During December several European countries will promote ham radio to youth as part of a Youngsters On The Air (YOTA) event, on all bands and modes. Stations will be on the air with “YOTA” as a call sign suffix or appendage.

“The idea for this is to break the ice for some youngsters,” said Bjorn Dettmaring, ON5CFG. “This is not a contest but a shout out to the world of ham radio. Try to get as many youngsters as yo u can on the air this month,” he urged.

Awards are available for operators or SWLs working or monitoring YOTA stations. Dettmaring said the December event follows up on the success of the Youngsters On The Air events last summer. Awards are free and will be distributed electronically. Only contacts during December 2013 are valid. Each station may be counted only one time. — Thanks to Bjorn Dettmaring, ON5CFG