Eighty young people from 26 countries are coming to the UK for a week to take part in the seventh prestigious YOTA (Youngsters on the Air) summer camp. Hosted by the RSGB at the scouting activity centre at Gilwell Park, near London, it will be a week packed with a variety of events and a chance for the young people to forge international friendships.
The youngsters will take part in fun and challenging amateur radio activities, visits to Bletchley Park and the National Radio Centre, Ofcom’s Spectrum Management Centre in Baldock and also the London Science Museum. They will also have the amazing opportunity to use amateur radio to speak directly to astronaut Paulo Nespoli, IZ0JPA on the International Space Station (ISS) and see him via live video by Amateur TV.
Steve Hartley, G0FUW, RSGB Board Director and YOTA Project Manager said: “We are delighted to have the honour of hosting YOTA’s seventh international summer camp and are looking forward to welcoming so many young radio amateurs from around the world.”
The young radio amateurs are aged 15 – 25 and will travel from a diverse range of countries including Croatia, Tunisia, South Africa and Japan. During the week they will be split into five streams, each one led by a member of the RSGB’s Youth Committee. They will do a variety of activities including Summits on the Air (SOTA – operating amateur radio from a summit), making a CW transceiver kit, sharing something of their own country’s culture and operating the Gilwell Park amateur radio station GB3GP. The SOTA activity will be led by Lauren, M6HLR who at the age of 12 is the youngest person to have completed a SOTA activation from all 214 Wainwrights.
During the week clubs across the country, supported by the RSGB’s Regional Team, are holding a series of local events to enable as many young people as possible to try amateur radio for the first time.
Amateur radio is a popular technical hobby which has many links to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) curriculum. The RSGB is dedicated to encouraging more young people to enter STEM-related careers after enjoying amateur radio and its wide-ranging activities.
ARISS (Amateur Radio on the International Space Station) is working with NASA to facilitate the ISS contact and a live web cast of the contact will be streamed by the British Amateur Television Club (BATC) on the RSGB’s YouTube channel
Milo Noblet, 2E0IL, UK Youth Team Leader said: “The contact with an astronaut on the ISS will be one of the highlights of the week. We know from our experience of the amateur radio contacts with Tim Peake last year, it will be something special for everyone to remember.”
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