A recap of several recent youth-related activities and a look ahead to some events just around the corner.

Dayton Hamvention

The world's largest Amateur Radio gathering, Dayton Hamvention, to be held May 20-22, is just days away. This year, Hamvention will also host the 2005 ARRL National Convention, featuring ARRL EXPO 2005. Here's a list of highlights for young hams planning to attend the Hamvention.

I'd like to invite all to attend the "Youth in Amateur Radio Forum," Saturday, May 21, 11:45 AM-1 PM. This forum always features a number of diverse young hams, and you'll get to meet young people from all over the country. Also, this year, look for several activities geared towards youth at the ARRL EXPO. I'll see you at both the Youth Forum and ARRL EXPO!

Finally, keep an ear on the various Dayton Hamvention youth calling frequencies so you can communicate with other younger radio amateurs during Hamvention. The primary frequency is 145.540 MHz (107.2 Hz CTCSS), and the secondary is 146.430 (233.6 Hz CTCSS). Thanks to Michael Braun, K3LNT, for coming up with the idea and choosing the frequencies.

Ham-Com 2005 to Have Youth Focus

Held this year June 3-5, 2005 in Arlington, Texas, Ham-Com will feature several activities and workshops geared specifically towards youth. At Ham-Com 2005, Boy Scouts will have the opportunity to earn their Radio Merit Badge, and Girl Scouts will have a chance to work towards their Weather and Communications badges.

Says Ham-Com Director Barry Goldblatt, WA5KXX, "We expect to host 200 or more uniformed scouts on Saturday, June 4."

Goldblatt said the schedule includes special programs for youngsters by the National Weather Service ("Weather Situation Awareness for Kids"), the Lone Star DX Association ("DX 101"), the North Texas QRP Association ("Backpacking QRP for Scouts") and the Texas Lighthouse Radio Society ("How To Find and Visit Lighthouse Landmarks").

In addition, any uniformed scout or scout leader can gain free admission to the hamfest. The merit badge class is free as well, but you'll have to pay the $5 parking fee. All uniformed scouts under age 18 who complete the merit badge class will be able to take the FCC Technician class exam at no charge. Scouts will also receive laminated cards and ARRL lanyards as keepsakes.

Be sure to visit the Ham-Com Web site for more information on youth activities and general event information.

New Youth Net

North American Youth Net (NAYN) Expanding

We've been listing the North American Youth Net (NAYN) in this column for a while now, but a new session has been added to this net, and another is in the works. In addition to the voice net, a PSK31 NAYN session has begun on 14.075 MHz (near 1500 Hz) Sundays at 2300 UTC. A CW youth net is in the planning stages. Stay tuned!

2005 Kids Roundup Contest a Success

The 2005 Kids Roundup Contest is being deemed a success, although propagation on HF could have been better. Sponsored by the Anne Arundel Radio Club Jr and held April 2-3, this was only the contest's second running.

"Despite the harsh conditions on the HF airwaves, amateurs from around the US and Canada were heard in the 2005 Kids Roundup Contest," said participant Steve Anness, KD5OWO. The event's purpose is simple: to encourage youth to get on the air.

Anness says that it's a perfect contest to have an overnight "Ham Jamboree" with your buddies. This year, he logged 37 contacts. According to the Anne Arundel Radio Club Jr Web site, the results of this year's contest will be announced during the "Youth in Amateur Radio" forum at Dayton Hamvention.

Anness encourages all radio operators to plan for the 2006 contest. As for himself, he plans to invite several friends over next year for contesting and food and suggests others try the same. Anness says an IRLP reflector is also reserved for those without HF privileges.

