30 Jahre HB9GT - USKA

USKA
Colorado. After arriving back in Colorado
about a month ago, I had the
pleasure of going to BARC Juniors
Field Day that takes place all across
North America and runs for 24 hours.
These young people worked the radios
like seasoned adults and made
999 contacts. One young man made
230 contacts via CW. Several kids
were testing to become Amateur
Radio Operators or upgrading their
licenses; others were learning how
to program robots or pursue other
interesting activities. Many youngsters
came to observe, learn and to
have fun. The kids who participated
in Field Day camped out for two
nights while this event was taking
place. Other tents had been set up
to house the radios and equipment
needed for the various bands and
transmission modes.
Früh übt sich ....
They were supervised by a group of
adults called “Elmers” and two very
special people who started BARC Juniors
21 years ago. Ellie (79), NØQCX
and Rip (87), NVØM VanWinkle live
in Boulder, Colorado. Rip, a retired
engineer and his wife, Ellie, a retired
school teacher were a perfect match
to work with youngsters upon their
retirement. Rip has been a licensed
Ham for 66 years and Ellie, 21 years.
It has been a continuous year round
operation since 1992. BARC Juniors
is a part of BARC (Boulder Amateur
Radio Club) which has over 200 hundred
members. The Juniors have
had 202 youngsters become FCC
Licensed HAMS. The BARC Junior
program is extremely family oriented
and has encouraged Mothers,
Fathers, Siblings and Grandparents
Amateurfunk-Test (upgrade) für den blinden WB9IVF; der Test für Behinderte
wurde gleichzeitig mit jenem der BARC-Juniors abgehalten
to become a part of the Ham Radio
Community. Ellie and Rip have
always said that family involvement
is the most important element of
a young person’s success. Parents
are 100% behind their enthusiastic
children. This is a big key for the
total success of a child‘s journey in
achieving their goals.
BARC Junior hosts and offers many
different events. Among them is the
“Hamvention Youth in Amateur Radio
Forum” that is held once a year in
Dayton, Ohio. Austin Schaller KDØFAA
has attended this Forum two times
and has given two technical presentations.
In 2009 the presentation
was „Fractal Antennas“ and in 2011,
was „Programming with PIC Microcontrollers“.
This year, 2012, Austin
was presented
“The ARRL Young Ham
of the Year Award”.
It is the most prestigious
award that
ARRL (American Radio
Relay League)
gives to a young person.
Austin, age 17,
has mentored many
kids in his years of being
a Licensed Ham
Radio Operator. He is
one of the most outstanding
young men
anyone could imagine. Most of all, he
is a kind and caring individual. BARC
Juniors raises the funds to cover all
expenses for each youngster’s trips.
Funds are raised through donations
and SWAPFests. It has been a pleasure
to see this group of children under the
tutorial of Ellie and Rip.
Kids are our future. Let’s help influence
the world by sharing our knowledge
with a young person and spark
his/her interest in Ham Radio. It will
open up the endless possibilities that
exist in this world. The spirit of Amateur
Radio is a great one and does so
much to better the quality of life for
countless people. It is a privilege to
be a part of this extraordinary group
of people!
Austin KDØFAA unterrichtet einen Junior
HBradio 4 - 2012 47