEM Club Balloon Launch
By Mike Resnick W2WOQ
Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the students of the STEM Club at Woodruff Middle School, Angela Metzger KE2DRJ, club teacher, and the Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club’s Jon Pearce WB2MNF, Mike Thompson KG4JYA, and Mike Resnick N2WOQ launched three weather balloons successfully. Television recording of the event was provided by WPVI Channel 6, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, PA.
Today's launch was a success! The weather, while brisk and windy, only challenged the crew to hold on tighter prior to lift-off. The two Traquitos were transmitting prior to lift-off, while the ZachTek didn’t have enough solar light to test the radio.
Early results showed reception of one of the transmitters in Northwest Canada, stations in Europe and Australia!
Some of the students were assigned as communicators. They used actual 2 meter radios to forward questions to the launch crew and discuss the results with the people nearby. Other students were actively observing the flight information of the balloons on computers that were on-line with a program called WSPR.
The TV segment was shown at 4:30 PM on WPVI, Channel 6, from Philadelphia.
By Mike Resnick W2WOQ
Wednesday, November 19, 2025, the students of the STEM Club at Woodruff Middle School, Angela Metzger KE2DRJ, club teacher, and the Gloucester County Amateur Radio Club’s Jon Pearce WB2MNF, Mike Thompson KG4JYA, and Mike Resnick N2WOQ launched three weather balloons successfully. Television recording of the event was provided by WPVI Channel 6, an ABC affiliate in Philadelphia, PA.
Today's launch was a success! The weather, while brisk and windy, only challenged the crew to hold on tighter prior to lift-off. The two Traquitos were transmitting prior to lift-off, while the ZachTek didn’t have enough solar light to test the radio.
Early results showed reception of one of the transmitters in Northwest Canada, stations in Europe and Australia!
Some of the students were assigned as communicators. They used actual 2 meter radios to forward questions to the launch crew and discuss the results with the people nearby. Other students were actively observing the flight information of the balloons on computers that were on-line with a program called WSPR.
The TV segment was shown at 4:30 PM on WPVI, Channel 6, from Philadelphia.