When I earned my ham license at ten years old, my dad didn’t have his yet. A few weeks after passing my Technician exam, we attended a SKYWARN training session together. While we were signing in, I requested the amateur radio operator and non-amateur radio operator forms. The registration manager handed the “ham” sheet to my father and the other to me—then looked astonished when we switched them.
In similar fashion, whenever we attend hamfests together, I frequently get asked how my dad managed to convince me to come along and spend my Saturday here. In an unexpected turn of events, he was, in fact, the one in need of convincing—but not a lot of it. (My parents are both shockingly patient and supportive of my seemingly odd hobby.)
Many YLs have had similar experiences. People assume they’re only attending an amateur radio event because they wanted to come along with their boyfriend, husband, dad, or whichever male family member or acquaintance accompanied them. This gets frustrating after a while. I’ve been asked more than once if I “wanted to get my callsign now,” even though I was wearing a callsign badge or was talking about what I like to do in the hobby.
Being a YL in amateur radio can be quite the experience. Fortunately, I love the hobby enough to make dealing with difficult moments worth it (although we really shouldn’t have to). After seven years in the hobby, I’ve learned that as a YL, standing one’s ground is very important. There will always be weird comments on Facebook and other social media—even in person— but standing your ground and not letting yourself be hurt by them is the best thing you can do.
If you’re finding it hard to enjoy the hobby because of encounters like these, getting involved as much as possible will help immensely. You’ll find a group of people with whom you enjoy spending time and who are supportive. Remember, you can get involved with every part of the hobby, regardless of whether it’s specifically for YLs or not, although YL-tailored events and groups can be a lot of fun as well. The YLRL (Young Ladies Radio League), for example, has a forum every year at Hamvention put on by their board (see video below). They also host quite a few YL-centered operating events throughout the year. The YLRL offers a worldwide group of YLs whose goal is to make the hobby more welcoming for women and to help them find communities they fit into.
In addition to the YLRL’s operating events, there are plenty of others—and the numbers keep growing.
The YLWWA (YL World Wide Award) took place in March. Modeled after the WWA, it was a very successful event. The objective was to make the participating YL operators the receiving ends of pileups for the week. I speak for the vast majority of the YL activators when I say that it did just that. In addition to having the opportunity to run seemingly endless pileups, there was an active group chat so we could support and encourage each other. The atmosphere in the group chat was very positive and fostered many friendships that will last much longer than the YLWWA week did.
Forming friendships with other YLs has been one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby for me. From local YL friends (even some at my high school who got their licenses) to YL friends who live countries or even continents away, the YLs that I know in amateur radio push me to be the best I can be, both in amateur radio and outside of the hobby. They make up an incredibly supportive group of women. Making friends with other YLs will definitely help you enjoy the hobby more. Of course, you shouldn’t feel like you need to limit your amateur radio friend group to just YLs.
I remember attending my first Hamvention with my parents before having “found my circle” at ten years old. By chance, the first forum we attended was conducted by a young YL only a few years older than me. She was giving a presentation about activities she had done with her local club. This was, more or less, the first time I had seen a YL this involved with the hobby. Here was someone I could imagine following in their footsteps.
At that moment, I knew I wanted to continue to pursue the hobby and inspire other young YLs like she had inspired me. I went on to present at the same youth forum as well as a few others, always keeping in mind that when I do a presentation, I have the opportunity to encourage another young YL who may be unsure about getting into such a heavily STEM-focused and male-dominated hobby. Having that privilege and the platform to do this has become one of my favorite parts of the hobby, and it serves as a source of motivation for me now.
The way today’s YLs speak about, portray, and take part in amateur radio shapes how future generations of YLs can and will be involved in the hobby. You never know when a young YL in your audience is looking for someone to relate to. While navigating being a YL can be frustrating, having an opportunity like this makes any of the potential challenges worth it.
The post How to Navigate Being a YL in Amateur Radio appeared first on OnAllBands.
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