Over 13 years ago I received my first FCC license—the Technician class license. My father, who was introduced to ham radio through his grandfather, challenged me and my siblings to see who could get licensed first, upgrade first, etc. By the age of 10, I held the Extra class license. My dedication to studying for each exam came from the need to outdo my siblings rather than a love for ham radio.
His method worked—all nine people in my family are licensed hams.
I had the license in hand, but I had no idea what to do with it. Over the years, I’ve joined many different groups full of young people who have taught me about everything from contesting to satellite operations to chasing DX stations.
In this article I want to share with you the different groups and organizations that have helped me expand my knowledge and build experience. I hope you will find them as useful as I have.
Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) is an organization that started in Region 2 (Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Asia) in response to the alarmingly low number of young, licensed hams. They realized that without a change, the hobby would slowly (or not so slowly) start to fade away, and soon there would be no stations left on the air to call and answer to a CQ. From their first summer camp in Romania in 2011, Youngsters on the Air has been actively promoting and encouraging youth involvement in amateur radio. Through their youth contests and summer camps, they teach new skills and knowledge to young hams and equip them to share their experiences with others to get even more youth interested and engaged in ham radio.
Youth on the Air in Region 2 (covering North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean) launched their first summer camp in 2021. These camps are one of the best ways to meet other young hams and participate in a wide variety of radio-related activities. I joined the Region 2 2025 summer camp held in Denver, Colorado. Throughout the week we had opportunities to participate in different activities, get on the air, and listen to talks from other young people on topics ranging from contesting to radio programming and satellite operations.
We split into groups to do portable activations at a park (POTA®—Parks on the Air) and a summit (SOTA—Summits on the Air). If you enjoy spending time outdoors, you might really enjoy setting up a portable station from a park or a summit. Watch the video below to get started:
During the camp, several young hams took turns talking to a licensed ham on board the International Space Station (NA1SS). I had heard about people doing this before, but watching it happen in real time and listening to the hams talk to the astronaut was neat!
You can watch the livestream of the contact in the video below:
We took a field trip to the WWV shortwave government broadcast station in Fort Collins, Colorado. They gave us tours of the facility and the radio station, which transmits signals 24/7 broadcasting exact time and frequency data.
Another activity we did was launching weather balloons, both high-altitude and the smaller pico balloons. We tracked the high-altitude balloon up to 60,000 feet!
They also hosted different levels of kit building classes where we had the opportunity to build a 20M CW kit and a simple dipole antenna. One evening they had a free exam testing session, where several young people passed the exam for a license upgrade, and a few international hams got their first U.S. license.
The YOTA summer camp is one of the best ways for you to meet other young people, get more involved, learn about new aspects of the hobby, and even become an Elmer to other youth.
Region 2 summer camp 2026 will be hosted in Huntsville, Alabama, with a theme and focus on space. If you are between the ages of 15-25, apply here!
The YCP (Youth Contesting Program) is an extension of YOTA with the purpose of connecting young ham contesters with local contest stations. The goal is to get a group of young hams to operate together from “big gun” contest stations. If you would like to participate and for more information, email ycp@youthontheair.org.
A great youth-focused group I have been a part of for years is YACHT (Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team). They host informal chat sessions on EchoLink Monday through Friday at 0100 UTC, with young people taking turns answering and sharing opinions on a different question every night. On Saturday, they have a more formal net on EchoLink that youth members take turns running.
The Dave Kalter Memorial YDXA (Youth DX Adventure) is a group that gives young hams an opportunity to be the DX by raising funds to send them to a pre-established station in a DX location. In past years, they have given youth the chance to operate from stations in Costa Rica, Saba, and Curacao. I joined the 2018 team operating from the PJ2T station in Curacao, where I learned how to operate alongside others and enjoyed the constant pileups all week!
YARC (Young Amateurs Radio Club) has a growing number of young hams in their group, where there is always someone online to answer your radio-related questions and share stories. With such a large ham community, even if they cannot answer your questions directly, they will be able to point you to someone who can. This is a great resource for both new and experienced hams covering a wide range of subjects and areas.
One of the most useful resources for young hams is the RHR (Remote Ham Radio) youth program, where young hams can access a growing number of remote stations around the world. There is no limit for the on-air time allowed each month, and it is free for hams ages 21 and younger. This is a great tool for new hams who may not have the ability to set up a station at home.
All of these groups have different functions but work toward one common goal—to encourage and support youth participation in amateur radio. Getting your license is the first step. Now you have a whole new world to explore!
The post For the Youth: You Got Your License! Now What? appeared first on OnAllBands.
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