For the December YOTA Month in 2023, we tried to contact as many Youngsters as we could. From the about 25 contacted, about 8 were interested to participate in the DYM. With these 8 people, I was regularly in contact throughout the whole month of December and I tried to set up some meetings. On different occasions, I met with 2 licensed young Hams to go to the local club station of HB9W and do some QSOs under our special call sign HB9YOTA. Also, I met with 2 people interested in ham radio to inform them about what exactly ham radio is and how it’s done. Also, I explained to them how to get their license.
On December 15, 2022, I held a presentation about ham radio at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich. This evening, I exchanged contact information with several interested fellows, with some of whom I’m still in contact. Some of them are going to take their ham radio exam at the Federal Office of Communications this February. I’m looking forward to introducing them to other young hams and doing some activities with them also.
From December 16 to December 17, 2022, Philipp DK6SP from the IARU Youth Team visited us in Switzerland. We went to HB9W and did about 860 QSOs in SSB, CW, FT4, and FT8. On December 17, 2022, Andy HB9JOE, Head of Radiosports of the USKA, visited us at the club station and we talked a lot about the future of ham radio in Switzerland as well as all over Europe. Furthermore, on several occasions, I activated the HB9YOTA call from the HB9W club station as well as my home station.
Jan C. Helfenberger, HB9GWQ
Youth Coordinator USKA, The Experimental Wireless Technology Society of Switzerland
