Did you ever think about the future of amateur radio? Will the hobby change with time and adapt to modern technology? Will the hobby still exist in 20 years, or will it be obsolete? How many active operators will still be on the air in the next decades? YOTA are talking about the future of amateur radio!
YOTA is a quickly growing group of young radio amateurs from IARU Region 1. It is our goal to get more young people interested in amateur radio and grow the amateur radio community. Every summer around 80 youngsters meet up in a different IARU Region 1 country every year for a week of exchanging ideas and experiences. At the summer camp youngsters learn how to organize youth activities in their own countries, for example presentations at schools, smaller camps for youngsters and more. All to get more young people fascinated by amateur radio. During the year youngsters organize a number of sub-regional camps for a smaller number of youngsters, also those who do not have a license yet. There are also young contest teams, special callsigns, and lots of other activities.
Video by Ham Radio (dot) World
9 Year Old Grace (KM4TXT) from USA.
Amateur radio is fun for all ages! In this video, newly-upgraded General Class amateur radio operator Grace (KM4TXT) makes contacts with three other amateur radio stations. First, she works VA4EEE in Winnipeg, Manitoba
in Canada, then her friend Marty (KC1CWF) gives her a call from his station in Boston, Massachusetts via his remote Internet link while he vacationed in Southern Florida. Finally, Grace worked AC9ED in Elmhurst, Illinois.
Grace accomplished this with an Icom IC-7300 transceiver that Marty lent to the kids for the last few weeks. This radio puts out radio waves with the same power as a 100 watt light bulb, and it can reach the farthest corners of the earth with its signal. Grace was using a homemade 1/4 wave 20 meter vertical antenna that uses a collapsible fiberglass fishing pole with a wire fed inside it.
Grace upgraded to General at the Orlando Hamcation 2017 and now that Mommy (N8ZQZ) and Grace have their General Class licenses, it’s possible to work the entire family on HF! Grace (KM4TXT/AG) heard W1AW calling “CQ” on 20 meters and gave them a shout. She told the guest operator that we know Sean Kutzko (KX9X) and someone went to tell him that Grace was on the air.