The project

Why? Today young students are very interested in radio transmissions topics. This interest is stimulated by the widespread of modern wireless devices, such as mobile phones, satellite tv receivers, wireless LAN, etc.

Goals: Offering radiocommunications topics to the students of the Secondary School of various bents. Giving young people a knowledge of both radio transmissions and electromagnetic pollution basics.

Methodology and peculiarity: Teachers of the schools involved act almost freely, by taking suggestions from works developed in other schools.Then, they give a remarkable tribute with their activity. To enjoy the students, several methodologies are developed and employed (from multimedia to outdoor measures).

The works

Since 2003, several works have been done:

• A simple approach to radio transmissions (requires MS Power Point): This is a multimedia that introduces how the transmitted and the received power are related in free-space conditions.
• Radio transmissions (requires MS word): This is a document that introduces radio transmissions in a more detailed way than the above mentioned multimedia.
• How it’s possible to make a radio link by transmitting an extremely low power (without any electromagnetic hazard) (requires MS Power Point): Students of ITIS Calvino show how it's possible to establish a 2 km radio link by using only 25 nanowatts. The work is an applications of topics treated in above documents.
• Some instruments used to test a simple radio link (mpeg video clip): Students of ITIS Calvino show the instruments used to test a 2 km radio link.
• How to make a simple radio transmission by using a videorecorder and a TV-receiver (requires MS Power Point): This presentation show how a short range radio transmission by using a simple videorecorder and a TV receiver is possible.
• Transmitting from a videorecorder (mpeg video clip): Students of ITIS Caramuel shows the above mentioned experiment.

Works in progress

Some schools joined this project few months ago. Several works are now in progress:

• Setup for a radio link test: receiver side (mpeg video clip): This video clip shows the spectrum analyzer used to measure the received power at ITIS Deambrosis - Natta.
• Setup for a radio link test: transmitter side (mpeg video clip): This video clip shows the transmitting antenna to ITIS Deambrosis - Natta.

The schools and their teachers

Seven schools are involved into the project at the moment:

• Liceo Cairoli, in Pavia (linguistic and pedagogic bent): Ms. Patrizia Parrinello and Ms. Giuseppina Rossi will try to offer to their students a very simple approach on radio transmissions. Considering the bent of the school, their contribution will be very important.
• ITIS Calvino, in Genova (technical and scientific bent): Mr. Roberto Bianchini, Mr. Claudio Novelli, Ms. Marina Ravera, Mr. Maurizio Tovani are working in order to join technical with scientific topics. Ms. Catia Fina is testing to teach this topic in English language.
• ITIS Caramuel, in Vigevano (near Pavia, scientific and technical bent): Ms. Luisa Bove and Mr. Paolo Barbieri are installing a radiocommunications laboratory.
• ITIS Cardano, in Pavia (technical bent): Mr. Danilo Del Pio will connect this institute to ITIS Caramuel and IIS Maserati.
• IIS Deambrosis - Natta, in Sestri Levante (near Genova, technical bent): Mr. Stefano Aquino, Mr. Alessandro Iscra and Mr. Marco Panizza are joining this project with the amateur radio world.
• Liceo Majorana, in Isernia (scientific bent): Mr. Luigi Appugliese and Ms. Marilena Mezzacappa will analyze a radio link working in free-space conditions.
• IIS Maserati, in Voghera (near Pavia, technical bent): This project was born in this school. Ms. Maria Teresa Quaglini will support the needs of some of the other schools.
• Liceo Nicoloso da Recco, in Recco (near Genova, scientific bent): The school has just joined the network. It will develop activities during the next year.

ARRL: The national associations for amateur radio

Radio transmissions are regulated by severe laws. Many teachers involved in this project are amateur radio. In the next months, this project will cooperate with the ARRL.

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Faculty of Telecommunications Engineering of University of Genoa as well the Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Telecomunicazioni for their precious support.

About this page

This page, and most of the linked material, will be on-line as soon as possbile (probably it will be linked by ITIS Deambrosis - Natta and ITIS Calvino. We are working to convert the works into more common formats. For any question contact Mr. Alessandro Iscra (e-mail: iscra@iscra.net).