Looking Back at Ham Radio Friedrichshafen 2026

After finishing my exchange year in Germany in the second week of June, I spent a few days at home and then boarded a flight to attend the biggest amateur radio convention in Europe—Ham Radio Friedrichshafen, June 26-28, 2026.

I had the opportunity to attend the fair for the first time in 2024 with my father. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to come back this year after spending the year in Germany. This allowed me to compare the experiences before and after having learned to speak German.

For anyone wondering how the fair compares to Dayton Hamvention® or HamCation, it’s very similar, although completely indoors. It’s slightly smaller (especially on the swap end of things) than these two, but a little larger than the Huntsville Hamfest.

One of the biggest differences is how culturally diverse it is in comparison to the hamfests and events that take place in the US. While major gatherings like Hamvention and HamCation have at least a little bit of international attendance, this is exponentially higher in Friedrichshafen due to the simplicity of travel between countries in Europe. It’s completely normal to stroll through the event and hear conversations in four or five different languages as you walk past, which is, for me, one of the coolest parts of the conference.

The youth hostel is also a big difference from the structure of hamfests in the US, but for good reasons. Like in 2024, I stayed in the youth hostel (“HamCamp”) that is offered at the fair. The event is held at a retired Zeppelin hangar, which makes the facility perfect in the sense that it has multiple halls for various parts of the event (e.g., forum halls, vendor halls, swap meet halls, and one dedicated specifically to hosting young attendees).

While the accommodations aren’t the most luxurious, they do make the trip much more affordable for young people who would like to attend. Even more importantly, this arrangement helps you meet lots of other young attendees and get to know them. I met numerous young hams who I’ve been friends with on Instagram for years or have talked to on the air but never met in person. This is always one of my favorite parts of the weekend.

To make the most out of the weekend, I arrived on the Thursday before the conference started. After “moving in” to the hostel, I went out and grabbed dinner with some of the others who were staying in the HamCamp. After dinner, we went for a walk by Lake Constance and enjoyed ice cream as we caught up with old friends and made new ones.

Friday morning came with an early wakeup call so we could get ready for the day and be there before the halls opened to the public. We made it right on time and finished setting up the YOTA (Youngsters on the Air) booth before the fair opened. I made sure to say hello to all my acquaintances before fitting in the YOTA contest and camp announcement ceremonies. After the fair closed, we finished off the day with the YOTA dinner at a nearby restaurant and headed back to the hostel to chat with each other a bit more.

Saturday was just as exciting, with the official YOTA meeting taking place. Many new youngsters joined the hostel since they were done with school for the week. After a full day of enjoying the conference, most of us headed to the Bavarian Contest Club (BCC) dinner and then went out for a bit of sightseeing by the lake. On Sunday, we all got up early to enjoy the last few hours of the conference before heading our separate ways—at least until WRTC (World Radiosport Team Championship) the next week…or the YOTA camp in Austria!

While Ham Radio Friedrichshafen is very different from the conferences that I’ve attended in the US, there are always a few constants. The most important one (to me, at least) is the atmosphere of finally being together with friends from all over the world who share your interests and hobbies. After attending an event like Friedrichshafen, I always find myself looking forward to the next radio event and wanting to get on the air more, which I know is the case for many other young operators.

While it was definitely not necessary for me to enjoy the conference, my German language skills made this year especially fun. I’m already looking forward to attending (hopefully) in 2027!

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