Watch YDXA team members give live presentations on DX Engineering’s Facebook page July 26 at 12:30 pm EST.
For the second straight year, the young amateurs chosen to participate in the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure (YDXA) will be operating in the United States from one of the world’s premier contest stations—K3LR, owned and operated by Tim Duffy, K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering.
When plans for the youth team to travel to an international location had to be canceled, Tim, K3LR, agreed to once again offer his contest superstation in western Pennsylvania for the annual adventure, which has sent young operators ages 12-17 to remote locations—including Costa Rica, Saba Island, and Curaçao—since its founding in 2010.
This year’s Dave Kalter adventure is sponsored by the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, K3LR Contest Superstation, and DX Engineering. The goal of the program is to give young hams the chance to hone their abilities while creating unforgettable experiences that will foster a lifelong passion for amateur radio. The program was named for founding YDXA member Dave Kalter, KB8OCP, who became a silent key in November 2013.
The 2024 team, which will be operating as K3Y during the RSGB IOTA Contest, is comprised of Ian Alkema, KI8AN; Lilly Colón, W8LIL; Katie Campbell, KE8LQR; and Grace Papay, K8LG. Katie and Grace took part in the 2023 YDXA at K3LR and are returning to provide mentorship to the first-time participants. Rising stars in the amateur radio world, Katie and Grace were also speakers at Contest University 2024 in Dayton, Ohio discussing the topic, “How to Integrate Youth Operators in Multi-Op Contesting.”
You can watch their Contest University presentation in this video starting at 1:32:40.
The K3Y foursome, along with parents (Tim Alkema, K8LK; Karl Colón, KC2GTR; Colleen Campbell, KB8VAQ; and Doug Papay, K8DP) will be visiting DX Engineering headquarters in Tallmadge, Ohio, on July 26 for lunch with the DX Engineering team and a tour of the company.
From there they’ll travel to K3LR where the group will be chasing island stations during the RSGB IOTA Contest (July 27, 1200Z to July 28, 1200Z). The group will be active on July 27 only.
Watch the Youth Participants Live
While at DX Engineering, each YDXA participant will be giving a presentation about how they got involved with ham radio, their experiences on and off the air, and goals for future involvement. These will be broadcast live on DX Engineering’s Facebook page at 12:30 pm EST. We encourage you to tune in. Based on last year’s presentations, we guarantee you’ll walk away feeling inspired about the future of the greatest hobby in the world.
“We’re thrilled to have these bright and talented young operators visiting DX Engineering and then operating at K3LR,” Duffy said. “At DX Engineering, we feel it’s more important than ever for the ham radio community to give young and enthusiastic amateurs these life-changing experiences. Last year’s RSGB IOTA operation at K3LR was such a huge success for everyone involved. It was exciting to watch the level of skill on display as well as see how the young operators benefited from mentorship provided by longtime hams.”
Last year’s team of Katie, KE8LQR; Grace, K8LG; Agnes Wagner, AD8IR; and Ben Wagner, AD8FQ, took full advantage of the opportunity to operate from this powerful station, making 2,283 SSB QSOs on five bands during the event. They made contacts with amateurs in all 50 states, six continents, and 60 DXCC entities, while bonding as a team and impressing other IOTA participants with their on-air abilities.
DX Engineering Plays a Part
DX Engineering’s support of young operators aligns with the theme of the 2024 DX Engineering Amateur Radio Products Catalog—Giving Back.
“The idea of giving back to the ham radio community by encouraging young operators, sponsoring DXpeditions, and promoting amateur radio in our communities is a significant part of what DX Engineering is all about. We encourage everyone to help out when they can. The lessons that come from being an amateur operator—effective communication, problem solving, and the many technical aspects of the hobby—last a lifetime.”
Tim Duffy, K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering
Be sure to check out OnAllBands in early August for our follow-up post on the K3Y team.
