Sixteen-year-old Stefan Floyd, KI4JTA, who spent a week providing emergency communication in Mississippi.
By Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM
Contributing Editor
October 21, 2005
This month's highlights include young hams in action, kudos to the "Beckies" and ham radio at Boy Scout Jamboree 2005.
Hurricane Katrina: Young Hams to the Rescue
Since late August, the nation has focused on the devastation wrought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita and in the subsequent relief and recovery efforts. Most people immediately wanted to help, and through ham radio, several youth were able to do just that.
Sixteen-year-old Stefan Floyd, KI4JTA, who spent a week providing emergency communication in Mississippi. |
Sixteen-year-old Stefan Floyd, KI4JTA, knows firsthand what a disaster site is like, and especially after he and his dad, Gene Floyd, AI4KK, spent a week in Hancock County, Mississippi following Hurricane Katrina. By assisting the Hancock County Emergency Operations Center (EOC), they performed a variety of duties, such as transporting supplies and relieving tired operators. Their other responsibility was to obtain GPS (global positioning system) coordinates for various locations to aid in navigation, since street signs were scarce.
Stefan served as a navigator, so that the relief organization's driver could concentrate on driving through the rugged, and, at times, hazardous, conditions. As one of his last duties before leaving the disaster area, he assisted in getting a local broadcast station back on the air, which involved wading through waist-deep flood waters to refuel the generator.
Hurricane Katrina was certainly not Stefan's first time
providing disaster relief. As a member of Capital District ARES in his hometown
of Tallahassee, Florida, the Tallahassee Composite Squadron of the Civil Air
Patrol and the local chapter of the American Red Cross, he has also responded
to several hurricanes in Florida. In 2005, he was even awarded the Red Cross
Youth in Action award.
KB0VVT is ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award Winner
 Rebecca Rich, KB0VVT, receives the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award from ARRL Midwest Division Director Wade Walstrom, W0EJ, at the Kansas State Convention. [Joe Eisenberg, K0NEB, Photo] |
Congratulations to the 2004 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award winner, Rebecca Rich, KB0VVT, of Raytown, Missouri. Rebecca is both an avid contester and dedicated student. She manages to balance a 4.0 GPA, ham radio activities and extracurricular obligations, such as color guard and symphonic orchestra. Some of her most recent Amateur Radio activities include operating W1AW during a visit to ARRL Headquarters, participating in Field Day, competing in the Kansas City DX Club CW Pile-Up contest and participating in ARRL Kid's Day.
Besides just being active in all of these areas, Rebecca has several operating awards to her credit, including Worked All States, 5-Band Worked All States and DXCC (DX Century Club). In addition, she has won several awards from school, based on academic performance, and she's been honored for her scores in a variety of ham radio contests.
"I encourage other young hams to realize their potential in this hobby," she says. "Also, do not get discouraged when you try things for the first time. Everybody struggles at first. Pick yourself up and keep trying. Eventually, it will get better."
Rebecca also stresses the importance of maintaining a balance between school and ham radio, being sure to keep your grades up while still participating in the hobby.
Since she lives very close to the Missouri-Kansas border,
formal HPM Award presentations took place at the Missouri State Convention on
August 20 and at the Kansas State Convention the next day.
Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award Winner 2005
 Rebekah Dorff, WG4Y (left), receives the Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year Award at the Huntsville Hamfest in August from Amateur Radio Newsline's Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo] |
 Ten enthusiastic youth, who attended the Huntsville Hamfest Youth Forum. (L-R) front: John Bateman, Kathleen Lyons, James Bateman, Dawn Reynolds, Brenna Horton. Back, your editor; Rebekah Dorff, WG4Y; Elizabeth Harper, AK3H; Alex Fuller; Nicholas Young, KG4HSR. [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo] |
 John Bateman sports his newly-won hat, while his brother, James, stands by his side, at the Huntsville Hamfest Youth Forum. [Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, Photo] |
Hearty congratulations to another "Becky"--Rebekah Dorff, WG4Y, who was named the Amateur Radio Newsline Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY). The Alabama Assistant Section Manager for Youth Activities, Rebekah is routinely involved in promoting the hobby to her peers. She's conducted numerous hamfest youth forums, helped at the Dayton Hamvention Youth Booth and set up youth displays at various events, such as Kid's Day.
Although she's just 12, she's certainly has had a significant impact on ham radio and in promoting it to youth. She, too, still manages to be on her school's honor role, even with all of her ham radio and volunteering activities. Way to go, Rebekah!
Huntsville Hamfest Youth Activities
Once again, this year's Huntsville Hamfest, in August was the place to be for young hams. Besides being formally presented with the Young Ham of the Year Award, Rebekah, WG4Y, also coordinated a number of youth events, including a Youth Booth and Youth Forum.
