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 Previous: ARRL In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? |  Next: League Asks FCC to Void Florida RFI Statute |
By Andrea Hartlage, KG4IUM
Contributing Editor
March 1, 2005
An upcoming kid's contest, more awards and scholarships and an interview with a recent Jeopardy! Teen Challenge winner, who's also a ham
 Kids Roundup from KI3DS. |
Sponsored by the Anne Arundel Radio Club Jr (AARC JR--KI3DS), the Kids Roundup Contest is based on the concepts of some of the group's favorite operating events, including the Maryland QSO Party, the ARRL November Sweepstakes, Kid's Day and the ARRL Novice Roundup. The purpose is quite simple: Have fun and promote Amateur Radio to youth. Ragchewing is encouraged.
The operating period runs from April 2, 1400 UTC. to April 3, 2200 UTC. IRLP contacts are acceptable. Certificates are available to all participants who submit a log. Be sure to visit the KI3DS Web site for the official rules, a list of available logging programs and further details. Also, check out the unofficial Web site for other details and some pictures.
The 2005 School Club Roundup was February 14-19. Sponsored
by the Council for the Advancement of Amateur Radio in the New York City
Schools (CAAR/NYCS), the ARRL and its Hudson Division Education Task Force, the
School Club Roundup (SCR) is designed to foster contacts with and among school
radio clubs. If your school club participated in this year's event, be sure to
let me know--and photos are welcome!
 K3LNT, here with show host Alex Trebek, is all smiles when he wins the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament. |
If you watch Jeopardy!, you probably know that 16-year-old Michael Braun took top honors in the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament. What you may not realize is that Braun is also K3LNT, a General-class radio amateur from Silver Spring, Maryland.
Braun had heard about Amateur Radio years ago and recently rediscovered it on the Internet. Then, he signed up for a Technician licensing class offered through the Montgomery Amateur Radio Club. However, he had to take the test before completing the class because he was in California when the rest of the students sat for the exam. He subsequently upgraded to General.
Braun enjoys operating SSB and digital modes, including PSK31, RTTY and Feld-Hell. So far, he's assisted with one public service event and looks forward to doing more.
Braun first became interested in quiz bowls when watching them on TV, and he joined his school's quiz bowl team during the summer before he entered ninth grade. He signed up for the Teen Tournament, and he ended up being among the 1500 teens randomly chosen to try out in Nashville, Tennessee, last May.
"Out of 200 people at my session, I was one of less than 15 to pass a written exam," recalls Braun. "They gave us mock buzzer games and interviews to judge how we would react on camera." In October, Braun received a Fed-Ex package that notified him that he would begin taping for the Teen Tournament later that month.
To prepare, Braun says he practiced with his school's quiz bowl team and read How to Get on Jeopardy! and Win, written by a former winner.
To others who aspire to be Jeopardy! contestants one day, Braun says, "My best advice is to make sure you know 95 percent of all academic-related questions that come up. I was lucky in that I knew most of the academic material in the Teen Tournament from my quiz bowl team." He adds that it also helps to know pop culture.
Although Braun has not found
much of a connection between his Jeopardy! and Amateur Radio
activities, he is looking into buying an Icom IC-706MKIIG with a portion of his
Jeopardy! winnings. He's hoping to go mobile on HF.
 Sadie Dillard, KE5BUX, making her first HF contact to W1AW. [Jerry Dillard, WD4LHN Photo] |
 Emily Bishop, KI4CHK, decided not to wait for the FCC to act. She's passed her Morse code examination and now working on the General theory. |
Last October 30, third grader Sadie Dillard, KE5BUX, of Garland, Texas, made her very first HF contact with none other than W1AW. Sadie worked W1AW from the Garland Amateur Radio Club's station, K5QHD. ARRL Amateur Radio Education and Technology Program Coordinator Mark Spencer, WA8SME, offered to open up the Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Station at ARRL Headquarters on a Saturday, after learning that Sadie had recently received her General. Since working W1AW, Sadie has upgraded to Amateur Extra. Way to go, Sadie!
