How to build a radio

Nearly 30 years ago, two Bell High School students fell in love while bonding over technology and their shared dream of building a youth center on the southeast side of Los Angeles County.

At the time, Emma Hernandez and Cesar Zaldivar-Motts were aspiring engineers, but they were having problems with the curriculum because they were not properly prepared for the in-depth scientific knowledge required for college-level courses.

They both eventually changed majors — Hernandez studied computer science, while Zaldivar-Motts focused on political science — but returned to society after earning their degrees. Zaldivar-Motts is the CEO of a regional housing nonprofit and Hernandez leads the Southeast Community Development Corporation.

Cesar Zaldivar-Motts and Emma Hernandez at the Bell Technology Center.

Now the couple finds creative ways to get kids involved in STEM at the Bell Technology Center, just two blocks from where they first met. This includes the launch of a new six-week academy where students can build their own amateur radio from scratch, free of charge.

“We are finally pursuing our dream of providing this after-school resource,” Zaldivar-Motts said.

digital divide

The high school sweethearts want to encourage more local teens to become engineers, scientists and even teachers of STEM programs.

Data of the region among the heaviest blows California’s digital divide—the gap between those who have modern digital skills and easy access to technology and those who don’t.

Children learn the basics of electricity and how circuits work.

Zaldivar-Motts said the class is “a stepping stone to encourage them to explore robotics, 3D printing, computer coding and other STEM activities.”

“We learned that you can’t just lecture kids,” he explained. “We need to get them excited at the beginning so they can stay with us for the long term.”

The couple hosts about a dozen middle- and high-school-aged students to take a crash course in electronics on Saturday mornings. At the end of the six-week academy, children and teenagers will have the basic skills needed for more advanced courses in robotics and computer programming; it’s an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise get at school or at home on the southeast side.

“Many schools don’t have the funding to provide after-school programs, an electronics class, or a robotics class,” Zaldivar-Motts said. “So we as nonprofits are stepping in and filling that gap and helping to reduce the digital divide that we face here in society.”

How does the academy work?

The academy begins with an introduction to ham radio, also known as ham radio. It is a licensed radio service that allows people to communicate with each other over radio waves without using the internet or mobile phones.

Instructor Cesar Zaldivar-Motts said the goal is to increase children’s interest in STEM.

Zaldivar-Motts said that although this is older technology, its purpose is to get kids interested in electronics. However, it still has uses today; For example, in an emergency situation, such as interruption of the internet. In an earthquake-prone Los Angeles, this feels especially significant.

Once connected, students learn the basics of electricity and how circuits work. They receive hands-on training with soldering machines. The job can be dangerous, according to 10-year-old Santiago Ramirez, who recently burned his finger while soldering a circuit board.

At the end of the six-week academy, children and teenagers will have the basic skills needed for more advanced courses in robotics and computer programming.

Pointing to the soldering iron, he said, “I touched that part thinking it wasn’t hot.” “And when it burns, trust me, your finger will turn white.”

Santiago and his 11-year-old brother Sebastian have been attending classes at the Bell Technology Center for years. Most of the participants come from the southeast, including 10-year-old Koda Hall. He said he plans to “show off” his radio at school and hopes to become an engineer one day.

Parent Hector Corzo sat with his daughter Sofia as she practiced soldering for the first time. He said he wants her to continue learning new skills even if she doesn’t plan on becoming an engineer in the future.

“I always told him to keep an open mind,” Corzo said. “Because you never know. It is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”

Parent Hector Corzo helps his daughter Sofia improve her soldering skills.

The students managed to assemble most of their mini radios by the fourth week of the academy. Zaldivar-Motts said he will begin introducing more advanced concepts and techniques next Saturday.

“Next week we will complete the radio building project and then work on Arduino (software) that can control sensors, motors, lights, measure temperature and distance,” he said.

When asked what the children might use their new radios for, many said they would show the project to their classmates.

“The last time I made (one) I showed it to my fourth-grade class,” Santiago said. “And I talked about it, I mean, I was actually a teacher, but…about radio.”