Were you able to make contact with the K3Y team of youth operators on the air July 27 during the 2024 RSGB IOTA Contest? We hope so. Your QSO made a difference in the life of a young amateur!

For the second straight year operating from the K3LR superstation in western Pennsylvania, a group of talented young hams got a taste of what it’s like making QSOs from a powerful amateur radio station, while chasers from every corner of the globe got to experience the bright future of our beloved hobby in action.

The four operators making up the team—Ian Alkema, KI8AN; Lilly Colón, W8LIL; Katie Campbell, KE8LQR; and Grace Papay, K8LG—were participating in the Dave Kalter Memorial Youth DX Adventure (YDXA), a program that has sent amateurs ages 12-17 to stations around the world since its founding in 2010. You can read bios of the YDXA participants and parents here.

When this year’s international excursion fell through, Tim Duffy, K3LR, CEO of DX Engineering, once again offered his station as the site for the adventure.

Operating on 40, 20, 15, and 10 meters in SSB and CW, the team logged close t0 2,000 QSOs. All contacts were made by the youth operators, with mentoring provided by parents and other experienced amateurs, including Tim, K3LR.

“It was a great day for these amazing young operators, as well as an important day for ham radio,” Tim said. “The K3Y team operated with impressive poise, skill, and teamwork, and they were an absolute pleasure to have at K3LR, representing the youth of our hobby in such a positive manner. A great deal of thanks goes to the Dayton Amateur Radio Association, other contributors for their sponsorship, and the many hams who sought them out on the air. Most importantly, I’d like to salute all the parents for doing such a wonderful job with these youngsters. The future of ham radio is in good hands.”

Edward Engleman, KG8CX, 2024 Hamvention Amateur of the Year and co-founder of the Young Amateurs Communications Ham Team (YACHT), wrote:

“Outstanding operation from all of you. Kudos. Thanks to Tim, K3LR, for believing in these youth and giving them an opportunity to long remember.”

“Well done, Katie, super contest operation,” wrote David Ayers, from England, on the DX Engineering Facebook page. “It’s going to take a lot more practice to get my CW back up to that standard.”

You can watch the K3Y team in action in this video from DX Engineering’s YouTube channel:

Youth Make a Stop at DX Engineering

Before traveling to K3LR, the K3Y team and parents stopped by DX Engineering in Tallmadge, Ohio, for lunch on July 26. Each participant gave a presentation on the impact ham radio has had on their life and their goals for the future.

“Amateur radio has and is continuing to be an incredible experience for me,” Ian said during his presentation at DX Engineering. “I have made so many new friends, received awesome awards, and was even able to take amateur radio to the outdoors.”

The presentations were broadcast live on DX Engineering’s Facebook page. You can watch the inspiring video below from DX Engineering’s YouTube channel:

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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.   

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