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Youth in amateur radio

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Youth in amateur radio
Minimum age (US)None; the FCC sets no age requirement
ARRL youth exam fee$5 for candidates under 18 at ARRL VEC sessions (since April 2022)
FCC application fee$35, reimbursed by the ARRL for qualifying young candidates
Student membershipFree ARRL associate membership for full-time US students aged 21 or younger
Events
Kids DayUsually the first Saturday of January and the third Saturday of June
School Club RoundupOne week in October and one in February
Jamboree on the AirThird full weekend of October
Youth campsYOTA (IARU Region 1); Youth on the Air (Americas)

Youth in amateur radio covers the programs, events and organizations that bring young people into the hobby and keep them active once they are licensed. Clubs and national societies have long looked for ways to reach young people, and today a young ham can take a reduced-price exam, make contacts during on-air events aimed at children and schools, attend camps with others of the same age, enter competitions and apply for scholarships. Related topics are covered in Amateur radio in schools, Collegiate amateur radio and Jamboree on the Air.

Getting licensed young

Main article: Getting licensed

US rules set no minimum age: anyone except a representative of a foreign government may hold an amateur license,[1][2] and the first step for most young people is the Technician exam. The exams are given by teams of volunteer examiners, and young candidates answer the same questions as adults.

Since April 19, 2022, the day the FCC began charging a $35 application fee for new licenses, the ARRL has run a Youth Licensing Grant Program.[3] Candidates under 18 pay only $5 to take any exam at an ARRL VEC session, with proof of age.[3] The ARRL also covers the $35 FCC fee for qualifying new licensees: the fee is paid to the FCC as usual, and once the license is issued, whoever paid it sends a reimbursement form to the ARRL VEC and receives a check.[3] The ARRL also offers free associate membership to full-time US students aged 21 or younger.[4]

A good mentor matters as much as the exam. Most young hams are helped by a parent, teacher, Scout leader or local club member who lends equipment and makes the first contacts with them.

On-air events

  • Kids Day is an ARRL event held twice a year, usually on the first Saturday of January and the third Saturday of June, from 1800 to 2359 UTC.[5] Licensed hams invite children to their stations, and the suggested exchange is name, age, location and favorite color. Stations call "CQ Kids Day".[5] Children without a license can talk on the air as third parties with a licensed control operator present, observing third-party restrictions on DX contacts.[5]
  • School Club Roundup (SCR) is a five-day operating event for school and college stations, held in October and February.[6]
  • Jamboree on the Air is the annual radio weekend of the worldwide Scouting movement, held in October.[7]
  • December YOTA Month is an annual month-long on-air event in which young operators around the world put special event stations on the air.[8][9]

Camps, rallies and lounges

Youngsters on the Air (YOTA) is a youth program in Region 1 of the International Amateur Radio Union, which covers Europe, Africa, the Middle East and northern Asia.[10] Each summer about 80 young hams spend a week together in a different Region 1 country, operating, building projects and making friends; the 2026 camp was held in Austria.[8] YOTA also runs a Youth Contesting Program that places young operators on teams at major contest stations.[8]

Youth on the Air is the equivalent for the Americas, active since 2019.[9] Its week-long summer camps, for ages 15 to 25, have been held in Cincinnati, Ottawa, Halifax, Denver and, in June 2026, Huntsville, Alabama, where 35 campers from 17 US states, Mexico and Argentina talked with an astronaut through ARISS and launched a high-altitude balloon.[9] The program is supported by Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), which has pledged grants for its 2026 to 2028 camps, and by the YASME Foundation, among others.[9]

At hamfests, the ARRL encourages organizers to set up a Youth Lounge, a space where young visitors can meet, and it supplies printable activity kits with scavenger hunts, Morse code games and a quiz.[11] At the 2026 Dayton Hamvention, a Youth Rally offered hands-on activities such as supervised soldering and Morse code practice.[12]

Recognition, competitions and scholarships

The Young Ham of the Year award was started in 1986 by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, of the news service Amateur Radio Newsline, and has carried his name since his death in 2015.[13] Winners are honored at the Huntsville Hamfest in Alabama each August; the 2026 award went to a 14-year-old from Florida.[13]

The ARRL held its first Student Coding Competition in 2026, open to ARRL members aged 21 or younger who hold a US license, working alone or in teams of up to three.[14] Entrants built an iOS app for license exam preparation, using the official question pools, with up to $25,000 in total awards available.[14][15] The winner, a 16-year-old from Maryland, received $5,000 in cash along with a paid summer project with the ARRL and eligibility for an ARRL scholarship.[16]

Scholarships are a major form of support for young hams going on to college. The ARRL Foundation manages more than 170 scholarships for licensed amateurs, ranging from $500 to $25,000, and other groups, including ARDC and many local clubs, offer their own.[17]

A young newcomer gets the most from a hamfest youth lounge, a Kids Day contact or a youth camp when an adult mentor follows up afterward. Lending a handheld radio and checking into a local net together often keeps a new ham active.

See also

References

  1. ↑ 47 CFR 97.5, eCFR.
  2. ↑ Getting Licensed, ARRL.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Youth Licensing Grant Program, ARRL.
  4. ↑ Collegiate Amateur Radio, ARRL.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kids Day, ARRL.
  6. ↑ School Club Roundup, ARRL.
  7. ↑ JOTA-JOTI, World Organization of the Scout Movement.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Youngsters On The Air, IARU Region 1.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 Youth on the Air, Youth on the Air.
  10. ↑ About Us, IARU Region 1.
  11. ↑ Youth Lounge, ARRL.
  12. ↑ Report from the World's Largest Hamfest, ARRL, May 2026.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 2026 Young Ham of the Year, Amateur Radio Newsline.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Student Coding Competition is Underway with $25,000 Award, ARRL, January 2026.
  15. ↑ Up to $25,000 at Stake in New ARRL Student Coding Competition, ARRL, December 2025.
  16. ↑ 16-Year-Old ARRL Member Wins 2026 Student Coding Competition, ARRL, July 2026.
  17. ↑ Scholarship Program, ARRL.
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