KE5BUX's mom is KC5UYO, and her dad is WD4LHN; her sister Taylor is learning the code. Dillard is home schooled and interested in math, physics and astronomy. She also plays chess and the piano.
Congratulations to nine-year-old ARRL member Emily Bishop, KI4CHK, of Cleveland, Tennessee, who passed the Element 1 (5 WPM) Morse code exam. After studying for a year, she passed the exam on her third try. Bishop says that she wanted to earn the Morse code element credit instead of waiting to for the FCC to do away with the Morse requirement--if that's what it decides to do.
"It was worth all the time it took," she says. Now, she's
studying for her General. Great job, Emily!
Nominations for the 2004 ARRL Hiram Percy Maxim Memorial Award are due by March 31. The HPM Award, the League's top youth honor, is presented annually to a radio amateur under the age of 21 whose accomplishments and contributions to both the community of Amateur Radio and the local community are exemplary. An ideal nominee may be involved in recruiting new hams through demonstrations as well as by example to his or her peers; on the air and/or public service activities; employing technical ingenuity to further Amateur Radio; public relations activities; and organizations on a local, state or national level. The HPM Award winner receives an engraved plaque and a check for $1500. Those nominating HPM Award candidates should include their contact information and forward the form to their ARRL Section Manager. Section managers also may nominate young hams for this award. For additional information, contact Jean Wolfgang, WB3IOS at ARRL Headquarters.
The Foundation for
Amateur Radio (FAR) plans to administer more than
55 scholarships for the 2005-2006 academic year to assist young radio amateurs.
Awards range from $500 to $2500. Additional information and an application form
is available by sending a letter or QSL card postmarked prior to April 30 to
FAR Scholarships, PO Box 831, Riverdale, MD 20738.
Amateur Radio Newsline is accepting nominations for its 2005 Young Ham of the Year (YHOTY) Award, sponsored by Amateur Radio Newsline, Vertex-Standard USA and CQ Communications. If you know of a special young ham you'd like to nominate, be sure to do so, either via mail or by filling out the online nomination form. Nominations and associated documentation must be received by May 30. The YHOTY Web site includes information on the award's history, a list of past winners, nomination forms and more.
Devan Burnett, KC0KBH, of Cold Spring, Minnesota, has
started up a new HF youth net--the World Wide Youth Net (WWYN). The net meets Saturdays on
21.305 MHz at 1900 UTC.
 Gwinnett County ARES Kid's Day operation. [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo] |
 Alex Blitch, K4ALX (left), and Brittney Hancock (right) chat about Amateur Radio, while your editor (center) tunes around to find a Kid's Day contact. [Scott Hartlage, KF4PWI, Photo] |
On January 2, Gwinnett County ARES, WX4NET, set up a Kid's Day operation from a Kroger shopping center in Duluth, Georgia. The Gwinnett County ARES trailer served as an operating position, and tables outside of the trailer were covered with brochures about Amateur Radio.
Although setting up in a public place was a last-minute idea, six youngsters stopped by--their ages ranged from 2 to 19--and 25 contacts were made. Volunteers were plentiful as well. Nine hams showed up early to help set up, and another five adults stopped by during the day to visit. Thanks to everyone who made this Kid's Day operation possible!
Be sure to let me know about your Kid's Day experience.
But most of all, get involved. No excuses!
Thank you to everyone who continues to support this youth column. Feel free to contact me with any youth news, and let me know about any young hams who have made a recent accomplishment, such as upgrading their license.
In addition, share news of youth-oriented ham radio activities in your area! As always, good photos are welcome.
Editor's Note: Fifteen-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 In Action: What Have We Been Up To Lately? | Next: League Asks FCC to Void Florida RFI Statute |
