By Dave Casler, KE0OG

Grant, KB0ZQX, uses a dual-band beam on a foxhunt. Photo courtesy of Ellie Van Winkle, N0QCX.

Try these statistics: Over 80 youth licensed in 6 years--several achieving Amateur Extra. A wildly enthusiastic bunch of kids. Those are the results we're achieving in the Boulder Amateur Radio Club, Junior Division (BARC Junior).

BARC Junior began in 1991 when the Boulder Amateur Radio Club president asked Ellie Van Winkle, N0QCX, to look into organizing a youth auxiliary. Ellie, a retired teacher, approached a local school to see if there was interest in a ham radio class. There was, so she and her husband Rip, NV0M, a retired electrical engineer, taught a Novice class to a few students. The results: several new hams, including one mom. These kids were so excited by ham radio they didn't want to quit their association with Rip and Ellie. So, on Saturdays, the Van Winkles opened their home to the group for kit-building and on-the-air activities.

Well, kids have friends. And those friends wanted to join in the fun--BARC Junior began to grow. "The first thing I realized was that Rip and I couldn't do this alone," remembers Ellie. "We started asking adults to help us teach. The key qualification was willingness, but, more importantly, we had to have adults who could express complicated ideas in simple terms."

The BARC Junior Program

At any given time, around 30 kids and 12 to 14 Elmers are involved in a team effort that is the BARC Junior Program. The philosophy is to teach, understand, practice, socialize and enjoy ham radio activities. We're not here to "save" youth from perils--our real purpose is described in two words: "Ham radio"!

Saturday activities at the Van Winkles' home (it has a spacious basement) begin with Ellie calling the group to order. She introduces new BARC Juniors or Elmers, tells about upcoming activities, conducts business as needed, and reads who will be in which class that day. This takes about 20 minutes, depending on how squirmy the kids are and how much business there is. Next comes two concurrent 20-minute classes, requiring nearly every room in the house. CW comes first; all kids are assigned to a class. The 5 WPM group is the largest, so it is subdivided by abilities. We teach 13 WPM, and recently started a 20 WPM group--I teach that one! What a pleasure to work with motivated, capable youth!

The author's daughter, Jennifer, KB0UBW, runs the BARC Junior net with the help of Ellie, N0QCX. Photo courtesy of Dave Casler, KE0OG.

Next comes theory; we teach Novice theory separate from Technician. Right now we have two groups working on General theory, and, as needed, we have Advanced and Amateur Extra theory. I teach the Amateur Extra; it's quite an experience to teach engineering-level material to middle- and high-schoolers! The joy of it is they comprehend the concepts more easily than many adults.

After theory class, the entire group moves to Rip's ham shack for a demonstration. It could be simply measuring current through a resistor to verify Ohm's Law, or something as complex as viewing the frequency response of a microwave resonator on a spectrum analyzer. At the conclusion, Ellie gathers everyone for final announcements.

We follow a special pattern on the third Saturday of each month--it's the BARC Junior club meeting. Ellie knew young people would be far more enthusiastic if they could be personally involved. So BARC Junior is organized as a club within the Boulder Amateur Radio Club. Just as with any club, BARC Juniors elect officers, and they plan activities with Ellie's help. The president conducts the business, guests are welcomed and the meeting is turned over to a speaker, usually an adult who might speak on satellite antennas or how to set up a packet station. A most interesting speaker was Eric, KG0YS, a former BARC Junior, who gave a thorough demonstration on how to operate bicycle mobile--of particular interest to BARC Juniors.

Variations on a Theme

A variety of activities is the spice of BARC Junior. Sometimes our club meeting will be a tour--local repeater sites, the local public safety communications center (the people who answer 911), electronic-oriented businesses, an overnight trip to the Ham Radio Museum in Genoa, Colorado, and a bus trip to Denver International Airport to see United Airlines' communications facilities.

What's more fun than a video game? A fox hunt! Elmer Dave, KI0HG, borrows as many portable direction finders as possible, has a mini-training session, lays out the boundaries, and lets the kids go. We do hunts at a park or within a block of the Van Winkles' home.

In years past we've tagged along at the BARC Field Day, but last year we experimented with an all-BARC-Junior Field Day. A committee of BARC Juniors (and an Elmer) planned it, and it was a success! The kids saw to every detail--rounding up a large tent, equipment, photovoltaic collectors and generator, and organizing meals. Elmers conducted training sessions and helped younger hams with their mike fright. Every kid received a cap emblazoned with the BARC Junior logo and "Field Day." The logo, designed by a member, is also on red T-shirts that every BARC Junior receives.

Trevor watches as his brother Devin, KB0TSK (center), works with Rip, NV0M, on a J-pole. Photo courtesy of Ellie Van Winkle, N0QCX.

For the past five years, BARC Juniors have participated in the Dayton Hamvention Youth Forum. BARC Junior pays expenses (parents must fund their own transportation) for the young people who represent us. For the selection process, a panel of Elmers watches the candidates give speeches. We videotape them, and deliberate far into the night to select the kids. For those not selected, we have a mini-Dayton to motivate them to try for future years. We obtain a local meeting room, put together booths and displays, and all the BARC Juniors give a presentation, just as if they were at Dayton.

In October, we host family night to show families and youths considering joining BARC Junior what the program is all about. The kids organize this event under the supervision of an Elmer. The agenda includes a slide show highlighting BARC Junior activities, a panel discussion of several BARC Juniors with audience participation, sample class sessions and refreshments.