Don Falkner, KB5WPM assists a Girl Scout from the Rogers troop with making a contact. [Photo provided by K1ARK and W5RZ]

Bill Bacon, KE2XC, talks to the scouts from the battleship New Jersey station NJ2BB. [Margaret Burgess, KB2BRR, Photo]

Stan Subhan, N2FMI teaches curious scouts how to make an HF contact. [Gary Wilson, K2GW, Photo]

W5YM Supports Girl Scouts and Guides on the Air- GOTA

The Amateur Radio Club of the University of Arkansas (ARCUA) recently hosted a Guides on the Air (GOTA) event. Also called World Thinking Day on the Air, GOTA is sponsored by the Girl Guides--the British counterpart of the American Girl Scouts. The event is held on or near February 22 each year to commemorate the birthday of Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout and Guides movement.

ARCUA members covered the basics of Amateur Radio and showed off their QSL cards. Many of the Girl Scouts were very interested in cards from the Middle East, as well as those from countries affected by the recent tsunami.

Three student club members, an alumnus and a staff member hosted about 14 Girl Scouts, and contacts were made with Pennsylvania, Washington, DC and Virginia. They even had a QSO with two Girl Guide special event stations in Canada.

Thanks to ARRL Arkansas Section Manager Dennis Schaefer, W5RZ, for this information.

New Jersey Hams Host Radio Merit Badge Day

Gary Wilson, K2GW, an ARRL Public Information Officer, says: "A major technique in selling anything is to give people what they want, not necessarily what you want to sell." Similarly, Boy Scouts have more initial interest in earning a merit badge than in getting an Amateur Radio license. When the hams of Mercer County, New Jersey, recognized this, they decided to hold a one-day Radio merit badge class.

The Delaware Valley Radio Association (W2ZQ) helped provide a foundation by setting up a portable Jamboree on the Air (JOTA) station at the Boy Scout's Central New Jersey Camporee last October. At the Camporee, 2000 scouts had a chance to get on the air, and the club distributed fliers about the upcoming "Radio Merit Badge Day."

On January 8, the David Sarnoff Radio Club, N2RE, hosted the merit badge day at the David Sarnoff Library. To expedite things on class day, attendees already had been assigned to read through page 55 of the Radio merit badge booklet and review the electromagnetic spectrum chart as a prerequisite.

On the day of the class, after a group introduction, the 63 participants were split into groups of 15 scouts each (each group was called "Alfa," "Bravo," "Charlie," or "Delta"). The groups rotated among three classrooms, lunch and two on-air stations (HF and VHF) during the five one-hour periods. The class began with a 30-minute group introduction and ended with a 30-minute summary, along the session to run from 8 AM to 3 PM.

The battleship New Jersey, home to amateur station NJ2BB, also was standing by on the local repeater to make the VHF contacts that were as exciting as anything on HF. Radio Merit Badge Day piqued the interest of at least 11 students and four adults, all of whom went on to attend the first Technician licensing class in March.

Wilson says organizing such an event is simple, if you divide the tasks. It took a registrar, six classroom instructors, three station operators and a curator to host the event, plus several operators on standby to talk to the scouts via VHF.

Wilson says if other clubs would like to schedule a similar event, he's got materials--including a schedule, a PowerPoint instructional presentation and student workbooks in the files section of ScoutRadio on Yahoo Groups.

Youth@HamRadio.Fun Database

Most of you probably are aware that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) no longer collects birthdates from Amateur Radio license applicants. As a result, it's difficult to know how many young hams exist today.

Your editor and eight-year-old Clay Gould, after the Lanierland Amateur Radio Club meeting in Gainesville, Georgia, where I spoke about youth involvement in Amateur Radio. Clay participates in the radio club at his school and is very interested in getting his license. [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo]

However, I am going to try to compile a database of all of the young hams I've met or corresponded with. So, if you are a young ham, please send me an e-mail with your name and address, call sign, birthday (including year), license class, year first licensed a brief list of Amateur Radio-related interests. Encourage your ham radio friends to do the same. My goal is to hear from at least one young ham in every US state! So, if you're under 21 and reading this, let me hear from you.

Of course, I depend on you to let me know about activities in your areas too--especially those aimed at younger radio amateurs and prospective licensees.

