Bringing Ham Radio Back into the Classroom
WMUR’s NH Chronicle recently highlighted a powerful example of what happens when students are given the chance to explore ham radio, electronics, and real-world communication in a hands-on way.
The segment featured students at Milford High School who are learning amateur radio by doing it: building circuits, testing equipment, making contacts, practicing communication skills, and even taking part in radio direction-finding activities like fox hunting. For many students, this is their first exposure to amateur radio, and in some cases, their first step toward earning an FCC license.
What makes this story so important is that it is about much more than radios. It is about giving students access to skills that are increasingly missing from many school programs. As teacher Tom Perkins, W1FMF, explained in the segment, Milford High School does not currently have a dedicated electronics class or electronics program, making amateur radio a practical way to introduce students to modern technology, communications, and problem-solving.
That is exactly where amateur radio clubs can make a real difference.
GSARA School Outreach
Helping Bring Ham Radio Back Into Schools
WMUR’s NH Chronicle highlighted how amateur radio can give students hands-on experience with electronics, radio communications, problem-solving, and real STEM skills that go far beyond the classroom.
Through support from clubs like Granite State Amateur Radio Association, teachers can be equipped, encouraged, and supported as they bring ham radio, electronics, and communications back into schools.
The video is hosted by WMUR. If it does not play directly here, use the button below to watch it on WMUR’s website.
Watch the WMUR SegmentGranite State Amateur Radio Association believes ham radio has a valuable role to play in STEM education. Through equipment support, classroom demonstrations, mentoring, licensing help, and hands-on activities, clubs like GSARA can help teachers bring electronics and radio communications back into schools in a way that is exciting, approachable, and memorable for students.
Ham radio gives students a chance to see science and technology come alive. They are not just reading about signals, circuits, antennas, radio waves, emergency communication, or electronics. They are using them. They are talking over the air. They are tracking signals. They are learning how communication works when the internet and cell phones are not part of the equation. And maybe most importantly, they are building confidence while doing it.
The NH Chronicle story also highlighted the personal connection behind this effort. Tom Perkins, W1FMF, who sponsors the school ham radio club, and his father Tom Perkins, AC1J, are both members of Granite State Amateur Radio Association and active in the amateur radio hobby. Their story is a great reminder that one introduction to radio, electronics, or hands-on technical learning can plant a seed that grows into a lifetime of skills, friendships, and opportunity.
For GSARA, this is the heart of outreach. It is not just about showing students a radio. It is about supporting teachers, encouraging curiosity, and helping schools create opportunities for students to explore technology in a practical way.
Amateur radio combines STEM, communication, public service, experimentation, and community. It teaches students how to troubleshoot, how to listen, how to speak clearly, how to solve problems, and how to connect with people beyond the walls of a classroom.
And honestly, that is the kind of learning that sticks.
Granite State Amateur Radio Association is proud to support efforts like this and looks forward to helping more teachers, students, and schools discover what amateur radio can do.
Because the future of the hobby does not start someday.
It starts when a student picks up a microphone, sends their first signal, and realizes they are part of something much bigger.