I was able to stop briefly by the booth, which had quite
an impressive display that included an array of ham radio information and youth
activities. I was also honored to speak at the forum again this year and got to
hear Rebekah's wonderful presentation as well.
National Scout Jamboree 2005
 William Lloyd Leslie, KC2FYY, operating a radio as part of the K2BSA staff at the 2005 Nationial Scout Jamboree. [Provided by William Lloyd Leslie, KC2FYY] |
 Michael Spencer, age seven, of Cub Scout Pack 1541 was one of the many scouts who visited JOTA (Jamboree on the Air) in Georgia, sponsored by Venture Crew 73, Gwinnett County ARES, and the Gwinnett Amateur Radio Society, on October 15. [Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM, Photo] |
 Michael's sister, Katherine Spencer, age four, also came to JOTA. Your editor is teaching Katherine Morse Code. [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo] |
From July 25 to August 5, some 34,000 Boy Scouts gathered at Fort A.P. Hill in Caroline County, Virginia for the National Scout Jamboree. William Lloyd Leslie, KC2FYY, known as "WIRES," calls the Jamboree a "massive portable city." And, he would know, since he spent the week as K2BSA staff.
"It all started when I was given a pair of 49 MHz Fisher-Price 'walkie talkies,'" said Leslie. He has always been interested in radio, from using his walkie-talkies for tree house-to-backyard communication to experimenting with CB and playing with FRS (Family Radio Service) radios. After watching the movie ET and trying to make an antenna out of an umbrella and an abandoned telephone pole, Leslie finally discovered ham radio.
He rose from Novice to Extra relatively quickly. While he was studying for his Extra, he was also a counselor-in-training at Boy Scout summer camp. It was while he was at Camp Siwanoy that he discovered JOTA. Rig and solar panel in hand, he was trying to hook his radio to old, unused antennas on one of the buildings, when a scout asked what he was doing. The scout told him about JOTA, and WIRES discovered that his local radio club was involved in scouting activities.
"Ever since then, I have been getting scouts involved in ham radio," he said.
Before the Jamboree, he taught pioneering, orienteering, and radio. So far, he said, he's assisted three family members and three scouts in earning their ham radio licenses.
Since he'd never been to a Jamboree before and wanted to see what it was like, he applied for a position with K2BSA and was accepted.
"My job was to give tours of the station and introduce the different aspects of our hobby," Leslie explained. Some activities included making contacts, fox hunting and driving a remote control car with ATV (Amateur Radio TV). He also spent his nights assisting the volunteer examiner (VE) team administering licensing examinations.
WIRES speaks highly of the Jamboree, saying that many services are available, including water, electricity, phones, hospitals, dining halls, and more. "Scouts from all over the US and the world gather for a week to work on merit badges, scouting activities, and check out lots of exhibits," he explains.
The next Jamboree, to be held in 2010, will celebrate 100 years of scouting in the US. "If you're a scout or scouter, it's a must that you attend. It is one of the best scouting experiences you will have," Leslie concluded. He also thanked the K2BSA staff and the ARRL, especially ARRL Headquarters staffer Larry Wolfgang, WR1B, for making his experience possible.
Upcoming Events
RAWNY Youth Nite 2005: On November 8, the Radio Association of Western New York (RAWNY) will present the 16th Annual Youth Nite. Created and coordinated by Kevin Kedzierski, WA2FKV, the event is intended to introduce youth to ham radio. "We try to put the hobby in perspective using videos, displays, and [hands-on] demonstrations," said Kedzierski.
Alford Memorial Radio Club Hamfest & Computer Expo Youth Activities: As was the case last year, a number of activities at the Alford Memorial Radio Club Hamfest will be geared towards youth. To be held November 5 and 6 in Gwinnett County, Georiga, the hamfest will host a youth forum, youth lounge, and youth dinner. Among the highlights will be keynote speaker Philip Millerd, KG4ZHD. An Eagle Scout and ARES member, Millerd recently spent 10 days in Mississippi, supporting communication for the Hurricane Katrina relief effort. The hamfest also will feature a scavenger hunt, foxhunt, special event station W4Y and, of course, snacks, in the youth lounge and plenty of door prizes at the youth forum.
Congratulations Corner
Congratulations to . . .
Autumn Reading
Remember to . . .
New to Amateur (Ham) Radio?
But most of all, get involved. No excuses!
Final Comments
Thanks to everyone who continues to support this column and my apologies for the long gap between columns (August and September). The youth column is back, and, as always, I invite your suggestions, ideas, articles and pictures, especially from recent events, such as JOTA. Let's see 'em!
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."
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