By the way, once you e-mail me your contact information, be sure to let me know of any subsequent changes--such as if you move, change your call sign, upgrade or otherwise.

And I always want to hear about the accomplishments of young radio amateurs--including license upgrade stories, honors and awards (not necessarily ham radio-related) and school projects or programs that might interest your Amateur Radio peers. Drop me a note, so that we can give due recognition.

I also invite the "young-at-heart" to e-mail me as well. I'll be creating an "Elmer" database, and I'm looking for at least one Elmer from each statel. In your e-mail, be sure to include your name and address, call sign, birthday (including year), license class, year first licensed and a brief list of Amateur Radio-related interests.

Summer (Yea!) Reading!

• ARRL Foundation Announces 2005 Goldfarb Scholarship Winner (May 6, 2005)
• Expedition 11's Kick-Off School QSO Puts Aussie Youngsters "Over the Moon" (May 5, 2005)
• Expedition 10 Commander Racks up School QSO Record (Apr 26, 2005)
• Feature: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler (Apr 26, 2005)
• Second Time's the Charm for New Hampshire School Space Contact (Apr 20, 2005)
• Feature: Dayton Hamvention 2005 "Alternate Activities" (Apr 19, 2005)
• Feature: Seventh Grader Takes Best in Show with Ham Radio Science Project (Apr 14, 2005)
• School Community Cooperation, Student Activities Enhance Space QSO Experience (Apr 13, 2005)
• ARRL Represents Amateur Radio at Science Teachers' Convention (Apr 8, 2005)
• Texas Youngsters Log 170th ARISS School Group QSO (Apr 6, 2005)
• "Wireless Literacy" is ARRL Education & Technology Program Goal (Apr 5, 2005)
• Feature: The Amateur Radio Crossword Puzzler (Apr 2, 2005)
• Feature: Surfin': About the Old: College Radio Clubs (Apr 1, 2005)

Remember to . . .

• Check into the Echo Link Connecticut Amateur Radio League of Youth (CARLY) Net--Sundays at 7:00 PM Eastern Time on the K3KID-L link.

• Try the ARRL Youth Sked Database to set up on-air schedules with other young hams.

• Visit the North American Youth Net (NAYN) on Fridays from 23:00 to 23:30 UTC on 14.329 MHz.

• Visit the IRLP New Ham Trivia Net, which takes place on a linked 440 repeater system in Southern California and on IRLP Node 3500. Check in with NCS Brandon Umbarger, KG6NMQ, Fridays, 7 PM Pacific Time.

• Look for other youth on subchannel 06 of the 9600 IRLP Reflector. Philadelphia IRLP Reflector owner Vic Tenaglia, N3IO, was kind enough to invite Amateur Radio's youth to use the reflector for youth communications.

• Check in with the ".275 Youth Group," an informal "rag chew" group that gathers Saturdays at 9 PM Eastern on 7.275 MHz (±10 kHz).

• Check into the World Wide Youth Net (WWYN) Saturdays, 1900 UTC, on 21.305 MHz.

New to Amateur (Ham) Radio?

• Explore the Web site (this one!) of ARRL--the National Association for Amateur Radio. There's lots here, like the Harmonics (Youth) Web page.
• Take practice Amateur Radio tests on the QRZ.com or eHam.net Web sites.
• Read previous Youth@HamRadio.Fun columns.
• Find a local radio club.
• Attend a local hamfest (Amateur Radio convention).

But most of all, get involved. No excuses!

Final Comments

Thanks to everyone who continues to support this column. As always, youth-related news and good photos are welcome.

Editor's Note: Sixteen-year-old Extra-class operator and ARES Member Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, resides in Grayson, Georgia. Her Amateur Radio activities include public service, kit building, hamfesting, and operating SSB, CW and digital modes. Amateurs with youth-related news and photos are invited to contact Andrea via e-mail with the subject line "Youth Column."

Previous: ARRL Foundation Announces Scholarship Winners for 2005

Next: Japanese Junior High Students Take "Giant Step" via Ham Radio