Sunday evening finds BARC Juniors on the BARC repeater for the weekly net, with a BARC Junior as net control. Very young net controllers operate from Ellie's house so she can provide behind-the-scenes help. Each youth comments on the question of the evening, invented by the young net control. Typical questions might be: "What interested you in ham radio?" to "How can we solve Boulder's traffic problems?" There is always lively discussion, and for mike-shy youngsters, this is their primary on-the-air activity. Net controlling prepares the youth for providing communication at public events such as walkathons--and for the real thing, when BARC Juniors, often the only ham in their family, use the repeater's autopatch to call in accident reports.

The club keeps 2 meter and HF equipment as loaners, plus Morse Tutor machines and code practice oscillators. We have simple kits for kids who'd like to try their hand with a soldering iron. The kids build 2 meter J-pole antennas to sell at swapfests to raise funds. They once set up both an HF and a 2-meter station so that Jack, WT0G, could stay on the air after moving to a nursing home.

Running the Organization

Yes, that's activity galore! It doesn't happen by itself--it takes organization and teamwork. The organizer is Ellie. Quite simply, BARC Junior would not have happened without her. Ellie has worked with children all her life. She knows how to set reasonable expectations for youngsters, how to keep them interested, and how to involve parents in what's happening. "When I took this on," she says, "I had no rosy-eyed vision of children sitting in orderly rows. I know children too well. And I love them just the way they are!" On Monday her flyers are in the mail providing BARC Juniors and parents with a calendar of events and the latest news about who's passed what test. By Thursday she's called each BARC Junior to see if they'll be coming that Saturday. She calls Elmers to determine who'll be available.

Mike, N0ZTQ, finishes a project in Rip's ham shack. Photo courtesy of Dave Casler, KE0OG.

Twice a year, Ellie has an Elmer's meeting, at which we discuss BARC Junior's progress, and brainstorm ideas about changes and how to help individual BARC Juniors overcome whatever barriers stand in their way. "This isn't my program," she states emphatically, her eyes sparkling. "It belongs to every Elmer and every BARC Junior. I rely completely on Elmers to guide these kids." She laughs, "I'm a Tech. How can I help a kid become an Extra? It's my job to coordinate!" Ellie admits all this is time-consuming. "It's my full-time job," she says. "But ham radio is about people. And I'm a people person."

Fund-raising is a continuing concern--expenses including postage, T-shirts, books for classes (purchased at an excellent discount from Ham Radio Outlet and sold to the kids at cost), loaner equipment, door prizes, mini-Dayton, family night and expenses of our Dayton representatives. The only charge for any kid to be involved in BARC Junior is for books and for food on field trips--even kits are free. BARC Junior was initially subsidized by BARC to the tune of several hundred dollars a year until Ellie began to try fund-raisers. She collects equipment donations from local hams. Then at hamfests, BARC Juniors set the equipment on tables and haggle with passersby; at one hamfest alone, we raised $1000. Ellie keeps a coffee can on her dining room table. "This is one of the most touching indications of how much BARC Junior is appreciated," she says. "I don't know who puts money in the coffee can; probably parents. But it's typical to find $20 to $30 in the can after meetings." As in past years, BARC Junior gave a Christmas present to BARC last year. They paid for half the cost of a new antenna for the BARC repeater--and then helped put it up.

It's impossible to run an organization like BARC Junior without snafus. The key is to be prepared for things that occasionally go wrong. BARC Junior is covered by BARC's insurance. We require signed parental permission slips for activities away from the Van Winkles' home. The slips inform parents about times, location, mode of travel and emergency contact information.

Another key is to set reasonable rules. Kids considering joining BARC Junior are invited to the Van Winkles' home with their parents to get a full briefing. It's made clear that this is a volunteer effort and all the kids are there because they want to be. The keys to discipline are flexibility, good humor and realistic expectations. "Young children simply don't sit still. They can't!" laughs Ellie. "They're excited about what they're doing and being with their friends. I insist that they keep the noise down, so everyone in the group can hear and participate. I have a voice like a lion and can get their attention when I need to! If there's a continuing problem with any kid, we take care of it off line, and involve the parents if necessary."

What about dropouts? Ellie continues: "Ham radio simply isn't for everyone. We'll keep the kids on the mailing list for a while, but if they've moved on to something else, we let them go. Some come back."

Summing Up

We're very proud of BARC Junior and our 80 new hams, and hope other clubs will form similar groups. Can your club do a similar program? Of course! If no single person can make the commitment, choose one who is a good organizer and delegator to be in charge of a committee . BARC Junior didn't start out as a complex organization, but it grew more complex as the situation demanded.

I enjoy Elmering the BARC Juniors because I enjoy kids and teaching. Watching an eighth-grader's eyes light up as I explain how a TV signal works or seeing the satisfaction of a fourth-grader to whom I hand a CSCE is a reward beyond words. Older BARC Juniors serve as Elmers to younger BARC Juniors, gaining invaluable teaching experience. I speak for all the Elmers when I say this is a labor of love. Our experience need not be unique. We don't have any secrets. Ham radio is just as exciting to young people as it has always been. We just provide the means for motivated kids to enjoy themselves, find like-minded kids and become part of the world of Amateur Radio.

You can get in touch with Dave by writing Dave Casler, KE0OG, 1991 W Centennial Dr, Louisville, CO 80027 or e-mail ke0og@mfn.com.

From September 1997 QST.