Youngsters On The Air and ERTC 2014

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YOTA (Youngsters On The Air) is a youth movement inviting fifteen European national youth teams to a selected rotating EU location every year to get together, learn from each other and experience various aspects of Amateur Radio through meaningful and entertaining concepts emphasizing social, radio communication and technology skills.

OF3ERTC is a special event Amateur Radio station active in conjunction with ERTC 2014 from July 18-20th, while OH2YOTA will be active from the actual event site in Virrat, Finland starting July 16th.

ERTC (European Radio Team Championship) is a voice communication (VoIP) contest where two-member national youth teams try to make a maximum number of contacts with a maximum number of countries within a defined time period.

ERTC uses a Virtual Amateur Radio platform (HamSphere) where amateur radio-like operating is conducted on the Internet with amateur radio-like bands and operating features such as current radio propagation together with beam antennas and amplifiers plus an online logbook, awards and QSLing backed up with learning material and an exam free entry gate.

All this makes HamSphere a highly suitable application to learn about real Amateur Radio and help youth to discover Amateur Radio in their regular hangout, the Internet.

PARTICIPATING COUNTRIES -- Belgium (ON), Bulgaria (LZ), Croatia (9A),
Czech Republic (OK), Estonia (ES), Finland (OH), Italy (I), Lithuania (LY),
Netherlands (PA), Poland (SP), Romania (YO), Slovakia (OM), Sweden (SM), United Kingdom (G) and Spain (EA). 

These country-teams are currently active in Virtual World Amateur Radio practicing and preparing for their trip to Finland. Also, some invited Exhibition Teams will participate in the event over the Internet.

HamSphere - http://www.hamsphere.com/23_31496_read.html

Amateur Radio Week proclaimed in Atlanta

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Amateur Radio operators in the US state city of Atlanta are celebrating Amateur Radio Week as proclaimed by Mayor Keith Crow.

Members of the local chapter of Amateur Radio and Relay League (ARRL), the Radio Amateurs of Cass County (RACC) attended a meeting at Atlanta City Hall on Wednesday 18 June 2014, when Mayor Keith Crow signed a proclamation acknowledging Amateur / Ham Radio week starting from Sunday 22 June  through to Sunday 29 June 2014.

“I’m delighted to sign the proclamation honoring the dedicated men and women who take to the airwaves to help their communities in good times and bad, through community events, disaster response and various programs. He commended the members of the local chapter for their help in the past. ”
— Mayor Keith Crow

ILLW set for another good year

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The International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend participation list continues to grow, with stations from Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway and Switzerland joining this years event.

Nearly 270 locations in 33 countries have already committed to this premier fun-event held on the third full weekend in August for the past two decades.

Registrations include amateur / ham radio clubs / organisations and individuals from Asia, Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia, Oceania and the America's - in fact many countries that relied on this form of coastal navigation for the safe passage of ships.

The event aims to raise public awareness of the need to preserve marine beacons and promote Amateur Radio. An enjoyable time is had by those who mount portable stations on that weekend. Some have special QSL cards available for contacts.

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In Australia VK5BWR Point Lowly is the 100th entry, followed by Spain EA1/DK6EA activating the Faro de Cabo de Silleiro lighthouse as number 200. Who will be this year's prestigious 300th registration?

To learn more about this fun-event that has easy guidelines, see past activation reports, or to register for the International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend on 16 - 17th August 2014.

More information - http://www.illw.net