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<H1>Students launch new website to connect college Amateur Radio clubs</H1>
<P><SPAN class=storyAuthor><FONT face=Tahoma>by Michelle
Cometa</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>From communication support during regional emergencies to
connecting with the International Space Station, amateur radio operators have a
long and storied history.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>New amateur radio clubs are emerging on college campuses,
and to help encourage that growth, two Rochester Institute of Technology
engineering students have developed an online support tool to keep the tradition
alive.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"Our Web site, </FONT><A href="http://www.collegearc.com/"
target=_blank><FONT face=Tahoma>CollegeARC</FONT></A><FONT face=Tahoma>, will
provide not only an interactive way for the college amateur radio clubs and
operators to communicate, collaborate and share their experiences but also
provide a needed resource of relevant information for clubs to grow," says
<STRONG>Brent Salmi</STRONG>, a third-year electrical engineering student in
RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering. "College amateur radio clubs are
spread out across the country and do not interact often; CollegeARC will fill
this need and provide a link between clubs."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>CollegeARC.com will supply information to help new clubs
form, promote membership and increase club activities, explains <STRONG>Bryce
Salmi</STRONG>, a third-year electrical engineering student. The twin brothers
are members of the <STRONG>RIT Amateur Radio Club K2GXT</STRONG>, a student
organization first established in 1953. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"We intend to bring the college amateur radio community
together in a way that has not been tried before. Using the interactive Web site
is our effort to give back to the amateur radio community and inspire enthusiasm
to younger and older radio amateurs alike."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The Web site is open to interested operators, both new and
experienced. There is no cost for membership.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Brent and Bryce Salmi learned about amateur radio while
growing up in Chelmsford, Mass. They built their own wireless radio equipment
and began learning the skills necessary to become amateur operators. </FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>The brothers are licensed operators by the Federal
Communications Commission, the organization overseeing amateur and commercial
radio frequencies and usage. Brent Salmi is a ‘general’ class license holder;
Bryce Salmi is an ‘extra’ class licensee. They established their first club
while in high school and have developed the Web site to ensure that others
interested in amateur radio would be able to easily start up their
own.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>"Amateur radio has given us a lot," says Brent Salmi. "We
want to give back. With the Web site we can give back. There are a lot of
college amateur radio sites, but we’re all separated. This is a way to share
ideas and experiences."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Amateur operators learn from other operators, usually
family members or friends and then, through the wireless radio, connect with
other amateurs. "This is a ‘sustainable’ community," says Bryce Salmi. "It’s
awesome to see others getting enthused about this. The website can be a way to
have clubs grow and keep enthused."</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>More about the Web resources can be found at </FONT><A
href="http://www.collegearc.com/" target=_blank><FONT
face=Tahoma>www.collegearc.com</FONT></A></P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma></FONT> </P>
<P><FONT face=Tahoma>Fonte: R.I.T. News</FONT> </P></BODY></HTML>