The Gilwell Park site is very large so there will be lots of space to hide beacons to track with direction-finding equipment. There’ll be a prize for the fastest time to find all of the hidden transmitters.
There have been some changes to the teams attending YOTA 2017 – unfortunately the teams from Ethiopia, Bosnia and Slovenia are no longer able to attend, but Algeria has been added to the countries taking part and eight countries have been able to add team members.
The new UK team member is Martin Radulov, M0YRM, who has been licensed for two years and is interested both in the physics behind radio communications and construction.
He thinks his biggest achievement so far is making contacts via satellites using a yagi, pre-amplifier and duplexer he made for himself.
Who are your YOTA 2017 team members going to be?
The latest YOTA 2017 vlog #12 features Steve Bunting, M0BPQ who is the Station Manager for GB2GP at Gilwell Park.
During the YOTA camp there will be a five-band SES running from morning to night with the call sign GB17YOTA. The RSGB has provided awards for those who make contact – so listen out for the young people on air that week!
You can see all the vlogs via www.rsgb.org/yota-vlogs
Some members of the UK YOTA Team will be at the Friedrichshafen Ham Radio Exhibition, which takes place 14 to 17 July 2017. They will be there to receive the YOTA key and official YOTA flag from last year’s hosts from OeVSV. If you are attending Friedrichshafen this year, please make your way to the RSGB Stand on Saturday at 15:30 to say hello and see the handover.
As two countries are no longer able to attend YOTA 2017, the other countries who are involved are being invited to nominate additional team members – there are six places to fill. If you’re a young radio amateur aged 15-25 and are free from 5-12 August 2017, contact your national amateur radio society if you’d like to apply or find out more.
Our latest vlog introduces the second member of the UK YOTA 2017 team – Jonathan Sawyer, 2E0UAR is 23 and belongs to the Reading and District Amateur Radio Club.
With under six weeks to go until the event the countdown has begun!
What question would you ask an astronaut?
YOTA teams across the world have been invited to submit questions for the planned contact with the International Space Station during YOTA 2017.
Linking with the theme of the amateur radio event, questions should focus on communications – which can include amateur radio, cell phones, data links, satellites, etc. YOTA team members have been asked to try and think of questions no-one else has asked before!
We won’t know when the ISS contact will take place until one week before the event, but the plan is to have it streamed live over the internet so people everywhere will be able to watch the build up and the QSO.
George Dobbs, G3RJV (Hon Secretary) and Graham Firth, G3MFJ (Hon Treasurer) explain why the GQRP Club is delighted to be a Super Supporter of YOTA 2017. Both are long-standing radio amateurs and very well-known in the radio amateur community. Graham says “We feel strongly about encouraging the younger folk to the hobby – and we support it when we can.” Great to see people of all ages supporting this youth event and even trying out a new form of communication to do so!
Other YOTA vlogs can be found here: http://rsgb.org/main/about-us/yota-2017/watch-our-vlogs/
Ciaran Morgan, M0XTD has confirmed that the plans are in place for an ARISS contact during YOTA 2017 week in August. He will be visiting Gilwell Park soon as part of the preparations and the ARISS team from the Principia mission will be available to run the contact in August.
Teams from across the world are getting ready to fly to the UK to take part in YOTA 2017. The team travelling the furthest is from Japan – we’re looking forward to welcoming Seiya Kato, JE1XUZ and Riku Suda, JR2KHB.
